# Made the jump to RCI Points!!



## Plamarine (Oct 24, 2006)

Well, after exhaustive research I decided to convert my Vistana Resort week to RCI Points.  The conversion fee was reasonable ($499), and RCI gave me a one time 20,000 bonus points to offset the conversion cost.  They also gave me 67,000 annual points for my week, but had I not talked to a different rep I would have gotten ~10,000 points less per year from the first rep I spoke to.  It paid to be persistent in my case.  Anyone else considering converting should insist that you get the maximum number of points.

Another tip...if you are going to convert and RCI is allowed to do your conversion, call from 9-5 and ask for someone who has done you resort's conversions before.  I called after 9:00pm and the girl was clueless, hence the reason I called back.  Thank God I did or I would have thought that 58,000 points was what my week was worth and would have signed up at 58,000.

They said it takes 6-8 weeks to complete the conversion, so it looks like Christmastime I will have some vacation planning to do with my 87,000 points.  Westin at St. Johns maybe?


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## Pit (Oct 24, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> Anyone else considering converting should insist that you get the maximum number of points.



How did you determine the maximum number of points?


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## Plamarine (Oct 26, 2006)

Pit said:
			
		

> How did you determine the maximum number of points?



In my case, I spoke with 3 different reps and got three different answers.  I told the 4th rep what the highest quote was and they spoke with supervisors, managers and then gave me what I thought was  reasonable.  I guess with Vistana Resort there are quite a few variables (week, floating, bedroom type, which area you are deeded into, etc).


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## rickandcindy23 (Oct 26, 2006)

I don't think Westin St. John's trades with RCI.   

I wonder when II is going to go with some kind of points system.


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## Plamarine (Oct 26, 2006)

rickandcindy23 said:
			
		

> I don't think Westin St. John's trades with RCI.
> 
> I wonder when II is going to go with some kind of points system.



I think you are right and II does the internal trades for the SVN of Starwood.  I spoke with a Starwood rep today and she said even SVN owners have trouble trading to Westin SJ because the owners there either use their weeks or rent them, but they don't bank them.


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## BillR (Nov 2, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> Well, after exhaustive research I decided to convert my Vistana Resort week to RCI Points.  The conversion fee was reasonable ($499), and RCI gave me a one time 20,000 bonus points to offset the conversion cost.  They also gave me 67,000 annual points for my week, but had I not talked to a different rep I would have gotten ~10,000 points less per year from the first rep I spoke to.  It paid to be persistent in my case.  Anyone else considering converting should insist that you get the maximum number of points.
> 
> Another tip...if you are going to convert and RCI is allowed to do your conversion, call from 9-5 and ask for someone who has done you resort's conversions before.  I called after 9:00pm and the girl was clueless, hence the reason I called back.  Thank God I did or I would have thought that 58,000 points was what my week was worth and would have signed up at 58,000.
> 
> They said it takes 6-8 weeks to complete the conversion, so it looks like Christmastime I will have some vacation planning to do with my 87,000 points.  Westin at St. Johns maybe?


*FYI - RCI didn't give you 20,000 points, Vistana did.  They are called bonus points which RCI "sells" the resort for 1.5 cents/point or trades points for Vistana deposits.  All point values are documented for each resort which you can see WHEN RCI certifies your points membership.  Vistana fills out the (participation Agreement) with your information and forwards to RCI.  MAKE CERTAIN YOU LOOK INTO SECTION E OF THE PA.  YOU ARE ALLOWED TO PUT 5 ADDITIONAL PEOPLE INTO THE CONTRACT - THESE 5 PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE TO PAY A GUEST FEE IF YOU "GIVE" YOUR POINTS TO THEM.  (Your children, Grand Children, Brothers, Sisters . . .etc.*


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## BillR (Nov 2, 2006)

rickandcindy23 said:
			
		

> I don't think Westin St. John's trades with RCI.
> 
> I wonder when II is going to go with some kind of points system.


I spoke to the executive offices of II and they are not planning to get into points.  They do have an agreement with Sunterra with a points relationship  for Sunterra's SunOptions.  I


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## timeos2 (Nov 2, 2006)

*No, no sales are down*



			
				BillR said:
			
		

> I spoke to the executive offices of II and they are not planning to get into points.  They do have an agreement with Sunterra with a points relationship  for Sunterra's SunOptions.  I



Why is it when I read of the "Executive Offices" of II/RCI I can't help but think of those Monster.com monkey ads?  Have there been film crews in Miami and Indianapolis recently?


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## Plamarine (Nov 3, 2006)

BillR said:
			
		

> *FYI - RCI didn't give you 20,000 points, Vistana did.  They are called bonus points which RCI "sells" the resort for 1.5 cents/point or trades points for Vistana deposits.  All point values are documented for each resort which you can see WHEN RCI certifies your points membership.  Vistana fills out the (participation Agreement) with your information and forwards to RCI.  MAKE CERTAIN YOU LOOK INTO SECTION E OF THE PA.  YOU ARE ALLOWED TO PUT 5 ADDITIONAL PEOPLE INTO THE CONTRACT - THESE 5 PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE TO PAY A GUEST FEE IF YOU "GIVE" YOUR POINTS TO THEM.  (Your children, Grand Children, Brothers, Sisters . . .etc.*



Bill:

I did not know that.  When will i get to see the PA?  Will I be able to change anything on it?  I could add my parents, sister, etc.  Should I call RCI?  They have not finished the conversion yet.


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## brucecz (Nov 4, 2006)

Besides the two people that can be added to the deed you used to be able to add 5 peoples names to a RCI Points account. I think that was the case  when I added our last RCI Points ownership this year.

The main advantage is you do not have to pay for guest certificates for those 5 people if they are using the reservations.

Btruce  



			
				Plamarine said:
			
		

> Bill:
> 
> I did not know that.  When will i get to see the PA?  Will I be able to change anything on it?  I could add my parents, sister, etc.  Should I call RCI?  They have not finished the conversion yet.


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## BillR (Nov 4, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> Bill:
> 
> I did not know that.  When will i get to see the PA?  Will I be able to change anything on it?  I could add my parents, sister, etc.  Should I call RCI?  They have not finished the conversion yet.


The resort completes the PA.  Call them.  If you have changes, they will have to initiate.  Most resorts do NOT understand Section E.


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## Drageamon (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

I am also currently undergoing the conversion. They asked me what names I wanted and I just said me and my husband but am I reading right that I can add up to 5 more people? Is this on the deed or on the RCI account?

Also, how do I push to get more points for my week? It is currently worth 56,000 on the RCI grid and I thought I would just have to accept that? Can I ask for bonus points then? On what basis?

Also, my usage on weeks didnt start until 2007 but can I start to use my points as soon as the conversion is complete i.e. in 2006? Also, do I still pay maintenance fees to Sheraton and how do points affect this amount?

Many thanks
Kelly


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## Quickdraw (Nov 9, 2006)

*Points for Deposit Hidden Problems?*

I have recently sold my Fairfield Points week and I'm very interested in getting into RCI points.

My question is about what I believe is called Points for Deposit.

My brother has an RCI points account that he's willing to put my name on and I was thinking that possibly the best route to go would be to purchase a couple of points weeks, possibly South Africa, and use the PFD system.

I'd love any advice as to the wisdom or lunacy of such an idea.

Paul


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## donnaval (Nov 10, 2006)

> possibly the best route to go would be to purchase a couple of points weeks, possibly South Africa, and use the PFD system.



Paul--the week(s) you use for PFD cannot be associated with *any* points system, they must be weeks only.  For example, you could not have used your former Fairfield ownership for PFD.

This can bite a TS owner in the butt when they have been using a week for PFD and the resort subsequently decides to convert to RCI points--can't use that week anymore for PFD.  So just make sure any weeks you buy specifically with PFD in mind are not already points resorts, or that they have no immediate plans of joining a points system.


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## short (Nov 10, 2006)

*Westin St Johns deposits into II & RCI*



			
				Plamarine said:
			
		

> I think you are right and II does the internal trades for the SVN of Starwood.  I spoke with a Starwood rep today and she said even SVN owners have trouble trading to Westin SJ because the owners there either use their weeks or rent them, but they don't bank them.



We went to a tour at the Westin St Johns last week.  They were flabergasted that I trading in with II using a nonstarwood week.:whoopie:   They said the II rep who was there the prior month said that only 14 to 18 weeks per year are deposited for Westin St Johns in the last few years.(and I was really lucky to get one)  I would likely never repeat that success in the next 10 years if I tried.  Some SVN members have been on a waiting list for a 3 bedroom unit for 2 years.

Well this was sales people talking so take it for what its worth.  I believe it is at least mostly true as I hardly ever see or hear of anyone trading into WSJ.

I was not planning to go back soon as I have lots of other places I want to go to but with that kind of challenge I might have to try and prove them wrong. 

See you in St Johns next year anyone? 

Short


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## Plamarine (Nov 10, 2006)

I am not surprised..  The Westin SJ is beautiful.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 10, 2006)

*No P.F.D. With Points Timeshare Weeks.*




			
				Quickdraw said:
			
		

> I was thinking that possibly the best route to go would be to purchase a couple of points weeks, possibly South Africa, and use the PFD system.


Perverse as it seems, RCI members can't do PFD with points timeshare weeks, only with non-points timeshare weeks. 

So if I want to do PFD (_"Points For Deposit"_), I've got to own an RCI Points timeshare somewhere & be a member of RCI Points, _plus_ own some RCI-affiliated (i.e., RCI Weeks) non-points timeshare weeks, then do PFD if I choose in any particular year with any or all of my non-points RCI timeshare weeks. 

Not only that, if I buy a resale week at an RCI Points timeshare resort, I've got to make sure the particular week I'm buying is already converted into the RCI Points system (and _stays_ converted after ownership transfers to me).  Otherwise, I not only don't get automatic annual RCI Points for it, I also can't do PFD with it. 

Confusing, eh? 

Click here for some recent TUG discussion about that with regard to a particular South African timeshare. 
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Quickdraw (Nov 10, 2006)

Thanks so much for the information.  I'm very interested in getting into RCI points and I'm just trying to figure out what the best way to get the most for my $ really is.

Is the idea of trying to get a SA week reasonable or should I just look for other weeks in the US that may be more stable?


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 11, 2006)

*Stable, Shmayble.*




			
				Quickdraw said:
			
		

> Is the idea of trying to get a SA week reasonable or should I just look for other weeks in the US that may be more stable?


That's above my pay grade. 

By the time we got interested in RCI Points, we already had some RCI non-points timeshares, including 1 in South Africa.  We thought it would be advantageous to bring our non-points timeshares under the points umbrella if we could do so without having to pay big bux.  To do that, we bought the smallest & cheapest RCI Points timeshare we could find, which turned out to be a dinky USA 15*,*000-point eBay timeshare that we got for $152*.*50 -- adding in closing costs, RCI Points initiation fee, resort transfer, MF, & all that brought our total points start-up cost close to $1*,*000. 

That was last year.  Since then we've done _Points For Deposit_ twice & have done an _Instant_ (points) _Exchange_ once. 

Somebody starting out fresh might want to do it some different way -- e.g., by buying a timeshare that generates more points annually than our dinky 15*,*000 points, & by being careful to get low MF (relatively speaking) for the number of annual points involved, rather than just going for the lowest available bottom line to get in.  

At this point, I incline toward the view that there is no universal 1 & only 1 "right" way to get into timeshares -- points, weeks, deeded, UDI, RTU, EOY, EEY, RCI, I-I, SFX, DAE, VRI, SunTerra, WorldMark, BlueGreen, Disney, TrendWest, FairField, & I don't know what-all.  Different approaches work out fine for different people in varying circumstances & situations.  Even so, it's generally advantageous to keep eyes & ears open, to buy resale, & to heed _The Wisdom Of TUG_. 
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Dustijam (Nov 11, 2006)

*No SA Point Resorts*



			
				Quickdraw  said:
			
		

> Is the idea of trying to get a SA week reasonable or should I just look for other weeks in the US that may be more stable?



SA weeks are used for PFD’s but you have to already be a points member.  In other words, you must first buy at a points resort, either in the US or Australia.  There are no point SA resorts.


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## donnaval (Nov 12, 2006)

```
Is the idea of trying to get a SA week reasonable or should I just look for other weeks in the US that may be more stable?
```

I bought Argentina weeks with low maintenance fees to use strictly for PFD after I realized that the 25,000 RCI points week I bought wouldn't get me much on its own.  I got the two Argentina weeks for $1 on Ebay  I figured that if the situation there went sour, I didn't have much to lose.  To my surprise, the resort turns out to be a pretty good trader on RCI if I wanted to try it as a weeks trader, and I've deposited one of the weeks into DAE to try that out, too.  And just recently, the resort hooked up with Trading Places and now I can trade there too!  Whew, some nice places on TP.   I may end up keeping the Argentina weeks and dumping my RCI points week lol.

In all seriousness, Alan is right - keep your eye on the maintenance fee/points ratio no matter where the PFD week is located.  Unless you stick to 45-day and under exchanges, you won't get much value for a low points week by itself.  

RCI can change the points grid at its whim, as it did in 2006--a trade that cost me 46,500 points in November of 2005 suddenly cost 75,500 points a few months later.  The amount of points allotted to my week did not increase.  

What is your main reason for wanting to get into RCI points?  If it is to take advantage of the 45-day window, then RCI points is a great bargain.  But to make trades it is quite costly unless you are fortunate enough to have a very highly pointed week.  Even if you manage to keep your maintenance fees with the RCI points/PFD weeks to a $1-per-1k point ratio as I've so often heard recommended, once you add on the exchange fee plus RCI points account fees plus PFD fees--at that point it is very borderline as to whether the points trade is more cost-effective than just renting.


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## Plamarine (Nov 23, 2006)

Well, the conersion went through yesterday and they only gave me 56,800 points when they told me it would be 67,000.  I spoke with several supervisors and they are correcting their mistake.  We'll see if that happens.


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## Plamarine (Nov 29, 2006)

Well, after about 4 or 5 weeks the point conversion is completed for my week at Vistana.  They told me my unit and week was worth 67,000 when I agreed to convert, but when the conversion came through, they were only giving me 56,800.  Long story short, after speaking with several RCI reps, they agreed to give me the difference (30,300) and put it in my next year use account.  After the three years is up, I can stop the Point account or take the reduced number of points.  At least RCI made the right call and honored what they promised me.

With the 20,000 bonus points they gave me, I have over 150,000 points for the next 2 years!


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## Conan (Nov 29, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> With the 20,000 bonus points they gave me, I have over 150,000 points for the next 2 years!



You may already know, but do make sure you know your "use year" for the points.  

For example, my use year is 11/06-10/07, which means I can use current year points for a booking (whether in Points or Weeks) in that year or year two, 11/07-10/08.  If I want to extend the use into year three, 11/08-10/09, RCI charges $2.00 per 1,000 points if I make the extension request simultaneous with a booking; otherwise they charge $4.00 per 1,000 points to extend.


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## Plamarine (Nov 30, 2006)

rklein001 said:
			
		

> You may already know, but do make sure you know your "use year" for the points.
> 
> For example, my use year is 11/06-10/07, which means I can use current year points for a booking (whether in Points or Weeks) in that year or year two, 11/07-10/08.  If I want to extend the use into year three, 11/08-10/09, RCI charges $2.00 per 1,000 points if I make the extension request simultaneous with a booking; otherwise they charge $4.00 per 1,000 points to extend.



When are points considered used?  When you book or when you actually take the vacation?


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## sfwilshire (Dec 1, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> Well, the conersion went through yesterday and they only gave me 56,800 points when they told me it would be 67,000.  I spoke with several supervisors and they are correcting their mistake.  We'll see if that happens.



Do you have a floating or fixed week? I believe only a fixed week would yield 67,000 points at Vistana, unless I've been shorted on mine. I'll be following this closely to see if I need to talk to them again about the value of my own week.

Thanks,

Sheila


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## Conan (Dec 1, 2006)

Plamarine said:
			
		

> When are points considered used?  When you book or when you actually take the vacation?



I thought I knew the answer until I tried to put it into words.

Now I'm not so sure!

Let me re-ask your question for points originally belonging to the 11/06-10/07 year.  

1.  What's the latest date I can go onliine or phone to book a vacation with those points without incurring the $2 or $4 per $1,000 third-year fee?

2.  What's the latest week I can take the vacation that I called to book in question 1 without incurring the $2 or $4 per $1,000 third-year fee?

3.  If I'm willing to pay the $2 or $4 per $1,000 third-year fee, do we just add 12 months to the answers in #1 and #2 above?

4.  Any difference in the answer if I'm using the points to book on the RCI weeks side?  [You know, RCI points can't be applied more than 10 months before the vacation outside your home resort area, while RCI points can be applied up to 2 years in advance].  And what starts the 2-year clock anyway - - is it the date you go online or make the phone call?


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## lghb (Dec 3, 2006)

What's the best (easiest and cheapest ) wayto convert weeks to RCI points?  Can one just call RCI?


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