# RCI Points vs. VRI Exchange online



## vamsee (Dec 30, 2009)

I bought a timeshare in the resale market. It has been converted by the seller to RCI points and is worth about 40,000 points (underlying week is Prime which in this case means any week of the year). The seller has agreed to transfer the RCI points account to me. I just have to pay $125 of transfer fee and $100 of first year RCI membership fee. Not including the RCI Points fees, the timeshare is a little less than 1.5 pennies per point.

I 'm trying to figure out if RCI points is worth it. The resort  is close to where I live and I can use it every year without exchanging it. If I decide to not take up the offer to transfer the RCI points, it can stay in VRI exchange online. They seem to have resorts in all the right places. Exchanges can be made 24 months in advance. Their website is simpler to use and shows clearly what is available before I deposit my home week. There is no yearly fee for using VRI exchange. Please share your experience with VRI exchange (not the new plus one but the free one). 

I have kids and my vacation times are not very flexible (spring break, summer and last two weeks of the year and holidays etc.).  After reading various posts on these forums,the RCI points system feels like a bit tricky and takes time to master. I 'm not sure how much time I will have to really search every day on RCI's website. 

I used a friend's RCI points account that has a similar point value. I tried the RCI points website to find a resort in Orlando. First I tried for a week starting 12/26/2010. I quickly found it that it does not let me search more than 10 months in advance. 

I changed my search  for a week starting 4/4/2010. It showed me 22 resorts but many are in Kissimme which seems a bit far away. It shows 3 or 4 in Orlando but availability dates don't match exactly what I asked for. Many are a week or more after what I requested. Is there any way on the website to show availability for exactly the week I want or do I have to do that over the phone?

Is another option to simply take the transfer offer for the first year and then not pay the membership fee from the second year. And then after a few years if I decide to rejoin points I can do it  with some fee (like $500 or so?). This way I don't have to pay the higher (like 2000 or so?) points (re)conversion fee later on?


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## Passepartout (Dec 30, 2009)

I am in a similar situation. Bought a VRI resort resale that had been converted. OTOH, I can travel off-season which means I can use last calls and extra vacations to advantage. If I was just tied to the school vacation times and was looking to keep costs down, I think I'd be tempted to drop the RCI membership entirely and do all my exchanging thru VRI*ety. Do it as early as possible for best choices. If at some time down the road you find more time to vacation and want to go outside the VRI resorts, buy another converted week-resale, of course- and use Points-for-deposit of your VRI week to increase your usable points.  

Jim Ricks


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 30, 2009)

Kississimee is closer to Walt Disney World than Orlando. Most of the resorts are there because of that. 
As your resort is close to you, by keeping the RCI Points account it ONLY costs $40 to exchange back into your resort off your fixed week IF you book 12 months in advance (must do 7 nights though). I would keep the RCI Points account. You might like it.


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## Lee B (Dec 31, 2009)

I agree with Linda.  Try it for a year or two, working to take full advantage.  After that, you will be better able to judge.  If you let a points membership expire, it might cost a lot to restore it.

Lee


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## vamsee (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions. I found out that while I can't book RCI Points resorts more than 10 months in advance, the RCI website lets me book RCI Weeks resorts 2 years in advance. Why the difference? 

PS: Happy New Year 2010


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## chriskre (Dec 31, 2009)

You can also book shorter vacations with RCI points.  You don't have to do 7 night vacations and could possibly do weekend vacations closer to home since you are tied to the school calendar for now.  

I love RCI points despite all the negative press it's like having a second home for me with all the 7500 points deals I get in the summer at the beach about 10 miles from my home.

For example RCI gives me 38,000 points for my 2 bedroom fixed week on the beach.  I turn around and use those 7500 point deals to pick up the 7500 last minute exchanges so my one week gets me about 5 weeks of vacations in the exact same resort.  Plus the resort usually upgrades my exchanged unit because I'm an owner.  
Like I said, I love the points program for this reason.


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## vamsee (Jan 1, 2010)

chriskre said:


> For example RCI gives me 38,000 points for my 2 bedroom fixed week on the beach.  I turn around and use those 7500 point deals to pick up the 7500 last minute exchanges so my one week gets me about 5 weeks of vacations in the exact same resort.  Plus the resort usually upgrades my exchanged unit because I'm an owner.
> Like I said, I love the points program for this reason.



This sounds really good. 

How do you find out about these low point (7500 in your case) deals? Do you simply call RCI at the last minute and ask them if you can  exchange into your home resort or elsewhere using 7500 points?


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## rickandcindy23 (Jan 1, 2010)

vamsee said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I found out that while I can't book RCI Points resorts more than 10 months in advance, the RCI website lets me book RCI Weeks resorts 2 years in advance. Why the difference?
> 
> PS: Happy New Year 2010



I have no idea why points resorts are only available 10 months out, while weeks are available two years out.  I suppose it's so a points owner has plenty of time to choose to use the underlying week instead.


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## wilmark (Jan 1, 2010)

*Why points are not available before 10 months*

At 12-13 months only owners of a particular week at a particular can access the inventory and there should be no RCI fee to reserve. 

At 11-12 months only owners in points at a particular resort have access to the inventory. 

At 10-11 months you can reserve your home group. 

Its not until the 10 month mark that everyone in points has access to your resort and group


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## vamsee (Jan 2, 2010)

wilmark said:


> At 12-13 months only owners of a particular week at a particular can access the inventory and there should be no RCI fee to reserve.



While this is generally good, it is actually a bit more restrictive especially for the home resort. For my home resort, I have a booking 'window' of 30 days that is 12 months from now. If I try to  book today  it says:

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Reserve a vacation at your home resort either during a different week or in a different unit from the one you own.
The reservation must be for seven nights.
Reservation Window - 335 to 365 days (approximately 11-12 months)
As of today, Jan 02, 2010, you can make a reservation for check-in dates from Dec 03, 2010 to Jan 02, 2011
If you want to book a vacation outside this window - use the Reservation Calculator to determine when to come back.  
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Today, It won't let me book for a check-in date from tomorrow to 12/2/2010 or 1/3/2011 or later. I wish RCI would be more flexible for the owner booking at their home resort. Or may be this is a VRI restriction to let the non-RCI owners a better chance at booking desirable suites.  If I did not enroll in RCI points, VRI will let me book it from tomorrow to tomorrow + 2 years any week of the year subject to availability. 

Does this RCI booking restriction for home resorts apply at other points home resorts too (I will keep this mind if I buy another points resort).


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## Lee B (Jan 2, 2010)

vamsee said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I found out that while I can't book RCI Points resorts more than 10 months in advance, the RCI website lets me book RCI Weeks resorts 2 years in advance. Why the difference?



RCI Weeks members may choose to deposit their weeks up to 2 years in advance of that week's start date.  At that point, RCI has all rights to the interval and can offer it for exchange or rent it out.  If the weeks members don't do that, you can't book it.  The default for weeks members is that they keep their own week (or at least they don't deposit it into RCI).  In that case, you won't be able to book it at all.

OTOH, RCI Points members MUST choose to use their own week, if they want to use it, by 10 months before its start date.  The default for points members is that RCI gets the rights to their week at the 10-month point.  That's when you may request to use it for points if they don't rent it out for dollars.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Jan 2, 2010)

You can also use other exchange companies to deposit and trade your week.
Liz


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