Expensive to Start Exchanging!

[MichaelColey]

I know a lot of this expense will cover multiple years and multiple exchanges, but I was a bit shocked at how much I spent getting started in Interval (which is even cheaper than RCI) as a second exchange company.

I've spent $902 with them since I joined 4 months ago, and haven't got a single exchange yet.

I paid $89 when I initially signed up for a year of membership.

When I realized I could only do an ongoing search within that year, I ponied up another $356 for a 5 year extension of my account.

I've set up 3 ongoing searches (one domestic one at $149 and two foreign ones at $154 each). None have hit yet, but I generally search for harder exchanges and fairly far out, so I'm giving it some time.

I know my ongoing expenses will be much more in line with what I actually exchange, but those upfront expenses sure add up.

 

[Weimaraner]

And to top it off they'll want you to upgrade to a platinum membership...for an additional fee. Also I think I read in the Interval magazine that exchange fees are going up in August.

Update: here's mention of increase in Interval magazine. New Fees: At Interval International, we are always striving to enhance our services and to make your membership more valuable. While we try to minimize the impact to our members, it is necessary for us to adjust our fees from time to time in order to offset increases in servicing costs. Effective August 1, 2012, the full-week exchange fee will be $174, regardless of your destination. And remember: You save $20 when you confirm any exchange online.

 

[Passepartout]

Not an II specific comment, but this is exactly why I harp on buying where you want to go, and using exchanging only for special vacations. And yet another reason to stick with the mini- systems with internal exchanges.

Even in RCI with $90/yr membership, $198 per exchange (or redemption of Points) fees, transportation and more, make a nice-size bundle or RCI Points or TPU's expensive to use. It is not much of a stretch to see that one could spend more with an exchange co. than MF if their bundle would allow 2+weeks' vacation.

I'll keep my VRI*ety and Trading Places.

Jim

 

[csxjohn]

The above points are exactly why I don't belong to either of these systems.

When I see the costs to join and then add in the cost of each exchange, it puts a vacation over what I want to spend on the lodging.

I prefer DAE, not cost to join, with $125 exchanges. I sacrifice the number of available trades though. While the big 2 have thousands of options to trade into I have way less. However I always find places I like and as I've stated before, for me, it's the destination, not the lodging that makes my vaca.

I also use VREIety, free to join, and Donita's Vacations Unlimited, $25. This keeps the cost of my vacas a lot lower.

Like they say, different strokes for different folks.

 

[Keep Traveling]

Michael,

What were the three resorts. I am too like you I generally search for the hard stuff and hope it hits. At one time I had 9 searches going and of course mine are at least 2 bedrooms...Need the space

KT

 

[ronparise]

Im a buy where you want to go kind of guy too,..My gut feeling is that its probably more expensive than I would like; to exchange. I know the op does well with his rci membership, and I have no doubt that he will do well with II..but Im not willing to put in the time and effort looking for those good traders, and hoping there is something good to trade into when and where I want to go.

The only reason I have an RCI account is that I have no choice...it comes with my Wyndham points ownership... But I cant see paying for my wyndham points maintenance fees, plus an exchange fee to RCI when there are so many good choices within Wyndham,,,Thats why I bought Wyndham in the first place..

Its nice to have my gut felling verified.

 

[maggiesmom]

This" NEW" PRICE is for International Exchanges right, not Domestic ??.

maggiesmom

UPDATE: Just rec my Summer 2012 issue in the mail today(6/15), and found the anwser to my question.

 

[K2Quick]

Not an II specific comment, but this is exactly why I harp on buying where you want to go, and using exchanging only for special vacations. And yet another reason to stick with the mini- systems with internal exchanges.

If I bought only where I wanted to go, I'd be overpaying by a large margin. Even after factoring in II membership fees and exchange fees, I've paid a small fraction of what maintenance fees were for the units I've traded into. To the extent you're willing to travel at off-peak times, the "buy where you want to go" advice is far overdone.

 

[WinniWoman]

Not an II specific comment, but this is exactly why I harp on buying where you want to go, and using exchanging only for special vacations. And yet another reason to stick with the mini- systems with internal exchanges.

Even in RCI with $90/yr membership, $198 per exchange (or redemption of Points) fees, transportation and more, make a nice-size bundle or RCI Points or TPU's expensive to use. It is not much of a stretch to see that one could spend more with an exchange co. than MF if their bundle would allow 2+weeks' vacation.

I'll keep my VRI*ety and Trading Places.

Jim

I'm with Jim. That's why I am not renewing with RCI. (And don't forget if you add in the insurance, it's like $400 per trade!).

 

[WinniWoman]

The above points are exactly why I don't belong to either of these systems.

When I see the costs to join and then add in the cost of each exchange, it puts a vacation over what I want to spend on the lodging.

I prefer DAE, not cost to join, with $125 exchanges. I sacrifice the number of available trades though. While the big 2 have thousands of options to trade into I have way less. However I always find places I like and as I've stated before, for me, it's the destination, not the lodging that makes my vaca.

I also use VREIety, free to join, and Donita's Vacations Unlimited, $25. This keeps the cost of my vacas a lot lower.

Like they say, different strokes for different folks.

Who's Donita? And VREIety?

 

[Carolinian]

A good mix of independents can often do the job at a lower cost. Personally, I have deposited with DAE, SFX, and UKRE, and traded with the first two. I just joined UKRE so I haven't traded with them yet. There may be some things that RCI has that they can't get but there are also exchanges they can get and RCI cannot or RCI is much harder. I got a trade for next year into a 2BR in London through SFX a couple of months ago. I have gotten lots of great exchanges through DAE. When I first got into the members area for UKRE, I found that UKRE had more total summer UK inventory than RCI.

The independents have also been a lot more stable, without the abrupt changes that have made RCI such a guessing game, and of course, when RCI merges Points and Points Lite in the not too distant future, that will mean more big changes and plenty of both winners and losers. RCI used to have stability, but it does not anymore. I suspect that there are probably changes contemplated at II that would create a shell game there, too, so I will stick with the known quantities of the independents.

 

[siesta]

I paid $89 when I initially signed up for a year of membership.

When I realized I could only search within that year, I ponied up another $356 for a 5 year extension of my account.

what are you talking about? I have an annual II membership, that I only renew for a year at atime, and have never been restricted to search within a year. I can currently search well out into 2014.

 

[MichaelColey]

Exchanging works VERY well for me on RCI (where my typical total cost per exchange is well under half of what it would cost to own there) and I'm sure it'll work out just about as good at II.

It's just the UPFRONT costs that I'm pointing out. I'm four months into my II membership, have sunk over $900 (and four deposited weeks), and haven't received my first exchange yet.

Give me a couple years, and I'm sure I'll be as ecstatic about exchanging on II as I am on RCI.

 

[djs]

what are you talking about? I have an annual II membership, that I only renew for a year at atime, and have never been restricted to search within a year. I can currently search well out into 2014.

I believe the restriction on searching has to do with the dates of the week you've deposited (I think you can exchange up to 2 years beyond the date of the week you've deposited).

 

[siesta]

I believe the restriction on searching has to do with the dates of the week you've deposited (I think you can exchange up to 2 years beyond the date of the week you've deposited).

correct, it has nothing to do with years on your membership, and everything to do with your deposit. I'm not sure if Michael was given bad info from a rep or misunderstood.

 

[MichaelColey]

What were the three resorts. I am too like you I generally search for the hard stuff and hope it hits.

One of my searches has two resorts in it, so I'm actually searching for four. My current II searches are for:

Marriott's Grand Chateau in Vegas (specific date)
Marriott's Village d'Ile de France (fairly wide open, during off season)
Marriott's Newport Coast Villas (specific date)
Harborside at Atlantis (specific date, plus a wide range of off season dates)

 

[DeniseM]

correct, it has nothing to do with years on your membership, and everything to do with your deposit. I'm not sure if Michael was given bad info from a rep or misunderstood.

With most II accounts, your exchanges must both be within the time frame of your membership. In other words, if my membership expires at the end of 2012, I can't make a 2013 exchange. This may be different for some systems that have their own portal into II.

 

[MichaelColey]

what are you talking about? I have an annual II membership, that I only renew for a year at atime, and have never been restricted to search within a year. I can currently search well out into 2014.

That's odd. It wouldn't let me search beyond my membership expiration date for my first deposit. When I tried to enter the search, it tried to add a membership extension in. I aborted out and bought the 5 year package (after trying all the 2 for 1 and 3 for $99 offers, none of which worked) for the savings.

The details are a bit fuzzy (it was four months ago), but I'm confident it wouldn't let me do it.

I wonder what the difference is. Maybe your account is from one of the systems?

 

[massvacationer]

I know a lot of this expense will cover multiple years and multiple exchanges, but I was a bit shocked at how much I spent getting started in Interval (which is even cheaper than RCI) as a second exchange company.

I've spent $902 with them since I joined 4 months ago, and haven't got a single exchange yet.

As others have said, this is why I like the Club Wyndham Points system:
No Exchange Fees; No Insurance Fees; Partial week reservations; Plenty of nice resorts; Better resort availability within the Club Wyndham system (and at closer-in times) than in the external exchange systems

 

[gnorth16]

To clarify, in II I can look at instant exchanges outside my membership time frame, but cannot place an ongoing request outside my membership time frame. My membership expires in Aug 2013 and I am always looking out to 2 years for instant exchanges.

 

[csxjohn]

Who's Donita? And VREIety?

Donita Glitch operates DVU, Donita's Vacations Unlimited. She owned the company that Dial an Exchange bought out here in the US. She had a no compete clause for a few years and is finally getting back in the business.

I used her before she sold to DAE and while she was with them. She's very knowledgeable about the business and has been doing it for some time now. You get very personalized service with her.

http://www.donita.com/


VRI*ety is the exchange arm of Vacation Resorts International, or VRI. If you own at a resort managed by VRI you are a member with no charge. You can deposit your non VRI resorts with them also.

http://www.vrietyexchange.com/

If you'd like to get a VRI property to start exchanging there, I have one in the TUGG classifieds for free . PM me for details if you're interested. Once you're a member you can deposit any of your weeks with them and use their "Hot Deals." You need to sign in to see the hot deals.

 

[siesta]

To clarify, in II I can look at instant exchanges outside my membership time frame, but cannot place an ongoing request outside my membership time frame. My membership expires in Aug 2013 and I am always looking out to 2 years for instant exchanges.

Thisis my experience as well. My current II membership expires at the end of the year, but I can always search 2 years out with my SDO deposits. So no I'm not using a mini system or a portal or anything fancy.

 

[BevL]

To clarify, in II I can look at instant exchanges outside my membership time frame, but cannot place an ongoing request outside my membership time frame. My membership expires in Aug 2013 and I am always looking out to 2 years for instant exchanges.

You can look outside your membership range but if you try to confirm an instant exchange, you will need to renew you membership before it will allow the exchange to be made.

 

[timeos2]

The cost of membership & exchange is way too high to be a value as a regular way to use timeshare. Some of the best advice I ever got in timeshare was buy to use not trade. It became a much more doable plan when the larger systems became reality allowing many choices without leaving your "home" ownership or adding all the fees/costs.

An occasional use of RCI/II for rental has become a great bargain compared to 15-20 years ago. Trading with them has become an infrequent luxury compared to 15-20 years ago. But using what you own has never changed. it was good then and is good now.

 

[DeniseM]

I know my ongoing expenses will be much more in line with what I actually exchange, but those upfront expenses sure add up.

They do add up - but since the actual usage will be spread over many years, it's not very expensive per year.

Buying where you want to go works in many cases, but for some destinations like Disney, and the prime Hotel-system resorts, it is far more cost effective to trade in. If you know what you are doing, you can trade in for a tiny fraction of the cost of owning at the high dollar resorts.