RCI points with no resort ownership?

[philiclese]

I can travel on short notice and thought I'd buy a cheap-maintenance RCI linked timeshare just for access to the last minute vacation options. Questions-

-I'm not that picky...I can travel off season, so am I right to assume there are/will be lots of such last minute deals avail? Colorado in summer?

-Any limitation regarding how many such last minute vacations you can book considering number of points owned, or are they just happy to rent out units?

-Is this legit- they offer RCI points as member of some sort of club, yet RCI site says you clearly have to own a unit at affiliated resort to use RCI. Costs 375 plus RCI fees: http://rcitimesharepoints.weebly.com/frequently-asked-questions.html

Legit?

-Here is a second one but wants 3900 bucks. http://www.adirondackcountryhomes.com/RCI.htm

-Also I know there is such a thing as "renting" RCI points, but I assume last minute vacations is different? Just pay directly vs. renting points first and then using them? I assume renting points is for people planning vacation for more pts. than they own, well in advance of the last minute deadlines?



Thanks.

 

[harveyhaddixfan]

I would search for "RCI Points" on eBay for a better deal. I can also recommend Sumday Vacations. They are on eBay and have a website.

You could pick up a cheap EOY with low maintenance fees just to get into RCI.

 

[Passepartout]

To the best of our knowledge, you do have to own a timeshare to join RCI. If you sell that ownership, we don't think anyone will ask you, so it seems you can continue to book the cash rental Last Calls, and Extra Vacations. Those are a better deal than using points to exchange, because the exchange fee is currently $209 per exchange plus membership & maintenance fees.

Also remember that those last minute deals are leftovers. You won't see ocean front, summer vacation resorts, or ski season mountain resorts, darn few are 'name brand' resorts. Expect 2nd or 3rd tier, mud season for decent availability.

For lowest cost, best locations, watch the TUG, Last Minute Rentals. Price is limited to $100/nite, and since these are owned weeks, the Weeks can come wilt better locations, views, and amenities than exchangers get.

Jim

 

[DeniseM]

"Vacation Clubs," and not well thought of on TUG, because they don't tend to stay in business very long.

In other words, when a "Vacation Club," goes out of business - they have your money, and you have nothing.

When you own a timeshare deed - you always own the deed.

If you are looking for inexpensive rentals, Jim's suggestion is excellent.

Here is a link to the TUG Last Minute Rentals forum where everything is $100 a night or less, with no strings attached: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=45

 

[philiclese]

Thanks. I figured I'd at least try to get a timeshare that I would use as my "entrée" to the RCI system, consider how hard it seems to be to get rid of the inexpensive timeshares. So the idea of selling without them knowing would be nice, but I don't think I will count on that.

As for leftovers, and TUG last minute rentals, thanks...but are those limited to RCI members or is that just for people here on TUG who pay each other directly?

 

[philiclese]

Thanks- was going to ask what an EOY was but then realized I had google..lol. Good idea.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks. I figured I'd at least try to get a timeshare that I would use as my "entrée" to the RCI system, consider how hard it seems to be to get rid of the inexpensive timeshares. So the idea of selling without them knowing would be nice, but I don't think I will count on that.

As for leftovers, and TUG last minute rentals, thanks...but are those limited to RCI members or is that just for people here on TUG who pay each other directly?

No affiliation with RCI - just TUG member direct rentals.

 

[philiclese]

Thanks. I'll stay away. Sounded too good to be true. Will probably do what Chris suggested and buy a cheap EOY for access to RCI and then keep an eye on TUG rentals also.

 

[philiclese]

Chris, thanks for PM regarding cheap triennial suggestion.

So RCI has no limitation on how often you can book last minute deals, even for triennial owner booking in a year that he cant even use his own resort? Once you're in system its unlimited? I know it might be slim pickings, but I have nothing better these days than to keep an eye out...

I travel a lot on leisure, any old place, and I'm really really tired of tiny hotel rooms and neighbors noise etc....cant wait to start staying in 1 or 2br units with some room and a "homey" feel.

 

[DeniseM]

Chris, thanks for PM regarding cheap triennial suggestion.

So RCI has no limitation on how often you can book last minute deals, even for triennial owner booking in a year that he cant even use his own resort? Once you're in system its unlimited?

No - unless you are renting them [out to other people.] If you request a lot of guest certificates, they will become suspicious and investigate. I'm not implying that you will rent them, just letting you know how it works.

 

[philiclese]

Thanks Denise. Just to be clear, by "rent them" you mean directly from owner using a guest certificate vs. thru last minute RCI vacations that I would book thru RCI?

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks Denise. Just to be clear, by "rent them" you mean directly from owner using a guest certificate vs. thru last minute RCI vacations that I would book thru RCI?

I am saying that RCI does not permit you to rent exchanges or rentals that you get from RCI. You cannot turn around and rent them so someone else. It's a violation of their terms, and if you get caught, the consequences can be pretty harsh. RCI offers Guest Certificates for guests - not renters.

 

[Passepartout]

You can rent any number of those Last Calls from RCI for your own use. No guest cert needed, and no limitation if your TS ownership is bi- or tri-ennial.

I would also suggest that if you are bent on buying a TS of any type, that you buy one you'd use. Those are the cheapest use weeks you can get. No exchange fees, no guest certs, no rental charges on top of your MF.

There are tons of 'em on eBay for a buck. Run them that appeal to you through here. Sometimes even free is too much to pay.

 

[DeniseM]

There are tons of them for free on TUG, too: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

[vacationhopeful]

And remember, transportation costs are still additional to the MFs.

I always suggest RENTING or visiting at resorts you might be interested in buying. I still tell the story of my PINK resort ... everything in the unit was PINK. The pictures did not show ANY pink walls, cabinets, toilets, etc...

ADDED: I am adding this to reflect Sue's post below.
Renting in a desired vacation area, go with the purpose to research the other resorts. Do this for maybe 3 areas you would travel to the most year in and year out. Plan WHICH resorts, why that resort and when there, ask the front desk staff if they can show you a unit or two. Going midweek is a must - look at the people walking around, their cars, use of amenities .., asking yourself, can I relax here? are these people who I want to vacation around? do these guests take care of the place? are the employees polite and outgoing? does the property look well kept & clean?

Would I be getting my money's worth for my MFs? A resort can spend YOUR money faster if the guests are not as careful as YOU might be in your home. Do you want to pay for a NEW LOOK every 3 or 4 years as "fad" decorating ages a place pretty fast? Are the building(s) sound and been maintained verses just patched together --- this is a place YOU will be paying via MFs or special assessments?

 

[sue1947]

-I'm not that picky...I can travel off season, so am I right to assume there are/will be lots of such last minute deals avail? Colorado in summer?

Just want to clarify for you what the leftovers consist of. Summer in Colorado in NOT off season. People who hike etc love it. CO (or Tahoe or other ski areas) in May (mud season) or Oct is off season. Either enough snow hasn't melted yet for hiking to begin or there are likely to be intermittent snowstorms but not enough to start skiing. Either can be nice, but you need to be realistic about what you can do there.

I travel off season as well and have not found anything of interest in the last minute options at either RCI or Interval (the other large exchange company). Part of it is that I don't live in close proximity to areas with lots of inventory so those last minute deals would involve airfare etc which would increase the costs too much. Since you live in Florida, your options will be greater. The likely locations are areas with lots of inventory (like Orlando) in seasons when not too many people want to go.

Timeshares can work well for your situation. However, you need to be careful about how you jump into it. The maintenance fees are forever unless you can sell the timeshare when you no longer want it. The latter is not always feasible. Research the various places you would like to go and what resorts are in each location. You can start here with the timeshare map or use the list of resorts in the 2 large exchange companies; www.rci.com or www.intervalworld.com. Most resorts are in one or the other; some in both. Look at where you want to go, then look at any resort chains that have something in each of those areas. Then focus on that resort chain and rent at one of their resorts. That will give you a good place to start. To utilize the last minute rentals in either RCI or II, you need to own a timeshare. Why not buy one that is part of a larger system that you can trade into without the fees or waiting until the last minute?

There are lots of different timeshare systems and you can't learn them all. Try to narrow things down to a couple via looking at the resort directories and then focus on those. Rent at a couple to see what you like and then decide if you want to purchase and where.

The old timeshare model was to purchase a week in a specific resort and then exchange that. Those still exist, but there are now many that are points based; you buy x number of points and then spend them to reserve space in any of the resorts in a system. It's much more flexible. There are also hybrid models with a home resort but access to others as well. It can get very complicated very quickly, so it's best to try to narrow things down as much as possible before diving into any of the specific systems. Look at the exchange companies resort directories and the pictures of the resorts to determine which ones meet your criteria; high end or mid range; amenities on site etc.

Sue

 

[philiclese]

Thanks

Sue, thanks for the information. Appreciated.

 

[philiclese]

Denise, I was talking about renting weeks for myself, not renting "out" to others. Thanks again.

 

[DeniseM]

Denise, I was talking about renting weeks for myself, not renting "out" to others. Thanks again.

Yes - you can always rent for yourself - but since renting out to others is a commonly asked question, I was just letting you know the score on that.

 

[Mike&Edie]

Edie and I have been full time timeshareing for almost two years. We rent out our home and have a rental that we sometimes stay in. We own Worldmark and have just bought through resale a Wyndham EOY. We have the goal of reasonable maintenance fees, options for daily use as we travel from point a to b, and something that sells for about what we paid for it on ebay. These two consistently sell and is our entry to RCI and II. We have dropped II because we get all the bookings we need on RCI. We publish a blog almost daily regarding our travels. We have found the resorts to be very nice with few exceptions and really enjoy the off season. We live in California, are currently in Louisiana and plan to winter in Florida. The "last calls" are very reasonable, but the sales are where we book most of our stays. There seems to be a sale at least every month and they are frequently extended for three days to a week. We often purchase up to six months out on the sales. Last calls are for within forty five days. We have an itinerary page on our blog that should give you an idea of the kind of travel that is easily available. You might check out Ron and Joan's blog as well. Wishing you good and fun travels,

Mike and Edie
www.fulltimetimeshare.com

 

[philiclese]

Mike, thanks. Very interesting. I read the first page of your blog and you mentioned having had a dog...if I get a dog in the future how much will that limit my choices? I assume RCI's search has pets-allowed as a search parameter?

Also, I see that RCI has an "endless vacation rentals" page for non members. I assume what members get is better, or cheaper, or available earlier than these vacations, or else I'm not sure of advantage of buying a TS to get into RCI.(?)

 

[Mike&Edie]

Dogs are very hard. In all our travels we have seen maybe 3 places that were dog friendly. Edie and I are not aware of a dog friendly search option. We never explored the non member aspect of RCi so couldn't say what the advantages or cost difference is. Good luck in your travels.

Mike

 

[philiclese]

Thanks again Mike. I just got private message from a woman, not in this thread, who listed prices for same weeks at particular resort from last minute RCI member sales, vs. the RCI vacation rentals for nonmembers. Huge savings! Typically 800 plus for a week for nonmembers vs. 400 ish for members.

As for dogs...darn, been procrastinating on getting another dog for 3 years now just because I travel a lot. Oh well.

 

[Quiet Pine]

I bought my first timeshare from a woman who owned it only for a month or so before selling it. As soon as she had II membership, she sold the timeshare. Her interest was Getaways, inexpensive vacations bought from II. I think that once you're a member--II or RCI--you can continue renewing and no one asks about what resort you own.

 

[philiclese]

Quietpine- thanks. Probably not my style. I'm a worrier, so I'd expect a bill someday for 5 years worth of vacations to recoup the discounts from after I sold my timeshare, lol.

Plus I'd be buying a timeshare with the cheapest maint. possible just for access...maybe a triennial near orlando so I could actually just drive there every three years and use it. As I understand it those are really hard to resell- the ones you see with no bids on ebay even though 1$