Points vs Weeks & Exchange Companies

[swift]

My membership at RCI will be coming up next year. I own a deeded week. If I plan far enough in advance with RCI I seem to get pretty much what I want. Although I am toying with the idea of trying another exchange company.

Is there a difference in exchange power or availability with other companies if you are looking for weeks vs points? I would be exchanging for 2 bedroom family friendly resorts.

 

[gorevs9]

...Although I am toying with the idea of trying another exchange company.

Is there a difference in exchange power or availability with other companies if you are looking for weeks vs points? I would be looking for 2 bedroom family friendly resorts.

Theresa,
Are looking just to switch exchange companies or were you looking to buy another TS? Is your TS listed with II? There are other exchange companies you can try without giving up your RCI membership. DAE, SFX, and Redweek to name a few. I do not have any experience with DAE or SFX, and based on my limited experience with RedWeek is that if you are looking for a high demand resort during a high demand week, you may be frustrated.

I can give you some insight on RCI Points. Owners can book at their home resort or home resort group 11-13 months in advance of the check-in date. All other RCI members have to wait until 10 months prior to check-in. They will have access to all resorts not previously booked. Trading Power is allocated by the Points; the better your TS, the more Points you get. Assuming that your RCI week is not at a resort which converted to points, if you bought an RCI Points unit, you can deposit your RCI week for additional Points.

I own both traditional weeks and points. Ihave the weeks resort to either use or rent. I bought a points TS because it offers me flexibility in length of stay and unit size. I'll probably never go to my home resort.

Others will have valuable input to the different points & weeks programs

Good Luck. Send me a PM if you want me to expand on any info (i can get a bit wordy)

 

[dougp26364]

I think RCI's problem came about when they kept the weeks program and allowed resorts to charge whatever they wanted for inclusion into the points program. I believe they've also encourage that new ownership weeks be placed into the points program essentially making weeks owners orphans in a dying system. It should have been all or none IMO.

As for points vs weeks I converted our Polo Towers units to DRI's points based club. It trades through I.I. but, units are assigned a point value for exchanging purposes. I assume that DRI's contract with I.I. says that DRI will give them a certain number of weeks at a certain value for the number of points members exchange.

For me it's a more efficient usage of our timeshares. No over exchanging, giving up to much to get to little. I know exactly what I'll get for my points as it's a fixed medium of exchange. It's only the amount of points assigned to different size units, in different seasons at different resorts that determines how much you'll get for exchange.

If RCI had gone all or none or enforced a modest fee rather than allow developers to gouge their own customers, much of the distatisfaction among some of RCI's members may have been avoided all together.

As for me I prefer the point based reservations systems. I know exactly what I can get and exactly what it will take to get it. No more arbitrary power ratings that's some big secrete that no one will talk about.

 

[swift]

I don't think I can convert my week into points. Lake Condominiums does not have a points system. So I guess that is where I was going with my question. Will I be disappointed as a week owner if I use another company?

 

[timeos2]

Many options. II isn't a good one.

I don't think I can convert my week into points. Lake Condominiums does not have a points system. So I guess that is where I was going with my question. Will I be disappointed as a week owner if I use another company?

If it's II most likely a resounding yes. Some the other weeks traders are OK but you'll find very limited inventory compared to RCI.

You may want to look into one of the inexpensive RCI Points Lease deals or a small points purchase - then use your week as Points For Deposit efectively making your non-points resort a points based week without the conversion cost. Heck, even Wastegate has returned to being of minimal value for us doing that. If a program can make a Wastegate viable think of what it can do with a decent timeshare.

The cost at most resorts to convert to RCI Points makes it a poor value IMO. You are better off if they don't offer it and can use PFD.

 

[eal]

Hi Teresa,
I own at Lake Condos too. You could experiment with Trading Places, DAE, Platinum Interchange, or Hawaii Timeshare Exchange Co (htse) (htse only if you own a red week) for one year and see what you think. II won't/can't take Lake Condos. You can always re-sign up with RCI if you still like them better, and they often have membership specials for members who have left and then come back.

 

[Texas Packrat]

Any Fairfield Weeks (FAX) Members Out There?

I have many similar questions. I deposited our Fairfield Bay week in the Fairfield FAX system a year ago, asking for Myrtle Beach. We are also RCI members, but in the past, I have preferred to use FAX because the exchange fee is less than RCI's exchange fee. I realize MB is a VERY popular area, but if we don't get our request, will we be able to get FAX to offer us a second choice without another exchange fee? We usually stay at our own resort, because it is close to grandchildren, so I'm way behind on knowing how the Fairfield Weeks plan works, now that points is all the rage...

 

[timeos2]

FAX is a very shallow pool

I have many similar questions. I deposited our Fairfield Bay week in the Fairfield FAX system a year ago, asking for Myrtle Beach. We are also RCI members, but in the past, I have preferred to use FAX because the exchange fee is less than RCI's exchange fee. I realize MB is a VERY popular area, but if we don't get our request, will we be able to get FAX to offer us a second choice without another exchange fee? We usually stay at our own resort, because it is close to grandchildren, so I'm way behind on knowing how the Fairfield Weeks plan works, now that points is all the rage...

FAX only gets you other Wyndham, weeks based resorts. Those are few and far between and even those that exist are being slowly converted to Fairshare Plus Points as owners buy into that system. While you may get something from it the pool is shallow and small. How fees for FAX works I'm not able to say.