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RCI point based systems

WVBaker

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Having avoided points based timeshares in every form, the time has come to ask for a very elementary lesson in this form of ownership.

These will be about RCI, as they seem to be the most frequently noted.

If you have no interest in exchanging or traveling to another resort, why would you buy into a points based unit? It seems the additional cost of having to join RCI would only add to the yearly cost of the unit.

If you purchase a unit with a certain amount of points, do you need to pay for or purchase those points each year?

When reserving a week at your "home" resort, do you use a certain amount of your points?

What would be the benefit, if any, in purchasing additional points if you don't wish to exchange?

So, those would be the basic questions and any help is appreciated.
 

Passepartout

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If you don't have any desire to exchange there is NO REASON to get involved with points. The annual fee for RCI Points membership is (a few bucks) higher than a 'Weeks' account. But actually, if you just want to use your deeded week at your resort, there is no reason to even keep up an RCI account at all.

Now for some of the other questions you have. If you have an RCI Points account, you just have the RCI membership and the annual maintenance fee payment for your resort.

If you want to use the underlying week- (not the points) you have to notify the resort before the points are issued or you'll have to exchange into your own resort- at extra cost. If done in a timely way, there is no extra charge.

If you own an RCI Points account, and do nothing, the agreed-upon points will be deposited into your account on an anniversary date, then you can use those points as 'currency' to book into other resorts (plus an exchange fee to RCI- currently just under $300)

Jim
 

WVBaker

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Thanks Jim,

Sounds like you need a good road map just to navigate the system.
 

Passepartout

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Thanks Jim,

Sounds like you need a good road map just to navigate the system.
There is a bit of a learning curve to maximizing timesharing, but that's what TUG is for. Most of us have 'been there, done that' and willingly share the experience.
 

bbodb1

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RCI Weeks: LaCosta Beach Club, RCI Points: Oakmont Resort, Vacation Village at Parkway. Wyndham: CWA and La Belle Maison, and WorldMark.
..If you have no interest in exchanging or traveling to another resort, why would you buy into a points based unit?

WVBaker,

FWIW: let me offer this perspective. Our travel preferences were (and still are) to see multiple resorts and multiple locations. Having said that, both weeks and points through RCI allowed us to pursue those goals. I'm sure there are other points systems that would offer similar options. I guess I'd like to turn your question back to you if I might and ask if you really want to travel to the same destination every year?

Another point you make about RCI and cost(s) is spot on - RCI costs always seem to increase - someway, somehow.

In our case, the purchase of points (in various forms) has sort of forced our hand to travel. Now that we've spent the money and have access to a number of resorts, it forces us to take vacations we would not do otherwise I feel. That's not really a scientific answer - more emotional I suppose - but if I had to pay the prices to rent at some of the places we have visited over the years, the cost to do so probably would have prevented us from traveling.

But back to my previous point, I can't see traveling to the same destination each year - and only that destination - for the extended future. The variety of destinations is what we wanted.
 

WVBaker

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WVBaker,

FWIW: let me offer this perspective. Our travel preferences were (and still are) to see multiple resorts and multiple locations. Having said that, both weeks and points through RCI allowed us to pursue those goals. I'm sure there are other points systems that would offer similar options. I guess I'd like to turn your question back to you if I might and ask if you really want to travel to the same destination every year?

Another point you make about RCI and cost(s) is spot on - RCI costs always seem to increase - someway, somehow.

In our case, the purchase of points (in various forms) has sort of forced our hand to travel. Now that we've spent the money and have access to a number of resorts, it forces us to take vacations we would not do otherwise I feel. That's not really a scientific answer - more emotional I suppose - but if I had to pay the prices to rent at some of the places we have visited over the years, the cost to do so probably would have prevented us from traveling.

But back to my previous point, I can't see traveling to the same destination each year - and only that destination - for the extended future. The variety of destinations is what we wanted.


It's not the desire to visit the same resort each, but the desire to visit the same area each year.

The family is a big Disney World fan and being retired, we can travel any time of the year. It seems every family member and friend knows who to come to when wanting to visit Florida and the list seems to grow each year. Most don't wish to invest in their own unit, but will ask if they can make use of ours. Owning a couple in the Orlando area, as well as a couple near Daytona Beach, I would rather let family members and friends use the units rather than go through the rental process on the open market. In this way I know who is using the unit and they understand that all I ask for in return is the yearly maintenance fee for the week they use. Everyone is happy because, I control the usage and they get the week for much less than it would cost to reserve it themselves. In the last couple years I've never had a unit sit empty.

With RCI, the only exchange I would ever make would be for another resort in those areas. Also, if the week I wanted was not available at the home resort, but was available at another resort.

I've never understood the exchange process and have always questioned if joining RCI made much sense given it's another yearly expense. Not to mention having to learn what seems like a very complicated process.
 

kwelty

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For me, the big draw is what use to be called "Instant Exchanges", where the points price of many resorts drop to 7000 to 9000 points for when the availability is less than 30 days. Some, if not most of these resorts are not in points but are weeks resorts. So for around "Last Call" pricing, about $300, you see a bigger and better selection. We like going to Hilton Head Island, but you seldom see these in "Last Calls". With RCI points, they are often available from November through April.
 

WinniWoman

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I only have fixed, deeded weeks. Not points. I like it because we just show up for our weeks and we are not tied into an exchange company. No having to book our own weeks like you have to do with points.

If we do exchange- we can use the smaller, free membership (and lower exchange fee) companies and we can even search before depositing with some of them. Also, visiting the same resorts every years is like having a second home to us. We never run out of things to see and do- new or old. We like the familiarity. Our 30 year old son still feels sentimental about our one resort as he grew up going there and still visits a few days with us when we go there.

We love visiting the states our 2 resorts are in and very often we will even rent somewhere for an extra vacation. In fact, we are renting a lake cottage through Home Away this June in Vermont. (we own at Smugglers Notch in VT). For the holidays, we rent in New Hampshire usually, where our son lives (we own at Innseason Pollard Brook).

Also, we like the fact that they are drive-to's - no airfare required. 6 hours of a very pleasant drive and we are there. And- we can take some detours to explore on the way up before check-in or even on the way home after check out, which kind of extends the vacation. No having to hang around at airports. Packing is easy- just throw the stuff in the car and go.

We can also swap here on TUG or with owners at our home resorts. Or we can rent out our weeks- but we have never done that. We for the most part always use our fixed weeks at our home resorts and when we want to go somewhere else we we make it an extra trip and we rent from other timeshare owners or directly from the resort or via a travel site.

Even to get the extra vacations, you don't have to belong to RCI. Anyone can use Trip Beat, which essentially is RCI, or for example, being I own at a New England VRI resort, they send us emails with bonus weeks at discounted rates.
 
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bobpark56

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Does anyone know where we can find the points charts for accessing RCI *points* resorts? I can find only the charts for accessing weeks resorts.
 

tschwa2

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