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How do RCI points work?

momofthreeplusone

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hi everyone, I am looking to buy a resale timeshare unit. The particular one I am looking at also includes a number of RCI points. Can anyone tell me how the RCI points work? Are they worthwhile to purchase? Any trouble getting them to change owner?
 

Passepartout

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RCI Points are an either/or deal. You own a deeded week at a resort. On an anniversary, a certain number of points are credited to an account you then can use them as 'currency' to book other resorts. Or by pre-arrangement, you can simply use your own week. When you use the points to exchange, there is an 'exchange fee' of around $240 each exchange. I like my RCI Points resort, and in 15ish years of ownership I've only been there once- I rented that time. We've stayed at resorts all over the US, and in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and other places. Worthwhile? Dunno. I like mine.

Jim
 

FamilyEsq

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Great topic. I am also considering purchasing an RCI Points timeshare. If you search TUG Bargains there are a number being given away for free or at a low cost.

Do points allow you to book only at RCI points resorts or at any RCI timeshare? Is there an online listing of all the RCI points timeshares and the cost to book them? Is there a fixed time period to book RCI points timeshares?

It seems that the Grandview in Las Vegas offer a great RCI Points to MF value. 1 bd 61,000 point and 403 MF. 2 bd 122,000 and 805 MF. The Grandview also has 1 bd and 2 bd in smaller point amounts but the MF is the same for each sized unit. These timeshares are being sold on the TUG Marketplace for between $1000.00 to $2500.00.

However, there are Vacation Village timeshares with 86,500 to 92,500 points for free with MF between 925 and 1015 annually.

It seems to make sense to grab the free timeshares even though the maintenance fee on a two bedroom is $100+ more.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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It seems that the Grandview in Las Vegas offer a great RCI Points to MF value.
However, there are Vacation Village timeshares with 86,500 to 92,500 points for free with MF between 925 and 1015 annually.

It seems to make sense to grab the free timeshares even though the maintenance fee on a two bedroom is $100+ more.

1) Your analysis has merit .

2) Grandiew Las Vegas , VV Parkway & Weston Florida are all Vacation Villages Group properties . Not all weeks have RCI points .

3) The points attached do vary - with the same MF . When they were sold by the developer
the lower point weeks probably cost less , and the specified week is not high season .

4) There are also (biennials &)triennials - pay the MF every 3 year’s and get one third of the points each year . Good value if you only want about 30 K points per year and get a 92K triennial .

5) Florida has a property tax on timeshares . Some folks include that in the listing of the MF
and some do not . Make sure you are clear on the yearly net total due including property tax.
(I am not sure if Nevada has a separate property tax on TS .)
 

Jan M.

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First you need to know there are two types of RCI accounts, points and weeks. With a points week you get the points your underlying week gets annually but if for some reason you would want to just use that week you would need to arrange to do that something like 11-13 months in advance. Sorry I don't know the exact timeframe as I have never done it with our points weeks. If the week you are considering buying isn't already in points it is cost prohibitive to get the week put into points so make very sure to verify with the seller that it is a points week. Some sellers don't understand the difference between a points week and a fixed week but an estoppel letter will state how many points a week gets annually, biannually or triennially. With weeks accounts if you don't want to use your week you deposit it and receive TPUs, Trading Power Units. From what I understand how many TPUs you get depends on how soon you deposit your week, the unit size and the week number. You will see some people saying there is more inventory in weeks accounts than there is in points accounts. This is absolutely not true. Weeks account owners only see what is deposited for trade by other weeks account owners. Points account owners see that too but they also see all the underlying inventory that points owers points are based on.

Grandview Las Vegas:
One bedroom weeks are 61,000, 49,000, 40,000 or 30,500 points and the maintenance fees for any of the one bedroom weeks for 2018 were $401.50
Two bedroom weeks are 122,000, 98,000, 80,000 or 61,000 points and the maintenance fees for any of the two bedroom weeks for 2018 were $803.

The maintenance fees for Vacation Village at Parkway and the Weston resorts are higher than Grandview Las Vegas but not ridiculously higher. I don't know what the different tier point values are for the one and two bedroom weeks at these resorts.

If you are looking to get your feet wet and spend as little as possible to start out with many people look for a bi or tri 49,000 point one bedroom week. You can sometimes find people giving these away. The maintenance fees for the bi for 2018 were $200.75.

Of course everyone would like the top tier 61k one bedroom week or the 122k two bedroom week at Grandview but you won't find them cheap. The 2nd tier 49k one bedroom weeks or the 98k two bedroom weeks are much more affordable. I wouldn't recommend the 3rd and 4th tier weeks in either size unit.

You can borrow points from the next use year at no charge. If you don't use all you points in a year there is a fee to carry the points over to the next year.
 
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AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
We started in straight weeks (RCI). Then we added RCI Points. Now we're downsized -- all we have left is 1 RCI Points 1BR triennial unit (Grandview At Las Vegas). So far, so good.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 

FamilyEsq

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Do RCI point owners have access to RCI weeks inventory as well?
 

Passepartout

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Do RCI point owners have access to RCI weeks inventory as well?
Not specifically, but it's pretty much the same inventory anyway.
 

FamilyEsq

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When I reviewed the RCI directory there are resorts that are designated as Points resorts. Do Points owners have access to the weeks resorts as well? If so, how is it determined/calculated?
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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When I reviewed the RCI directory .... Do Points owners have access to the weeks resorts as well? If so, how is it determined/calculated?

RCI - Magic .

*******

There is not a one to one calculation that can be used . It is more of a tangential relationship.

Both RCI points & RCI Week TPU’s are forms of virtual currencies - that are bought in the form of MF
payments to a resort.

With virtual currencies there are always (some ) arbitrage possibilities There are TUG members who
intentionally have both RCI weeks and RCI points accounts because of these opportunities .

Think of them as 2 brands of orange juice - that come from oranges that come from orange groves in 2 different countries .**

** sometimes orange juice is cheaper in Canada than Florida .
 
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Passepartout

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One difference as I recall, if one OWNs a WEEKS RCI week, they can do what's called 'Points For Deposit' into their Points account. I don't recall the amount of points they get (if any and the program's changed). I have a Points account AND the free RCI Weeks account, so I really don't pay attention.
 

Jan M.

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Woodstone and Summit at Massanutten - Both in RCI weeks used as Wyndham PICs
Weeks account owners only see what is deposited for trade by other weeks account owners. Points account owners see that too but they also see all the underlying inventory that points owners points are based on.
 

kwelty

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What I got RCI points for (Treetops Gatlinburg TN, MF $525-57,000 points) was for the "Instant Exchanges". This inventory of weeks and points units that are within one to four weeks out, are reduced to 7-9,000 points. While you won't get prime units at prime time, there are some really nice shoulder season places to be had cheap. If it wasn't for these bargains, I would drop RCI and just use my week.
 

moonstone

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77,000 RCI points (Sunrise Ridge Resort, TN)
What I got RCI points for (Treetops Gatlinburg TN, MF $525-57,000 points) was for the "Instant Exchanges". This inventory of weeks and points units that are within one to four weeks out, are reduced to 7-9,000 points. While you won't get prime units at prime time, there are some really nice shoulder season places to be had cheap. If it wasn't for these bargains, I would drop RCI and just use my week.

We enjoy those weeks too! For our 77K RCI points (deeded week in a 2 bedroom in Pigeon Forge) I can usually get 4-6 weeks worth of vacation. What a bargain! I also like being able to book 7 or up to 10 nights for the same exchange price. Since we drive down to FL from Canada, a 10 night stay is better for us than just a 7 night stay. We leave in a few days for a 10 day stay before going to our home (weeks) resort.:banana:


~Diane
 

jacknsara

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I recently asked someone outside of TUG about RCI Points. The answer I received may have been wrong. I am under the impression that an RCI Points account is assigned to an owner and not a timeshare unit. That would mean that a person already enrolled in RCI Points can buy additional traditional RCI weeks and have them enrolled, possibly for free, into their RCI Points account. I am also under the impression that the RCI Points account of the person is not transferable via aftermarket sale (I didn’t ask about inheritance). If the preceding is correct, then a timeshare resale unit advertised as being in RCI Points bought by a person not already enrolled in RCI Points would revert to a traditional RCI week timeshare. Are there tuggers who can verify or correct this understanding?

Jack
 

Passepartout

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I recently asked someone outside of TUG about RCI Points. The answer I received may have been wrong. I am under the impression that an RCI Points account is assigned to an owner and not a timeshare unit. That would mean that a person already enrolled in RCI Points can buy additional traditional RCI weeks and have them enrolled, possibly for free, into their RCI Points account. I am also under the impression that the RCI Points account of the person is not transferable via aftermarket sale (I didn’t ask about inheritance). If the preceding is correct, then a timeshare resale unit advertised as being in RCI Points bought by a person not already enrolled in RCI Points would revert to a traditional RCI week timeshare. Are there tuggers who can verify or correct this understanding?
Jack, my first TS was a resale that was in RCI Points. I just had to pay (iirc) $250 to set up an RCI Points account. And one CAN buy additional RCI Points TSs and add the points allocation to their existing account. The anniversary of the points allocation would be unchanged, so one might accrue points at different times of the year. Also, though you didn't ask, if you have an RCI Points account, you get a Weeks account for no additional cost.
 

Jan M.

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Wyndham Presidential Reserve at Panama City Beach
Club Wyndham Access
Grandview Las Vegas and Discovery Beach Resort - Both in RCI Points
Woodstone and Summit at Massanutten - Both in RCI weeks used as Wyndham PICs
I recently asked someone outside of TUG about RCI Points. The answer I received may have been wrong. I am under the impression that an RCI Points account is assigned to an owner and not a timeshare unit. That would mean that a person already enrolled in RCI Points can buy additional traditional RCI weeks and have them enrolled, possibly for free, into their RCI Points account. I am also under the impression that the RCI Points account of the person is not transferable via aftermarket sale (I didn’t ask about inheritance). If the preceding is correct, then a timeshare resale unit advertised as being in RCI Points bought by a person not already enrolled in RCI Points would revert to a traditional RCI week timeshare. Are there tuggers who can verify or correct this understanding?

Jack

You have to make sure that any additional weeks you want to add would be points weeks not fixed weeks. It is cost prohibitive to convert a fixed week to points. Once you have an RCI points account there is a $98 fee to add additional weeks. It is possible to transfer the RCI points account to a different person and if the owner has paid the annual membership fee for upcoming years that can also be transferred to the new person. Both the owner and the buyer would need to fill out their parts of the RCI MTA form, Membership Transfer Application, and send it in along with the $98 fee. This form can be found on the RCI website.
 
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