RCI points account "Weeks" inventory verses Worldmark RCI account "Weeks" inventory

[GPLACERS]

Was doing a search for weeks reservations for Hawaii in March 2012. Using my RCI Points Platinum account I did a WEEKS RESERVATION search and only got a total of 2 resorts, Paniolo Greens and Kuhio Banyan, that had weeks reservations with 8 units total. I then went through RCI from my Worldmark Account and did the same search under WEEKS RESERVATIONS and 9 resorts with a total of 73 units available. And the 2 resorts + 8 units I saw on RCI Points account was there under my Worldmark RCI account! Wow! I never knew Worldmark owners get better RCI inventory than RCI Points Owners with Platinum membership, so much for priority access to specially acquired inventory.

 

[ampaholic]

Was doing a search for weeks reservations for Hawaii in March 2012. Using my RCI Points Platinum account I did a WEEKS RESERVATION search and only got a total of 2 resorts, Paniolo Greens and Kuhio Banyan, that had weeks reservations with 8 units total. I then went through RCI from my Worldmark Account and did the same search under WEEKS RESERVATIONS and 9 resorts with a total of 73 units available. And the 2 resorts + 8 units I saw on RCI Points account was there under my Worldmark RCI account! Wow! I never knew Worldmark owners get better RCI inventory than RCI Points Owners with Platinum membership, so much for priority access to specially acquired inventory.

Nahh, it's just a special deal for WM owners.

 

[rickandcindy23]

You are looking at two completely different things. In RCI Points on the WEEKS side, you won't see anything at all that is in any point system. No Hiltons, no Wyndhams, no Shell, no Diamond, no WorldMark, no RCI Points resorts, nothing in a points system. It's a pitiful selection of resorts, for the most part. This was the intention of RCI Points.

The total of the resorts in RCI Points between weeks and points inventory is dismal at best. Look at Hawaii inventory, for example. I can get ten resorts in RCI Points on the Points side, very little inventory to speak of. Then there is almost nothing on the Weeks side of points, either.

Switch to my weeks account, and there are always 28-38 resorts, with lots of inventory, 700-800 weeks, usually. It's not unusual to see over 1K Hawaii in weeks at the beginning of the year.

Why do you all think I have been so disgusted with Points? It's so different than it used to be. I used to see a lot more in weeks. I am sick of the total lack of inventory, and the cost is very high for us.

I used to think RCI Points was great for Shearwater, but it's been really rare to see any at all now. RCI has ruined Points.

 

[ampaholic]

Switch to my weeks account, and there are always 28-38 resorts, with lots of inventory, 700-800 weeks, usually. It's not unusual to see over 1K Hawaii in weeks at the beginning of the year.

This is how I felt when I first opened up my new VRI*ety account:

OMG there are literally hundreds of weeks available on every island in Hawaii - like a vista opening up - makes RCI Points look sad sad sad.

Very glad I got VRI and I have several RCI Points intervals available for free

 

[Travelclam]

points vs. weeks

You are looking at two completely different things. In RCI Points on the WEEKS side, you won't see anything at all that is in any point system. No Hiltons, no Wyndhams, no Shell, no Diamond, no WorldMark, no RCI Points resorts, nothing in a points system. It's a pitiful selection of resorts, for the most part. This was the intention of RCI Points.

The total of the resorts in RCI Points between weeks and points inventory is dismal at best. Look at Hawaii inventory, for example. I can get ten resorts in RCI Points on the Points side, very little inventory to speak of. Then there is almost nothing on the Weeks side of points, either.

Switch to my weeks account, and there are always 28-38 resorts, with lots of inventory, 700-800 weeks, usually. It's not unusual to see over 1K Hawaii in weeks at the beginning of the year.

Why do you all think I have been so disgusted with Points? It's so different than it used to be. I used to see a lot more in weeks. I am sick of the total lack of inventory, and the cost is very high for us.

I used to think RCI Points was great for Shearwater, but it's been really rare to see any at all now. RCI has ruined Points.

Does this mean that owning weeks is better than points, or it's just that RCI points are not good, but other points systems are comparatively better?

B

 

[rickandcindy23]

Today in weeks, I saw 780 Hawaii weeks, 33 different resorts, across all seasons (except Maui during whale season). RCI Points is sorely lacking in inventory, especially on the weeks side, but also on the Points side. You are missing a lot, if you aren't making use of your free weeks account, which you get with your RCI Points account. So I would buy a few prime season weeks somewhere and see if you don't enjoy weeks a lot more.

 

[ampaholic]

Today in weeks, I saw 780 Hawaii weeks, 33 different resorts, across all seasons (except Maui during whale season). RCI Points is sorely lacking in inventory, especially on the weeks side, but also on the Points side. You are missing a lot, if you aren't making use of your free weeks account, which you get with your RCI Points account. So I would buy a few prime season weeks somewhere and see if you don't enjoy weeks a lot more.

Thanks Cindy, but I already bought my ticket out of Dodge. I am already trading my non points intervals with PI and VRI*ety.

I love PI for the "Triple Play" and I like VRI for the availability - between the two I feel like a fox in the hen house.

Do you know anyone who needs some RCI Points intervals? :ignore:

 

[cclendinen]

All Exchange Inventory is available to Points.

Just because you cannot search and exchange some of the weeks inventory online from your points account, does not mean it is not available for exchange as a points exchange. Any week in the weeks program can be exchanged for points.

You will need to call and talk to a RCI VC to make the exchange.

 

[chewie]

Just because you cannot search and exchange some of the weeks inventory online from your points account, does not mean it is not available for exchange as a points exchange. Any week in the weeks program can be exchanged for points.

You will need to call and talk to a RCI VC to make the exchange.

I also believed this....before I was 'educated' by a VC. Here is how it was explained to me. If the resort has the RCI Points designation anywhere attached to it and it is being listed in the Weeks inventory, they will not "drag it over" into the Points side an allow you to use your points for it. Hope I explained that right.

Here is how to check. Open up a different web browser, one other than the one that you use to login to RCI. I use Google Chrome to do all of my surfing. Therefore, I open up MS Internet Explorer and browse around the RCI website - without logging in. Look up the resort that you are interested in. If it shows as RCI Points, then you are out of luck and they will not allow you to use your points to get the inventory that is listed over on the weeks side.

I am hoping that someone finds out that what this VC told me is wrong, and it is possible to just go after any inventory on the Weeks side and apply points to get the week. However, the understanding that I have (as explained above), I believe to be the correct understanding - unfortunately.

 

[fishingguy]

hmmmmm

chewie,
I've had them pull over weeks at RCI Points resorts before, but it ended up costing what the conversion grid listed for the resort at that time period. That actually worked out good for me the last time I did it, because it was in a blue shoulder season but during spring break (didn't cost nearly as much). I think others have done this as well -- some used to call it 'raiding the weeks inventory'. [I just did it a month ago for a 2 week Pigeon Forge exchange.] But maybe we've been lucky with 'more lenient' VCs?

However, we also have a couple weeks properties in our RCI Weeks account, along with our RCI Points account. So maybe that's why?

So maybe that's another advantage to having both accounts....?

 

[chriskre]

Last year I called up to do a ressie cause I wanted a specific check in date. I believe that Sunday was available in RCI Points and by calling in one of the guides was able to get me a Saturday check in which was not online. It cost me the same amount of points but the guide was able to pull from some inventory.

I'm not sure if it was from the weeks side or some other source of inventory but they got it for me with a Saturday check in and I'm checking in in two weeks. :whoopie:

Now I always call if what I want is not online. Maybe they pulled it from the rental inventory, not sure but I assume it was from the weeks side. I don't document this like some others would to know for sure, but now I don't hesitate to call if I need something. Paying $20 extra is worth it to me to get what I want.

Also want to add that I still get nice vacations using RCI points. Many times its much cheaper than using TPU's. You gotta compare but it's nice having access to both ways to pay for these exchanges.

 

[chewie]

fishingguy,
Roger that...what you are saying. Although it wasn't explicitly stated by the VC that I was dealing with (he was actually a pretty cool dude), I think he was hitting on this aspect:

If a resort was originally sold as Weeks, had sold several Weeks units over a period of years and then started offering the Points program at that particular resort. I believe that was the line in the sand that he was drawing, as that was what I was understanding by 'reading between the lines.' And it made sense at the time....what incentive would there be to allow a resort that is trying to raise money by getting the older Weeks owners to convert over to a nice and hefty purchase price of a Points conversion, if it were possible to take an interval from the Weeks inventory and be able to 'drag it over' to the Points side and get the interval for a cheaper price?

I think a good example of this would be a resort like Lawai Beach Resort. There are always units listed on the Weeks side, but there are also always units listed in the Points inventory. If RCI would allow someone to 'drag it over' from the Weeks inventory and allow you to pay with Points, then what was explained to me is truly not the case. However, I do believe that this was the exact scenario that was being explained to me at the time. I would love nothing more than to dispell this 'understanding.'

I also PFD my 3 BR LO at Palace View, and initially the VC that I had talked to was insistent that I would not be able to PFD this resort. After talking to a Supervisor, this was quickly cleared up. So...that leads me to believe that sometimes people on the TUG boards really understand the RCI rules much better than their own VC reps do sometimes. Just sayin.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Just because you cannot search and exchange some of the weeks inventory online from your points account, does not mean it is not available for exchange as a points exchange. Any week in the weeks program can be exchanged for points.

You will need to call and talk to a RCI VC to make the exchange.

Herein lies the rub: If you don't know it's there, how can you ask for it?

DVC studios are rarely ever in RCI Points during the slow season, and the reason is that these sweet studios are only 28.5K points. I have gotten a guide at RCI to move those over for me twice. So 25 points (before the new DVC values) or 28.5 RCI Points. It's cheaper for the RCI Points.

My benefit of owning weeks and points is being able to see the inventory to have them move it over.

 

[fishingguy]

Chewie asked/wondered:

"And it made sense at the time....what incentive would there be to allow a resort that is trying to raise money by getting the older Weeks owners to convert over to a nice and hefty purchase price of a Points conversion, if it were possible to take an interval from the Weeks inventory and be able to 'drag it over' to the Points side and get the interval for a cheaper price?"

I can think of 2 reasons based on your example:

1. Someone who owns weeks and is considering going to points, would see that you could possibly end up getting a little more with less, especially if they owned a non-prime week. That might push them to do the conversion. and

2. Someone who has already converted to points, would see that it is indeed possible to get more with less, at certain times and/or are in certain locations.

I think Cindy made an excellent point; being able to see what is potentially available can really help take an exchange approach to the next level. Especially since, you don't know what you can't see, unless you can look. (If that makes sense.) :hysterical:

 

[cclendinen]

Call again and get a different VC or a supervisor.

I also believed this....before I was 'educated' by a VC. Here is how it was explained to me. If the resort has the RCI Points designation anywhere attached to it and it is being listed in the Weeks inventory, they will not "drag it over" into the Points side an allow you to use your points for it. Hope I explained that right.

Here is how to check. Open up a different web browser, one other than the one that you use to login to RCI. I use Google Chrome to do all of my surfing. Therefore, I open up MS Internet Explorer and browse around the RCI website - without logging in. Look up the resort that you are interested in. If it shows as RCI Points, then you are out of luck and they will not allow you to use your points to get the inventory that is listed over on the weeks side.

I am hoping that someone finds out that what this VC told me is wrong, and it is possible to just go after any inventory on the Weeks side and apply points to get the week. However, the understanding that I have (as explained above), I believe to be the correct understanding - unfortunately.

I have never had a problem with getting any week showing on the weeks program that was from a points resort. It has been a few months since I last made this type of exchange, but I doubt they have changed the rules.

Many times the VC does not give the right information. When dealing with RCI VCs you can get newbies or ones that are not good at what they do. You have two options. You can politely end the call and call back and hopefully get a different VC or ask to speak to a supervisor. I think asking for a supervisor is the best route because the VC will get educated in the process.