RCI points needed to exchange went up!

[flybefree]

So I periodically check my list of favorite searches and resorts in RCI, both in weeks and points. I just peeked at one in Provence, and it previously had required 59,000 points for the available exchanges. I just logged in, and now it's 61,500 for those same weeks! It's not happening with all of my favorite resorts, but I've never seen that happen before.

Has anyone else seen this? Are they just trying to get us all to quit?!

 

[tschwa2]

Is the resort itself a points resort or is it a weeks resort? If points it is very unusual unless something changed for example it went from silver crown to gold.

If it is a weeks resort they changed from a fixed value based on size and season and area/state to one with a range several years ago that they can periodically adjust based on demand or lack of demand. As long as it is still within the range then it isn't that unusual.

 

[flybefree]

They are Weeks units and it doesn't have any crown designations. This resort only recently showed up at all (first time in four years) but they have several weeks from October through Christmas. Weird.

 

[tschwa2]

This is the last published crossover grid for weeks resorts using Rci points: http://www.rci.com/docs/KnowledgeBase/Attachments/2009_ConversionGrids.pdf
It is from 2009 and many months have ranges vs a fixed value. Which resort and is it outside the values on the chart?

 

[flybefree]

It's in Provence, France, so it's not on that chart, which is 9 years old. A few weeks ago, these weeks were offered at 59k points and suddenly went up to 61,500 points. None of the other European resorts I track had a change.

 

[Passepartout]

I suspect that RCI 'adjusts' Point values from time to time. Call it Point 'inflation' if you wish. My own Points ownership originally gave us 45,000 points annually, and perhaps last year or the year before I saw that we'd been credited with 57,500 points. Maybe the resort was upgraded, or refurbished or something, but points are points. If it takes more points for a given reservation, so be it.

Jim

 

[tschwa2]

I think this one is even older but it has Europe and Asia on it. https://www.rci.com/GPN/CDA/Common/pdf/RCI_ExGridsUpdate1.pdf

 

[flybefree]

I suspect that RCI 'adjusts' Point values from time to time. Call it Point 'inflation' if you wish. My own Points ownership originally gave us 45,000 points annually, and perhaps last year or the year before I saw that we'd been credited with 57,500 points. Maybe the resort was upgraded, or refurbished or something, but points are points. If it takes more points for a given reservation, so be it.

Jim

According to RCI, the number of points you get is based on your contract with your resort. In the weeks system, RCI decides the TPUs.

 

[youppi]

I think this one is even older but it has Europe and Asia on it. https://www.rci.com/GPN/CDA/Common/pdf/RCI_ExGridsUpdate1.pdf

You are probably right about the RCI_ExGridsUpdate1.pdf is older because it is similar to the 2008 version http://www.rci.com/docs/KnowledgeBase/Attachments/2008_ConversionGrids.pdf but the 2008 version has more sub area in Asia.

 

[Eric B]

The latest version of the points charts is for 2015-2017 at https://www.rci.com/static/docs/en_US/pow/help/2015_2017-points-grids.pdf.

 

[Egret1986]

Are they just trying to get us all to quit?!

It sure seems like it, though I doubt that is their business model. My quit date is scheduled for mid-2019. There's many on TUG that have said "goodbye" to RCi and been okay with that decision. I will have to do things differently since I've been doing RCI exchanges for 33 years. Change is hard sometimes, but it can be very good and/or needed.

 

[flybefree]

This is a weeks resort with availability in points, so they're not on that chart. :-(

 

[MuranoJo]

Exchange requirements may change over time due to demand and availability.
There may have been more units available when you first checked, so exchange points were lower.
Over time, as the units were taken, inventory would decrease, and then points to exchange in could go up.

I've personally seen it happen very quickly.
I was booking multiple units for the same week at the same resort and points required to exchange in went up between the 2nd and 3rd unit, within two nights.

 

[flybefree]

There was literally no change in what was available. The points needed just spontaneously went up.

 

[JohnPaul]

Supposedly the points given owners/required to trade in can go up or down if the resort improves/degrades. I don't think it happens often although I believe I've heard of some increase in Hawaii.

It is true to some extent that the points given are contracted by the resort. I own two weeks at Sedona Pines in Arizona. Both can be reserved anytime during the year (and points do vary a bit by season). One week gives me 52,500 points a year and the other gives me 44,000.

 

[tschwa2]

That is the reason why RCI doesn't regularly publish or make that booklet available. There is no contractual agreement with anyone in terms of how many RCI points it costs to book a weeks resort. The points chart only becomes fixed once a resort agrees to market RCI points conversions. RCI can charge whatever it wants in terms of points for weeks resorts the same way it can in terms of tpu's- although they use to publish a cross over grid. There may be some kind of internal memo which RCI agents won't necessarily reveal, and the points that a resort owner gets for doing a PFD -Points for deposit would be the same as RCI charges that year for that week in that season but they can adjust that number as it suits RCI's needs. So the contractual agreement is only for points resorts not for weeks resorts that RCI points owners can book. Just because you are "paying" using RCI points, it doesn't mean it is an RCI points resort.

 

[Jayco29D]

I am a member of RCI, Interval and SFX. I think RCI is the worst exchange company. SFX is pretty useless too. I have not yet traded with II but at least I see excellent Getaways with II.

 

[flybefree]

So now that resort has gone up to 62k points for the same weeks. SMH.