Hawaii Exchanges: Comparing the Cost of II, RCI, and SFX

[NiteMaire]

In 2018, I'll have spent 4 weeks in Hawaii on 3 exchanges from 3 exchange companies and 1 Encore purchase. I exchanged 1 Marriott week and 3 Vacation Village weeks. My Encore package was a return to Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. The 3 exchange companies I used were II, SFX, and RCI. I thought I'd share/document the cost for each. The $ will be slightly skewed based on the MF of the unit exchanged. My Marriott MF isn't exact, but it's close enough. In addition, the membership $ below doesn't account for multiple timeshares in an exchange company. For instance, I trade 3 weeks/yr through II so my membership cost (not exchange fee) for my unit is $29.67, but I based the below on 1 exchange/yr.

Summary: SFX was least expensive; RCI was most expensive. SFX exchange cost was $249; total cost including MF was $676.50! II exchange cost was $268; total cost for the week was $1178 (I used a Marriott to trade so MF is higher than my other exchange MF). RCI exchange fee was a whopping $423, total cost was $1278 since I had to use my entire 4BR to get into the 2BR I wanted. Details below.

SFX
Unit Exchanged: The Colonies at Williamsburg - 2BR portion of 4BR LO
Unit Received: 2BR Kohala Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations Club
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $249
- SFX membership: $100
- SFX exchange fee: $149
MF: $427.50 (1/2 of 4BR total)
Total: $676.50!

II
Unit Exchanged: Marriott's Grand Chateau - 2BR portion of 3BR LO
Unit Received: 2BR Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club
When: April 2018
Exchange cost: $308
- II membership: $89
- II exchange fee: $179
- Marriott LO fee: $40 (1/2 total)
MF: $910 (1/2 of 3BR total)
Total: $1218

RCI
Unit Exchanged: The Colonies at Williamsburg - 4BR (locked off as 2 2BR to maximize TPU)
Unit Received: 2BR The Bay Club At Waikoloa Beach Resort
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $423
- RCI membership: $50 (I had a special offer of $100 for 2 years)
- RCI exchange fee: $239
- RCI combine TPUs: $134
MF: $855
Total: $1278

As you can see, SFX and II are comparable in exchange fees and would have been comparable for total cost if I had used my VV unit for II. II exchange would have been only $695.5 (I have exchanged the VV 2BR unit for HI in the past). RCI exchange cost would have been comparable if I didn't have to combine my deposits to get to the required trading power.

Even though RCI was the most expensive, they were the only company with a 2BR exchange on the BI during the week I needed. I'm not defending their cost. I actually find they are too expensive for my liking so I'm not going to renew my membership when it expires in 1.5 years; and I probably won't do another trade again. That decision will add $50 to the price of my exchange.

I'm still happy with my overall cost for my 2 weeks on the Big Island next month. It's costing me $1954.50 for the 2 weeks in 2BR units!

 

[pchung6]

Not sure about your the other 2 resorts, but your MF for MGC seems super low. How did you have such low MF for Marriott GC? I'm also very interested to have a trader unit like your 2BR The Colonies at Williamsburg with $420 MF.

 

[NiteMaire]

Not sure about your the other 2 resorts, but your MF for MGC seems super low. How did you have such low MF for Marriott GC? I'm also very interested to have a trader unit like your 2BR The Colonies at Williamsburg with $420 MF.

Not sure about your the other 2 resorts, but your MF for MGC seems super low. How did you have such low MF for Marriott GC? I'm also very interested to have a trader unit like your 2BR The Colonies at Williamsburg with $420 MF.

MGC: it's the 2BR portion of a 3BR LO. The MF listed is 1/2 of my MF for the 3BR...which reminds me, I should increase my total cost by $40 to account for Marriott's $80 LO fee.

Colonies: it's the 2BR portion of a 4BR LO. I may be wrong, but I don't think they sell the 2BR by itself. The MF listed for the 2BR trade is 1/2 of my MF for the 4BR. No LO fee.

I updated my original post to clarify...hopefully I didn't make it more confusing.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

In 2018, I'll have spent 4 weeks in Hawaii on 3 exchanges from 3 exchange companies and 1 Encore purchase. I exchanged 1 Marriott week and 3 Vacation Village weeks. My Encore package was a return to Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. The 3 exchange companies I used were II, SFX, and RCI. I thought I'd share/document the cost for each. The $ will be slightly skewed based on the MF of the unit exchanged. My Marriott MF isn't exact, but it's close enough. In addition, the membership $ below doesn't account for multiple timeshares in an exchange company. For instance, I trade 3 weeks/yr on II so my membership cost (not exchange fee) for my unit is $29.67, but I based the below on 1 exchange/yr.

Summary: SFX was least expensive; RCI was most expensive. SFX exchange cost was $249; total cost including MF was $676.50! II exchange cost was $268; total cost for the week was $1178 (I used a Marriott to trade so MF is higher than my other exchange MF). RCI exchange fee was a whopping $423, total cost was $1278 since I had to use my entire 4BR to get into the 2BR I wanted. Details below.

SFX
Unit Exchanged: 2BR The Colonies at Williamsburg
Unit Received: 2BR Kohala Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations Club
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $249
- SFX membership: $100
- SFX exchange fee: $149
MF: $427.50
Total: $676.50!

II
Unit Exchanged: 2BR Marriott's Grand Chateau
Unit Received: 2BR Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club
When: April 2018
Exchange cost: $268
- II membership: $89
- II exchange fee: $179
MF: $910
Total: $1178

RCI
Unit Exchanged: 4BR (locked off as 2 2BR to maximize TPU) The Colonies at Williamsburg
Unit Received: 2BR The Bay Club At Waikoloa Beach Resort
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $423
- RCI membership: $50 (I had a special offer of $100 for 2 years)
- RCI exchange fee: $239
- RCI combine TPUs: $134
MF: $855
Total: $1278

As you can see, SFX and II are comparable in exchange fees and would have been comparable for total cost if I had used my VV unit for II. II exchange would have been only $695.5 (I have exchanged this unit for HI in the past). RCI exchange cost would have been comparable if I didn't have to combine my deposits to get to the required trading power.

Even though RCI was the most expensive, they were the only company with a 2BR exchange on the BI during the week I needed. I'm not defending their cost. I actually find they are too expensive for my liking so I'm not going to renew my membership when it expires in 1.5 years; and I probably wont' do another trade again. That decision will add $50 to the price of my exchange.

I'm still happy with my overall cost for my 2 weeks on the Big Island next month. It's costing me $1954.50 for the 2 weeks in 2BR units!

Thanks for doing this analysis, I want to do one more trade to Maui before I retire in 8 years and this is good info to have.

 

[pchung6]

MGC: it's the 2BR portion of a 3BR LO. The MF listed is 1/2 of my MF for the 3BR...which reminds me, I should increase my total cost by $40 to account for Marriott's $80 LO fee.

This makes sense to me now, but I wouldn't count the $40 LO fee as exchange fee tho, it is going to MVC and I would consider the $40 as part of MF. So your other LO is a studio also carries $910 MF + whatever upgrade fee you will have to pay.

Also for the II exchange fee, shouldn't that be $144 or $149 since it's an Marriott Marriott exchange?

 

[rickandcindy23]

I would much rather exchange into the Marriott. I think I just paid $144 for a Marriott-to-Marriott exchange. Am I dreaming?

The RCI options is regrettable. RCI's costs are outrageous. Blah!

 

[NiteMaire]

This makes sense to me now, but I wouldn't count the $40 LO fee as exchange fee tho, it is going to MVC and I would consider the $40 as part of MF. So your other LO is a studio also carries $910 MF + whatever upgrade fee you will have to pay.

Also for the II exchange fee, shouldn't that be $144 or $149 since it's an Marriott Marriott exchange?

Good catch. You're correct on both points. I included the "standard" II exchange fee; that's what I get for having units from multiple resort systems in my II account.

Earlier today, I tried to update my post to put the LO to with Marriott, but I missed the 48-hour cutoff by 2 hours (can't "Edit" post after 48 hours). My #s are a little off...II would have been least expensive (barely) on "exchange cost" if I had accounted correctly.

 

[NiteMaire]

I would much rather exchange into the Marriott. I think I just paid $144 for a Marriott-to-Marriott exchange. Am I dreaming?

The RCI options is regrettable. RCI's costs are outrageous. Blah!

You're not dreaming...I put the wrong amount. I, too, would rather exchange into the Marriott (but, hey, Hilton is a great alternative). I was limited since my unit is an EOY and I'm saving my other 1/2 for another Marriott exchange next year. I purchased MGC so I could get the Marriott preference, and I'm very glad I did. I have 2 exchanges into Ko Olina and another into Frechman's Cove. I'm not complaining

Agree with your take on RCI. That's why I don't plan on renewing; apparently you won't as well, based on your post in a different thread. They send annoying emails if you login and don't book something...I'm tired of the follow-up emails already, and it's been only 2 months since I signed up. Oh, and they've already sent emails asking me to extend my membership. In the end, I received a great exchange value (in my opinion), but I think I can make II and SFX work for me (yes, I've seen your disappointment with SFX). My costs are significantly less for my non-Marriott units with those 2 companies when compared to RCI.

 

[Panina]

In 2018, I'll have spent 4 weeks in Hawaii on 3 exchanges from 3 exchange companies and 1 Encore purchase. I exchanged 1 Marriott week and 3 Vacation Village weeks. My Encore package was a return to Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. The 3 exchange companies I used were II, SFX, and RCI. I thought I'd share/document the cost for each. The $ will be slightly skewed based on the MF of the unit exchanged. My Marriott MF isn't exact, but it's close enough. In addition, the membership $ below doesn't account for multiple timeshares in an exchange company. For instance, I trade 3 weeks/yr through II so my membership cost (not exchange fee) for my unit is $29.67, but I based the below on 1 exchange/yr.

Summary: SFX was least expensive; RCI was most expensive. SFX exchange cost was $249; total cost including MF was $676.50! II exchange cost was $268; total cost for the week was $1178 (I used a Marriott to trade so MF is higher than my other exchange MF). RCI exchange fee was a whopping $423, total cost was $1278 since I had to use my entire 4BR to get into the 2BR I wanted. Details below.

SFX
Unit Exchanged: The Colonies at Williamsburg - 2BR portion of 4BR LO
Unit Received: 2BR Kohala Suites by Hilton Grand Vacations Club
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $249
- SFX membership: $100
- SFX exchange fee: $149
MF: $427.50 (1/2 of 4BR total)
Total: $676.50!

II
Unit Exchanged: Marriott's Grand Chateau - 2BR portion of 3BR LO
Unit Received: 2BR Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club
When: April 2018
Exchange cost: $308
- II membership: $89
- II exchange fee: $179
- Marriott LO fee: $40 (1/2 total)
MF: $910 (1/2 of 3BR total)
Total: $1218

RCI
Unit Exchanged: The Colonies at Williamsburg - 4BR (locked off as 2 2BR to maximize TPU)
Unit Received: 2BR The Bay Club At Waikoloa Beach Resort
When: August 2018
Exchange cost: $423
- RCI membership: $50 (I had a special offer of $100 for 2 years)
- RCI exchange fee: $239
- RCI combine TPUs: $134
MF: $855
Total: $1278

As you can see, SFX and II are comparable in exchange fees and would have been comparable for total cost if I had used my VV unit for II. II exchange would have been only $695.5 (I have exchanged the VV 2BR unit for HI in the past). RCI exchange cost would have been comparable if I didn't have to combine my deposits to get to the required trading power.

Even though RCI was the most expensive, they were the only company with a 2BR exchange on the BI during the week I needed. I'm not defending their cost. I actually find they are too expensive for my liking so I'm not going to renew my membership when it expires in 1.5 years; and I probably won't do another trade again. That decision will add $50 to the price of my exchange.

I'm still happy with my overall cost for my 2 weeks on the Big Island next month. It's costing me $1954.50 for the 2 weeks in 2BR units!

Great analysis. This is a great example showing how affordable timesharing can be if you know how to use it. Renting would be lots more.

 

[rickandcindy23]

but I think I can make II and SFX work for me (yes, I've seen your disappointment with SFX).

SFX, and really Nathan, has been doing much better, but I went for years without a match to many of my requests placed online. If more and more people start using SFX, that would be a great thing for all of us.

SFX was able to get a week at Kohala Suites, the week started a few weeks ago. I got it for the kids, but they didn't want to go. It was only one week, and they don't want to go to the Big Island for one week. But they were also worried about their baby getting vogged. I ended up renting it to people who live on the island. I rented it cheaply. They were SO happy.

SFX also came through for two units for 12/1-12/8 at Hilton SeaWorld. I am happy with those.

My deposits have been extended year after year. I have some deposits that are literally five or six years old. I cannot see depositing any weeks with them right now. I want to see what they have available for exchange online. I don't want to be always waiting for a phone call or email.

I even asked for San Francisco for this summer and never got it. Think about that! That is usually an easy exchange.

I think depositing a week (for just about everyone) is probably a good way to try SFX. I encourage people to try it and see what they can do, especially when dumping RCI. But SFX doesn't accept every resort or season, and so some people will be disappointed.

II is great. I love my preference with Marriott and Vistana. At some point, I may deposit something with SFX again, but only if they offer to extend my weeks (all of them) for another year for a single deposit.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Something to think about as well, if you own ten weeks that you deposit to II, the membership fee is less than $10 per year, per unit.

We traveled 14 weeks last year and the same this year. We only stayed at Hono Koa (our home resort) two of those weeks. We do a lot of exchanging. I paid for platinum II for unit upgrades. That was my specific reason to get the platinum.

 

[pchung6]

SFX, and really Nathan, has been doing much better, but I went for years without a match to many of my requests placed online. If more and more people start using SFX, that would be a great thing for all of us.

Looks like I will have to give SFX a try. I have an extra 1 br SBP deposit that I just reserved for July week in 2019. I already have too many deposits in II with 17,18 SBP and 16,17,18 SVV. It is not worth for me to give II another SBP. I will definitely give SFX a try next year or 2020 with the hope I can get Hilton Oahu unit in low season. Do you think it is doable?

 

[rickandcindy23]

Looks like I will have to give SFX a try. I have an extra 1 br SBP deposit that I just reserved for July week in 2019. I already have too many deposits in II with 17,18 SBP and 16,17,18 SVV. It is not worth for me to give II another SBP. I will definitely give SFX a try next year or 2020 with the hope I can get Hilton Oahu unit in low season. Do you think it is doable?

Maybe. If you can be flexible with dates and resorts (there are quite a few Hiltons), I think you will do well for a request to Oahu.

 

[NiteMaire]

At some point, I may deposit something with SFX again, but only if they offer to extend my weeks (all of them) for another year for a single deposit.

They run specials. I think at one point this past year, they would extend existing deposited week(s) for a year. Worth a call to check every now and then.

Last year, SFX took my Colonies deposit less than 30 days out...because they had a request for my resort/city that week. Unrestricted use of a week deposited within 30 days, deposit good for 3 years, no extra fees for full trade value, and a Bonus week thrown in as well! Try to get a deal like that from II or RCI. BTW, I exchanged that week for Hilton Kohala Suites. I leave this Sunday!