Can someone please help me understand the real cost of an RCI week long vaca?

[AdventureRayna]

Hello!

I have done a lot of research and am strongly considering buying a free timeshare and then using it to trade for RCI points.
I'm considering a EOY Grandview timeshare so I'll get roughly 20k RCI points for roughly $200MF. You guys here on TUGs seem so knowledgeable, I've read every thread and article I could find so I'm fairly confident that's a good deal. If you want to give me feedback on this part of the plan, I'd happily accept it!

Now here where I start to get confused. There's a lot of mention of fees for using RCI, exchange fees, maintenance fees, house keeping fees... fees. Last call cash prices (for vaca within 45 days) etc. So what is the actual cost of getting a week long 1BR stay at an RCI resort? After all the fees are said and done.

Could someone maybe go through an example of using cash for a last call or then using my points for a week (assume I have 20k pts).

I work remotely and can travel all 52 weeks out of the year if I wanted (I won't lol) so I really think this is a good idea for me... just want to make sure I'm making the best decision.

You all seem so nice and helpful so I'm excited to join you guys! thanks so much in advanced!!
Rayna

 

[AdventureRayna]

BTW I did try to search and look up info on this but I didn't see anyone else post a question similar to mine. If this has already been asked and answered I apologize! Please just give me the link to it and I can go over there instead of wasting y'alls time

 

[AwayWeGo]

Our costs include some (small) share of what we paid for our timeshare. (Not much — total cost to buy was $250, eBay all the way.)

Plus, a share of our annual maintenance fee. (We pay $150 per year in maintenance fees.)

Ditto a share of our annual RCI dues.

Most of all, RCI reservation fees for our actual vacation — exchange fee, last call fee, bonus week fee, etc., as the case may be, plus any nuisance fees charged by the resort at check-in (amenities fee, resort fee, etc.). (We avoid timeshares known to charge excessive nuisance fees at check-in.)

Typically, we figure it works out to about $400, more or less, for a nice 2BR timeshare week — more this time because we made four last call 1BR last call reservations when we weren’t sure we could get two 2BR last call reservations.

So far so good.

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

 

[Passepartout]

I don't know that there is one single number that will answer your inquiry. As far as RCI last Calls go, these are cash rentals at about $300 for 7 nights. All in. No extra fees- at least through RCI. Some resorts do have Resort fees, or parking fees. But that's about it
Now, you brought up 20K points exchanges. They would cost an exchange fee-currently near $300, also subject to resort specific fees. If you reserve shorter than 7 nights, there is a housekeeping charge determined by the resort
RCI points also have membership costs iirc about $125/yr. Discounted for longer periods.
Hope this helps

Jim

 

[AdventureRayna]

Our costs include some (small) share of what we paid for our timeshare. (Not much — total cost to buy was $250, eBay all the way.)

Plus, a share of our annual maintenance fee. (We pay $150 per year in maintenance fees.)

Ditto a share of our annual RCI dues.

Most of all, RCI reservation fees for our actual vacation — exchange fee, last call fee, bonus week fee, etc., as the case may be, plus any nuisance fees charged by the resort at check-in (amenities fee, resort fee, etc.). (We avoid timeshares known to charge excessive nuisance fees at check-in.)

Typically, we figure it works out to about $400, more or less, for a nice 2BR timeshare week — more this time because we made four last call 1BR last call reservations when we weren’t sure we could get two 2BR last call reservations.

So far so good.

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

Love the idea of buying a secondhand timeshare instead of from the developer! $250 is way better than the 110k Wyndham told me during their presentation!
$400 per week for a two bedroom is totally worth it! Thanks for the info

 

[AdventureRayna]

I don't know that there is one single number that will answer your inquiry. As far as RCI last Calls go, these are cash rentals at about $300 for 7 nights. All in. No extra fees- at least through RCI. Some resorts do have Resort fees, or parking fees. But that's about it
Now, you brought up 20K points exchanges. They would cost an exchange fee-currently near $300, also subject to resort specific fees. If you reserve shorter than 7 nights, there is a housekeeping charge determined by the resort
RCI points also have membership costs iirc about $125/yr. Discounted for longer periods.
Hope this helps

Jim

Hi Jim,

The last calls sound like a great deal $300 for a full week is amazing! At that price I could visit so many places! I forgot about parking fees, thanks for reminding me those could exist.

So it sounds like it'd be best to avoid stays that aren't a week long.... And when I exchange I should expect to pay something out of pocket based on the number of points that week will cost me. $300 is still not terrible for a whole week long vacation! the 125 annual fee sounds like it'll be worth it as long as actually use it!

Thanks for the insights!

 

[Passepartout]

I should point out that those Last Calls are leftovers. Generally off season. 2nd tier resorts. Don't expect summer, ocean front units. Think mud season ski resorts, or parking lot or dumpster views. Some resorts use them to generate bodies for the sales staff to work over.

Jim

 

[WorldT]

Good responses above. I am going the same route as you but with triennial instead of EOY. I plan on using more last calls than actually trading my own points for now. May add as I go along if needed.

1. Fees per year
MF + RCI subscription (see link below)
https://www.rci.com/pre-rci/us/en/help/forms-and-fees/pow-member-fees-us

2. Fees per transaction (also in same link above)
a. Exchanging into a resort using your points
$269 (exchange fee) + your points

OR

b. Using last call $309 (1bdr), $379 (2bdr) - no extra fees from RCI

That is really it. Of course there are some places with resort fees but that will be payed directly to the resort. and there are RCI fees for other things like saving points, guest certificates, etc. But those are optional. Also, you can book a week and check out earlier without any penalty if it is cheaper (think house keeping fees)

 

[gravityrules]

There are a number of Grandview experts here, keep in mind the number of RCI points depends on the desirability of the week you are purchasing. I think the top tier annual 1BR was 61K RCI points and I've seen 49K weeks as well. Both of those examples would have the same annual maintenance fee (MF). Divide points and MF by 2 for a biennial, divide by 3 for a triennial.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Love the idea of buying a secondhand timeshare instead of from the developer! $250 is way better than the 110k Wyndham told me during their presentation!

Second hand, sure. But keep in mind that there is no such thing as a new timeshare. By the time the new owner shows up & checks in, regardless of purchase price, other people will already have been staying prevously right there in the new owner’s unit. That’s used-used-used any way you shake it. Just 1 more reason, as if any more reasons were needed, for buying timeshares on the secondary market (eBay, etc.) rather than from a timeshare company.

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

 

[Volkyro]

Hi Jim,

The last calls sound like a great deal $300 for a full week is amazing! At that price I could visit so many places! I forgot about parking fees, thanks for reminding me those could exist.

So it sounds like it'd be best to avoid stays that aren't a week long.... And when I exchange I should expect to pay something out of pocket based on the number of points that week will cost me. $300 is still not terrible for a whole week long vacation! the 125 annual fee sounds like it'll be worth it as long as actually use it!

Thanks for the insights!

If your main goal is to get inside of RCI to use Last Calls, then your strategy is sound. The 20k points won't go very far towards producing many trips, and as @gravityrules mentioned, a 20K EOY Grandview is the second worst value at the resort. The reason Grandview points accounts have value is because they have a strong MF/Points ratio...unless you buy one of the lower ones. Grandview has 4 "levels: 30.5k, 40k, 49k, and 61k. The 30.5s and 40s have $0 or even negative value. The 49ks can be found for free pretty often (a triennial 49k sold on eBay for $1 recently) and the 61ks have positive value. If you haven't committed to the EOY 40k week, I'd advise you to hold out for at least one of the 49k weeks.

 

[WorldT]

If you are looking for EOY or triennial, there are a couple of 49k points currently available on the TUG marketplace for free. The 61k is a tricky one to find in EOY or triennial. There are a couple of annual 61k available on other websites.

 

[AdventureRayna]

If your main goal is to get inside of RCI to use Last Calls, then your strategy is sound. The 20k points won't go very far towards producing many trips, and as @gravityrules mentioned, a 20K EOY Grandview is the second worst value at the resort. The reason Grandview points accounts have value is because they have a strong MF/Points ratio...unless you buy one of the lower ones. Grandview has 4 "levels: 30.5k, 40k, 49k, and 61k. The 30.5s and 40s have $0 or even negative value. The 49ks can be found for free pretty often (a triennial 49k sold on eBay for $1 recently) and the 61ks have positive value. If you haven't committed to the EOY 40k week, I'd advise you to hold out for at least one of the 49k weeks.

I think I explained how I got to the 20k points wrong. I was going to wait until I found a 61k RCI week and then I was dividing it by 3. So I'll have either 20 or 30k points depending on if it's a triannual or biannual. I haven't committed to anything yet!! I know I should be patient and I'm happy to wait until the perfect opportunity shows up.

I do appreciate you going through the time to explain the Grandview value system though! I really want to access the RCI cash weeks but I also don't want to waste the points so I wanted to know how expensive it would be for me to actually use them for exchanges.

 

[AdventureRayna]

Second hand, sure. But keep in mind that there is no such thing as a new timeshare. By the time the new owner shows up & checks in, regardless of purchase price, other people will already have been staying prevously right there in the new owner’s unit. That’s used-used-used any way you shake it. Just 1 more reason, as if any more reasons were needed, for buying timeshares on the secondary market (eBay, etc.) rather than from a timeshare company.

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

Oh that's a good way to look at it. We all are getting a used product but some of us are just paying for used product prices. After reading everything on here there's no way I'd buy directly from a developer again!!

 

[AdventureRayna]

I should point out that those Last Calls are leftovers. Generally off season. 2nd tier resorts. Don't expect summer, ocean front units. Think mud season ski resorts, or parking lot or dumpster views. Some resorts use them to generate bodies for the sales staff to work over.

Jim

That'll be ok for what I'm doing. My really nice vacations won't be done through the cash RCI options. I teach Zumba and Yoga at all inclusive resorts to save tons of money on bougie vacas lol

 

[AdventureRayna]

Good responses above. I am going the same route as you but with triennial instead of EOY. I plan on using more last calls than actually trading my own points for now. May add as I go along if needed.

1. Fees per year
MF + RCI subscription (see link below)
https://www.rci.com/pre-rci/us/en/help/forms-and-fees/pow-member-fees-us

2. Fees per transaction (also in same link above)
a. Exchanging into a resort using your points
$269 (exchange fee) + your points

OR

b. Using last call $309 (1bdr), $379 (2bdr) - no extra fees from RCI

That is really it. Of course there are some places with resort fees but that will be payed directly to the resort. and there are RCI fees for other things like saving points, guest certificates, etc. But those are optional. Also, you can book a week and check out earlier without any penalty if it is cheaper (think house keeping fees)

This is great. Thanks for the breakdown. Looks like it makes sense to use points and pay the exchange fee for nicer stays that you plan ahead and the last calls will be good for spontaneous trips.

I'm considering both Tri and Biannual. I'm holding out for the 61k weeks but so is everyone else!

 

[AdventureRayna]

There are a number of Grandview experts here, keep in mind the number of RCI points depends on the desirability of the week you are purchasing. I think the top tier annual 1BR was 61K RCI points and I've seen 49K weeks as well. Both of those examples would have the same annual maintenance fee (MF). Divide points and MF by 2 for a biennial, divide by 3 for a triennial.

Yes! I've read tons of the threads here and in other places on the internet. I'm waiting for a 61k week either bi or triannual! 61k/3 was how I got to the 20333pts. That's the lowest amount of points I'd be getting my hands on so that's why I used 20k in my example.

Do we know of any other properties besides Grandview that has this kind of point to MF ratio?

Thank you!

 

[moonstone]

I dont believe it has been mentioned yet, but the RCI exchange fee to book 13 nights is the same as booking 7 nights, you'll obviously need to use more points for more nights. I have found by 'playing around' with check-in dates for our 8-13 night stays, the number of points for, say a 10 night stay, can vary depending on the check-in day. This isnt always the case but I have found it to be the case many times. Now that we are retired we can do a 10 or more night stay that starts on a Monday or Tuesday and goes until late in the following week.

RCI also has a section for Stays of Less than 10K points which I always check first. They are usually last minute (45 days from check-in) but not always and most of the time a studio or 1 bedroom. Since we cook nearly all of our meals in the unit we always book a full kitchen unit which are usually 1 bedroom or larger. If you can get by with a partial kitchen (usually missing a stove/oven) and a studio unit you can save points.


~Diane

 

[AwayWeGo]

If you are looking for EOY or triennial, there are a couple of 49k points currently available on the TUG marketplace for free. The 61k is a tricky one to find in EOY or triennial. There are a couple of annual 61k available on other websites.

We gave up our search for a triennial 61k unit & settled instead for a triennial 49k 1BR unit (16,333 annual points). So it goes.

BTW, we have not seen a Grandview 20,333-point unit even after settling for 16,333 points. Maybe the 20,333s don’t exist.

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

 

[AdventureRayna]

I dont believe it has been mentioned yet, but the RCI exchange fee to book 13 nights is the same as booking 7 nights, you'll obviously need to use more points for more nights. I have found by 'playing around' with check-in dates for our 8-13 night stays, the number of points for, say a 10 night stay, can vary depending on the check-in day. This isnt always the case but I have found it to be the case many times. Now that we are retired we can do a 10 or more night stay that starts on a Monday or Tuesday and goes until late in the following week.

RCI also has a section for Stays of Less than 10K points which I always check first. They are usually last minute (45 days from check-in) but not always and most of the time a studio or 1 bedroom. Since we cook nearly all of our meals in the unit we always book a full kitchen unit which are usually 1 bedroom or larger. If you can get by with a partial kitchen (usually missing a stove/oven) and a studio unit you can save points.


~Diane

Oh! That is good information to know! Thank you.

I work remotely so I could always work the first week and then enjoy not working the second of a 13 night stay. Are studios much smaller than the one bedrooms? I wouldn't mind a smaller/partial kitchen as long as I wasn't stuck in a super small cramped space.

 

[AdventureRayna]

We gave up our search for a triennial 61k unit & settled instead for a triennial 49k 1BR unit (16,333 annual points). So it goes.

BTW, we have not seen a Grandview 20,333-point unit even after settling for 16,333 points. Maybe the 20,333s don’t exist.

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

I've seen several of the triennial 49k units but you're right, I've never seen the triennial 61k units. It's probably a good sign that I'd be able to get rid of it if I ever found one!

I would settle for the biennial 30500 and pay the slightly higher MF if one of those crossed my path. But maybe I should consider expanding my search on what I'd be willing to take....

 

[AdventureRayna]

If you are looking for EOY or triennial, there are a couple of 49k points currently available on the TUG marketplace for free. The 61k is a tricky one to find in EOY or triennial. There are a couple of annual 61k available on other websites.

Do you remember what websites you saw the 61k ads posted on?

 

[Volkyro]

Do you remember what websites you saw the 61k ads posted on?

TUG marketplace has at least 1 61k listed along with a lot of 49k weeks. One other thing to keep in mind. I'm pretty sure a fee is required to rollover RCI points to a new year, so if you have a small point allotment, it may be costly to get use out of those points. @AwayWeGo would have more info than me regarding how much use is viable with 16k points.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Do you remember what websites you saw the 61k ads posted on?

Weren’t those ads for annual 1BR units worth 61,000 poimts every year ?

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

 

[AwayWeGo]

TUG marketplace has at least 1 61k listed along with a lot of 49k weeks. One other thing to keep in mind. I'm pretty sure a fee is required to rollover RCI points to a new year, so if you have a small point allotment, it may be costly to get use out of those points. @AwayWeGo would have more info than me regarding how much use is viable with 16k points.

It can be nerve wracking to keep holding out for a desired bargain reservation when the days before planned check-in are dwindling down.

We had plane tickets & rental car lined up for this month, without resort reservations. We lost our nerve & made four 1BR reservations (2 the 1st week & 2 the 2nd week). If we had held out just another day or 2, we could have snagged very favorable 2BR reservations for those 2 weeks, at bargain rates.

So it goes.

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