Does RCI have any advantages over II?

[FLDVCFamily]

Right now I am a member of both, but I'm considering selling my Wydham points and dropping RCI as we mainly trade for Marriott in II. I'm just wondering if RCI has any advantages in terms of places to trade though. My kids are getting to the age where we can actually go interesting places, and RCI seems to have more inventory overall (albeit perhaps not as high-end as II?). We have zero interest in DVC anymore. DVC was why we had the Wyndham points in the first place. Just wondering if there is any point to hanging onto RCI/Wyndham...

 

[Ty1on]

DVC would have been my answer....and overall inventory volume, both of which you covered.

 

[Ron98GT]

HGVC Hawaii and Florida. Also HGVC in NYC, along with the Manhattan Club. Maybe some of the Caribbean islands, if the island doesn't have a Marriott, Westin, or HGVC, like Puerto Rico and St, Martaan, Also good for Las Vegas on New Years Eve. Otherwise, not interested in the lower end properties in RCI.

 

[mdurette]

We have both RCI and II.

II mainly use now for Marriott/Hyatt exchange and getaways.

Started RCI a few years ago just to test it out. I have kept it because we travel within NewEngland a lot and they by far have MUCH more inventory that II.

That's my reason why I keep it!

 

[FLDVCFamily]

HGVC Hawaii and Florida. Also HGVC in NYC, along with the Manhattan Club. Maybe some of the Caribbean islands, if the island doesn't have a Marriott, Westin, or HGVC, like Puerto Rico and St, Martaan, Also good for Las Vegas on New Years Eve. Otherwise, not interested in the lower end properties in RCI.

We are definitely interested in Manhattan Club. I was not aware that this resort was only in RCI. That alone would get me to keep RCI as I really think my kids will enjoy NYC sooner rather than later. Also, we are interested in Puerto Rico and I did not know that II didn't have resorts there.

I need to figure of how many points Manhattan club will cost us for an exchange. We only have Wyndham points and we're stuck on the school calendar for now. I have 2 contracts with Wyndham, so wondering if I need to keep both or not.

 

[Ron98GT]

I think there might be some MC's in II, but I haven't seen them and I won't give up my Marriott week anyway. There are RCI TS's in Puerto Rico, including the Hyatt, I was just mentioning that there are no II TS's that specifically include MarrIott or Westin, nor any HGVC TS's that would use HGVC points or RCI. RCI is probably your best bet for Puerto Rico from what I remember.

RCI is your best bet for NYC. Wyndham opened a TS in NYC and you might eventually get rooms there thru RCI, but the HGVC Hilton Club and the Manhattan Club are both in a better location and are of better quality. Both are available thru RCI.

I'm not sure if HGVC W57th St. ever pops up in RCI, but we stayed there in May using my HGVC points. W57th St was in a fantastic location just 3 streets south of Central Park. Of all the locations at we've stayed at in NYC over the years, that was my favorite location. I think the MC is near by and I'd like to stay there some time.


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[FLDVCFamily]

I think there might be some MC's in II, but I haven't seen them and I won't give up my Marriott week anyway. There are RCI TS's in Puerto Rico, including the Hyatt, I was just mentioning that there are no II TS's that specifically include MarrIott or Westin, nor any HGVC TS's that would use HGVC points or RCI. RCI is probably your best bet for Puerto Rico from what I remember.

RCI is your best bet for NYC. Wyndham opened a TS in NYC and you might eventually get rooms there thru RCI, but the HGVC Hilton Club and the Manhattan Club are both in a better location and are of better quality. Both are available thru RCI.

I'm not sure if HGVC W57th St. ever pops up in RCI, but we stayed there in May using my HGVC points. W57th St was in a fantastic location just 3 streets south of Central Park. Of all the locations at we've stayed at in NYC over the years, that was my favorite location. I think the MC is near by and I'd like to stay there some time.


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From the sounds of it I need to hang onto RCI if I want to go to NYC with the kids (and I do). I'm going to put in an OGS for Manhattan club, perhaps for Spring Break 2017 or summer 2017 if those aren't impossible trades. I just need to figure out how many points we'll need as I assume that I need to deposit them first?

The other one I was thinking of was Wyndham National Harbour in DC. Isn't that the best place to stay when doing DC? We are planning to take the kids there in a few years, so I will need the RCI/Wyndham for that too I guess.

My gut says hang onto these points because II has more limited inventory than RCI. The only thing we've ever traded for in RCI is DVC, though, and for Orlando all of us now much prefer Marriott if possible.

 

[taterhed]

RCI for access to HGVC, Getaways and <59 day cheap trades.
Plus, coverage for places II doesn't even go. (DVC for some--not me)

If those items aren't on your list..... II plus the 2nd tier exchanges (SFX, DAE, Platinum, etc....) should probably meet your needs.

 

[frank808]

From the sounds of it I need to hang onto RCI if I want to go to NYC with the kids (and I do). I'm going to put in an OGS for Manhattan club, perhaps for Spring Break 2017 or summer 2017 if those aren't impossible trades. I just need to figure out how many points we'll need as I assume that I need to deposit them first?

The other one I was thinking of was Wyndham National Harbour in DC. Isn't that the best place to stay when doing DC? We are planning to take the kids there in a few years, so I will need the RCI/Wyndham for that too I guess.

My gut says hang onto these points because II has more limited inventory than RCI. The only thing we've ever traded for in RCI is DVC, though, and for Orlando all of us now much prefer Marriott if possible.

I would say marriott mayflower is the most convenient to central dc. You are right in the heart of the city. But i have only seen studios being deposited as it is a a few converted floors in the hotel.

 

[presley]

You can get Manhattan Club from SFX and they have some Hilton stuff, too.

I wouldn't keep RCI unless I've been using it.

 

[Ron98GT]

I guess I should have asked if you have access to RCI Points with your Wyndham, or just RCI Weeks? For me, the biggest advantage of hanging on to my RCI account, besides the low yearly MF of $735 for 80K points, is my RCI Points account. If I only had a RCI Weeks account, I'd dump my Grandview TS and cancel my RCI account. I believe that its the RCI Points account that has given me great access to HGVC's in Hawaii, NYC, Southern Florida, along with the Jockey Club in Las Vegas over New Years.

Although I own a HGVC TS, next December we are spending 2-weeks in Waikoloa on the Big Island in Hawaii at HGVC Kingsland and the HGVC Kohala Suites, using my RCI Points: much cheaper than using my HGVC points plus I get to stay 2-weeks.

I thought that you get a free RCI account when you own a Wyndham?

BTW, I just checked RCI and I see all 3 NYC TS's in RCI: MC, HC, & W57th St., but no Wyndham (which you might get internally thru Wyndham). I also checked II for NYC and found nothing available.

 

[rosco1e]

RCI or II

I've found over the years (own Marriott, and also many in RCI) that II has less and less properties to trade into vs RCI. I actually just sold my Marriott back to Marriott after 20 years.

On a side note for those who want to go into the Manhattan Club, their points/taxes/$ costs are outrageous. You can easily use a Royal Holiday Points membership and stay in NJ in the Meadowlands (by the Stadium) at Hyatt Place Secaucus. There's a bus literally outside the door that takes you directly to Times Square (about 15 minutes) every 10 minutes. Ditto coming back. Trip costs will be 1/3 of staying in the city and it's actually oddly easier to navigate from NJ. If you have a car, parking is free. Great deal.

I have 4 RH memberships and giving away 2. If you want one, let me know. Transfer fee for RH is $650. That's it.

 

[skimeup]

II exchange fees

I haven't seen anything here on exchange fees. The last time I planned to deposit a week with II, I was told I had to pay the exchange fee up front, even though I would not be assured I would get the location I wanted, much less the week in the desired location. And as I recall the exchange fee had gone up to about $219. So I am dropping II but after reading all through this will consider checking out RCI. Currently, I have been doing most exchanges through SFX but now they have instituted a tiered membership level and what is left for those of us who don't want to pay a few hundred dollars to be platinum members is a lot of exchanges into Mexican timeshares. So I doubt I'll be depositing with them either, anymore.

I have desirable weeks in Santa Fe in summer so I would have thought I'd do better with exchanges but I think one needs to either own RCI points or be at the Hyatt, HGVC, or Marriott ownership level to get anything particularly good.

 

[Ron98GT]

First, I agree that RCI exchange fees are ridiculously high.

Second, Marriott is not in RCI, but HGVC, Disney, and Hyatt is, along with some Westins.


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[tschwa2]

I know this won't help the OP, but for me the biggest plus to RCI is the availability of summer 2 bedroom north and mid Atlantic drive to locations if you plan early enough. Sure II has Williamsburg (as does RCI) but that's about it. I have found that to be true about most of the other alt exchange companies as well. With RCI, I can get a summer 2 br beach week, as long as I am flexible and willing to take Ocean City, MD, Virginia Beach, Outer Banks, or Delaware, Jersey beaches. They are often quite 90's and sometimes even 80's with at least one updated tv thrown in but I am looking for location rather than resort quality so it works for us.

 

[bnoble]

I was told I had to pay the exchange fee up front, even though I would not be assured I would get the location I wanted, much less the week in the desired location.

They will refund it if you do not eventually confirm an exchange. In the current interest rate market, the opportunity cost on $200 for several months is negligible.

 

[gmarine]

I haven't seen anything here on exchange fees. The last time I planned to deposit a week with II, I was told I had to pay the exchange fee up front, even though I would not be assured I would get the location I wanted, much less the week in the desired location. And as I recall the exchange fee had gone up to about $219. So I am dropping II but after reading all through this will consider checking out RCI. Currently, I have been doing most exchanges through SFX but now they have instituted a tiered membership level and what is left for those of us who don't want to pay a few hundred dollars to be platinum members is a lot of exchanges into Mexican timeshares. So I doubt I'll be depositing with them either, anymore.

I have desirable weeks in Santa Fe in summer so I would have thought I'd do better with exchanges but I think one needs to either own RCI points or be at the Hyatt, HGVC, or Marriott ownership level to get anything particularly good.

The current II exchange fee is $174. If you dont get the exchange you want or decide to cancel the request for any reason you receive a refund.

 

[sue1947]

I haven't seen anything here on exchange fees. The last time I planned to deposit a week with II, I was told I had to pay the exchange fee up front, even though I would not be assured I would get the location I wanted, much less the week in the desired location. And as I recall the exchange fee had gone up to about $219. So I am dropping II but after reading all through this will consider checking out RCI. Currently, I have been doing most exchanges through SFX but now they have instituted a tiered membership level and what is left for those of us who don't want to pay a few hundred dollars to be platinum members is a lot of exchanges into Mexican timeshares. So I doubt I'll be depositing with them either, anymore.

I have desirable weeks in Santa Fe in summer so I would have thought I'd do better with exchanges but I think one needs to either own RCI points or be at the Hyatt, HGVC, or Marriott ownership level to get anything particularly good.

Actually, II has lower exchange fees than RCI. The $219 you quoted above is the RCI fee with II lower. For both systems, you pay the fee when setting up an ongoing search. In both systems, you get the fee back if you don't match anything. In addition, pre-paying the fee is a way to lock in a lower exchange rate before a rate increase.

I have both RCI and II but only have RCI for access to a couple of resorts. I have a stay at the last of these next month and will likely cancel RCI after that. RCI is more expensive to use and, in general, lower quality. With II, I can trade up in size and season and get a bargain while with RCI, it's full cost regardless.

For me, the RCI vs II issue boils down to which resorts or places you want to stay.

Sue

 

[presley]

Second, Marriott is not in RCI, but HGVC, Disney, and Hyatt is, along with some Westins.

While I do only see HGVC and DVC in RCI, I only see Hyatt and Westin in II.

 

[bnoble]

There are several SVN resorts with inventory in RCI, including SVR, SVV, VIS, SDO, and a few others.

There are even a few older Marriott resorts that have some inventory that can be deposited to RCI: the three Palms in Orlando, for example. They don't use the word "Marriott" in the title though.

 

[Ron98GT]

While I do only see HGVC and DVC in RCI, I only see Hyatt and Westin in II.

I could have sworn the Hyatt in Puerto Rico was in RCI, but I was wrong, it is in II.

 

[Rene McDaniel]

Right now I am a member of both, but I'm considering selling my Wydham points and dropping RCI as we mainly trade for Marriott in II. I'm just wondering if RCI has any advantages in terms of places to trade though. My kids are getting to the age where we can actually go interesting places, and RCI seems to have more inventory overall (albeit perhaps not as high-end as II?). We have zero interest in DVC anymore. DVC was why we had the Wyndham points in the first place. Just wondering if there is any point to hanging onto RCI/Wyndham...

I believe there is a definite benefit to being in BOTH RCI and II, if you are a parent dealing with school schedules and limited vacation flexibility. We own Marriott I.I. only resorts as well as one RCI-only resort. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, but you will definitely come out ahead by being able to play in BOTH playgrounds.

Our girls are college and post-college now, and loved their Marriott resort stays. However, we have done some great vacations that we could never have done with II, alone. Two different summer vacations at Manhattan Club in NYC (RCI and second SFX/RCI 2 week trip), Europe trips (outskirts Rome, outskirts Florence, and outskirts of Venice) all via RCI, West Yellowstone (RCI), Vancouver Island Canada & Canadian Rockies (RCI), Hyatt Chicago Downtown 2-hotel units (RCI Platinum), Southwest Florida & Everglades (RCI), plus lots of California beach options for us. So, there are definite advantages to having every possible available option when you are limited to only summer, Christmas, or Spring Break.

Planning our Europe trip this summer, I thought for sure it would be all Marriott exhanges for Spain. I put in ongoing searches to both RCI and Interval, fairly confident that we would end up with the Marriotts because we have the Marriott preference. But ends up we were able to exchange for 2 back-to-back weeks in Barcelona with RCI, and our 21-year old was so excited when the confirmation came through she posted it to Facebook! So, now we have 2 weeks in Barcelona and only 1 week in Costa del Sol and were able to match a 2nd search quickly for Southern Spain with RCI and have already bought our airline tickets. This time RCI worked out much better for us than II, which seems to be matching the Marriott's much closer to check-in time, compared to the past. With a big Europe trip, there was a definite advantage for us being able to lock in our airfares while there are still fare sales.

So, really. The best of both worlds is REALLY the best. Sometimes for some things it is RCI. Sometimes for other things it is Interval. In October we enjoyed a Marriott trade to the new Marriott Mayflower in Washington DC (hotel units only, but you could get 2 units), but we also wanted a Fall leaf peeping week in Vermont. Interval had nothing, but RCI had a large selection of available resorts. So, we ended up using 1 exchange from RCI, followed by 1 exchange from Interval. Best of both worlds. Yes, it costs extra to belong to both systems, but in our experience it has been totally worth it.

-- Rene McDaniel

 

[FLDVCFamily]

There are several SVN resorts with inventory in RCI, including SVR, SVV, VIS, SDO, and a few others.

There are even a few older Marriott resorts that have some inventory that can be deposited to RCI: the three Palms in Orlando, for example. They don't use the word "Marriott" in the title though.

I did not know this! What do they deposit under then? Just Sabal Palms, etc? Interesting...going to search for this.

 

[FLDVCFamily]

I've found over the years (own Marriott, and also many in RCI) that II has less and less properties to trade into vs RCI. I actually just sold my Marriott back to Marriott after 20 years.

On a side note for those who want to go into the Manhattan Club, their points/taxes/$ costs are outrageous. You can easily use a Royal Holiday Points membership and stay in NJ in the Meadowlands (by the Stadium) at Hyatt Place Secaucus. There's a bus literally outside the door that takes you directly to Times Square (about 15 minutes) every 10 minutes. Ditto coming back. Trip costs will be 1/3 of staying in the city and it's actually oddly easier to navigate from NJ. If you have a car, parking is free. Great deal.

I have 4 RH memberships and giving away 2. If you want one, let me know. Transfer fee for RH is $650. That's it.

Did you mean this for people trading into MC or just for people buying in? We do want to trade in in the next year or so. Should I expect taxes, fees/etc. on top of the trade costs?

 

[dioxide45]

I did not know this! What do they deposit under then? Just Sabal Palms, etc? Interesting...going to search for this.

According to the Marriott Weeks FAQ, the following resorts also trade in RCI.

• StreamSide: Birch, Douglas (not Evergreen) [Aspen & Cedar are no longer managed by Marriott.]
• Cypress Harbour
• Desert Springs Villas I (not Desert Springs Villas II)
• Harbour Club
• Heritage Club
• Monarch
• Royal Palms
• Sabal Palms
• Sunset Pointe