Is joining RCI worth it?

[Topflex]

i own a silver crown fixed week (25) in Del Rey Beach Florida. I actually stay in unit every year. Am retired now and thinking of joining RCI and deposit week for exchange. Is it worth it? Or should I just rent units as I do now?

 

[tschwa2]

i own a silver crown fixed week (25) in Del Rey Beach Florida. I actually stay in unit every year. Am retired now and thinking of joining RCI and deposit week for exchange. Is it worth it? Or should I just rent units as I do now?

I wouldn't join for the sole purpose of making a deposit every few years. Strictly monetarily your best bet would be just to rent your unit. On the other hand if you could find a 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 membership special and might use some of the extra vacations or last call rentals it might be worth it. If you do join and deposit, you have to maintain the membership from when you deposit until you complete the trip so if you can't travel this year expect to pay for 2-3 years of RCI. The exchange fee is $239 and you may have difficulty finding something you want depending on where you want to travel and your level of flexibility.

 

[Topflex]

I wouldn't join for the sole purpose of making a deposit every few years. Strictly monetarily your best bet would be just to rent your unit. On the other hand if you could find a 2 for 1 or 3 for 1 membership special and might use some of the extra vacations or last call rentals it might be worth it. If you do join and deposit, you have to maintain the membership from when you deposit until you complete the trip so if you can't travel this year expect to pay for 2-3 years of RCI. The exchange fee is $239 and you may have difficulty finding something you want depending on where you want to travel and your level of flexibility.

Thanks for the information. Did not realize exchange fee was that high. Very flexible on travel. Added advantage is ability to fly non-revenue on major airline with hub near us. I will consider trying to rent it next year and see what happens.

 

[breezez]

It depends on your travel flexibility and understanding the fees.

Yes you can deposit your week and pick something else and will have to pay $239 exchange fee, but if your now retired would and like to travel more without having another TS fee due annually. This can help, you will have access to a multitude of getaways that will typically cost you $300 or less for a weeks stay without depositing your week at all. Just having a standard RCI weeks account will get you access to all the getaways.

 

[Passepartout]

You could join for a year or so (about $100) there are 'Extra Vacations', and 'Last Calls' both of which are cash paid rentals that go for less than the exchange fees, and no deposit is required. You keep your deeded week. Now, you won't find prime summer ocean front units in hard to find places like ski-in/out at famous mountain resorts in Jan/Feb, but in shoulder season at overbuilt locales like Orlando, Las Vegas, Williamsburg, Branson, Mexico, coupled with your flexibility and ability to fly at low cost, could be worth giving it a try for a while. When you decide it's time to curtail your travels, just stop the membership. No hassles.

Jim

 

[Panina]

i own a silver crown fixed week (25) in Del Rey Beach Florida. I actually stay in unit every year. Am retired now and thinking of joining RCI and deposit week for exchange. Is it worth it? Or should I just rent units as I do now?

Which resort is it? Does it trade in Interval too? Then you have another option, Interval which I prefer.

 

[Topflex]

Which resort is it? Does it trade in Interval too? Then you have another option, Interval which I prefer.

The resort is Berkshire by the Sea. Don’t think it is part of II.

 

[Topflex]

You could join for a year or so (about $100) there are 'Extra Vacations', and 'Last Calls' both of which are cash paid rentals that go for less than the exchange fees, and no deposit is required. You keep your deeded week. Now, you won't find prime summer ocean front units in hard to find places like ski-in/out at famous mountain resorts in Jan/Feb, but in shoulder season at overbuilt locales like Orlando, Las Vegas, Williamsburg, Branson, Mexico, coupled with your flexibility and ability to fly at low cost, could be worth giving it a try for a while. When you decide it's time to curtail your travels, just stop the membership. No hassles.

Jim

I will do as you suggest. I will try extra vacations or last calls. Then I can decide if I want to deposit a week.

 

[Topflex]

It depends on your travel flexibility and understanding the fees.

Yes you can deposit your week and pick something else and will have to pay $239 exchange fee, but if your now retired would and like to travel more without having another TS fee due annually. This can help, you will have access to a multitude of getaways that will typically cost you $300 or less for a weeks stay without depositing your week at all. Just having a standard RCI weeks account will get you access to all the getaways.

Good advise.

 

[Panina]

The resort is Berkshire by the Sea. Don’t think it is part of II.

I just checked and it is listed in interval. I believe it would trade well there. Interval also has getaways you can purchase.

 

[Topflex]

I just checked and it is listed in interval. I believe it would trade well there. Interval also has getaways you can purchase.

Thanks for the information. I will check out II.

 

[bluehende]

I have to laugh at this thread right now. I decided to join RCI on Oct 1. Yes today. I joined to exclusively use last calls and ev's. I go to the web page and join. I hit the last prompt and my screen deletes half of the last page and locks. So I have joined RCI (i guess) and have an issue I have to call with. Needless to say I had not actually joined. Of course we will see if we are billed twice. After 15 minutes on hold I get to web services. They have another page I can use. Of course the discount you can get on the other page by enrolling in auto pay cannot be done. So I had been a member for a second and already had a web problem that gets solved with me losing a 10 dollar discount. Not impressed. Of course with all the stories here surprise is not what I am feeling.

 

[Topflex]

I have to laugh at this thread right now. I decided to join RCI on Oct 1. Yes today. I joined to exclusively use last calls and ev's. I go to the web page and join. I hit the last prompt and my screen deletes half of the last page and locks. So I have joined RCI (i guess) and have an issue I have to call with. Needless to say I had not actually joined. Of course we will see if we are billed twice. After 15 minutes on hold I get to web services. They have another page I can use. Of course the discount you can get on the other page by enrolling in auto pay cannot be done. So I had been a member for a second and already had a web problem that gets solved with me losing a 10 dollar discount. Not impressed. Of course with all the stories here surprise is not what I am feeling.

I have decided to join RCI for one year to try it out. I hope I do not have your experience. My reason is also for last calls and ev’s. May deposit at a later date. Will post how it turns out.

 

[breezez]

Thanks for the information. I will check out II.

If choice is II or RCI, II wins hands down on resort quality, RCI has better search functions, but if going with just 1 I would go route of II

 

[bluehende]

I have to laugh at this thread right now. I decided to join RCI on Oct 1. Yes today. I joined to exclusively use last calls and ev's. I go to the web page and join. I hit the last prompt and my screen deletes half of the last page and locks. So I have joined RCI (i guess) and have an issue I have to call with. Needless to say I had not actually joined. Of course we will see if we are billed twice. After 15 minutes on hold I get to web services. They have another page I can use. Of course the discount you can get on the other page by enrolling in auto pay cannot be done. So I had been a member for a second and already had a web problem that gets solved with me losing a 10 dollar discount. Not impressed. Of course with all the stories here surprise is not what I am feeling.

So the story continues. I get an email telling me that they did not get my resort info. Interesting that they got my credit card info and billed that. Both of course were required fields. Looks like another 45 minutes on the phone tomorrow.

 

[Jan M.]

The only thing I would recommend is looking for something like a one bedroom biannual/every other year POINT week or triennial/every third year POINT week at Grandview Las Vegas or Vacation Village at Parkway. The maintenance fees would be low and this would give you access to both RCI points and weeks inventory.

 

[Fredflintstone]

Is Joining RCI worth it?

An easy answer....

NOPE

Fees too high and climbing yearly , exchanges eroding, etc....




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[AwayWeGo]

We are locked into RCI Points. After downsizing, the only timeshare we have left is a 1BR (resale) triennial points unit in Las Vegas. If we want to exchange, we glom 2-3 years' worth of points together & use those to reserve a week in somebody else's timeshare somewhere else (Florida, usually).

More commonly, we use our RCI Points membership to snag bargain Last Call reservations & occasionally low-cost Extra Vacation Getaway reservations when they go on sale.

The reason that works OK for us is that our favorite timeshare vacation spot (Orlando-Kissimmee FL) is overbuilt with timeshares. Plus, our favorite timeshare vacation weeks (early January) are off-season for that part of the country. Ideally, it works out to luxury timeshare vacation accommodations at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates.

So far, so good.

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

 

[breezez]

We are locked into RCI Points. After downsizing, the only timeshare we have left is a 1BR (resale) triennial points unit in Las Vegas. If we want to exchange, we glom 2-3 years' worth of points together & use those to reserve a week in somebody else's timeshare somewhere else (Florida, usually).

More commonly, we use our RCI Points membership to snag bargain Last Call reservations & occasionally low-cost Extra Vacation Getaway reservations when they go on sale.

The reason that works OK for us is that our favorite timeshare vacation spot (Orlando-Kissimmee FL) is overbuilt with timeshares. Plus, our favorite timeshare vacation weeks (early January) are off-season for that part of the country. Ideally, it works out to luxury timeshare vacation accommodations at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates.

So far, so good.

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

I like your thought process, but I would do something to have access to II then. You get a lot nicer resorts and can pretty much get most of the year in the Marriotts there for about $350 a week outside major holidays.

 

[slip]

Another reasonable alternative is Platinum Interchange. No membership fee and you can see the inventory right away. Exchange fee is still $129 I believe. Not as much inventory as RCI and II but not bad. Service is really good when you call them too.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

We exited RCI many years ago as individual memberships. We figured that for the cost of RCI membership + exchange fees, we were better off joining a mini-system that had resorts in most of the places we were interested in going to. Plus, most of the minis include an exchange company membership as part of the ownership, but the minis have very high trading power inside the exchange systems.

 

[Fredflintstone]

I have to laugh at this thread right now. I decided to join RCI on Oct 1. Yes today. I joined to exclusively use last calls and ev's. I go to the web page and join. I hit the last prompt and my screen deletes half of the last page and locks. So I have joined RCI (i guess) and have an issue I have to call with. Needless to say I had not actually joined. Of course we will see if we are billed twice. After 15 minutes on hold I get to web services. They have another page I can use. Of course the discount you can get on the other page by enrolling in auto pay cannot be done. So I had been a member for a second and already had a web problem that gets solved with me losing a 10 dollar discount. Not impressed. Of course with all the stories here surprise is not what I am feeling.

And sadly the $h!t show has just begun. Keep your credit card close because RCI needs it for every transaction.

Hey, maybe call them and cancel and save yourself the aggravation and financial pain. II is much better as others have stated. Actually pretty well everyone else is better in my opinion.



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[T-Dot-Traveller]

Thanks for the information. . Very flexible on travel. Added advantage is ability to fly non-revenue on major airline with hub near us.

You could join for a year or so (about $100) there are 'Extra Vacations', and 'Last Calls' both of which are cash paid rentals that go for less than the exchange fees, and no deposit is required. .....just stop the membership. No hassles.

Jim

.

I agree with Jim / try it & see if it works for you .
especially if the flight is $ 0 to your wallet .

It may also depend on the climate of your primary residence as to what appeals to you.

An inexpensive :Last Call or Extra Vac. in Myrtle Beach in Jan / Feb -looks pretty good if you live in Winnipeg or Minneapolis .
Not so much if you live in Florida .

 

[bluehende]

And sadly the $h!t show has just begun. Keep your credit card close because RCI needs it for every transaction.

Hey, maybe call them and cancel and save yourself the aggravation and financial pain. II is much better as others have stated. Actually pretty well everyone else is better in my opinion.



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Unfortunately I have no other choice for last calls. Trust me the only thing I will pay for is last minute rentals. I have avoided joining for years but it is getting a bit harder to get last minute cheap rentals. I used to use dae but with the rci takeover that option has been gutted.

 

[Fredflintstone]

Unfortunately I have no other choice for last calls. Trust me the only thing I will pay for is last minute rentals. I have avoided joining for years but it is getting a bit harder to get last minute cheap rentals. I used to use dae but with the rci takeover that option has been gutted.

Yes. 99 percent of the time i found the last minute rentals were either all Vegas or in a cold place in winter and a hot desert in summer.

Its sad. RCI was good 15 to 20 years ago. Now it’s an expensive, money grabbing gong show.

Greed does terrible things to systems.


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