Newbie needs RCI deposit advice

[JimMIA]

Here's our situation

• We're winding down our first year of Wyndham ownership and we have 429,500 points expiring on 12/31.
• We already have almost 100% of our 2012 points obligated (all but 3,000) for a big family trip to Smoky Mountains, and we have 17,000 credit pooled points that expire 6/30/2012.
• I'm assuming we can't deposit the credit pooled points to RCI.
• We will want to use at least some of the 429K points to try for a DVC exchange either May 2012 or Nov 2012 (or both).

I have two questions:

1. What would be the best combination of deposits? We usually stay in 1 BR's at DVC, but might want to do 2 BRs somewhere else. I know 149K for a 1 BR High season X 3 is 429K...but is that our best option?
2. Is there any point in credit-pooling the 3,000 "leftover" 2012 points?

 

[rrlongwell]

... [/LIST]

Call, not the computer, reservations and try to make reservations from the contract numbers that are going to expire 12/31 for the the three trips you used in your calculation. My guess is they will do that for you.

 

[JimMIA]

I think something got lost in the process. I had posted another question, which is now gone, and the quote you're responding to is also gone.

Are you saying call Wyndham's RCI desk and try to make the reservations at DVC?

 

[JimMIA]

My followup question is: Are all DVC reservations High season? If not, how do we tell what season they are?

 

[rrlongwell]

I think something got lost in the process. I had posted another question, which is now gone, and the quote you're responding to is also gone.

Are you saying call Wyndham's RCI desk and try to make the reservations at DVC?

No, the reservations would need to be within the Wynhdam Vacation Resorts System. You might have to settle for one of the many other Wynhdam resorts, such as Bonnet Creek, etc.

 

[rrlongwell]

Here's our situation

• We're winding down our first year of Wyndham ownership and we have 429,500 points expiring on 12/31.
• We already have almost 100% of our 2012 points obligated (all but 3,000) for a big family trip to Smoky Mountains, and we have 17,000 credit pooled points that expire 6/30/2012.
• I'm assuming we can't deposit the credit pooled points to RCI.
• We will want to use at least some of the 429K points to try for a DVC exchange either May 2012 or Nov 2012 (or both).

I have two questions:

1. What would be the best combination of deposits? We usually stay in 1 BR's at DVC, but might want to do 2 BRs somewhere else. I know 149K for a 1 BR High season X 3 is 429K...but is that our best option?
2. Is there any point in credit-pooling the 3,000 "leftover" 2012 points?

Here is the quote I was responding to. I do not know much about the DVC system.

 

[JimMIA]

No, the reservations would need to be within the Wynhdam Vacation Resorts System. You might have to settle for one of the many other Wynhdam resorts, such as Bonnet Creek, etc.

Okay. The points expire in two weeks and we're not going anywhere before then.

I'm asking about RCI. I know how to make reservations w/in Wyndham.

 

[Sandy VDH]

In the new world of RCI deposits there are no best deposit strategies, there are just a deposit of points.

What you have to pay on the RCI side depends on what you take as a deposit from RCI.

They did away with fixed deposits, now RCI is on a strict "pay as you use" plan.

Think of it as 2 banks of points. 1 in Wyndham (where they are now), and one that are Wyndham in RCI. They are still Wyndham currency they are just in a different bank.

Deposit the point into RCI, you have 2 years to book something in RCI. RCI will charge you and take the Wyndham points you deposited out of your RCI Wyndham bank.

There is a fixed schedule, See Ron's nice table at http://tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1211179&postcount=3.

Does that make sense.

 

[WeLovetoTravel]

Okay. The points expire in two weeks and we're not going anywhere before then.

I'm asking about RCI. I know how to make reservations w/in Wyndham.

If you are going to lose your points, you had better get them in to RCI. You will have 2 years to use them through RCI. There is a fixed grid to use the system with your Wyndham points. Check the grid on the wyndham website. The point value needed chages according to Unit size and season.

For lack of better words, your Wyndham points will go into a"RCI point bank". Any time you make a reservation, the points needed for that reservation will be deducted from that total. You will also have to pay an exchange fee.

Using RCI is not the best use of your Wyndham points, but doing this is better than losing all of those points!
-Deb

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks Sandy and Deb! That's what I needed to know.

I knew about the grid, but I thought I needed to deposit in those increments.

 

[paxsarah]

Yes, deposit all of the 2011 points into RCI now. RCI is not generally a good value via Wyndham points in the current system but the exception is DVC and other high-value exchanges. Once you make your deposit, set up an ongoing search(es) with RCI ASAP - you will need to call the dedicated Wyndham RCI line. We were successful in getting a DVC exchange for June 2012 via an ongoing search but the unit type we got never showed up online (though you still want to keep checking availability online, just in case).

I wouldn't bother with credit pooling 3000 points, if only because you could rent that number from Wyndham for the same or less than the cost of credit pooling.

 

[paxsarah]

My followup question is: Are all DVC reservations High season? If not, how do we tell what season they are?

They are not all high season. You can deduce what season (and hence how many points you'll need) by searching on any other Orlando resorts for the dates you want - cross-reference their point requirements back to the Wyndham/RCI fixed grid and you'll know the season for that week.

 

[Sandy VDH]

I wouldn't bother with credit pooling 3000 points, if only because you could rent that number from Wyndham for the same or less than the cost of credit pooling.

You can only pool points for the future years NOT the current year, unless you are VIP. Even with VIP at this point in the year you are too late.

Pooled points are NOT eligible for RCI Depositing.

 

[rrlongwell]

[QUOTE/QUOTE]

If you like paying RCI fees this is the way to go. In my experience, Wynhdam reservations and their supervisors will help avoid having to use RCI to save points at the end of the year. Sometimes you have to talk to them.

 

[paxsarah]

You can only pool points for the future years NOT the current year, unless you are VIP. Even with VIP at this point in the year you are too late.

Pooled points are NOT eligible for RCI Depositing.

Right. He specifically asked if it was worth credit pooling the 3000 points from 2012 that he hasn't already obligated. My answer was "no."

 

[Free2Roam]

Another option

Here's our situation

• We're winding down our first year of Wyndham ownership and we have 429,500 points expiring on 12/31.
• We already have almost 100% of our 2012 points obligated (all but 3,000) for a big family trip to Smoky Mountains, and we have 17,000 credit pooled points that expire 6/30/2012.
• I'm assuming we can't deposit the credit pooled points to RCI.
• We will want to use at least some of the 429K points to try for a DVC exchange either May 2012 or Nov 2012 (or both).

I have two questions:

1. What would be the best combination of deposits? We usually stay in 1 BR's at DVC, but might want to do 2 BRs somewhere else. I know 149K for a 1 BR High season X 3 is 429K...but is that our best option?
2. Is there any point in credit-pooling the 3,000 "leftover" 2012 points?

I haven't tried this yet because I just recently acquired a contract with a different use year... but there are a few threads that discuss how to save your points when you have different use years. It may be worth exploring if you really don't want to drop all those points into RCI.

 

[bnoble]

I thought I needed to deposit in those increments.

Nope. Minimum deposit is 27K, and up in 1K increments. 1HK credit required per 2K points.

Point values for the same area, unit size, and week are the same regardless of resort. They can change from day to day, just as TPU values do, so it's not a guarantee, but if you see other Orlando area resorts are in say Value for the particular week you have in ind, then DVC will be too.

As an aside I have seen some late March weeks show up as Prime, not High, in Orlando