question- maybe a stupid one....help?

[hsmamato2]

Ok....I have a question,and it might be stupid,but I'm confused- If I own points in Wyndham/Fairfield, bought at a specific property- and I also am a member at RCI- what is the difference?
I ask b/c I see RCI points for sale- I thought people who used RCI had points bought thru various TS companies, then use RCI as a 'pool' to trade with..... like we're all in RCI, but also we're all in our chosen TS companies too......what am I missing?
Where can I learn more about this?

 

[teepeeca]

Sending you an e-mail. (Looks like it has to be a pm).

Tony

 

[AwayWeGo]

Wyndham Is The Corporate Parent Of Both Wyndham Timeshares & RCI.

Ok....I have a question,and it might be stupid,but I'm confused- If I own points in Wyndham/Fairfield, bought at a specific property- and I also am a member at RCI- what is the difference?
I ask b/c I see RCI points for sale- I thought people who used RCI had points bought thru various TS companies, then use RCI as a 'pool' to trade with..... like we're all in RCI, but also we're all in our chosen TS companies too......what am I missing?
Where can I learn more about this?

The way it goes, I think, is that Wyndham/Fairfield points ownership includes a membership in RCI, even though points-based internal exchanges within the Wyndham system have nothing to do with RCI.

Meanwhile, RCI timeshare exchanges work across company lines, covering a wide variety of timeshares, Wyndham & non-Wyndham alike.

As if that weren't confusing enough, RCI operates 2 separate exchange systems -- RCI Points & RCI Weeks. Wyndham owners' membership (I think) is RCI Weeks. That figures, because Wyndham points & RCI points are not interchangeable & the respective points-values are not compatible.

Meanwhile, RCI Weeks exchanges in recent years have taken on a points-tinged quality, operating via Trading Power Units (TPUs), referred to by some of the wittier TUG-BBS participants as "points lite."

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

 

[hsmamato2]

thanks for the replies- and teepeeca for the pm so....I have a points based ownership as it is- if I understand correctly,these ads I see with RCI points for sale....they're outmoded or useless? in other words, it's something that used to be valuable, but isn;t so much anymore? I was thinking about possibly buying another TS lot of points....adding on to my holdings,so to speak,and wondered what direction to turn at this point.....

 

[Ron98GT]

if I understand correctly,these ads I see with RCI points for sale....they're outmoded or useless? in other words, it's something that used to be valuable, but isn;t so much anymore? .....

Nobody told me?

All I own is annual RCI points for my 2 BR annual at Grandview Las Vegas. They seem ok to me.

I get to search for (up to 24 months out) and select weekly stays just like everybody else.

I can also search for (up to 8 months out) and select point stays 6 days or shorter.

Win-Win to me.

 

[Conan]

A fairly large number of timeshare properties participate in RCI Points, meaning they allow their owners (for a fee) to enroll their weeks in the RCI Points system.

Because the resorts charge around $3,000 to convert there's no good reason to spend that much, but there are many properties on Ebay for resale that are already points-qualified.

The RCI Points system grants your deposit a number of points (based on location, size, and the particular week you deposit). When buying, besides choosing a home resort that you might want to actually use rather than always trade, your best bet is to find a resort where the maintenance you pay costs around 1 cent to 1.25 cents per Point (and where hopefully there aren't going to be any special assessments in the future and where future inflation of maintenance won't be extreme).

Once you have RCI Points to spend, you can find some good deals on the RCI Points website. If you're spending your points on an RCI Points-participating resort, you can make reservations shorter (or longer) than one week. And you can also spend your points on RCI Weeks-participating resorts (although not everything is available), where the price you pay in points is sometimes better, sometimes worse, than the price in RCI Weeks.

Not sure why I'm writing all this, but you'd be wrong to think that RCI Points are outmoded or useless.

 

[Ron98GT]

your best bet is to find a resort where the maintenance you pay costs around 1 cent to 1.25 cents per Point.

I'm paying .83 cents per point.

 

[ampaholic]

I'm paying .83 cents per point.

That is in the good range - the lowest I have seen is .69 cents per point while .80 to .90 is uncommon and a good value.

Many people pay over a penny per point and are still quite happy with their points interval.

I have one property in my portfolio that even though the points cost 1.1 cents each, I love for the home resort reservation window. Unlike Vegas the National Parks can be a real "bear" (pun intended) to reserve in the summertime.

Time sharing is like cooking - some like it savory and some like it sweet.

Edit: Wyndham points are different altogether. :rofl:

 

[chriskre]

I ask b/c I see RCI points for sale- I thought people who used RCI had points bought thru various TS companies, then use RCI as a 'pool' to trade with..... like we're all in RCI, but also we're all in our chosen TS companies too......what am I missing?
Where can I learn more about this?

You're missing that we're all TS junkies and own a ton of different systems.

I own wyndham points as well as RCI points. I use them for totally different things. I like the Wyndham points for internally trading with Wyndham. Lots of availability and great resorts and fairly easy to get a trade. RCI points are used for lots of last minute deals or short stays in non Wyndham resorts. I also find that there are more 2 bedroom availability at resorts that I want to frequent in RCI points as opposed to straight weeks exchanges.

One size doesn't fit all scenarios so that's why we own so much stuff.

I'm somewhat of a commitment phobe so I stick to biennials if I can find them cause these systems are always changing and moving the goal posts so I don't want to be overcommited to any one system like Wyndam or RCI points.

 

[dr_adventure]

So does anyone know why Wyndham points convert to RCI weeks rather than RCI points. It would seem that this would be a much better deal for a Wyndham owner?

 

[ronparise]

So does anyone know why Wyndham points convert to RCI weeks rather than RCI points. It would seem that this would be a much better deal for a Wyndham owner?

Ill answer this two ways...

1) Wyndham points dont convert to RCI anything....Wyndham points can be exchanged for RCI weeks

or

2) Because that's the way it is

Weeks ownership is the original and underlying model for timeshare ownership...Points whether it be Wyndham points, rci points or some other companies creation is usually an "overlay" ie weeks converted to points or points "symbolic" of weeks ownership (this is not an absolute...there are exceptions)

When it comes to an exchange of Wyndham points for an RCI week what you are actually doing is throwing a number of your points equivalent to a week into the pot...Wyndham, behind the scenes, is choosing an unused week in their system to deposit with RCI...ie it is a a week to week exchange

To convert your points to a week and then convert that week to rci points then use those rci points to book a week is probably more than the rci computers can handle


Oh...and a better deal for the owner is never what Wyndham is about

 

[vacationhopeful]

So does anyone know why Wyndham points convert to RCI weeks rather than RCI points....

Wyndham points can be used to make reservations in RCI Points --- thru their optional program call "Plus Partners". Not available to resale ONLY owners. ANd it sometimes might be a subset of ALL the RCI points resorts.

 

[hsmamato2]

thanks-I am such a noob about timeshares..... The only use I've made so far,is using points from my TS in the RCI system,(points member) so I'm really thinking about the benefits of an RCI points buy....I'll keep reading here......