RCI booking costs

[terces]

When you book RCI using HGVC points is there a fee for the booking similar to the $299 USD fee charged by RCI, plus the $89 points protection, plus resort fees charged by RCI?

 

[Sandy VDH]

Yes, if you book via RCI you pay all the charges associated with an RCI reservation. Reservation fee is $239 currently. Plus if booked through RCI you are required to pay the Per Day Service Fees which vary by resort.

Don't know what points protection is available via RCI, but it is optional.

 

[Cyberc]

The fee is $239 when booking a weeks vacations, that is always 7 days.

The fee is $209 when booking a points vacations. That can be for any number of days but $209 is for 7 days too.

 

[Talent312]

Here is the fee schedule direct from the website (not us half-wits)...

Weeks Exchange: $239
Points (Nightly) Exchanges:
14 night + stay $278
7 - 13 night stay $239
6 night stay $189
5 night stay $169
4 night stay $129
3 night stay $99
2 night stay $69
1 night stay $49
Guest Certificate $79
Cancellation Protection $59

Note: A future-year stay uses current-year points first (no point saving needed).

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[Cyberc]

Here is the fee schedule direct from the website (not us half-wits)...

Weeks Exchange: $239
Points (Nightly) Exchanges:
14 night + stay $278
7 - 13 night stay $239
6 night stay $189
5 night stay $169
4 night stay $129
3 night stay $99
2 night stay $69
1 night stay $49
Guest Certificate $79
Cancellation Protection $59

Note: A future-year stay uses current-year points first (no point saving needed).

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Just Tried to confirm a 7 night stay at Disney’s Saratoga springs. The inventory was points. The exchange fee is $209

Unfortunate my hgvc account is in ££££ so I need to use my regular RCI points account to price out the exchange fee in $$$. In the past the fees have been the same hgvc and RCI when confirming exchanges.

 

[louisianab]

Just Tried to confirm a 7 night stay at Disney’s Saratoga springs. The inventory was points. The exchange fee is $209

Unfortunate my hgvc account is in ££££ so I need to use my regular RCI points account to price out the exchange fee in $$$. In the past the fees have been the same hgvc and RCI when confirming exchanges.

Disney also has their own $190 fee when you arrive. Still not bad when you price 7 nights in a villa there retail.

 

[terces]

The chart from Talent 312 is good information. Do you know if the HGVC cancellation protection applies to the $ booking fee as well as the points?

We are looking at dumping our Mexican points contract in favor of more HGVC. Even though our annual MF are only $199 for 84,000 RCI points (Sandos - they get their pound of flesh through mandatory AI fees), we keep getting bit in the butt when we have to make changes or cancellations as the RCI fee is non refundable, even when you pay the exorbitant protection fee.

 

[terces]

Just to clarify our past experiences booking direct with RCI, we pay the points protection if the points at risk are above 25,000, using the logic that points can be purchased for around $.001 each, so 25,000 have a street value of about $250.00 so the $89 points protection fee on a percentage basis is not worth it below that amount. Unfortunately, life happens to us, and with having to book and pay non-refundable fees of $299 plus the $89 cancellation fee puts the entire amount at risk at $519 Canadian per week, and we never book for only 2 weeks, so our at-risk money is well over $1000 and we have had to cancel a few times lately. For that reason we are looking at getting completely away from our traditional RCI account in favor of HGVC. Does this make sense to anyone?

 

[Sandy VDH]

I own Wyndham, Hilton and HICV and I seldom book RCI units via those 3 systems. I also have an RCI weeks account and use that periodically. But I really slacked off my usage of RCI. I do not like the reservations fees required. I pay $0 for Wyndham, between $0 and $57 with Hilton (I am elite and I get free 7 day reservations and $10 off changable reservations), I pay $64 for Holiday Inn Club Vacation.

Even at $64 for Holiday Inn, my most expensive, I can make nearly 4 bookings for the price of a single RCI full week booking where the rate is at $239.

I only move points to RCI if they are at risk of being lost in their respective systems. That has not happened in few years. I am sitting on over 300 TPUs in my RCI Weeks account because of lack of use. I have used them predominately to trade into Worldmark resorts in Texas, that are too expensive to access via my Club Pass Option in Wyndham.

I even deposited 2 of my RCI weeks into my HICV account each year using the Global Choice option and get HICV points to use instead. Even with the $75 fee per week to this this it is still cheaper then booking via RCI alone. This is also reducing the number of TPUs I am adding to RCI every year.