RCI Bulk Depoit Sightings

[New2time]

HI- I am brand new to timeshare-ing and new to TUG...have purchased 357,000 Wyndham points on Ebay- Smoky Mountains- I have been reading a lot here on TUG trying to learn the systems and I keep seeing something about RCI Bulk Deposit Sightings. I saw somewhere a link to this but since I joined TUG a few days ago, I am unable to locate that link again. Could someone give it to me please?

Also, I am waiting on my timeshare to close, of course, but I am trying to get a plan in mind so I know what to do for the upcoming year. My timeshare points begin in January. Trying to decide if I should credit pool any points or not. With all the discussions about the changes in RCI, I am a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect at all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My family would love to go to the Grand Canyon in late May, early June but not sure if this will be possible since I cannot book early (purchased timeshare in late Sept)- And my son wants to go to King Ranch in southern Texas...sigh....we may have to wait until the next year to pull this one long trip together....IF that vacation is not possible, we would probably go to Destin for a week and maybe the Smoky Mountains a week (if we did both of these, I probably would not have any points to put in credit pool). Any advice? Give it to me as " WYNDHAM timeshare for Dummies" Please.

 

[learnalot]

HI- I am brand new to timeshare-ing and new to TUG...have purchased 357,000 Wyndham points on Ebay- Smoky Mountains- I have been reading a lot here on TUG trying to learn the systems and I keep seeing something about RCI Bulk Deposit Sightings. I saw somewhere a link to this but since I joined TUG a few days ago, I am unable to locate that link again. Could someone give it to me please?

Also, I am waiting on my timeshare to close, of course, but I am trying to get a plan in mind so I know what to do for the upcoming year. My timeshare points begin in January. Trying to decide if I should credit pool any points or not. With all the discussions about the changes in RCI, I am a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect at all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My family would love to go to the Grand Canyon in late May, early June but not sure if this will be possible since I cannot book early (purchased timeshare in late Sept)- And my son wants to go to King Ranch in southern Texas...sigh....we may have to wait until the next year to pull this one long trip together....IF that vacation is not possible, we would probably go to Destin for a week and maybe the Smoky Mountains a week (if we did both of these, I probably would not have any points to put in credit pool). Any advice? Give it to me as " WYNDHAM timeshare for Dummies" Please.

Hi there and welcome to TUG There actually is something like the Wyndham intro you are looking for. You will find it as a sticky at the top of this Wyndham forum. Several TUG members spent a lot of time writing a 10 part introduction to Wyndham series. You should definitely take the time to read it as it will really help you get a good overview of how to make things work. If you still have questions after you read the series, we are all here to help answer them.

To answer a couple things that you asked specifically, when Wyndham does bulk deposits to RCI, you will see people post in the Sightings/Distressed forum on TUG. Note that this is a members only feature so 1) you must be logged in or you will not see them and 2) they are not intended to be shared outside of TUG, as they are a member benefit. They generally do bulk deposits about 8 to 9 months in advance, so you may be a little late to catch May 2011 through RCI. You still might be able to reserve internally through Wyndham, though.

Happy reading and let us know if you have other questions!

 

[BevL]

Here is a link to the "Sightings/Distressed" board which is only accessible to TUG members:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3

If you do a search for "Wyndham" in that forum, you will see a number of recent Wyndham deposits.

It's one of the features that is a very valuable perk of a TUG membership. Welcome.

 

[New2time]

Thanks for the reply. I am assuming all of this will make a bit more sense when I can actually log onto RCI and look around. Hopefully my TS will close soon. I can hardly wait.

 

[Goofyhobbie]

Welcome to TUG and to the Wyndham Forum

New2Time,

If you are literally new to timeshare and that means you currently own nothing except the Wyndham Points that have not yet been transferred to you, then you can still help yourself a great deal by reading the Wyndham Points Advice Articles and by going to RCI.com now rather than later.

The RCI site is open to non-members who just want to look around.

At the RCI site, when the initial page opens, click on HOME if you do not see a tab for the Directory. Clicking on HOME will bring up the Directory. If you see the tab for Directory immediately, then just click on Directory and begin your exploration.

Once you have access to the Directory you can explore the different resorts that will eventually be available to you as a Member of RCI.

As an owner of Wyndham Points you will automatically get a RCI Weeks account as opposed to an RCI Points Account when the transfer of ownership is complete and RCI has been notified.

A Wyndham Points Owner (once the Wyndham points are transferred to you) can deposit Wyndham Points into RCI. Using the "Search First" option you can search the RCI Weeks Inventory with the help of an RCI Vacation Counselor.

If you decide to make a final deposit as opposed to a "Search First," you can deposit as little as 28K Wyndham Points (equivalent of a Blue Studio Week) or you can deposit point increments between 28K and 254K into RCI and search for up to two years after the deposit is final.

 

[New2time]

Thank you Goofyhobbie-

Question though- I keep reading about the changes coming to RCI in November...I read somewhere that it will be based more on a trade by points style than set increments of say 28K- Is that correct? And if so, I don't really think I should try to understand the old system if it is actually going to change before I even get my timeshare deed. What do you think? Do you forsee (spelling?) a complete change in the way it will operate?

Also, just to be sure I understand....trading with RCI will no only get you a resort outside of Wyndham but it will possibly get you a better deal than booking through Wyndam. Is that correct?

And...one more question... As far as the "sightings" board- that is for someone who possibly ran across a great deal on RCI and just wants to share it in case someone else is interested. Correct? Sorry for the mundane questions...

 

[Goofyhobbie]

New2Time

I have responded between the brackets in red within your quoted post.

Thank you Goofyhobbie-

Question though- I keep reading about the changes coming to RCI in November...I read somewhere that it will be based more on a trade by points style than set increments of say 28K- Is that correct?

[There are a lot of rumors going around and very little solid information from RCI; but, barring something extremely unforseen, you as a Wyndham Points owner will be able to deposit and search against 28K (Blue Studio); 42K (White Studio); 70K (Red Studio); 63K Blue 1-BR; 77K White 1-BR; 105K Red 1-BR. There are of course higher levels of Wyndham Points that you can deposit but in my opinion anything over 105K is giving up more than you need to get an exchange through RCI ]

And if so, I don't really think I should try to understand the old system if it is actually going to change before I even get my timeshare deed. What do you think? Do you forsee (spelling?) a complete change in the way it will operate?

[No. Basically the system will not change that much. A points deposit or a Fixed Week deposit that is subsequently used for an exchange on the RCI Weeks side of the ledger will essentially retain the trade power that the points or the Fixed Week has today.

But, it is anticipated that a High Value Fixed Week (i.e. 2-BR Unit "The Manhattan Club") when deposited and later exchanged for a Week that doesn't require such a High Value Week ( i. e. "Orlando, FL" or "Williamsburg, VA" property) or the equivalent points will get the Exchanger the Week (i. e. 2-BR Unit at Williamsburg) and throw off an RCI CREDIT that the exchanger can use at a later date in conjunction with another point deposit or Fixed Week to make a subsequent Exchange.

Put another way: Deposits that RCI already has in the bank and deposits yet to be deposited into the bank are supposed to retain whatever trade power they have at the time of deposit. What changes is what can be had for each deposit once the RCI enhancements are in place. A 2-BR Red Week that is traded for a 2-BR White Week or its equivalent in points should get the 2-BR White Week and a CREDIT that is equal to the residual trade power that results from the uneven exchange. ]

About a week ago, RCI had created an explanation and someone at RCI put the page up on the website. It is not there now for RCI Members to see; but it has been captured as a link that is provided here:

http://app.rci.com/landing/InsideRCI/memenhancements/

What RCI eventually will do in the next weeks or months is still up in the air and not currently public; but as long as the link provided above is viable it should give you and others some idea of what they at least were planning to put up on their website.


Also, just to be sure I understand....trading with RCI will no[t] only get you a resort outside of Wyndham but it will possibly get you a better deal than booking through Wyndam. Is that correct?

[That is the way the system currently works. But, there is no guarantee that it will work that way in the future. Logically one would think that when Wyndham points are accepted by RCI, those points would have a preference. Today we can say that Wyndham points get a preference when exchanging back into Wyndham and we can say that some folks have been fortunate using their points to secure larger Units or Units in better seasons or both; but we have no idea what may happen after the enhancements are put in place. ]

And...one more question... As far as the "sightings" board- that is for someone who possibly ran across a great deal on RCI and just wants to share it in case someone else is interested. Correct? Sorry for the mundane questions... [Yes! That is Correct. Folks who have "Tiger Traders" or in some cases any kind of Fixed Week can see what a Wyndham Points owner cannot currently see using their "generic points." At some point RCI may make it possible to search against points that you deposit; but that is a change they have promised for several years without a delivery on the promise. We will just have to wait and see.]

 

[Merilyn]

You will love Smoky Mountain. We own there but live close also. The moutains are just beautiful. It is by far the best state park and still free! Let us know if you are coming to our area sometime maybe we could meet.

 

[BellaWyn]

Folks who have "Tiger Traders" or in some cases any kind of Fixed Week can see what a Wyndham Points owner cannot currently see using their "generic points."

But there are also instances of Wyndham Owners that have a visible points deposit that can see Wyndham units that non-Wyndham Tigers CANNOT see. That's the beauty of the Sightings Board and SO worth the price of the TUG membership!

It will be interesting when they roll out the changes.

 

[New2time]

RCI LINK SAID - When searching for an Exchange you will be able to choose to see only the inventory that is equal to or less than the trading power value of your deposited week or all available weeks in the system. By choosing to see all available inventory you’ll even be able to see exchange vacations that require more trading power than that of your available Deposits.

Why would you NOT chose to see all the inventory? Is there a cost? Is it still going to based on the size of your deposit?


Many members are depositing early, 2 years to 9 months in advance of the start date of their week, to receive 100% of their available Deposit Trading Power to use when they Exchange.

So....do you lose trading power the longer you wait to deposit? Or explaining another way.....is your deposit worth LESS if say you deposit it 2 months before the exchange vs 2 years before you exchange?

And Merilyn- we love the smoky mountains area - at any time of year- thats why I decided to try to get my home resort there. Sooo looking forward to going there.

 

[learnalot]

Many members are depositing early, 2 years to 9 months in advance of the start date of their week, to receive 100% of their available Deposit Trading Power to use when they Exchange.

So....do you lose trading power the longer you wait to deposit? Or explaining another way.....is your deposit worth LESS if say you deposit it 2 months before the exchange vs 2 years before you exchange?

Yes. You have considerably less trading power on a week deposited later.

 

[New2time]

Is it because you have less time to "search" or is it just valued less?

If so, then the earlier you make your RCI deposit, the better off you are? correct?

 

[Jya-Ning]

Why would you NOT chose to see all the inventory? Is there a cost? Is it still going to based on the size of your deposit?

Sometimes you just want to use a specific deposit first. There is no cost to do the search, but it is painfully slow and unreliable from time to time.

RCI deposited season/place is more important than size.

So....do you lose trading power the longer you wait to deposit? Or explaining another way.....is your deposit worth LESS if say you deposit it 2 months before the exchange vs 2 years before you exchange?

Depends on what kind of deposit. If you have a real week that you can deposit to RCI, RCI needs time to move it, so it reward you when you give them longer time to deal with it. So if you have a fix week 23 (june), if you give 2011's week today, they have 1 year to work on that week, so they give you a high trading power, if you give them 2011's week say in may 2011, they may have no time to find exchanger/renter, so they give you less power.

On the other hand, for Wyndham vacation club point deposit to RCI week, you have no choice of the deposit type, it does not matter when you deposit it, You could deposit at last day of your use year of the point or 13 month before the use year starts, it may not cause any difference. If they give you invisible week, it has no effect on when you deposit. If they give you a visible week (which is a real week), it depends on when they actual deposit that week, and what kind of week it is. In theory, you want a summer vacation week if they give you a visible week, which you may not get it until maybe beginning of the year.

From time to time, RCI also adjust the trading power if your week is close to expired, but it usually is only very small adjustment and that is for visible week. For invisible, its value never change.

However, if you know where you want to go, you should deposit as earlier as possible and put it to RCI's on-going search once you deposit. It prefers to start 2 years. The RCI now adjust its on-going search process a lot, so a lot of the time, when a deposit is made, they first go through the on-going process match (there are situations when people saw bulk deposit but did not get from on-going search, and have to call to get a match, so it may still not as reliable, but it usually better than random search). And in on-going search process, it is first request first get if all things are equal, so you want to put yourself first. It also give you a good chance to match differnt deposit over the period.

If you put into on-going search, you should also from time to time to call RCI VC to check it. As said before, it is not as reliable as one could think.

Jya-Ning

 

[Timeshare Von]

Between the "voodoo" of Wyndham and RCI, I have never deposited anything into RCI from my Wyndham points contract (which is admittedly very small - just 77k points). With that being said, many people have gotten great deals in exchanging weeks acquired from Wyndham using their points.

 

[BellaWyn]

Ogs: 1br - 2br?

If you put into on-going search, you should also from time to time to call RCI VC to check it.

Do people do on-going searches against lower traders (i.e. 1BR Red summer) and still get larger units (i.e. 2BR off-season)? Trying to better understand the on-going search benefit when you want something bigger than the smaller unit you give them.

 

[Jya-Ning]

Do people do on-going searches against lower traders (i.e. 1BR Red summer) and still get larger units (i.e. 2BR off-season)? Trying to better understand the on-going search benefit when you want something bigger than the smaller unit you give them.

Use to be that people can only enter on-going search for the same / lower unit type unless the resort happen just to have bigger unit type. Only RCI VG can enter it for bigger unit type. At this moment, I believe that restriction is no longer there. Since you have to go through RCI VG, it is upto them to enter that for you, but it should be O.K.

Since you have other searchable week, you can also do search yourselves and when found, hold it, and ask RCI VG to match your invisible week incase for some reason the on-going search does not hit it.

Jya-Ning

 

[Goofyhobbie]

RCI LINK SAID - When searching for an Exchange you will be able to choose to see only the inventory that is equal to or less than the trading power value of your deposited week or all available weeks in the system. By choosing to see all available inventory you’ll even be able to see exchange vacations that require more trading power than that of your available Deposits.

Why would you NOT chose to see all the inventory? Is there a cost?

NONE is EXPECTED (RCI has always collected just the EXCHANGE FEE when an EXCHANGE is completed.)

Is it still going to based on the size of your deposit? Size of Deposit, Season, and most importantly how far in advance you deposit will be some but not all of the key factors that determine Trade Power.

With the proposed enhancements an Exchanger may desire to see what WOULD be available IF the EXCHANGER were to use his WEEK or Points and one or more CREDITS that the EXCHANGER might acquire over time.

In essence the Exchanger will have the option of going with what is available as an EVEN or LESSER trade (to acquire the trade and a CREDIT) OR the EXCHANGER can see what is out there that would require a stronger trader or a trader plus one or more CREDITS.

Many members are depositing early, 2 years to 9 months in advance of the start date of their week, to receive 100% of their available Deposit Trading Power to use when they Exchange.

So....do you lose trading power the longer you wait to deposit? The key is to always deposit 9 months or more before check-in date.

Currently, depositing more than 9 months ahead of check-in does not enhance trading power.

Or explaining another way.....is your deposit worth LESS if say you deposit it 2 months before the exchange vs 2 years before you exchange?

YES! Theoretically, each month that goes by after the ninth month out mark, reduces the trade power that would have been available the month before. At two months out your Unit is still worth something; but that something is considerably less than what it could have been if you had deposited earlier.

New2time,

My responses to your questions are provided within the quoted material in blue.