RCI: Last Call, DVC, etc

[Richardsdeals]

If there is a post or article on this already, would someone mind to let me know the link?

We have never used RCI exchange, last calls, etc. I logged on for the first time today. Questions:

1) Are RCI Last Calls paid directly with $ and not with points? Are there fees other than the price listed?

2) If you have a Wyndham reservation, is it ever advisable to check and see if that same reservation pops up on Last Call and then book it cheaper for $ than for the points you would have used?

3) How do you book DVC using Wydham points/ RCI exchange?

RC

 

[DeniseM]

If there is a post or article on this already, would someone mind to let me know the link?

We have never used RCI exchange, last calls, etc. I logged on for the first time today. Questions:

1) Are RCI Last Calls paid directly with $ and not with points? Are there fees other than the price listed?

Yes - they are pure cash rentals. There may be resort fees or taxes, and they are supposed to be disclosed by RCI in the fine print as you click through the process. It varies from region to region and resort to resort. Once in awhile, a fee is not disclosed by RCI.

2) If you have a Wyndham reservation, is it ever advisable to check and see if that same reservation pops up on Last Call and then book it cheaper for $ than for the points you would have used?

Absolutely.

3) How do you book DVC using Wydham points/ RCI exchange?

RC

I will let someone else answer that. (I have weeks, not points, so I don't use the Wyndham RCI portal.)

 

[raygo123]

I used last call once. It was for $299.00 for the week and that is all I paid, that was in 2013. No other fees

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[paxsarah]

The best way to book DVC exchanges through the RCI/Wyndham portal is to use an ongoing search. The regional block does not apply to points-based portals including Wyndham, so owning at BC or one of the other Orlando Wyndhams would not preclude you from trading into DVC.

There are still a good number of DVC units that become available, but the vast majority of them in the last year or so have been 1BR units at Saratoga Springs. 2BR units have pretty much completely disappeared from the picture, and occasionally 1BR units for other resorts show up in off seasons, but not frequently. (The TUG sightings board has more real-time info in terms of what units have been showing up for what weeks.) So in setting up an ongoing search in RCI, it helps not to narrow it down too much. Going through the portal, you will have to pay an exchange fee to start the search (although I think I read recently that there's a current promotion to set up an ongoing search for free, I don't know from firsthand experience) but you can actually wait to deposit the required points until you hit a match. And the earlier you set up a search, the better.

Edit to add more info: DVC is not necessarily a high point cost exchange, which is why it can be such a good bargain using Wyndham points. For instance, we are planning a trip for late May/early June of 2016, and if we do get a 1BR unit it should cost 105,000 in Wyndham points. You can check what the points cost would be for a given week even if there aren't any DVC units currently available, because all Orlando resorts will be considered the same season for exchange purposes through the portal. Just look at the points needed to exchange into any Orlando resort for the week(s) you're interested in.

 

[Richardsdeals]

How do I search for DVC on RCI?

 

[paxsarah]

How do I search for DVC on RCI?

The easiest way is to search using the resort codes (I'll put at the bottom of this post). However, if you search for existing exchanges, at least at this moment you'll get zero hits. DVC (like most companies, I think) deposit in batches and it's been a little while. However, right after a deposit, I think that some low-demand SSR 1BR weeks have tended to sit in RCI for a few days.

The other option is to set up an ongoing search, also using the resort codes. Don't let RCI convince you to expand your search to other regional properties because you will start getting hits you don't want! Here are the codes for the existing Orlando DVC locations:

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (#DV01)
Disney's Beach Club Villas (#DV02)
Disney's Boardwalk Villas (#DV03)
Disney's Old Key West Resort (#DV05)
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (#DV06)
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (#DV08)
Bay Lake Tower (#DV09)
Grand Floridian (#DV12)

I'm pretty sure the new Polynesian villas aren't in RCI yet, but I assume they'll be DV13.

 

[Richardsdeals]

RCI Ongoing Search

I open a search on RCI. How do I know if a matching property is found? Do I need to log into RCI everyday and check?

RC

 

[Joe33426]

I open a search on RCI. How do I know if a matching property is found? Do I need to log into RCI everyday and check?

RC

RCI will email you if there is a match and then you have to log on to confirm. II also emails, but confirms automatically and you have to cancel if you don't like the match.

 

[JimMIA]

RCI will email you if there is a match and then you have to log on to confirm. II also emails, but confirms automatically and you have to cancel if you don't like the match.

And you will have 48 hours to confirm or decline. That gives you time to confirm time off from work, make travel arrangements, etc.

 

[JimMIA]

I used last call once. It was for $299.00 for the week and that is all I paid, that was in 2013. No other fees

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Some RCI resorts have fees for Last Calls, others don't.

We used a Last Call last summer, and it had a very modest $25 "resort fee." But some may be more, and you could also run into parking fees.

As Denise says, though, it's all disclosed by RCI before you book.