RCI Last Minute Week Trade

[joestein]

I know that before RCI went the TPU route, around 45 days or so before the check in date of the week, any deposit could pull it.


How does it work now that there are TPUs? I have a couple of old 28K Wyndham deposits that I would like to use around the end of August, but they don't pull much (or anything in many areas). They dont even pull the other Wyndhams like they used to.

Any help would be appreciated.

Joe

 

[learnalot]

I know that before RCI went the TPU route, around 45 days or so before the check in date of the week, any deposit could pull it.


How does it work now that there are TPUs? I have a couple of old 28K Wyndham deposits that I would like to use around the end of August, but they don't pull much (or anything in many areas). They dont even pull the other Wyndhams like they used to.

Any help would be appreciated.

Joe

There were always TPUs - they just weren't transparent before. Generally speaking, TPU costs do drop off significantly somewhere around 30-45 days in advance, although for some resorts it can be later or not at all. There is no longer an internal preference for Wyndham deposits, which is what allowed you to pull the Wyndham units previously. I think the 28Ks have a value of approximately 8 TPUs. You probably won't find much available yet for August at 8 TPUs but you should be able to pull more later. If you know where you want to go, set up an ongoing search. When/if TPU cost drops, it can match for you. I would still recommend checking the inventory yourself though, as there have been reported bugs with the ongoing searches. If you find a unit you want, put it on hold and then call in and see if a rep can get it with one of your 28k deposits.

 

[SOS8260456]

Not sure what will happen for late August. But, RCI just had a "sale" where they dropped a whole bunch of units to only 5 tpus. I don't remember the exact terms but it was like a 3 day sale good for travel during the next month or two. I noticed it because we were searching for an Easter week and I would see all the weeks around Easter down to 5, but Easter still at the norm.

Late August could go either way with demand. SInce children go back to school sometime in mid August, I have sometimes seen availability in the timeframe from mid August to early Sept. for places that I would think we have more demand. So you never know.

Worst case scenario is that you may have to bite the bullet and combine those studios to get a higher TPU count.

Good Luck!

 

[joestein]

I would love to combine the studios, but I don't think you can do it with Wyndham deposits.

 

[MichaelColey]

MOST appear to drop to about half of the original TPU required around 30 days out. I haven't really watched the last minute type inventory close enough to see how consistent it is, exactly when it drops, and if there are multiple drops over time or one big drop.

Also, for any resorts that have a premium or a "floor" applied (like DVC in Orlando), that appears to not apply in last minute reservations.

 

[Nolathyme]

About 10 months ago I used my last 28K week. I was able to book units up to about 10-12 tpu's.

 

[Carolinian]

Umm, no, there were not always TPU's. There was always a trading power, and its dynamics were different in many ways than TPU's which some of us prefer to call ''points lite''

In the old 45 day window, all trading power was turned off at that point and any week you had on deposit would get any week availible. Then factors of quality filters were applied to the 45 day window, which perhaps made some sense. After that, however RCI began a steady process of downgrading the 45 day window, first by diverting inventory to rentals and to Points members, reducing the pool for Weeks members. Then, it became apparent that some, generally better, inventory never was put into the 45 day inventory at all.

When RCI took the two page spread promoting the 45 day window, which had been there for many years, out of its directory, the decline of the 45 day window increased. It is now so unreliable, that trading in the 45 day window is simply no longer viable.

There were always TPUs - they just weren't transparent before. Generally speaking, TPU costs do drop off significantly somewhere around 30-45 days in advance, although for some resorts it can be later or not at all. There is no longer an internal preference for Wyndham deposits, which is what allowed you to pull the Wyndham units previously. I think the 28Ks have a value of approximately 8 TPUs. You probably won't find much available yet for August at 8 TPUs but you should be able to pull more later. If you know where you want to go, set up an ongoing search. When/if TPU cost drops, it can match for you. I would still recommend checking the inventory yourself though, as there have been reported bugs with the ongoing searches. If you find a unit you want, put it on hold and then call in and see if a rep can get it with one of your 28k deposits.