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RCI Platinum

silentg

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I just upgraded to RCI platinum and the deal was great.
For$83.00 upgrade fee, RCI gives me $83.00 savings dollars plus $300. Savings dollars for upgrading.
These dollars can be used to combine or extend TPU and exchange fees or extra vacations. Other perks too!
In 14 days they will show up in my account.
Has anyone else done this?
Seems like a win win for me.
Silentg
 

tschwa2

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I just upgraded to RCI platinum and the deal was great.
For$83.00 upgrade fee, RCI gives me $83.00 savings dollars plus $300. Savings dollars for upgrading.
These dollars can be used to combine or extend TPU and exchange fees or extra vacations. Other perks too!
In 14 days they will show up in my account.
Has anyone else done this?
Seems like a win win for me.
Silentg
Savings dollars have traditionally not been eligible to pay for any rci fees. You are either wrong or there has been a giant change. They were good for small discounts when paying cash to reserve hotel rooms and other products. You earn additional savings dollars when you spend money on rci fees, but the actual rci savings dollars are monopoly money- spend $80 on a hotel and you can use $4 of savings dollars toward the transaction.
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
We have been mulling over the idea of going platinum since we met people 2 years ago at Wyndham Cypress Palms who were super-enthusiastic over their RCI Platinum membership.

So far we are still mulling -- have not yet taken the platinum plunge.

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

silentg

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According to the agreement, I will get 383.00 in my RCI account that I can use for exchange fees combining my deposits, extending my deposit dates. I read the offer closely and am going to take advantage of it . I’m only signed on for the year.
Silentg
 

tschwa2

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I had almost $1500 in savings dollars. I never could use them for anything worthwhile.

This is how they are described on the rci.com site:
Savings Dollars
You’ll get 300 Savings Dollars just for joining RCI Platinum® membership, then earn more on things you already do (like exchanging and renewing your membership). Then it’s up to you how you spend them – hotel stays, home electronics, fashion, wine, jewelry, sporting goods, dining certificates and more.*
*The Issuance, redemption, and fulfillment of Saving Dollars, is administered by International Cruise & Excursion Gallery, Inc., d/b/a Our Vacation Center and/or ICE under contract with RCI, LLC. RCI disclaims all responsibility in connection with Issuance, redemption or fulfillment of Savings Dollars or any third-party travel services.
 

tschwa2

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According to the agreement, I will get 383.00 in my RCI account that I can use for exchange fees combining my deposits, extending my deposit dates. I read the offer closely and am going to take advantage of it . I’m only signed on for the year.
Silentg
does the agreement say you can use them for those things or that you earn them for those things?
 

silentg

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Says you can use for those things
 

tschwa2

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That's not what it says on the current rci site. Can you copy and paste that part of the agreement?
 

missyrcrews

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I've never used the savings dollars. I like Platinum because of the 10% discount on Extra Vacations. We tend to use those for long weekends, and that's how we go to MO to see my folks as well. (Holiday Inn Timber Creek). I also like seeing the sales a day early. Worth it for us, even disregarding whatever the savings dollars can be used for.
 

Panina

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I liked platinum so I didn’t have to prepay exchange fee, 10% off extra vacation and for an upgrade two weeks prior if available.

I find the 300 savings dollars are useless for me.
 

Jan M.

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I'm wondering if this is an RCI weeks account benefit that points owners don't get. Some of the best benefits of platinum weeks owners didn't get, so maybe RCI decided to add something for weeks owners to make it worth paying for the platinum benefits. We have a points account and when I open the link to use my savings dollars these are my only options.

upload_2019-1-5_18-3-27.png
 

Eric B

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It looks pretty much the same on the weeks side; I've got both. The terms & conditions don't say anything about using them for exchanges or combination fees, but does reserve RCI the right to change things without notice. Seems unlikely that they'd let you use savings dollars for their fees particularly since the whole program is run by a third party (ICE). Happy for you if it is true.
 

Egret1986

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"If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." Why wouldn't everyone else jump on that gravy train?

As what others have said, those Savings Dollars are worthless in most cases. (Note: you would never be able to begin to use up those Savings Dollars over a one year period, no matter how many times you used them.) I have had Platinum for several years. I think that I've been able to use the Savings Dollars once for a $12 savings on a hotel room for 3 nights. So the annual fee is now up to $83, eh?

Sounds a lot like a timeshare developer salesman that you were talking to that misspoke (or lied). The details are on the printed form/website. It doesn't matter what you were told verbally, only what is in printed form.

The $83 may well be worth it for the other benefits mentioned by others. But if the Savings Dollars benefit and the promise of RCI fees being paid with these is what drew you in, and what got you so excited (what a great deal!), then you will be sadly disappointed.

Definitely a misunderstanding on the benefits of Platinum and those dad-burned Savings Dollars. I can't even remember now what those Savings Dollars replaced. However, at the time; I remember thinking (and believe there was a thread on TUG) that the benefits that were replaced with the new "benefits" had been a lot better. Reduction in benefits with higher fees.

If you decide this isn't the great deal that you thought it was, then call RCI tomorrow and cancel for a full refund.
 

Eric B

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I’ve enjoyed using the savings dollars for restaurant.com certificates, but that’s about it. The major benefit of RCI Platinum in my opinion is the ability to book the priority access resorts, which are typically Registry Collection overflow like Grand Luxxe Loft, Spa and Residence weeks you can’t otherwise get through RCI. Granted this isn’t the case for Vidanta owners (thanks a lot RCI for the massive devaluation of platinum last year), but I keep hoping some other great exchanges show up in there that I can use.

The free OGS doesn’t hurt, either.
 

djyamyam

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Like the others have noted, the savings dollars can't be used on most RCI fees. Here's the section on how savings dollars can be used (bolded section is my highlights)

3. Savings Dollars

3.1. Platinum Members will receive Savings Dollars in an amount equal to one Savings Dollar for each dollar paid for the following transactions: RCI Standard Membership Fee Guest Certificate/Guest Pass RCI Platinum Membership Upgrade Fee RCI® Points Partner Reservation RCI Weeks Exchange Trading Power Protection/Points Protection RCI Weeks Combined Deposit RCI Points Exchange RCI Cruise Exchange Weeks Deposit/ Points Extension Points for Deposit RCI®Deposit Restore SM Points Saving Fee

3.2. In order for a Platinum Member to earn Savings Dollars, the applicable Platinum Membership and associated Points Membership or Weeks Membership must be current and paid in full at the time the transaction is processed. Savings Dollars will be posted to the Platinum Member’s Savings Dollar account (provided through a third party vendor) within 15 days after the date the Savings Dollars are earned. In no event may the Savings Dollars on a Platinum Member’s Savings Dollar account earned from this program be paid directly to the Platinum Member in the form of cash, check or credit card, or any other means of payment.

3.3. Savings Dollars may be redeemed as a form of partial payment in a fixed amount at time of checkout on the net amount of products, travel and services purchased through the RCI Platinum Store, including merchandise, vacation packages, hotels, Restaurant.com certificates, Spa Finder certificates and Fandango certificates.

3.4. Savings Dollars will not be earned for any cancelled or voided transactions. Any Savings Dollars credited for transactions which are cancelled or voided will be removed from the applicable Savings Dollar account, or if the Savings Dollars have already been used by the Member toward a transaction, the applicable amount may be placed as a charge on the account.

3.5. Savings Dollars will not be provided for any transaction for which the Platinum Member does not pay the applicable transaction fee (for example, if the fee is waived).

3.6. RCI may, at any time, in its sole discretion, change the types of the transactions for which Savings Dollars are provided, as well as the applicable Savings Dollar amounts (including the minimum and maximum amount of Savings Dollars required for the purchase of a specific product, travel offer or service).

3.7. Savings Dollars and the RCI Platinum store are provided by a third party under contract with RCI. Savings Dollars are subject to additional terms and conditions established by the third party.
 

bobpark56

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We have never found savings dollars to be useful...and they seem to evaporate. Our platinum membership did get us a free upgrade on our last stay, though...from a 1BR unit to a 2BR unit. We appreciated that.
 

breezez

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Savings dollars are so worthless mine expired!!! At least Monopoly money is fun to use!!!
 
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