RCI Points or TPU

[AgelessTravel]

I have a resort which trades in RCI weeks. I'm very happy with the TPU's I receive, however since Disney has increased the number of TPU's for their resorts I am looking to buy another timeshare. My family really loves Disney.

I don't know much about points vs. TPU. Would I be better off to buy a timeshare which has points rather than TPU's, keeping in mind I want to be able to trade into Disney? Why is one better than the other?

Thanks!

 

[ronparise]

I dont think Disney has any thing to do with the number of TPU it takes to trade into their properties... if the number required has gone up, thats because RCI has adjusted the numbers to reflect supply and demand

Points required for a Disney resort are set in a grid for each resort...i dont think they change


Which one to buy into has to do ...I would think with the number of opportunities that get dumped into each system...and I cant answer that except to say...watch for a while to see what it looks like

However if you already own weeks for which you get TPU on deposit...(and from the sound of your post...thats the case) buy more weeks to deposit...If you already own a bunch of RCI points Id buy more of them

Once you decide which system to buy into then look for the cheapest points or TPU resorts

 

[chriskre]

RCI keeps raising the bar in regards to TPU's.
Pretty soon it will be 60 or more if they can get away with it.
So far I haven't seen a unit cost more than 60 but I don't think it's written in stone anywhere.

With RCI points it seems more stable and there seems to be more variation in points when it comes to seasons. For example I have seen studios in DVC that only cost 28K RCI points in early December. In constrast that would be in the 40's in TPU's. Right now there are better deals in RCI points if you have a good MF/points ratio.

You might consider buying an RCI points week where you could do either TPU points for deposits or straight TPU's depending on what season you were considering booking DVC. If going off season mostly then RCI points may be a better deal and once you have an RCI points account you get your TPU account free.

DVC is also a pretty good deal in off season in Wyndham points with the cross over grid and you'd also get a free weeks account to deposit your other units.
I've seen nice off season studios and 1 bedrooms for only 74K Wyndham points which depending on where your home resort is can be very reasonable. For me that would represent about $350 in MF's. Add the RCI exchange fee and the $95 Disney BS fee and that's a good deal for a 1 bedroom.

 

[AgelessTravel]

Thank you for your replies. I only own one timeshare which trades with TPU, I don't own any points. I was initially considering buying a second week at the resort I already own, a lock off if I can find it. I just thought that would be putting my eggs all in one basket. I know very little about points and I didn't realize you can use Wyndham Points to trade into DVC.

I remember reading on TUG that Worldmark is a great trader. However, the buy in cost is too high. Does Wyndham trade as well as Worldmark?

If I decide to buy points, how much per point should I pay?

 

[slum808]

Thank you for your replies. I only own one timeshare which trades with TPU, I don't own any points. I was initially considering buying a second week at the resort I already own, a lock off if I can find it. I just thought that would be putting my eggs all in one basket. I know very little about points and I didn't realize you can use Wyndham Points to trade into DVC.

I remember reading on TUG that Worldmark is a great trader. However, the buy in cost is too high. Does Wyndham trade as well as Worldmark?

If I decide to buy points, how much per point should I pay?

I just bought a 7k Worldmark for $2100 including transfer fees. My MF are $500/yr. It cost 8k studio, 9k 1-bd, and 10k for a 2-bd to trade in II or RCI. The good thing about trading with WM is that you can rent however many points you need. 10k points will cost you $600.

 

[chriskre]

Thank you for your replies. I only own one timeshare which trades with TPU, I don't own any points. I was initially considering buying a second week at the resort I already own, a lock off if I can find it. I just thought that would be putting my eggs all in one basket. I know very little about points and I didn't realize you can use Wyndham Points to trade into DVC.

I remember reading on TUG that Worldmark is a great trader. However, the buy in cost is too high. Does Wyndham trade as well as Worldmark?

If I decide to buy points, how much per point should I pay?

Yes Wyndham trades in RCI many times better than straight TPU's, especially into DVC.

You'll want to shop around for the best maintenance fee to points ratio.
It's different with every resort. There are Wyndham points going for $1.00 on ebay for 154K plus points, so buying in is cheap. There are a few rules you'll want to be familiar with when owning Wyndham points so you're not nickel and dimed to death, but if you plan accordingly Wyndham can get you lots of great vacations both internally staying at Wyndham resorts as well as trading thru RCI.

And I wouldn't discount Bonnet Creek where you can get great deals for Disney visits if you're unsuccessful in obtaining an RCI DVC trade. There almost always seems to be availability at BC so it's a great fall back plan. If you haven't stayed there yet you really should give it a try one time. You may just like it as much as DVC.

 

[ampaholic]

1. Buy this (or one like it) triennial RCI Points at the Grandview - you'll get 16,333 RCI Points per year for just $114 MF per year.
2. Use your TPU unit in Points for Deposit (if you can) or get enough additional "Points units" to cover your Disney addiction - JUST DON'T BUY IN ORLANDO because of the Disney lock out.

Hmmm lets see 4 Grandview Tri's for $456 per year generating 65,332 Points per year = about as good as you can get.

 

[hypnotiq]

Hmmm lets see 4 Grandview Tri's for $456 per year generating 65,332 Points per year = about as good as you can get.

Ok, so I'm still figuring this stuff out...so let me know if I'm off base.

That's nearly $7/per 1k points.

I thought good was in the $5ish range?

 

[ampaholic]

The $5 per thousand points rule is

A: for purchase price - not MF price (I think)
B: for Wyndham Points - not RCI Points

 

[sandkastle4966]

On the Wyndham side - there are some trades that are "cost effective" but a far greater number that are not. There are also no last minute discounts in RCI using Wyn points.


Something to consider - if DVC leaves RCI, will you still be happy with your purchase that you got "to trade into DVC" ?

 

[ronparise]

There seems to be some confusion here between Wyndham points and RCIpoints

good advice is to buy:

Wyndhan points at around $5/1000 points maintenance fees
RCI points at about a penny a point

So as to ampaholic's suggestion to buy 65,332 rci points with a mf of $456 /yr; Thats a very good deal

I havent seen any universally accepted rule of thumb when it comes to purchase price except dont buy from the developer. For myself regarding Wyndham points I want to keep my purchase price at about a years mf. Ill go higher for something I really want (because of the ARP or very low mf)

As for rci points I own a small contract that cane to mee with points in the account and for no money, no closing costs or transfer fees and the seller paid my rci account for the year...and I still think I paid too much

 

[ampaholic]

... good advice is to buy:

Wyndhan points at around $5/1000 points maintenance fees
RCI points at about a penny a point

Thanks for clearing that up Ron, I'm glad to know the 5K rule applies to MF's

As for rci points I own a small contract that cane to mee with points in the account and for no money, no closing costs or transfer fees and the seller paid my rci account for the year...and I still think I paid too much

:hysterical: I guess sometimes even free, free, free is too too much

 

[AgelessTravel]

Thanks again or all the advice. How many Wyndham points to I need to buy if I am looking for mostly two bedroom units in prime season or for Disney?

 

[hypnotiq]

Thanks for the clarification guys on Wyndham vs RCI Point 'rule of thumbs'

 

[MichaelColey]

A few things I would warn you about:

1) If you want to trade into Disney, avoid buying any Orlando area timeshares. Those will be blocked.

2) If you want RCI Points, I would suggest avoiding resorts that are in RCI Points. Sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. If you own intervals at RCI Weeks resorts that AREN'T in RCI Points, you have the ability to do a Points For Deposit (PFD) to selectively move your deposits from Weeks to Points. You need ONE RCI Points interval (and Grandview Las Vegas is a great choice) so that you can get an RCI Points account, but you'll retain much more flexibility (and often a better value) by getting the rest of your points through PFD.

3) Be careful chasing Disney. They could always leave RCI and as much as RCI Weeks has been adjusted, I wouldn't be surprised if RCI Points adjustments came in the future.

Keep as flexible as possible to minimize the impact of future changes.

 

[travelguy]

Getting into RCI Points for PFD??

2) If you want RCI Points, I would suggest avoiding resorts that are in RCI Points. Sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. If you own intervals at RCI Weeks resorts that AREN'T in RCI Points, you have the ability to do a Points For Deposit (PFD) to selectively move your deposits from Weeks to Points. You need ONE RCI Points interval (and Grandview Las Vegas is a great choice) so that you can get an RCI Points account, but you'll retain much more flexibility (and often a better value) by getting the rest of your points through PFD.

Is there any way to get into RCI points through PFD WITHOUT having a resort in RCI Points??

I have a number of RCI TPU ("weeks") resorts but none in RCI Points.

 

[MichaelColey]

Not that I know of, but you can get in with very minimal recurring expenses through a triennial 1BR at the Grandview, which has a MF of something like $113 per year.

 

[fishingguy]

travelguy wrote:

Is there any way to get into RCI points through PFD WITHOUT having a resort in RCI Points??

Nope, you need an RCI Points property to initially establish an RCI Points account. [You also need an RCI account beforehand, so you can deposit your PFD points from a non-points resort.]

 

[kanerf]

I have been able to get a Disney week via RCI Points 3 times in the last two years for between 42,000 and 54,000 points depending on location and season. Last May and Oct at BCV and this coming May at OKW.