RCI points system

[tanners7]

We are thinking of buying a Florida timeshare with 90000 annual RCI points.
We usually travel to a different place each year. Since we are retired, we have great flexibility in our scheduling. Is it easy to use RCI points for trades to
areas in their off season?

 

[vacationhopeful]

Are you just looking for a bunch of RCI Points or for HOME RESORT and HOME GROUP booking in advance window?

RCI has different booking windows ... and there are fees for booking under a full week reservation (Housekeeping/turnover fees).

VRI is (Vacation Resorts International) is a large property management company whose resorts have the HOME GROUP at 11 month out booking window.

If you buy at a particular resort in RCI points, you book your HOME WEEK (deeded) at 13 months before checkin (no fee) and HOME RESORT at 12 months before checkin... paying lesser fees. 7 night stays.

HOME GROUP is full fee and 7 night stays.

At 10 months before check in full fees but you can also book less than 7 nights.

Hope YOU already KNEW all this! Else, learn WAY MORE BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING.

 

[tschwa2]

It's fairly easy but it is still relatively expensive. Each full week exchange will cost $219 into weeks inventory and $169 into points inventory. Your RCI membership will average about $110 per year if you buy in at least 2 year increments. Shorter stays will have an exchange fee of $79-159 but will also often have a housekeeping fee of around $40-80 for a 1-2 bedroom unit.

You do not want to pay more than $900 in MF for 90,000 points. If less then even better. You want it at or below 1 penny per point.

Where and when are you looking at for off season travel?

 

[tanners7]

We are primarily looking for the most points for the least maint. fees (In this case its 700.00 for 90k). We are primarily interested in the difficulty of obtaining trades to a wide variety of different locations during their least crowded times. The only high demand areas we would be interested in
would be Hawaii and Southern California from November to May.
We also own a Marriott week and were thinking of using the RCI points to
create a longer vacation at a nearby RCI resort. We are familiar with the Marriott point system, but know nothing about RCI.

 

[e.bram]

The problem with point systems, especially those from converted originally weeks developed resorts, is the owners of the prime weeks use or rent their fixed weeks leaving the dog week inventory for the points "owners" who converted or bought points.

 

[eggmansr71]

The problem with point systems, especially those from converted originally weeks developed resorts, is the owners of the prime weeks use or rent their fixed weeks leaving the dog week inventory for the points "owners" who converted or bought points.

I'm finding that to be very true. Not sure how Marriott is going to move forward in the point market with this truth.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

The problem with point systems, especially those from converted originally weeks developed resorts, is the owners of the prime weeks use or rent their fixed weeks leaving the dog week inventory for the points "owners" who converted or bought points.

*****
Since the OP / Tanners 7 -said they were retired this may not be a problem .

I see RCI sales that are 10,000 points/ per week and up, for shoulder season & mid level resorts and locations .( I have RCI week TPU's - but see the same resorts on sale )

As Linda - Vacationhopeful mentioned there are also resort systems were you can do ( no additional cost or low cost ) internal trades if you decide to use your week in an alternative way and not pay RCI the exchange fees .

In addition to VI and also VRI , I believe the Vacation Village group may allow it .


Their is a VV Parkway triennial that may still be available in the bargain deal section of Buying - Selling Renting .

posted ,April 7 - Away We Go - Alan Cole

pay $ 812 every third year & get 30,833 RCI points every year / ie - one third of the 92,500 points associated with the ownership .

.

 

[e.bram]

T-Dot-Traveller:
How does being retired help with seasonal resorts with mud weeks?

 

[tschwa2]

T-Dot-Traveller:
How does being retired help with seasonal resorts with mud weeks?

Because the OP wanted to use points to "trade to areas in their off season."

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Not all off season exchange deals are - dog/mud weeks

T-Dot-Traveller:
How does being retired help with seasonal resorts with mud weeks?

****
If you can travel when you want - because your retired - you can find some very good values.

From today's RCI sale ( June 30 2016 ) TPU 6 - ( I think this is probably about 10K RCI points )
2 bedroom - Myrtle Beach HGVC ( C771 ) Sat Feb 4 & 11, 2017
Feb Avg. Weather - Myrtle Beach - high 60 / low 39

If you are from Winnipeg - you just found heaven for under $ 400

The Berkshire Mass area and Branson Missouri are good spring and fall values . Different vibes / good value .

I am sure there are lots more .

.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Off-Season Is Our Middle Name.

Is it easy to use RCI points for trades to
areas in their off season?

Who would ever have thought that early January in Florida is off-season ?

Even before we got into timeshares (2002), early January was when we typically took our Florida vacations -- after the Christmas & New Year festivities, hard-core wintertime further north. We just assumed that was prime time in Florida. It was a big surprise to learn it's off-season in Florida during the first 2-3 weeks of January. All I can figure is vacationing is down because the kids are back in school & people are feeling semi-broke after the holidays.

In any case, early January offers the possibility of major serious Florida timeshare bargains via RCI & RCI Points.

We get by with such a small annual points total that we recently downsized -- from 30,833 points per year to roughly half that. It's not just that off-season reservations take fewer points, it's also that we frequently snag off-season RCI timeshare reservations via Last Call & special low-price sale offerings on Extra Vacation Getaways -- i.e., cash only (no points at all).

It's nice having more points than we need, but not if they're expiring before we get round to using'm (meaning we're not using all that we're paying for). Now, if we preferred prime season timeshare reservations via RCI Points, then we'd need lots more points.

In our timeshare points history, we've done straight-points exchange exactly one -- 1 -- time. All the others have been via what RCI used to call Instant Exchange -- 9,000 points (maximum) for whatever's left on in RCI Weeks (but not RCI Points) at 30 days or sooner before check-in. (These days, RCI Points occasionally offers full-week reservations on sale for 10,000 points or below -- possibly no longer called Instant Exchange, & no longer limited to what's left in RCI Weeks.)

One early January, we snagged back-to-back outstanding 3BR-3BA Orlando timeshare units for 7,500 points apiece (plus exchange fee). That was our high water mark. We still get timeshare bargains, but lately only 1- & 2BR units. Still, we're staying in luxury condos at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates.

Is this a great country or what ?

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