Still Researching. I've got 2 questions for RCI points owners

[JWM2021]

We're looking to purchase into a point system because we are likely to never go to the same resort twice and we prefer 3 or 4 weeks at a time in a series of 3 or 4 night stays with hiking, kayaking and such. There are several good systems but I'm intrigued by the value in the RCI points world from all the TUG reading I've done. We have some significant access to Wyndham points through family members, but we're traveling more than their excess points will support.

My two questions.
1) unlike buying into Wyndham, WorldMark, et.al, you can't look up what resorts are in RCI points. Is the inventory a great mix or largely focussed on the smaller systems that use RCI points as their system (Vacation Village, Exploria, VRI, etc.)? E.G. Do you see World Mark properties in RCI points or exclusively in RCI weeks?

2) Other than home resort (which we really don't care about) and a possible advantage inside the brand system, is it truly "points are points" (just lowest mf per point)? In one of my other inquiries, a very helpful TUGer mentioned that their specific VRI ownership had "some priority in points booking." Is it possible my 35k points has more or less priority than your 35k points? If so, what does that mean?

Any help is appreciated. Any other insights are also appreciated.

 

[tschwa2]

The other points systems that use rci through a portal in which the developer decides what to deposit (wyndham, worldmark, bluegreen, hilton, dvc when they were with rci, etc) the developer can choose to deposit into weeks inventory or points inventory. In my experience searching most is deposited as weeks with maybe 10-20% into points inventory). A points owner can book weeks or points inventory the only difference from these developers is the exchange fee and perhaps the ability to book nightly stays vs a full 7 nights.

With RCI points you can book your home week for $0 exchange fee prior to 12 months. You can book into points inventory other than your home week (for a full week) in any size or season from 12 months to 11 months for a $60 fee (it might be $50 it's been a while since I've used this one). At 11 months to 10 months, points inventory is opened to anyone who owns at the same resort or resort system/manangement company for the standard points exchange fee (and it can be fewer days or more than a week based on availability). If you book your home resort at outside of the home resort priority period the regular exchange fee applies. If you exchange into weeks inventory at your home resort the regular exchange fee applies. At 10 ,months or less prior to check in, everyone has the same priority into the points inventory.

Daily resort management (vacation village affiliates and Massanutten) offers a discount exchanging into weeks inventory at their resorts.

 

[JWM2021]

The other points systems that use rci through a portal in which the developer decides what to deposit (wyndham, worldmark, bluegreen, hilton, dvc when they were with rci, etc) the developer can choose to deposit into weeks inventory or points inventory. In my experience searching most is deposited as weeks with maybe 10-20% into points inventory). A points owner can book weeks or points inventory the only difference from these developers is the exchange fee and perhaps the ability to book nightly stays vs a full 7 nights.

With RCI points you can book your home week for $0 exchange fee prior to 12 months. You can book into points inventory other than your home week (for a full week) in any size or season from 12 months to 11 months for a $60 fee (it might be $50 it's been a while since I've used this one). At 11 months to 10 months, points inventory is opened to anyone who owns at the same resort or resort system/manangement company for the standard points exchange fee (and it can be fewer days or more than a week based on availability). If you book your home resort at outside of the home resort priority period the regular exchange fee applies. If you exchange into weeks inventory at your home resort the regular exchange fee applies. At 10 ,months or less prior to check in, everyone has the same priority into the points inventory.

Daily resort management (vacation village affiliates and Massanutten) offers a discount exchanging into weeks inventory at their resorts.

Thanks,
I would be especially interested in how it works not in you home resort or within that mini-system. I understand the reservation fees (at least in points) and am ok with the fees, I just wondered about availability and variety outside your home system.

 

[tschwa2]

Thanks,
I would be especially interested in how it works not in you home resort or within that mini-system. I understand the reservation fees (at least in points) and am ok with the fees, I just wondered about availability and variety outside your home system.

It totally depends on the resort. Some resorts have very few points owners. So even at exactly 10 months to the minute nothing is available. What specifically are you interested in?

 

[silentg]

Are you allowed to put 2,775 points in RCI points if they are from 2021? I’ve never used RCI points with HICV.

 

[JWM2021]

It totally depends on the resort. Some resorts have very few points owners. So even at exactly 10 months to the minute nothing is available. What specifically are you interested in?

We tend to do fairly extended trips (3 or 4 weeks at a time) with 3 & 4 day stops (occasionally as long as a week if there are several places of interest within about 90 minutes of a central location). Mainly focused on National Parks, state parks, historic sites, etc. especially those with hiking, kayaking and the like. We have access to some Wyndham points through family members and use hotel brands with full kitchens and airbnb type reservations. Our interests are varied enough that I don't think any one system would do it all (and maybe not even half). I was looking at RCI points really because of the price point (especially since the vast majority of our travel is in "shoulder season"), but I'm struggling to estimate how much I might be able to use since there is just no way to "look up" which resorts might be available. So I was just trying to get a feel if I might try 150k points or 30k points. I would just start small, but finding reasonable MFs on smaller contracts seems to be a challenge. There is a current TUG ad for 126k RCI points with a $800 annual mf that frankly sounds too good to be true; but if it is true, seems that it would be hard not to get $800 in value out of it (even with the significant reservation fees).

Any insights you could offer would be appreciated. Even just opinions that are purely personal and situationally driven would be appreciated. At the moment, I'm flying blind.

 

[moonstone]

The problem with staying less than 7 nights with RCI points (and maybe others) is that you will need to pay a housekeeping fee. I have seen cases when I've been looking, that the housekeeping fee on top of the exchange fee for 4 or 5 nights costs more than booking 7 nights. The good thing with RCI (and maybe other) Points is the exchange fee to stay 8 to 13 nights is the same price as staying 7 nights. The exchange fee for staying 14 or more nights is about another $100. higher. To book more than a 7 night stay you need to search at 10 months (I think) out and not all points resorts will do longer stays. Our RCI Points are affiliated with the Vacation Village chain so we do like to exchange within the system whenever possible to get the cheaper rate. We also have a special Vacation Village owners RCI number to call for help or questions.


~Diane

 

[rickandcindy23]

I would look into Wyndham points for what you want to do.

 

[JWM2021]

The problem with staying less than 7 nights with RCI points (and maybe others) is that you will need to pay a housekeeping fee. I have seen cases when I've been looking, that the housekeeping fee on top of the exchange fee for 4 or 5 nights costs more than booking 7 nights. The good thing with RCI (and maybe other) Points is the exchange fee to stay 8 to 13 nights is the same price as staying 7 nights. The exchange fee for staying 14 or more nights is about another $100. higher. To book more than a 7 night stay you need to search at 10 months (I think) out and not all points resorts will do longer stays. Our RCI Points are affiliated with the Vacation Village chain so we do like to exchange within the system whenever possible to get the cheaper rate. We also have a special Vacation Village owners RCI number to call for help or questions.


~Diane

Thanks for the notes. Any insight into what the housekeeping fee would generally run? When I looked at costs for RCI points, I was estimating 2 stays totalling a week would be $278 reservation fee (1-3day, 1-4day), $280 in point mf (35K points @ $8/k) plus two housekeeping fees (I guessed $125 each) for a total of for a total of 808 or 115 per night (plus RCI membership and I know there will be some resorts with a resort fee). Does that sound about right for a 1 bedroom? We would stay a full week whenever it made sense (or as you said, when it's just plain cheaper), but I know that's not typically how we like to travel/stay. We also tend to travel shoulder season (we like to be home during the summer) so there may be properties less than 35k. I'm really just wondering how much inventory of what brands (Hilton, Wyndham, VV, Worldmark, etc.) is typically out there in points. That's the part I just have no feel for. Although we're very flexible on exactly where and when, we would typically be trying to put together a road trip that may be 30 days long. I know timeshare won't cover it all and we'll use hotels, airbnb, et.al but we'd like to upgrade as many stays as we can. Any insight would be very much appreciated. Thanks,

 

[JWM2021]

I would look into Wyndham points for what you want to do.

Thanks. We have some access to Wyndham points through family members but it's not enough to cover what we would like to do. I could get some resale points to supplement what I can get/rent from family's developer points but I was thinking adding the RCI points might give me more options. What do you think? In addition, if I understand the economics of the RCI points, they're hard to beat if you can find what you want. That's the part I have little insight into: what types of inventory is typically available (especially spring and fall when we tend to travel). Any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks,
jim

 

[tschwa2]

Are you allowed to put 2,775 points in RCI points if they are from 2021? I’ve never used RCI points with HICV.

You can't bank HICV points with rci. You have to book directly. You can use expiring point and you can use them for 2023 but you have to make an actual exchange no later than the 12/31/22 expiration date.

 

[rboesl]

You don't mention where you would like to travel. But, you did mention when: shoulder season. Using timeshares typically requires advance planning. Something like 6-12 months out for bookings.

But, for RCI usage there is a way to significantly stretch your dollar if you're less picky about the where. RCI offers a list of resort stays available for 10,000 points or less for a week's stay. This availability can only be booked at maximum 45 days in advance of your stay. And, it is usually only shoulder or off season for those given resorts season. But, you can find some gems if look hard enough.

At those rates you could book 7 day stay and leave early to fit your schedule and not feel too guilty about the unused points.

 

[bizaro86]

Thanks for the notes. Any insight into what the housekeeping fee would generally run? When I looked at costs for RCI points, I was estimating 2 stays totalling a week would be $278 reservation fee (1-3day, 1-4day), $280 in point mf (35K points @ $8/k) plus two housekeeping fees (I guessed $125 each) for a total of for a total of 808 or 115 per night (plus RCI membership and I know there will be some resorts with a resort fee). Does that sound about right for a 1 bedroom? We would stay a full week whenever it made sense (or as you said, when it's just plain cheaper), but I know that's not typically how we like to travel/stay. We also tend to travel shoulder season (we like to be home during the summer) so there may be properties less than 35k. I'm really just wondering how much inventory of what brands (Hilton, Wyndham, VV, Worldmark, etc.) is typically out there in points. That's the part I just have no feel for. Although we're very flexible on exactly where and when, we would typically be trying to put together a road trip that may be 30 days long. I know timeshare won't cover it all and we'll use hotels, airbnb, et.al but we'd like to upgrade as many stays as we can. Any insight would be very much appreciated. Thanks,

I gave my RCI points back to the resort as it was sunsetting, but I do have a couple of comments.

The first is that much of the RCI points inventory comes from the weeks side and if you take weeks inventory you have to pay the weeks exchange fee, which iirc is around $259. So your 2 stays might cost double what you've alloted for RCI fees (although then you wouldn't pay housekeeping which helps).

For availability can I suggest asking your Wyndham owning relative for access to their RCI account and poking around? While that won't help with pricing as Wyndham trades on a fixed grid it would give you a bit of a better sense of the breadth/depth of availability.

 

[moonstone]

Thanks for the notes. Any insight into what the housekeeping fee would generally run? When I looked at costs for RCI points, I was estimating 2 stays totalling a week would be $278 reservation fee (1-3day, 1-4day), $280 in point mf (35K points @ $8/k) plus two housekeeping fees (I guessed $125 each) for a total of for a total of 808 or 115 per night (plus RCI membership and I know there will be some resorts with a resort fee). Does that sound about right for a 1 bedroom? We would stay a full week whenever it made sense (or as you said, when it's just plain cheaper), but I know that's not typically how we like to travel/stay. We also tend to travel shoulder season (we like to be home during the summer) so there may be properties less than 35k. I'm really just wondering how much inventory of what brands (Hilton, Wyndham, VV, Worldmark, etc.) is typically out there in points. That's the part I just have no feel for. Although we're very flexible on exactly where and when, we would typically be trying to put together a road trip that may be 30 days long. I know timeshare won't cover it all and we'll use hotels, airbnb, et.al but we'd like to upgrade as many stays as we can. Any insight would be very much appreciated. Thanks,

Housekeeping fees vary by resort and maybe also by also region or time of year, I dont usually look at them closely. I would say the average is closer to $50 for a 2-3 night stay in a 1 bedroom, many resorts charge more per bedroom. When searching for exchanges I always look at the 'stays of less than 10,000 points' or the Deals section to make our points go further. I have had good luck booking back to back to back stays totaling just over a month but the shortest stay was 7 nights. Good luck!

~Diane

 

[JWM2021]

I gave my RCI points back to the resort as it was sunsetting, but I do have a couple of comments.

The first is that much of the RCI points inventory comes from the weeks side and if you take weeks inventory you have to pay the weeks exchange fee, which iirc is around $259. So your 2 stays might cost double what you've alloted for RCI fees (although then you wouldn't pay housekeeping which helps).

For availability can I suggest asking your Wyndham owning relative for access to their RCI account and poking around? While that won't help with pricing as Wyndham trades on a fixed grid it would give you a bit of a better sense of the breadth/depth of availability.

That is an excellent idea and I will ask. I doubt he has ever even signed on to his RCI account (they travel exclusively within Wyndham properties). The only thing would be the included RCI membership is a week membership not a point membership which is what I'm particularly interested in. I agree it should give me some feel. Thanks.

 

[Sn0wbird]

The problem with staying less than 7 nights with RCI points (and maybe others) is that you will need to pay a housekeeping fee. I have seen cases when I've been looking, that the housekeeping fee on top of the exchange fee for 4 or 5 nights costs more than booking 7 nights. The good thing with RCI (and maybe other) Points is the exchange fee to stay 8 to 13 nights is the same price as staying 7 nights. The exchange fee for staying 14 or more nights is about another $100. higher. To book more than a 7 night stay you need to search at 10 months (I think) out and not all points resorts will do longer stays. Our RCI Points are affiliated with the Vacation Village chain so we do like to exchange within the system whenever possible to get the cheaper rate. We also have a special Vacation Village owners RCI number to call for help or questions.


~Diane

Is it cheaper to book within VV resorts? I'm in the process of purchasing a VV timeshare and don't have an RCI account. Does RCI work with the resort to setup my account? How can I make sure everything transferred and setup correctly? Thanks!

 

[moonstone]

Is it cheaper to book within VV resorts? I'm in the process of purchasing a VV timeshare and don't have an RCI account. Does RCI work with the resort to setup my account? How can I make sure everything transferred and setup correctly? Thanks!

If you are exchanging to another Vacation Village resort or affiliated resort and call the special RCI Vacation Village phone number, the cost is a little less than just booking another RCI resort. It's been about 10 years since we got our latest one but if I remember correctly, once the transfer was done, I called RCI to set up the Points membership. I think it did take a while, cant remember how long, for them to verify our new ownership. We had previously just had a weeks membership. RCI added the 2nd membership and gave us an additional membership number but we just pay the 1 membership fee. I have 2 different log-ins for the website depending if I want to search within the weeks or the points side. If you have never been an RCI member then after you have the ownership you will need to call or do the on-line chat with them and set up the new membership. They will walk you through it. If you are buying a resale and using a reputable transfer company they will make sure the ownership details are worked out and registered correctly, but I'm pretty sure they don't contact RCI for you.


~Diane