Weeks Owner looking into Points and needs help!!!

[Jbart74]

So, the title says it all. We are weeks owners, two with RCI for trades for the past 15 years. You guys all seem to be WAY into this point system thing, but it seems like every developer, or trading company, has their own point system. I'm interested in buying in this 'down' resale market but I really have no clue about points based systems. No matter how much I read on the forums, I still feel lost.

If we buy, we'd like low MFs (of course) and the ability to trade throughout the US, Carribean, and Mexico. I need to have a full kitchen as my partner has severe food allergies, so I need to be able to cook full meals.

We have no children, and prefer places that are less family oriented and more relaxing adult oriented. We DO NOT want anything Disney.

Can you all help us out? At least with the different options available to us? And how many points would we need to get a week every year in a nice place. We don't need 5 star, but we do like that!

I know this is a very broad topic with many questions, but I hope that you guys know that I have been around here enough and really need some advice in order to take advantage of the current situation. Again, We are mostly trying to figure out how many points we need to buy in specific plans to get a week/year vacation in a happy place.

Thanks so much for anything you tell me!

 

[Carolinian]

Points are a real crapshoot. You might also want to look at other exchange companies like DAE, HTSE, TPI, SFX, etc.

 

[lprstn]

I think its best to get with a Points program that has a lot of internal resorts that you would like to go too. RCI points is just getting the same RCI inventory you would normally have to fight for. I know I love booking with my Points resort as I rarely have to fight for the locations/times I want to travel, then I bank my remaining points with RCI for those highly developed area trades or last minute trade.

It works for me...you have to review the program and your traveling style to see what works for you...

 

[vacationhopeful]

I agree with Carolinian as to points being a crapshoot - I have 2 points systems.

Wyndham points are great IF you can basicly exchanging within their network and using the vacations yourself, going mostly full weeks. If you BUY a Wyndham resale, buy at a II resort within their network and INSIST they give you that exchange system as your "free" membership. This gives you another avenue of exchanging, as you already own RCI weeks. My advice on the "IF" is based on NOT incurring additional fees for reservations, housekeeping and guest certificates - but you should review those fees and not those costs to affect your decision if you are aware of them before you buy into that system. With an II account and Wyndham's low point deposit schedule (28,000 minimum for a week), it gives you another venue to explore for a timeshare addict.

RCI Points - can only get what is deposited into the system. Those 7,000 pt weeks are last minute travel, but great bargains. RCI Weeks has 2 year out seaches - RCI Points has 10 month, with NO ongoing searches.

I am sure others will add more point systems and detail; this is just some of my limited impressions.

 

[applegirl]

We are staying at a Westin right now and boy is it nice. Starwood is a points system and I asked a little about it last night. I don't think it would be all that complicated to learn once you here a good explanation (clearly not from me since I'm a newbie on the points thing). Starwood sure does have a lot of very nice properties. I get the feeling a lot of Westin t/s owners only use their points internally since the properties are so top notch.

If I was looking to add to my t/s portfolio, I'd seriously consider Westin/Starwood.

Janna

 

[AwayWeGo]

Getting Into R. C. I. Points Without Buying Anything (Just Leasing.)

And how many points would we need to get a week every year in a nice place.

Once you join RCI Points, you can get more points from the RCI straight-weeks timeshare(s) you already have via Points For Deposit -- i.e., you deposit your weeks into RCI Points (instead of into RCI Weeks) & you get the points-equivalent value of your straight weeks added to your points account.

Then, you get week-long Instant Exchange reservations into other people's timeshares -- anywhere, any size -- for only 9,000 points + exchange fee. The catch is that the reservations have to be made within 45 days of check-in, so Instant Exchange is not for people who need to plan vacations way ahead.

You can buy an RCI Points timeshare somewhere (as we did), or you can simply lease 1, RTU for 3 years, renewable, works with RCI Points the same as a deeded points timeshare. (That's what we'd have gone with instead of buying if we'd known about it at the time.)

Even if you already belong to RCI Weeks, you have to join up with RCI Points separately. When you do that, you get a side-by-side RCI Weeks membership free & if you've recently paid for RCI Weeks membership renewal, I hear RCI will refund what you paid for that because you'll be using your free RCI Weeks membership for straight-weeks exchanges alongside your paid-for RCI Points membership for straight-points exchanges & 9,000-point Instant Exchanges, etc.

We got interested in points so we could do Instant Exchanges for 9,000 points each & also partial-week reservations at the regular going rate. Since taking the points plunge, we've done lots of Instant Exchanges & zero partial-week exchanges & just 1 straight-weeks exchange. Who'd a-thunk ?

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

 

[Jbart74]

We are staying at a Westin right now and boy is it nice. Starwood is a points system and I asked a little about it last night. I don't think it would be all that complicated to learn once you here a good explanation (clearly not from me since I'm a newbie on the points thing). Starwood sure does have a lot of very nice properties. I get the feeling a lot of Westin t/s owners only use their points internally since the properties are so top notch.

If I was looking to add to my t/s portfolio, I'd seriously consider Westin/Starwood.

Janna

I think this is the sort of thing I would be interested in (Higher end like Westin and similar and trading within the system)

I know and like the Westin name as I have stayed at a few of their hotel properties on business trips. I don't know Starwood but I'll start doing some research on them.

I have enough flexibility to use 45 day reservations on RCI points, but the people I travel with don't so that really wouldn't be the best thing for us. AND I feel like I just figured out RCI Weeks after years of playing around with it so the thought of starting all over with RCI is daunting and frankly something that does not interest me at all.

Perhaps I should move over to the Westin and Starwood boards and continue my investigation there, unless anyone has more info they'd like to offer here. I'm always listening.

Thanks for all the replies with much helpful info, as usual!

 

[MaryH]

After exchanging into Key West in 2006 and 2008 via II and getting certified in Scuba Diving there this year, I became serious about buying a Hyatt TS.

It is a points program and you can get different sizes and also book partial weeks - 3 days weekend and 2 or 4 day weekdays. My last few exchanges I have only used 5 of the 7 days and tend to prefer partial week to full weeks.
The M/F is not low by any means at 900-1200+ depending on the size and property but you can potentially book several weeks with it and internal booking is oly $39. You can do deposits to II in studios and extend it even fuller if you can travel at short notice.

I had looked seriously into SVO (Starwood Vacation Ownership) since it is also a points program. I like the program but the M/F of some of the properties such as Hawaii are outrageous. The cheapest to buy is Orlando but that is grossly overbuilt.