• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Weeks vs Points

Mjasp

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
337
Reaction score
22
Points
378
Location
Florida
Resorts Owned
Sheraton Broadway Plantation
Can you tell me the advantage of owning points over a weeks ownership?

For those who have converted, are you happier. Do you think it has given you many advantages?

My husband is still trying to understand the advantage of us buying points or converting our week to points. He has yet to find one. He says, we will always have a week and have had much luck trading, so why would he pay more money for something that is paid off and he owns.
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
Taking The Timeshare Points Plunge.

2 things got us interested in (RCI) timeshare points -- (1) partial-week reservations & (2) Instant Exchange reservations (getting full week reservations for no more than 9,000 points when we reserve within 45 days of check-in).

2 things held us back -- (A) not understanding the ins & outs of getting & converting & using timeshare points on the 1 hand & on the other hand (B) the high cost of converting to points.

Eventually we figured it out well enough to take the plunge in a dinky & penny-ante kind of way.

Mainly, we completely finessed the conversion issue. Instead we sprang for an el cheapo eBay timeshare week in the USA heartland that had already been converted to points & that stayed converted upon completion of the sale to us. Winning bid = $152.50 -- but with closing costs & RCI Points initiation fee & 1st year's maintenance fees it came close to $1,000 when the dust settled.

After we had already gone for that, we later discovered an even cheaper way to get a toe-hold into timeshare points -- by leasing a points timeshare 3 years at a time (renewable). Who knew ?

Once we were into points, we had the option any year we chose to do Points For Deposit with our regular (i.e., non-points) timeshare weeks we already owned in other foreign & domestic locations. Points For Deposit is what RCI calls depositing a straight-weeks timeshare at a non-points timeshare resort into RCI Points instead of banking it with RCI Weeks.

Instead of banking a week for a future straight week-for-week timeshare exchange, Points For Deposit gets us the points-equivalent value of our old timeshares added to our timeshare points account.

Points For Deposit is a 1 year at a time deal & is not the same thing as conversion to points -- & when we understood that distinction we were well on our way to catching on to some of the elusive ins & outs of the timeshare points system.

RCI now charges us $26 every time we do Points For Deposit -- just another step down the path of nickeling & diming the RCI members, I suppose.

Since plunging into points in our small potatoes way, we have done Instant Exchange several times but have not yet gone for a partial-week reservation. Go figure.

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

reddiablosv

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
398
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Either way will work.

An astute timeshare owner can do well with either points or weeks. The key is paying attention and searching and reserving early with weeks, or trying to get the 45 day specials with points. I use the PFD program frequently. I own a white SA resort. It is only worth 30K points with the PFD program. With weeks I have reserved a 2 bedroom GC resort in Cabo and a full one bedroom school vacation week at the Manhatten Club in NYC. I followed the tug sightings posts and snagged the great weeks by using weeks. Likewise I own a Hawaii week which yields over 80K point in the PFD program. The MF is about 630 per year. If I reserve within 45 days, everything is 9k points or less. Also, 80K points is a lot. It will trade for two weeks in most cases and most places, even outside the 45 day window. I guess its a little bit like advise given by Dr. Ruth, "its not what you have but how you use it!"":)
 
Last edited:

Conan

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
3,138
Reaction score
595
Points
498
Location
Connecticut
The main difference is that in Weeks, the quality of the week you own (location and time of year) has a great effect on the quality of trades you can obtain.

Points compete equally for reservations at Points-affiliated properties starting 10 months before the date. They also can be used to reserve non-Points affiliated properties in RCI Weeks, and there they have above-average trading power.
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
Timeshare Points Raiders.

They also can be used to reserve non-Points affiliated properties in RCI Weeks, and there they have above-average trading power.
Using points to get reservations at non-points timeshare resorts is sometimes referred to as Raiding The Weeks Inventory.

I suppose that's exactly what it is if the points used to snag the weeks reservation all come from points timeshares.

But if the points come from Points For Deposit -- depositing straight-weeks timeshares into the points system instead of banking them for conventional week-for-week trades -- then it's not so much Raiding The Weeks Inventory as it is an oddball form of straight-weeks exchange in which the week being exchanged takes a detour into & then back out of the points system.

Just an odd little twist in the way timeshare exchanging works, no ?

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

 

bogey21

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
9,455
Reaction score
4,662
Points
649
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Simple. Points are more flexible; Weeks are more certain. I use them both depending on the situation.

GEORGE
 

vacationhopeful

TUG Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
12,760
Reaction score
1,699
Points
498
Location
Northeast USA
I too have both RCI Weeks and RCI Points. Throw in my Wyndham points, and I get just about any vacation situation covered.

Of course, I spent ALL LOT of time learning and keeping uptodate on the rules for 3 systems. TUGs helps by reading these posts and asking questions. My rule #1 is Plan way ahead OR Go last minute.

The more time you spending learning before you buy, the cheaper in $$$$ cost your "education" will be (wrong buying w/o getting important stuff for you). So, be too hard don't DH.:D
 

e.bram

Guest
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
3,185
Reaction score
124
Points
399
Location
Fort Lee, NJ
If you want an oceanfront TS on Cape Cod in the summer, you are probably can't get it with points.
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
I Think You've Got It.

Plan way ahead OR Go last minute.
I'm sure that is exactly right.

We're starting to get the hang of those last-minute reservations, but so far we haven't even tried longer-range vacation planning.

Then again, at our advanced age the horizon for long-range planning may not extend all that far out -- i.e., we better keep snapping up those last-minute opportunities while we still can.

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

 

Picker57

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
403
Reaction score
1
Points
226
Location
Fort Collins, CO
We own (Shell) points. Due to airfares, we recently added a week at a non-Shell RCI property to our upcoming Hawaii vacation. One of the advantages of points is availability of mid-week check-in. But since all the 'weeks' properties have weekend check-in, we were still in the old mode. And it appeared that all of RCI's Maui sites are weeks. So mixing a points / weeks vacation has it's limitations. Am I missing something?

---Zach Kaplan Fort Collins, CO
 

vacationhopeful

TUG Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
12,760
Reaction score
1,699
Points
498
Location
Northeast USA
Different vacation planning:
Get a Last Call Vacation for 7,500-9,000 PTs and throw away the end of the week ... ouch, throw way nights? Yep, as Last Call is only available for 7 nights, but on the Points Reservation, you would be paying full price for each night you want (and most likely MORE for two nights, than the whole 7 night Last Call reservation). You can try and do the same for the start of the vacation -- just be real sure the resort KNOWs you are checking in days (not hours) late. But Last Call is only 45 days before checkin - so drive 'as a make my plane reservation at the last minute person' might use up all their savings with skyhigh fares.

Make the Points reservations at a Home Group Resort tied to where your RCI Points are deeded at -- you can do that at the 11 month mark, gaining a bigger advantage over ALL the other RCI Points members at the 10 month mark ... or be the first 10 month RCI reservation person :eek: . Of course, you should have booked your Weeks vacation 2 years out.:annoyed:

:confused: You should be as I don't have any idea how the Shell system works and how to reserve within or when to reserve within your system.

Others, have done the bid on Priceline or Expedia or other web based sites for hotel nights to wrap around their extended vacation weeks.

Still trying to fugure out all this stuff, too. Good thing I am flexible.
 
Last edited:

Picker57

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
403
Reaction score
1
Points
226
Location
Fort Collins, CO
Thanks Linda - Yep, this timeshare thing sure has a lot of moving parts. And flexibility seems to be the key to making the most of them ('Last Call', 'Dashaway Deals', etc). Will do some more research through both Shell and RCI.

--Zach
 

vacationhopeful

TUG Review Crew: Rookie
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
12,760
Reaction score
1,699
Points
498
Location
Northeast USA
Zach-

Do you have RCI Points and an account? Most of us use the "old" RCI Last Call a little wrongly when talking about 'cheap weeks' or 'discounted vacations45 days or less before checkin'.

In RCI Weeks, those cheap, last minute deals were/are a discounted purchase price of between $199 and $249, found in the "Last Call" section.

In RCI Points, those same deals are also purchase at the cash prices also, in the "Last Call" box. The discount point deals (between 7500-9000RCI pts) can be found in the RCI Weeks Reservation Box - looking for them as the low point value and 45days or less check in. If you go to the Points Reservation Box, you only get the "full price" Points deal.

Sorry, but the use of the terminalogy is only confusing to newbies ... we do try to explain when asked ...;)
 

fsmith2845

TUG Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Virginia USA
Zach-

Do you have RCI Points and an account? Most of us use the "old" RCI Last Call a little wrongly when talking about 'cheap weeks' or 'discounted vacations45 days or less before checkin'.

In RCI Weeks, those cheap, last minute deals were/are a discounted purchase price of between $199 and $249, found in the "Last Call" section.

In RCI Points, those same deals are also purchase at the cash prices also, in the "Last Call" box. The discount point deals (between 7500-9000RCI pts) can be found in the RCI Weeks Reservation Box - looking for them as the low point value and 45days or less check in. If you go to the Points Reservation Box, you only get the "full price" Points deal.

Sorry, but the use of the terminalogy is only confusing to newbies ... we do try to explain when asked ...;)

When you talk about purchasing through the "last call" box, when i use that it gives me a $$$ amount vice point amount. Of course i got to this through the vacation offers tab. We are points owners.. not sure how i woudl go about doing what your are talking about.. seems like a great wayt to save points and get good resorts, assuming you can make plans last minute like that..
 

philsfan

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
324
Reaction score
0
Points
376
Location
Georgia
When you talk about purchasing through the "last call" box, when i use that it gives me a $$$ amount vice point amount. Of course i got to this through the vacation offers tab. We are points owners.. not sure how i woudl go about doing what your are talking about.. seems like a great wayt to save points and get good resorts, assuming you can make plans last minute like that..

For a 9000 point (or less) reservation, sign on to your points account. Click on the RCI Points Vacations tab, then click on RCI Weeks reservation. Choose your Region and Sub Region. Leave the date at whatever it came up as because this is the earliest date the points system will let you search with online. Leave the number of weeks at 5. Everything that is available when you click on Continue should be 9000 points or less.

You still have to pay the weeks exchange fee so you are paying more than a straight weeks exchanger would pay in the big picture. Depending on what your mf's are for your points, if the same accomodations are available as a Last Call rental, that could be a slightly cheaper option, especially for smaller units.
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
Here's How To Do That.

We are points owners.. not sure how i woudl go about doing what your are talking about.
Click here for help in finding those 9,000-point full-week bargain Instant Exchange reservation opportunities at RCI Points.

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

Sandy VDH

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,848
Reaction score
4,227
Points
648
Location
Houston, TX
Resorts Owned
Wynd VIP Plat GF, HGVC Elite, WM, HICV, +
I too have both RCI Weeks and RCI Points. Throw in my Wyndham points, and I get just about any vacation situation covered.

Of course, I spent ALL LOT of time learning and keeping uptodate on the rules for 3 systems. TUGs helps by reading these posts and asking questions. My rule #1 is Plan way ahead OR Go last minute.

Ok I have the same TS addiction. I have both RCI Weeks and RCI Points, I still have an II membership (but don't how much longer I will keep it), I also have Wyndham Points, however I added Hilton Points in there as well. I am also enrolled in DAE and in SFX. Boy I have a lot of things to keep juggling, but if I am good at it, I can get what I want, when I want, for the cheapest Point or week currency.

I use all the systems to compare inventory. If I can get the same type of inventory in multiple system I figure out which system in the cheapest MF used to obtain the exchange I want.

Hilton works for harder to get RCI inventory, and for Hilton Hawaii. Open season for cash is also a nice member perk. Wyndham works for planning in advance and for last minute inventory (I use my VIP discounts for and free upgrades). Wyndham also works for cheap deposits into RCI and for internal trades back into Wyndham via RCI. (I scored a Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Village thought RCI using a 28K deposit, that would have cost 231K if I would have booked it directly in Wyndham.)

Point system in general are great because you want 3 day in a studio or 1 BR for a quick getaway on trip, the next you want a 3 BR for a week for you family. You pick and choose the size and style of unit, and length of stay. It is not fixed like a fixed full week exchange.

I keep DAE and SFX for a cheap alternative, with usually at most 1 week a year deposited.

Also be flexible, rules change, economy changes, resorts change, so just roll with it. Don't buy anything just for trading, buy what you would like to use, that way should things not work out the way you, others, companies plan you still have something you can use.
 
Last edited:

UWSurfer

Tug Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
2,439
Reaction score
64
Points
408
Location
Los Angeles
Alan: Thank you!!! That link with how to find the 9000 point instant vacation made my day. It certainly opens up another piece to RCI I hadn't known about.

Sandy: Your post might be suitable for as a sticky as an example of how someone uses and values mulitiple ownership in multiple systems. Bravo!
 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
Is This A Great Web Site Or What ?

Alan: Thank you!!! That link with how to find the 9000 point instant vacation made my day. It certainly opens up another piece to RCI I hadn't known about.
You're welcome.

But it's pretty much the same as the how-to information provided by philsfan.

Just 1 more example of TUG people trying to help other TUG people.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

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

 

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
15,687
Reaction score
1,630
Points
699
Location
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Resorts Owned
Grandview At Las Vegas

[triennial - points]
Hooray For Timeshare Points.

Point system in general are great because you want 3 day in a studio or 1 BR for a quick getaway on trip, the next you want a 3 BR for a week for you family. You pick and choose the size and style of unit, and length of stay. It is not fixed like a fixed full week exchange.
A 3-day points reservation may well take more points than a full week Instant Exchange reservation.

We'd rather spend 9,000 points (max) on a full week via Instant Exchange than sign up for a straight-points partial-week reservation -- even if we "waste" a few days of the full week.

We've done Instant Exchange & Last Call several times, a straight-points reservation once, & a partial-week points reservation never.

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



 

Sandy VDH

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,848
Reaction score
4,227
Points
648
Location
Houston, TX
Resorts Owned
Wynd VIP Plat GF, HGVC Elite, WM, HICV, +
A 3-day points reservation may well take more points than a full week Instant Exchange reservation.

I would have to agree if you were talking RCI Points. It would be cheaper to take a weeks resort inventory for 9000 points for a week vs a points resort for full value. Which is great if the resort you want is RCI Weeks only

What I was talking about however was for specific points systems NOT the RCI point system in that case. I can find inventory in my Hilton or Wyndham point system that is not available via RCI. Plus with these mini systems the exchange frees are $0 for Wyndham (for me at least) or $39 for Hilton (with Elite Discount). Much cheaper than RCI's $164 fee and I have to account for that in my pricing of the exchange.
 
Top