Should I join RCI points?

[azzma Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close azzma]

Hello everybody. I'm new to this forum, and i've been reading a lot of the posts. Seems like a lot of you guys are timeshare pros--I think you might be able to help me out.

I'm a young guy with a pretty flexible schedule, so when I stumbled onto info about the RCI points system I was hooked--I live in southern california, so the idea of weekend getaways to san diego and las vegas for a few thousand points seemed like a dream come true. However, I know there's always a catch. Here are my questions:

-How available are last call trips? I'm not too picky about specific resorts--I'm just happy to be relaxing in the sunshine. Hypothetically, if I wanted to go to vegas in two weeks, would I be able to pick something up? Tahoe? San Diego? Hawaii? It's hard to tell from the RCI website the frequency of things actually being available through last call.

-Are there any costs involved besides transfer fee, the $99 points deposit fee, maintenance and taxes, and the initial price of the timeshare? Seems like there are some pretty good deals out on ebay. I'm estimating paying $1500 for a solid 45000 point place, and paying around $700 a year after that. Is that unreasonable? And the way I figure it, 45000 points=5 last call weeks. Is that unreasonable?

-how shady is RCI really? On this site I've seen a good amount of what sounds like legitimate criticism, and a good amount of of what seems like sour grapes. What's the bottom line? Is it worth the money for someone in my situation? I'm a realist: If they deliver 75% of what they promise, I'm a happy man.

Anyway, sorry this is so long. Hope you guys can help me out.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Last minute availability is just okay with points. I watch every night, mostly for Hawaii, Colorado and Orlando. Orlando is easy to get with last-minute availability weeks at only 7,500 for 1-3 bedrooms. Since I am a planner, I have not taken advantage of any of them and I have owned points for a year.

The problem with RCI is that you never know when they will change their policies. When I first joined points, 9,000 point exchanges were more abundant and the resorts were not limited, we could get points resorts for that amount. Now you have to search weeks for the lesser points amounts. The problem with that is that quality resorts that I want to travel to are in points. I cannot pull Shearwater or Bali Hai on Kauai with last-minute points, but I can pull those weeks with a blue week I own, but only within about four weeks. It is kind of annoying.

Policy and price changes are done so often with RCI. I like II because their prices have not gone up much and they have some really great resorts that participate within that system. It is only $135 for an exchange with II. RCI just increased their fee to $164. So it is 9K points plus $164 for a week, last minute. You also have to pay $99 per year for a points membership.

We bought from Jerry Naugle, a reseller in Australia. He is just wonderful. We paid $2900 for two weeks that are in RCI points. That included all closing costs, the first year of dues, the RCI membership. We get 92,800 points for a total maintenance fee of about $700 U.S. Our Colorado weeks are worth 45,500 each in Points For Deposit, we own three of those and pay $440X3 in maintenance fees. So we are at a penny a point for those weeks.

[Arkansas Winger Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Arkansas Winger]

A FF points purchase will include the annual RCI points membership. The MF which includes the Fairshare Plus program fee includes it.

Dale

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

A FF points purchase will include the annual RCI points membership. The MF which includes the Fairshare Plus program fee includes it.

Dale

Plus unlike Fairfield and other points programs, you can't rent your RCI points. In fact RCI points is the only points program I am aware of that d/n let you rent unused points/time booked with them. I wouldn't join RCI points, I don't trust RCI AT ALL, they have too much control over the value of your contract in terms of points values.

jmho
Avery

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

As Shopgirl mentioned, to use the 9000pts instant exchange option, the resort you want must be a weeks only resort. So check out where you want to go and see whether the resorts are all mostly pts or not. Otherwise, you'd have to pay the full pts cost even at the last minute unless you book it as a bonus week.

Also, resorts do charge you to convert your weeks to pts. Basically an RCI pts joining fee. Check that out as it may cost thousands depending on the resort and how greedy the developers are.

[azzma Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close azzma]

so let me get this strait...if you own a week through points, and you want to take advantage of the 9000 point thing, you can't use it in points resorts, only in weeks? Are all RCI affiliated resorts that aren't points resorts weeks resorts? And Sydney, do you own points? Have you tried to use the 9000 exchange? Let me know. Thanks for the info guys.

[opkansas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close opkansas]

Plus unlike Fairfield and other points programs, you can't rent your RCI points. In fact RCI points is the only points program I am aware of that d/n let you rent unused points/time booked with them. I wouldn't join RCI points, I don't trust RCI AT ALL, they have too much control over the value of your contract in terms of points values.

jmho
Avery

You don't trust RCI? Their Terms and Conditions are only 21 pages single spaced!

[opkansas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close opkansas]

so let me get this strait...if you own a week through points, and you want to take advantage of the 9000 point thing, you can't use it in points resorts, only in weeks? Are all RCI affiliated resorts that aren't points resorts weeks resorts? And Sydney, do you own points? Have you tried to use the 9000 exchange? Let me know. Thanks for the info guys.

There are not 9000 (or less) Points SPECIALS in RCI Points. The 9000 points are ONLY in RCI weeks. SAME AS THE LAST CALL WEEKS PROGRAM except RCI gets 9000 points AND the standard WEEKS exchange fee.

[opkansas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close opkansas]

Hello everybody. I'm new to this forum, and i've been reading a lot of the posts. Seems like a lot of you guys are timeshare pros--I think you might be able to help me out.

I'm a young guy with a pretty flexible schedule, so when I stumbled onto info about the RCI points system I was hooked--I live in southern california, so the idea of weekend getaways to san diego and las vegas for a few thousand points seemed like a dream come true. However, I know there's always a catch. Here are my questions:

-How available are last call trips? I'm not too picky about specific resorts--I'm just happy to be relaxing in the sunshine. Hypothetically, if I wanted to go to vegas in two weeks, would I be able to pick something up? Tahoe? San Diego? Hawaii? It's hard to tell from the RCI website the frequency of things actually being available through last call.

-Are there any costs involved besides transfer fee, the $99 points deposit fee, maintenance and taxes, and the initial price of the timeshare? Seems like there are some pretty good deals out on ebay. I'm estimating paying $1500 for a solid 45000 point place, and paying around $700 a year after that. Is that unreasonable? And the way I figure it, 45000 points=5 last call weeks. Is that unreasonable?

-how shady is RCI really? On this site I've seen a good amount of what sounds like legitimate criticism, and a good amount of of what seems like sour grapes. What's the bottom line? Is it worth the money for someone in my situation? I'm a realist: If they deliver 75% of what they promise, I'm a happy man.

Anyway, sorry this is so long. Hope you guys can help me out.

YOUR PRICE IS VERY HIGH. Your cost per point, in my opinion, should be no more than .012 per point. Bear in mind that the value of points are the SAME regardless of the resort you purchased them from. I do believe that you can get the 9000 or less points places are available but not as dasy as you might think. Right now in points I could not even find Vegas - 3 in Hawall - None is Tahoe - 1 in San Diego.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

so let me get this strait...if you own a week through points, and you want to take advantage of the 9000 point thing, you can't use it in points resorts, only in weeks? (That's correct. If you use it for a pts resort, you will be charged the full number of pts, even if the wk was a wks member's deposit)
Are all RCI affiliated resorts that aren't points resorts weeks resorts? (Yes)
And Sydney, do you own points? (Yes)
Have you tried to use the 9000 exchange? (Yes)
Let me know. Thanks for the info guys.

Yes, I do own pts and this is my 6th yr as a pts member. I have used the 9000pts feature a number of times but as I said you can only use that feature if the resort available is a wks only resort i.e. the resort has not signed up as a wks and pts resort with RCI. So that's not that many resorts left as more are signing up with RCI pts. Also, keep in mind that a 9000pts instant exchange is only available within 45days check-in, so by then, they are also available as bonus wks so you can buy them cheaply anyway without paying an exchange fee. This may or may not work out more than the cost of pts and exchange fee through an "instant exchange", (That's what a 9000pts last minute exchange into a wks only resort is called).

[azzma Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close azzma]

So it sounds like the key is just being aware of your cost to point ratio and going from there. Thanks for giving me the specific details about the places I mentioned; that helps give me a tangible idea of what I'd be working with. Are the bonus weeks in points resorts as well as weeks? If they are, it seems like they'd usually be a better deal than instant exchange. Thanks.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Yep. Bonus wks are for both pts and wks resorts.

[cirkus Member Find all posts View Profile Close cirkus]

I don't believe that a FF points purchase includes RCI points purchase, just RCI weeks membership.
Bill

A FF points purchase will include the annual RCI points membership. The MF which includes the Fairshare Plus program fee includes it. My understanding is they are two different things.

Dale

[cshelz Member Find all posts View Profile Close cshelz]

Sounds like we need to get the 9000 point deals before all the resorts go to both points and weeks.

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

I don't believe that a FF points purchase includes RCI points purchase, just RCI weeks membership.
Bill

That's correct...the FF points purchase includes a free Weeks membership (wish it were points but noooooo...)