Fairfield Generic Deposit with RCI

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

I recently made an exchange thru RCI to Fairfield South Lake Shore in Tahoe
using 70k FF points. The exchange confirmation said " internal exchange".
Is there any significance to that?

Tom

[acesneights Member Find all posts View Profile Close acesneights]

No

[vincenton Member Find all posts View Profile Close vincenton]

It may be significant if this resort has 1 in 4 rule. Also it could be had for less points than if the resort was not a Fairfield Resort.

These are benefits of Fairfield Internal Trading.

Vincent.

[nursetanya1973 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nursetanya1973]

My understanding is that if you own FF, you have priority back into the FF resorts through RCI. Don't know how this would work exactly, I think they can see all of the FF resorts with a FF deposit, so we may be able to get it with a smaller unit than would normally be posible.

Marketing hype more likely.

[acesneights Member Find all posts View Profile Close acesneights]

Internal exchange means no 1 in 4.

It means you had priority over a non-FF RCI deposit.

It means you might have been able to get it for 28K.

But that is true of ALL RCI exchanges with FF deposits.
Stan

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

Thanks for the feedback. I used 70K because the deposid would soon expire.

[Eileen A. Member Find all posts View Profile Close Eileen A.]

I'm a FF owner who rarely trades thru RCI but the one time I did an agent helped me. I have an RCI account which I use for Extra Vacations. I recently had FF points that were expiring so I banked with RCI. I can't see them when I look at my RCI therefore I can't do any searches. Is this just the way it works with FF owners using RCI. Do I have any other options then having an agent help me. One deposit is only 28,000 pts and I'm concerned it will just go to waste. I appreciate any advice.

Eileen A.

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

I'm a FF owner who rarely trades thru RCI but the one time I did an agent helped me. I have an RCI account which I use for Extra Vacations. I recently had FF points that were expiring so I banked with RCI. I can't see them when I look at my RCI therefore I can't do any searches. Is this just the way it works with FF owners using RCI. Do I have any other options then having an agent help me. One deposit is only 28,000 pts and I'm concerned it will just go to waste. I appreciate any advice.

Eileen A.

You have what is known as generic, invisible, or offline FSP points deposits with RCI. When you make a FSP deposit into RCI, you can request that the deposits be made as online, "visible" weeks for online searching. Fairfield may or may not grant that request. If they do so, they will assign a specific week to your RCI account that may be used for online searching. In the past, these online weeks have had whatever trading power RCI gives them. Sometimes you are fortunate and get a good trader, more often, it seems, though these weeks are not good traders. Fairfield claims that the system has changed and that online weeks now have exactly the same trading power as offline weeks but RCI has not confirmed that such a change has taken place.

You can ask Fairfield to change the deposit to an online week if you wish, but you may not be successful since you did not make the request at the time of the deposit.

Many people have made successful trades with the 28K blue studio generic weeks. Such weeks are not particularly good traders but often pull 1 or 2 BR weeks when supply at the destination far exceeds demand, e.g. in overbuilt locations or when there is a bulk deposit.

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

Eileen,

I have owned FF several years and have had both visible and non visible deposits with RCI. As a previous member implied, its the luck of the draw for trading power. If you are concerned with the deposit expiring worthless, you may consider asking RCI do start an ongoing search for the areas or resorts you desire. RCI will charge an exchange fee up front; however, it is refundable if you don't confirm an exchange. Good luck.

Tom

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

Note that your 28K deposit will be an internal exchange and have a little extra trading power when trading for Fairfield resorts. You might put in a request for an ongoing request for several Fairfield's and other resorts you'd like to visit and see what you get.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

I'm a FF owner who rarely trades thru RCI but the one time I did an agent helped me. I have an RCI account which I use for Extra Vacations. I recently had FF points that were expiring so I banked with RCI. I can't see them when I look at my RCI therefore I can't do any searches. Is this just the way it works with FF owners using RCI. Do I have any other options then having an agent help me. One deposit is only 28,000 pts and I'm concerned it will just go to waste. I appreciate any advice.

Eileen A.

Are you flexible enough? If so, that 28k is very powerful. Other wise, try Orlando, Williamsburg, Branson or just wait until you see RCI exchange opportunity and try to catch them. Or try any East US area shoulder season and put an on-going search.

Jya-Ning

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

I've noticed that Pagosa is also available quite often with a low points deposit, in case you might be interested in visiting there.

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

A FF RCI rep once told me that the 28K deposit will pull any FF resort deposit available within RCI.

We have used the 28K deposit extensively. We booked (3) 2 bedroom units at FF Daytona for May 19 - 26 for 28K each. We also booked (2) 2 bedroom units at Summit at Massanutten this past summer.

Joe

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

I don't believe that.

The easy way to prove it is deposit a 28K and a 70K and do comparative searches against a normal non FF deposit.

The 28K deposit will do Orlando and Branson and the like, the 70K will have larger units and expanded timeframes and some other resorts.

The non FF deposit will pull many more resorts but due to the FF preference will not show as many FF resorts as the 70K deposit but probably as many as the 28K deposit.

Now calling RCI/FF can be entirely different. I once with a 28K deposit, with a VG's help, got a July OBBC II 2BR. That was 2005 and I believe due to the VG overriding something. Kind of quirky there which is why some prefer to call.