RCI points - hate? Love? General question about this process

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

46,500 RCI POINTS @ FORT LAUDERDALE RESORT, TIMESHARE - eBay (item 120551950762 end time Apr-07-10 18:00:36 PDT)

Club Sevilla Florida RCI Points Silver Crown Timeshare - eBay (item 220580879201 end time Apr-07-10 19:00:07 PDT)

OK - so now I'm feeling that the RCI points is a good system with alot of flexability. I like the idea of being able to do a 3 day trip - more customized. Also will want to trade for a full week now and then.

THEN I read a bit on our site and alot of folks are not happy with RCI. I'm a pretty flexable traveler and I would most likely convert to RCI points each year if I purchased one of the above. Feedback? Thanks again in advance.

Steve

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

I give it mixed reviews.

I have an RCI Weeks account (provided at no cost to me through Bluegreen) and an RCI Points for lease account (I pay for this account).

I no experience with Weeks because I only used that account once, wasn't happy, and moved on.

Here is what I love about points:

- Points are points. If something is available and you have the points for it, you can book it. You can add points from multiple smaller weeks together to get a higher value week, or the reverse.

- You can book 2-6 days instead of just a week. (but be mindful of housekeeping fees for partial week stays).

- Reasonably good availability of Manhattan Club and DVC resorts.

What I'm not so happy about:

- Neither of their search engines (trading points for points resorts, called Standard Reservation, any # of days; or trading points for Weeks, called Weeks Reservations, full weeks only) work very well. They're laborious and time consuming.

- The fees. The housekeeping fees can sometimes be outrageous ($77 for a 2 day stay?)

I've gotten some great exchanges with points:

DVC Vero Beach, June 2010
Manhattan Club, June 2010
Quarter House in New Orleans, July 2010
Manhattan Club, Oct 2010
HGVC Kingsland, June 2011

Anita

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

Thank you Anita. Valuable feedback. I'm thinking that RCI points is for me. I find it almost like trip advisor in here....some people love RCI points and some hate. I think I am going to bid on a resale shortly and give it a go. I will be using this forum to learn and am thankful for those who share. i hope to be able to help others soon!

-Steve

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

One thing that is inherent in any points program is moving the goal posts. On one hand, they do not do needed adjustments to point values of resorts for years. On the other, with the points partners, they can dramatically move the goalposts to your disadvantage, which they have.

I traded into a German resort that was a points resort, and the manager told me that while only about 10% of owners traded at all with any exchange program, she could count those who had converted to RCI Points on one hand, and most of them were unhappy with it.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Count me in the antipoints group. When adding some of the fees like housekeeping, exchange costs, I wonder how much of a savings there really is when trying to plan a 3 or 4 day trip vs. doing a wide internet search for a property, paying per night. Many airlines and sites like Orbitz offer so many comparable choices with a per night or package rate. The points system is geared to continue to ask for more and more points to get what you want or to buy more and more points.

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

For me, the whole thing hinges on MC.

With partial week stays, you really have to stay on top of the costs. I'm a lot more excited about full week stays than partial using RCI Points because of the (ridiculous, IMO) housekeeping fees.

Partial stays so far have only made sense to me at Manhattan Club. Although there are deals to be had in NYC, we never take them -- when things are on sale in NYC, we always edge up to about the same price point we've always paid and get more luxury.

I have 6 nights scheduled for Manhattan Club in 2010. (exempt from 1 in 4, at least for now.). If I paid a stated rate of $250 a night, then you add on all the taxes, I'd be pushing $300 per night x 6 = $1800.

Even when I add up every dime I've spent on my account (RCI Points account, MF for the underlying timeshare, the $33 annual fee for the lease, the $26 PFD charge to put weeks into my points account, the MF for those underlying weeks if applicable, and the exchange fees) for ALL my vacations for 2010, I am right at $1000. The only thing I'm not including are the closing costs to get the points lease.

So for less than I would have paid for 6 nights in NYC, I have a week at DVC Vero Beach, the 6 MC nights, a week at Quarter House in New Orleans, plus a week for my sisters in Lake of the Ozarks. (27 nights, all in 2 bedrooms except for MC which is one bedroom.

Without Manhattan Club availability, my feelings about RCI Points would likely change completely. If that goes away, I will likely cancel my lease and close my Points account.