How to Buy Points with RCI?

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

I have some friends that swear by RCI. I am interested in purchasing RCI points but would like a little help understanding the point system.

How do I evaluate all the different resale offers. Maybe I am simplifying things but does it really matter which resort I purchase from? Shouldn’t I evaluate a purchase based on some combination of?....

1. Lowest cost per point
2. Factor in maintenance fees
3. Desirability (red vs other)
What else?

I would then use the points to use at various vacation spots.

Example
=================
Wouldn’t Property A always the the choice?

• Property A: 100K points for $5K, $500 annually fees, Red Week
• Property B: 100K points for $10K, $600 annually fees, Red Week

My Needs
==========
Family with 3 children. Don’t care as much about a home resort as we want to use points to travel around. Want flexabilitity around where we go and lenght of time we go. Usually travel 3-5 weekends to ski country in Northeast and do a weeklong summer vacation in Orlando, Mexico, etc. plus misc trips.

Thanks for any tips.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Cost per point and mf's are important, with points I don't think season is very important if you do not plan to use your home resort. However, red season always gets the highest allotment so you will probably end up buying red anyway.

Cost per point is a one time consideration, mf per point is forever and likely increases as time goes by.

Resort A is always the choice.

Check the timeshareforums classifieds for a much lower initial cost for 91+K points. I am the seller. Send me a private message or email if you want more details.

[aliikai2 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close aliikai2]

RCI points are points

100k is the same regardless of what season, resort or cost,so the least expensive purchase of the lowest annual cost is exactly what you want to purchase.
Now, having said that , the likelihood of using RCI points to take 3-5 Snow ski weekends is almost 0. In order for time to be available to a RCI points member, someone needs to have deposited it. There are few if any Ski weeks ever deposited as they rent for more than the annual fees, so resorts and owners rent those, not deposit them for trade with RCI.

Orlando, easy properly planned in advance or play the 45 day window( more like 14 days now) where a week at weeks resort can be had for between 7-9k in points plus the trade fees.

Mexico, same thing, unless you want Christmas/New Years/ Holy week/Easter or any time during the month of July.

Points programs talk a lot about flexibility as a selling point, but just like the weeks program, if no one makes a deposit, there is nothing to take with your points.

I would suggest as you are located in the east, you look at Wyndham points( 130 resorts where you make reservations, no trade fees) or Bluegreen (40 some resorts) same thing, no trade fees.

fwiw,
Greg

I have some friends that swear by RCI. I am interested in purchasing RCI points but would like a little help understanding the point system.

How do I evaluate all the different resale offers. Maybe I am simplifying things but does it really matter which resort I purchase from? Shouldn’t I evaluate a purchase based on some combination of?....

1. Lowest cost per point
2. Factor in maintenance fees
3. Desirability (red vs other)
What else?

I would then use the points to use at various vacation spots.

Example
=================
Wouldn’t Property A always the the choice?

• Property A: 100K points for $5K, $500 annually fees, Red Week
• Property B: 100K points for $10K, $600 annually fees, Red Week

My Needs
==========
Family with 3 children. Don’t care as much about a home resort as we want to use points to travel around. Want flexabilitity around where we go and lenght of time we go. Usually travel 3-5 weekends to ski country in Northeast and do a weeklong summer vacation in Orlando, Mexico, etc. plus misc trips.

Thanks for any tips.