Tweet
Originally posted by SOS8260456
Just make sure you can get into the chat room ahead of time.
-
Lisa,
Just make sure you can get into the chat room ahead of time. -
Pete S I love your TS4Ms avatar. I think that's a cool and retro design that would great on a teeshirt. Hint hint.Originally posted by PeterS View Post
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed and those who are cold and are not clothed."
-- Dwight D. EisenhowerComment
-
Just a bump to remind you if you have a advance question for our chat tomorrow night, please post it here.
Also, please try to enter the chat room today or tomorrow BEFORE the chat to make sure you can get in. You may have to download the latest Java update.Comment
-
Question 1: After the points are purchased, what are the ongoing or recurring financial commitments with FF besides the MF? In other words, what are the "nickels and dimes"?
Question 2: Is there any way to track the history of MF at FF resorts or is there a rule of thumb (or contract limitations i.e., "caps") as to frequency and amount of increase in MF?
I am looking forward to the chat tomorrow night.Comment
-
Originally posted by hooknslice19 View Post
I believe Dave in MI cover #2 that is there is a history MF excel in Yahoo group file area.
For 1. you will also pay FSP membership fee. But other thing else all can be avoid.
You may or may not have issues with transactions. There is a limit free transaction cost. If you can put transactions together then you can avoid it. It is $25, if you have it budgeted, it is really nothing compare to RCI's transaction cost.
you may or may not have issues with housekeeping, if you always take week long or at least 5 days vacation, you usually should not hit this. If you stay mostly in 2 BD or stdio, you usually should be fine.
There are ways to avoid this like deposit to RCI, like borrow next use year's points to move next use year to this use year. Otherwise, it is 1.5 per credit, so if you run out of credit, and try to make a 2 BD reservation, it will take 77 credit or 1.5 * 77 or $115.5 which become very expensive.
There are few resorts that will charge TOT (transient tax) which actually is charged by local government, so can not count as FF try to nicles and dime you.
There are few resorts that has parking fee or activity fee. But I blieve it is more to do either with POA (HOA) or they way the parking space is build/lease, and very likely don't goes to FF.
Jya-NingJya-NingComment
-
For internal reservation, it is not that complex really. The 1st few years I was with FF, they have no on-line system, I usually look at the resorts find out where I want go, and what day I have to be there, what the size of room I need, and call VC ask them to figure out how many days my points can give me, and what is the availbility.Originally posted by wackymother
The point is like money, you find out how much you have, you find out how much each day cost, you decide if you want spend on it or you just spend on it.
It becomes complex when you try to use as little as possible to ge what you want. Otherwise, it is very simple, and FF will figure out if you don't have enough and ask you to pay. You will know how to avoid it once it hits you, or you just budget it and do as you like. Some VC are very good to help you solving the problem you have also.
FF weekend is Fri night and Sat night. Usually it will cost twice to reserve on these night within the same resort. So if you don't have points, you take weekday and try to get hotel in weekend while you drive to and back from the resort.
It becomes fun when you try to combine these with external exchange and all little method to move stuff from one year to another, but if you just want enjoy the flexible of use, nothing beat a point, although I think there are some point systems more flexible then FF. But it is flexible enough and most of the places have enough supplies.
Jya-NingJya-NingComment
-
More on "nickels and dimes"
Guest certification will require you pay extra. But it should be Guest's cost, not yours. If it is direct family, you can always talk to them and remind them that its FF's problem each account can only have 2 owners.Originally posted by hooknslice19 View Post
To move points around using credit pool will cost you.
Back to transaction cost and HK cost. If you travel short notice, sometimes you will catch their discount (from 5% to 40%). A 2 night weekend trip for 2 BD may cost you 51k, a 20% discount will save you 10k, and if the MF is 4.5 per 1k, you save $45 on the point usuage, which will cover your $25 transaction cost. But if you need to pay all the HK, it will be 115.5, may not worth it especially consider you may get RCI LC for 219 + tax or RCI nightly stay with less money. But if you do some planning, you should not hit by these two cost.
By the way, HK, transaction cost and GC are the costs the VIP program is trageted to waive.
Jya-NingJya-NingComment
-
Thanks very much Jya-Ning. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with all of us with questions - especially so promptly! I found the Excel file in Yahoo group also. It's very helpful - thanks for pointing me there.
KevinComment
-
Kevin,Originally posted by hooknslice19
Thanks for joining the chat last night. I hope you found it helpful.Comment
-
Mike:
I believe these two are less covered in yesterday's chat. Do you notice any thing that get misout? Maybe some questions get only partial answered? I will be out this weekend, so don't know if I can re-visit the chat this week or not.
Jya-NingJya-NingComment
-
Jya-Ning,
I don't know that the specific questions were posted in the chat but I felt that the other information pretty much covered them. Thanks for posting a more specific answer here.
Comment
-
How far ahead should you try to book weeks through RCI with the low number of points
I re-read the chat, I believe this is the only one that does not get any answered
bookworm: How far ahead should you try to book weeks through RCI to get
something with the low number of points (eg. 28K)?
So here will be some simple answer
It depends.
For over build area like Orlando, Williamsburg, ... you can do whatever you like (just pick up a phone say you want to travel on this day and you probaby will get a match).
For a little bit hard trade, you need to put it as on-going search as soon as you deposit and calling RCI few times to kindly remind them, and if you give it for 1 1/2 to 2 years (a lot of resorts deposit to RCI from 1 3/4 years to 6 month toward travel day), you will have very good chance to get a match. If it is really hard trade or summer at beach (SC, NC, CA not FL) then you will not get any match. If it is overbuild but well protect area (HI), then you will not get anything also. It is because RCI will not give you that match at all. However, see the following if you want to try to get a match.
There are also when you see a sighting (or exchange opportunity) reported then you can call RCI to match the 28k to the sighting. There are times RCI will block the access of certain week. most of the time, it works if the sighting is a FF resorts (I do know some exception even when it is FF bulk deposit and 28k can not get at first or 2nd day, or not at all, but it is rare)
You can also wait till 45 days to the travel day and ask VC to match anything and put it on-going search. And reminder VC at 14 days that you want to keep matching by keep it stay on-going search. Or if you see it in RCI's EV, then ask VC to match it (less than $600).
Some people will call VC from time to time, and sometimes the VC can do some magic and get you some really hard trader, but don't count on it happen more than few times. I never get that for sure.
Good luck
Jya-NingJya-NingComment
-
I did indeed. I've been so busy collecting information in the last week or so - and there has been a LOT avilable for the taking - that I think I need to take a little while, sit down, and start processing all of it!
"It's all so much" (G. Harrison?)Comment
Comment