FSP to RCI Conversion

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

While I don't have any plans to use this in the immediate future, I decided recently to try to understand how I can use my Wyndham Ownership in the RCI world. I've read a some of the documents on the Yahoo forums and I just want to run down my understanding here to make sure I'm actually "getting it". I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I want to make sure I understand how this stuff works before I (attempt) to explain it to my wife.

"Part 1"

So I own 308k at Bonnet Creek. When I look at the points chart, it shows that for weeks 15-19, I could book the 4 BR Presidential for 231k points.

Now I went to RCI.com and pulled up the Bonnet Creek resort and it shows:

Weeks 7-17, 4BR for 132,000 RCI Points
Weeks 18-19, 4BR for 79,000 RCI Points

If I understand correctly, I'd then book myself into the 4 BR Presidential through Fairfield for a week during the 15-17 week time frame for 231,000 Fairfield points and then (somehow?) deposit that week into RCI and that would give me 132,000 RCI Points?

"Part 2"

Assuming "Part 1" is correct, this raises a question for me. Looking at the RCI Points Chart, it shows:

Weeks 25-33, 4BR for 132,000 RCI Points

However, on the Wyndham site, it shows that Prime season is weeks 23-33 and during that time frame, the 4 BR Presidential is 424,000 points. So does this mean that I could technically stay in the 4BR Presidential during Prime Season for 231,000 FSP points by going through RCI?

I'm guessing that although I could use my ARP at Bonnet Creek to almost guarantee my deposit into RCI for weeks 15-17, obtaining a 4 BR during weeks 25-33 through RCI will probably be difficult? How far in advance can you book a vacation through RCI?

"Part 3"

Lastly, if "Part 1" is correct, I'm not sure I understand how "less than a week" points convert over into RCI? Like, if you had, say, 42k left over FSP points. Those aren't enough to say a week at any of the Wyndham Resorts, so, how do those convert over into RCI?

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

Not quite.

* A Fairfield points ownership gets you an RCI Weeks membership, not an RCI Points membership. If you have Plus Partners, you have a restricted entree into RCI Points, but not a full Points membership. It is this that lets you exchagne FSP points for RCI points resorts, but *only* if the resort has inventory in Points. This is unlikely for Bonnet Creek because...

* ...when you make deposits into RCI, you don't get to pick the week deposited, or even the resort from which it comes. In particular, it doesn't have to be (and probably isn't) from your home resort. For example, it appears that FF rarely if ever deposits Bonnet Creek. So, exchanging back in is unlikely.

* Lastly, not all FF RCI deposits are "real weeks". Some of them are generic points deposits, and RCI/FF settle up to make sure FF has enough real inventory to cover the points claimed. That allows you to make a low-point deposit even if there are no remaining "real" low-point weeks left in FF inventory.

Go back and take a look at the documents in the Files secition that describe Plus Parnters (for Pionts access) and Worldwide External Exchange for more of the nitty gritty.

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

While I don't have any plans to use this in the immediate future, I decided recently to try to understand how I can use my Wyndham Ownership in the RCI world. I've read a some of the documents on the Yahoo forums and I just want to run down my understanding here to make sure I'm actually "getting it". I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I want to make sure I understand how this stuff works before I (attempt) to explain it to my wife.

"Part 1"

So I own 308k at Bonnet Creek. When I look at the points chart, it shows that for weeks 15-19, I could book the 4 BR Presidential for 231k points.

Now I went to RCI.com and pulled up the Bonnet Creek resort and it shows:

Weeks 7-17, 4BR for 132,000 RCI Points
Weeks 18-19, 4BR for 79,000 RCI Points

If I understand correctly, I'd then book myself into the 4 BR Presidential through Fairfield for a week during the 15-17 week time frame for 231,000 Fairfield points and then (somehow?) deposit that week into RCI and that would give me 132,000 RCI Points?

"Part 2"

Assuming "Part 1" is correct, this raises a question for me. Looking at the RCI Points Chart, it shows:

Weeks 25-33, 4BR for 132,000 RCI Points

However, on the Wyndham site, it shows that Prime season is weeks 23-33 and during that time frame, the 4 BR Presidential is 424,000 points. So does this mean that I could technically stay in the 4BR Presidential during Prime Season for 231,000 FSP points by going through RCI?

I'm guessing that although I could use my ARP at Bonnet Creek to almost guarantee my deposit into RCI for weeks 15-17, obtaining a 4 BR during weeks 25-33 through RCI will probably be difficult? How far in advance can you book a vacation through RCI?

"Part 3"

Lastly, if "Part 1" is correct, I'm not sure I understand how "less than a week" points convert over into RCI? Like, if you had, say, 42k left over FSP points. Those aren't enough to say a week at any of the Wyndham Resorts, so, how do those convert over into RCI?

Unfortunately, you are completely confused. Nothing you wrote above is correct.

First, did you buy your points directly from FF/Wyn or via resale?

Second, there is absolutely no relationship between FSP points and RCI Points. They are two completely different point systems. FF/Wyn will set up a special FF/Wyn RCI Weeks account in 4 to 8 weeks after you purchase. You can use this RCI weeks account to deposit other fixed week resorts you may own.

If you want to book a reservation with your FSP points for a FF/Wyn resort, you call FF/Wyn or go their their online system and book a reservation directly with your FSP points. The FSP points required will be based on unit size, week of check in and availability as shown in the FF/Wyn directory.

With your FF/Wyn ownership, you get a RCI Weeks account. To make an exchange from your RCI Weeks account, you will make a generic or visible deposit from FF/Wyn into your RCI Weeks account. You do this by calling FF/Wyn and telling them that you want to make a deposit into RCI. Depending on the season and size unit you want to deposit, there is a fixed schedule of FSP points required to make the deposit.

You cannot ARP or otherwise reserve an unit and week at a FF/Wyn resort and deposit it into RCI or II. [You can with other exchange companies]. You have 2 years from the time you deposit your "week" into RCI to make an exchange. To make an exchange, you will normally have to call FF/Wyn and they will connect you to RCI to search. You have different choices of how to search so make sure you understand how to do that. If you were able to have an online searchable deposit made into your account, you can search online at RCI's website. If you find a week to exchange, you exchange and pay the exchange fee to RCI.

If you bought from FF/Wyn directly, your FSP account will have the Plus Partners feature which includes exchanging into RCI Points resorts. This feature is NOT a RCI Points account. It only allows you to book RCI Points resorts. To use it, you call FF/Wyn and they connect you with RCI to locate a RCI Points resort week or parital week. There is an exchange fee involved. Again, depending on the length of stay, unit size and season, FF/Wyn will transfer a scheduled number of points from your account for the exchange.

If you bought resale, your account will not have the Plus Partners features. You may be able to add it for a cost of more than $2000.

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

Ugh, I was hoping I was somewhat close in my understanding. I guess not! Ok, let's see here...

First, did you buy your points directly from FF/Wyn or via resale?

We bought directly from FF/Wyn back on 9/13/2005. It's only now I'm trying to understand how to utilize RCI. As you can see from my original post, I'm not really understanding how to do so!

Second, there is absolutely no relationship between FSP points and RCI Points. They are two completely different point systems.

No, no, I realize they are two completely different point systems. I think what I'm confused about is determining what I can/can't rent in the RCI system without just depositing points into it.

FF/Wyn will set up a special FF/Wyn RCI Weeks account in 4 to 8 weeks after you purchase. You can use this RCI weeks account to deposit other fixed week resorts you may own.

Yes, I just figured this one out. I looked through my documentation and couldn't find anything in it which provided me with a "RCI Subscribing Membership ID". I called RCI and they gave me this over the phone so I registered an RCI Weeks account online just now. However, when I login, it says I am paid through 7/2007. Maybe I misunderstood when I purchased, but I thought I was enrolled in RCI as long as I was a Wyndham owner paying Maintenance Fees.

If you want to book a reservation with your FSP points for a FF/Wyn resort, you call FF/Wyn or go their their online system and book a reservation directly with your FSP points. The FSP points required will be based on unit size, week of check in and availability as shown in the FF/Wyn directory.

Yes, this is all we've ever done so far. I'm just trying to understand how to utilize RCI in the event we want to in the future.

With your FF/Wyn ownership, you get a RCI Weeks account. To make an exchange from your RCI Weeks account, you will make a generic or visible deposit from FF/Wyn into your RCI Weeks account. You do this by calling FF/Wyn and telling them that you want to make a deposit into RCI. Depending on the season and size unit you want to deposit, there is a fixed schedule of FSP points required to make the deposit.

Ok, I believe right here is the main point where I'm confused. I own points in FF/Wyn, but you're saying I call and state I want to make a deposit into RCI and you describe that deposit in terms of weeks/unit size. Since every FF/Wyn resort has a different point associated with the weeks/unit size, I guess I'm confused at the correlation from FF/Wyn points to season/unit size? How do I know how much FF/Wyn points it will cost to stay at an RCI resort?

You cannot ARP or otherwise reserve an unit and week at a FF/Wyn resort and deposit it into RCI or II. [You can with other exchange companies]. You have 2 years from the time you deposit your "week" into RCI to make an exchange. To make an exchange, you will normally have to call FF/Wyn and they will connect you to RCI to search. You have different choices of how to search so make sure you understand how to do that. If you were able to have an online searchable deposit made into your account, you can search online at RCI's website. If you find a week to exchange, you exchange and pay the exchange fee to RCI.

So in order to search on RCI's website for availability, I have to first actually use my FF/Wyn points to make a deposit into RCI?

If you bought from FF/Wyn directly, your FSP account will have the Plus Partners feature which includes exchanging into RCI Points resorts. This feature is NOT a RCI Points account. It only allows you to book RCI Points resorts. To use it, you call FF/Wyn and they connect you with RCI to locate a RCI Points resort week or parital week. There is an exchange fee involved. Again, depending on the length of stay, unit size and season, FF/Wyn will transfer a scheduled number of points from your account for the exchange.

We did buy direct and on our account information page with FF/Wyn, it says we do have Plus Partners. How do you know how many FF/Wyn points it will cost to stay at a RCI Points Resort?
CORRECTION: It says FairShare Plus, not Plus Partners on the page. I'll need to go back through my documentation and figure out if we are members or not.

Thanks so much in taking time to try to straighten this all out for me, I really appreciate it.

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

There are 2 RCI programs
1. Week - where you have to deposit a week and exchange a week
2. point based program - where you give RCI right to use your week in exchange of RCI points to use in its point inventory.

Week and point have its own exchange inventory pool. They are not suppose to mixed together. For promtion, RCI will allow point owner to get week side inventory though.

Now, come FF. To exchange with RCI, you now can only ask FF to make a deposit. And the exchange is based on generic grid, so a week stdio in blue season is 28k, a white season is 42k, a red season is 70k, and red 1BD is 105k, 2 BD is 154k so on and on, you either get a generic deposit or a real week randomly assigned to you if you deposit to week, if you deposit to point, you get nothing, if there is an inventory, FF will give RCI required FF points for your transaction.

For regular FF owner, they should only have access to RCI week site (or II).

For owner with Plus Partnership program that is also RCI affliate resort owner, they can have access of mini RCI point.

You can become plus partnership member if you bought retail after 2002(???). Or if you converted a week or you pay FF $2,395 conversion fee. It is not transferable if you resell your points. So all resell owner at first should not be a member of that program.

All FF RCI resorts are RCI point resorts

However, because you are deposit to RCI point still using a generic grid, so you will not get to any of these FF point inventories. If, however, they deposit to week side of pool, you can still get them usingweek side deposit.

So you will never get BC from RCI point side. If for somereason FF deposit the 4 BD to RCI wek side, then you may get it using 28k to 254k depends on what kind of trading value RCI gives to these 4 BD. But it will never happen.

mini RCI poists is because 1) you have no access to RCI FF point inventory, you will have all the access to RCI point inventory that is not FF resort.
2) you have no on-line access, you have to call FF VC to check if there is any non-FF point inventory open. However, in theory, at 10 month, these inventories should be opened to anyone. However, since I don't own RCI point acount, can not tell you when some resort may choice to deposit its excessive inventory to RCI point pool. 3) you don't get RCI point, in exchange, you are using generic grid. 4) you don't have those 9,000 RCI express week ride program or RCI region generic week grid ride program, but you can use week deposit any way.

Since all resorts are in theory RCI point resorts, so you can not use RCI's PFD (point for deposit) if you deposit a FF week to RCI.

There is no way to get 4BD FF from RCI.

It is much possible get 2BD FF week from RCI's week inventory.

It is possible to get great point resort nightly stay that may charge high RCI points, but only reasonable in FF generic grid.

Jya-Ning

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

Go back and take a look at the documents in the Files section that describe Plus Partners (for Points access) and Worldwide External Exchange for more of the nitty gritty.

Ok, I just finished reading the WorldWide External Exchange document and think I understand this a bit better now. So when I call FF/Wyn to have them make an RCI deposit, if I state a 2 BR in RED season, it will always cost you 154k FF/Wyn Points. Likewise, a 3 BR in RED season will always cost you 203k points. Correct?

Now, on the RCI side of the house, if I understand correctly, when I do a deposit to RCI, I have to specify one of three options to FF/Wyn:

First, I could just request a "regular generic point deposit" which would not allow me to actually search on RCI.com for inventory to trade for.

The second option is to request an "online visible" week which I would see a resort/week in my RCI Weeks Account which I could then search their database to find exchanges.

The third option listed in the document confuses me. It says I can

“Request First” or “Search First” to see whether there is availability where you want to go prior to giving up your points to RCI or II."

So when I call FF/Wyn and say I want to do a deposit and specify a "Request First" or "Search First", they don't actually deduct any point from my FF/Wyn Account? Does this allow you to search on RCI.com to see what's available?

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

Ok, I just finished reading the WorldWide External Exchange document and think I understand this a bit better now. So when I call FF/Wyn to have them make an RCI deposit, if I state a 2 BR in RED season, it will always cost you 154k FF/Wyn Points. Likewise, a 3 BR in RED season will always cost you 203k points. Correct?

Yes, you have it!

Now, on the RCI side of the house, if I understand correctly, when I do a deposit to RCI, I have to specify one of three options to FF/Wyn:

First, I could just request a "regular generic point deposit" which would not allow me to actually search on RCI.com for inventory to trade for.

Yes.

The second option is to request an "online visible" week which I would see a resort/week in my RCI Weeks Account which I could then search their database to find exchanges.

Yes. FYI, it is hard to get a studio size online visible week. Not many of them.

The third option listed in the document confuses me. It says I can



So when I call FF/Wyn and say I want to do a deposit and specify a "Request First" or "Search First", they don't actually deduct any point from my FF/Wyn Account?

Actually they do deduct points from your FF/Wyn account. You have 2 days to cancel the search and return the points back into your FF/Wyn account. If you do it too late, you've made a permanent final deposit into RCI.

Does this allow you to search on RCI.com to see what's available?

No.

See my comments and answers in red above. You're doing much much better understanding this exchange business. Now the fun part comes with what size unit and season should I deposit. Veteran FF/Wyn exchangers like 28k, 70k and 105k deposits for the most part. Remember you have to have housekeeping credits to make the deposit. If you are short, then you have to pay to add them. Also, a request for a RCI exchange costs one reservation transaction. These may be important if you are short of a Gold VIP account.

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

See my comments and answers in red above. You're doing much much better understanding this exchange business. Now the fun part comes with what size unit and season should I deposit. Veteran FF/Wyn exchangers like 28k, 70k and 105k deposits for the most part. Remember you have to have housekeeping credits to make the deposit. If you are short, then you have to pay to add them. Also, a request for a RCI exchange costs one reservation transaction. These may be important if you are short of a Gold VIP account.

Ok, I think I get it now. Do you know how much they charge per Reservation Transaction? As a VIP member, I believe I have unlimited housekeeping credits, but, like you said, Gold+ is where they offer free reservation transactions. I guess that's one other useful positive perk for Gold membership (in my book).

The only other perk that the Gold offered which interested me was the 6 month extension on being able to pool your points. Other than that, I don't think Gold/Platinum are worth it. As it is, I'm only a VIP member since I didn't know any better on resale vs. retail. At least my 308k points are at a resort I plan to frequent since we have a 2 3/4 year old and in December, we'll have another.

I think my wife already booked us for 2 weeks at Bonnet Creek next year which will use up all of our points (plus credit pool points). But now that I know a bit more about how the whole RCI thing works, at least I won't be fearful of having to deposit points into it if needed.

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

Ok, I think I get it now. Do you know how much they charge per Reservation Transaction?

You get 1 free Reservation Transaction per 77,000 points owned each calendar year. With 308,000 points, you get 4 free transactions. After that, each reservation transaction is $25. However, a reservation transaction lasts for an entire day. So you can book multiple transactions on the same day and it will count as only 1 Reservation Transaction, even if done at different times during the day.

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

You get 1 free Reservation Transaction per 77,000 points owned each calendar year. With 308,000 points, you get 4 free transactions. After that, each reservation transaction is $25. However, a reservation transaction lasts for an entire day. So you can book multiple transactions on the same day and it will count as only 1 Reservation Transaction, even if done at different times during the day.

Great, thanks alot for all of the information! I'm sure when it comes time for me to tap RCI (or any other exchange for that matter), I'll be asking a ton more of questions.

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

Great, thanks alot for all of the information! I'm sure when it comes time for me to tap RCI (or any other exchange for that matter), I'll be asking a ton more of questions.

That's how we all learn! Ask away.

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

Thanks a lot for the great information given by you....Because i am in search of answer for these question.....
................
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You get 1 free Reservation Transaction per 77,000 points owned each calendar year. With 308,000 points, you get 4 free transactions. After that, each reservation transaction is $25. However, a reservation transaction lasts for an entire day. So you can book multiple transactions on the same day and it will count as only 1 Reservation Transaction, even if done at different times during the day.