DVC through RCI points

[Dean]

I've seen a lot of units lately including 2 BR at VWL, BCV, AKV & BWV for Oct, Nov, Dec including Xmas through NY. Today I saw the first 3 BR on points, a 3 BR at OKW for Nov.

 

[littlestar]

Wow. How many points does it take, Dean?

I'm in a 3 bedroom as I type at Marriott's Imperial Palms - it's very nice. I could get spoiled to 3 bedrooms.

 

[Dean]

Wow. How many points does it take, Dean?

I'm in a 3 bedroom as I type at Marriott's Imperial Palms - it's very nice. I could get spoiled to 3 bedrooms.

109500, by comparison a 2 BR is 94500 for the same time.

 

[Brian Noble]

Nice sighting. The OKW GVs are stunning. And a bargain at 109.5K.

There were several 1/2BR over Xmas/NY on the Weeks side, but they didn't last very long. There might have been some more in the March bulk bank, but if so, they were taken by ongoing search.

 

[Dean]

Nice sighting. The OKW GVs are stunning. And a bargain at 109.5K.

There were several 1/2BR over Xmas/NY on the Weeks side, but they didn't last very long. There might have been some more in the March bulk bank, but if so, they were taken by ongoing search.

There were Xmas weeks in both sets for both weeks and points.

 

[Brian Noble]

I must have just missed them. By the time I looked, there were only studios in the March batch Weeks-side.

 

[bunny]

How much would it cost to buy a RCI timeshare with enough points to trade into the DVC for one week in a 2 bedroom in the fall? I was thinking about adding on but it might be better to buy something from RCI. That way I would access to those extra weeks RCI offers, right?

 

[Dean]

How much would it cost to buy a RCI timeshare with enough points to trade into the DVC for one week in a 2 bedroom in the fall? I was thinking about adding on but it might be better to buy something from RCI. That way I would access to those extra weeks RCI offers, right?

To buy points alone it'd cost maybe $4-5K or less. The real issue is how many points compared to the yearly fees. There aren't many weeks that would give you enough points for one week but there are a few. You might be looking at a 2 BR at DVC two out of 3 years or buying two RCI points weeks per year. I wouldn't go for anything under around 150 points per $1 of fees. You'd also have about $400 in extra fees (yearly RCI membership, exchange fee and DVC $95 exchange in fee) per year on top of the maint. I'm not sure it's worth it JUST to trade into DVC but I think it is definitely worth it to use for non DVC options and also for DVC. Actually I think the better deal is to buy a points system that works with RCI weeks AND a small points membership. That way you get the RCI weeks account for free while only paying the RCI points membership. If you get something that's good enough to trade into DVC through weeks, you're likely even better off. If not, you can always convert the RCI weeks ownership to RCI points as long as the resort has not joined RCI points. My favorite way to do this is a small RCI points package plus a Bluegreen Gold or Platinum membership added to a very small DVC membership. For around or under $20K (and as little as $10K if you know how), one can have a BUNCH of options, as many RCI points and weeks deposits as you desire, access to some of the Shell club options and better cash equivalent exchanges than through DVC plus many of the DVC membership options. Yearly costs total around $3K. With DVC 350 points will cost you maybe $25000 with yearly fees around $1750. Certainly it's a gamble. DVC resorts may not cont to be as accessible as they are now, DVC might change back to II or go out on their own altogether with the BVTC.

Were I starting from scratch from scratch today, that's what I'd do. Plus a good fairly cheap Marriott to trade that was a lockoff. As an example, I have 3 trades in to DVC this year (two 2 BR at OKW and a 1 BR savannah view AKV) and have seen so many good options including 2 BR units at VWL, BCV, BWV, AKV plus the 3 BR at OKW. The units I own to use and not trade are significantly more expensive overall than when I trade.

 

[bunny]

I already own a DVC membership. Now instead of adding on to that membership, I was thinking of selling my DVC membership and buying a RCI membership and using it to trade into DVC and to stay other places. I am not happy with DVC in terms of trading out. Where could I get a deal on a RCI membership and how many points would I need to buy? I am confused by the last response. Can you give me a RCI for dummies and point me where to go?

 

[carlbarry]

Look on ebay! Do NOT buy from the developer; as soon as you purchase, the value declines 90%. Always check ebay first.

 

[Brian Noble]

Can you give me a RCI for dummies and point me where to go?

http://www.tug2.net/advice/tugrcipoints.html
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/

 

[Dean]

I already own a DVC membership. Now instead of adding on to that membership, I was thinking of selling my DVC membership and buying a RCI membership and using it to trade into DVC and to stay other places. I am not happy with DVC in terms of trading out. Where could I get a deal on a RCI membership and how many points would I need to buy? I am confused by the last response. Can you give me a RCI for dummies and point me where to go?

You need to consider where you want to travel, when, who (II or RCI) has the best resorts, price, fees and any special characteristics of any given resort. There really are 3 main exchange companies (RCI weeks, II and RCI points). There are also a number of mini systems like DVC, Hilton, Hyatt, Bluegreen, Wyndham, Worldmark, Shell, Westin, and VRI to name many of them. Marriott is also a mini system of sorts in that you get a 24 day trade priority in II for other Marriott resorts. I'd suggest you take a look at your preferred areas and spend maybe 6 months exploring the best options for those locations. Given everyone is truly different, it's impossible to say what's best. TUG is your single best option to explore these issues but there are other places as well. For example, if one wanted to go to Orlando most years and didn't care about on property, any cheap trading option would do that. Trades to Orlando in 2 or 3 BR units normally cost me a total of about $300-400 depending on whether it's DVC or other (Hilton, Marriott). MX is about as easy and cheap. HI, on the other hand, is a totally different landscape.

I'd recommend you research then make the move to RCI before selling your DVC. You might even consider adding a small contract, say 25-50 points then selling all else to get the perks and supplement other stays.

ebay is a good place but there are a lot of risks. There are also other good and possibly better places to find good deals for the right situation. ebay requires a degree of knowledge that most newbies do not have.

 

[Brian Noble]

Most importantly: take your time. It's really easy to buy a timeshare. It's very hard to sell one. There's no hurry---in the meantime, it's relatively easy to rent at good prices through TUG, Redweek, and others.