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RCI & Fairfield Points Programs

Rod in Louisiana

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I spoke with an RCI Guide today, who informed me that I can't belong to the RCI Points and Fairfield Points programs at the same time. She said I had to choose one or the other. I asked her if this meant that each year, I could choose where to deposit my points, and she said no. In a rather abrupt manner, she restated her assertion that I can't belong to both at the same time, with no further explanation. Is she correct? Do I need to make a final decision to join one or the other? Or, can I decide at the beginning of each year where I want my points to do, just as I now decide where I want my fixed weeks to go?

06/07/05 I just had another thought. The Fairfield corporate person, with whom I discussed converting to points, told me that my maintenance fee would increase by $113, of which $89 is earmarked for RCI dues. If I can't belong to both programs, choosing the program in which I want to deposit my points at the beginning of each year, they why is Fairfield essentially forcing me to belong to RCI?
 
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JeffV

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Why don't you pose this question on the Ask RCI forum? Or you can send an email to feedback@rci.com, put TUG in the subject line and ask them the question.
 

gjaques

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To my knowledge, there is no connection between Fairfield points and RCI points.
You can make deposits of various numbers of Fairfield points into RCI representing anything from a Fairfield blue week studio to a red week 3BR, but this then represents a specific week at a designated Fairfield resort and is treated by RCI as a single week deposit with no relationship to RCI points.
There is a yahoo site for Fairfield owners with a lot of information. Perusing the site in the past, I saw owners reporting great trades with Fairfield deposits of as little as 28,000 points.
Greg
 

Rod in Louisiana

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JeffV said:
Why don't you pose this question on the Ask RCI forum? Or you can send an email to feedback@rci.com, put TUG in the subject line and ask them the question.


I thought this was the Ask RCI Forum.
 

Madge

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Rod in Louisiana,

As a FairShare Plus member, when you request an RCI exchange, you decide how many of your Fairfield Points you'll use. Fairfield then deposits a special week into your RCI account that will give you the best chance for the exchange you want.

FairShare Plus Partners is similar, except that you can also request nightly and partial week stays using RCI Points. Or, you can request other travel products, such as hotels, airline tickets, cruises, or entertainment. This program simply provides more options for you to use your FairShare Plus points. However, this is not an RCI Points membership -- it is a FairShare Plus Partners membership. You could have a separate RCI Points membership only if you had an ownership with another RCI Points-affiliated resort.
 

GlennBenscoter

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Madge,
I am a FF Plus partner member. Can I have an RCI Points account without having a non-FF RCI points resort? It would be nice to be able to check availability online vs keeping a VG on the phone looking at options.

Glenn Benscoter
 

Madge

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Glenn,

In order to have an RCI Points account, which would allow you to search and confirm vacations online, you must own with an RCI Points-affiliated resort. The FairShare Plus Partners program is a separate program that Fairfield offers exclusively to its owners.
 

onthego

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GlennBenscoter said:
Madge,
I am a FF Plus partner member. Can I have an RCI Points account without having a non-FF RCI points resort? It would be nice to be able to check availability online vs keeping a VG on the phone looking at options.

Glenn Benscoter
Madge,
I'm bumping this message. I'm also interested in the answer to Glenn's question. Please advise.
Ron
 

Madge

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onthego,

My answer just above was directed at Glenn's question. Let me know if something is not clear.
 

GlennBenscoter

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Madge,
I just reread your response. It does not squarely answer my question. I was asking if I could get a RCI Points account to check availability. No where did I ask to confirm on line as your response indicates in the negative.

After checking availability I could then go back to FF Plus Partners and book if I found what I was looking for.

Thanks
Glenn Benscoter
 

Madge

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GlennBenscoter said:
Madge,
I just reread your response. It does not squarely answer my question. I was asking if I could get a RCI Points account to check availability. No where did I ask to confirm on line as your response indicates in the negative.

After checking availability I could then go back to FF Plus Partners and book if I found what I was looking for.

Thanks
Glenn Benscoter
Glenn,

Your initial question included the following:

Madge,
I am a FF Plus partner member. Can I have an RCI Points account without having a non-FF RCI points resort? It would be nice to be able to check availability online vs keeping a VG on the phone looking at options.

I responded to your question taking an interest in online searching into account. However, I also responded to Rod in Louisiana as follows:

FairShare Plus Partners is similar... However, this is not an RCI Points membership -- it is a FairShare Plus Partners membership. You could have a separate RCI Points membership only if you had an ownership with another RCI Points-affiliated resort.

If there are questions still unanswered after reviewing the posts in this thread, please let me know. I'll be glad to address them.
 

Rod in Louisiana

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Madge said:
Rod in Louisiana,

As a FairShare Plus member, when you request an RCI exchange, you decide how many of your Fairfield Points you'll use. Fairfield then deposits a special week into your RCI account that will give you the best chance for the exchange you want.

FairShare Plus Partners is similar, except that you can also request nightly and partial week stays using RCI Points. Or, you can request other travel products, such as hotels, airline tickets, cruises, or entertainment. This program simply provides more options for you to use your FairShare Plus points. However, this is not an RCI Points membership -- it is a FairShare Plus Partners membership. You could have a separate RCI Points membership only if you had an ownership with another RCI Points-affiliated resort.

Madge, I'm still trying to understand this RCI points thing. Is there any way I can use my Fairfield fixed week to get into the RCI points program? Since the Fairfield resort at which I own is an RCI Points resort, there must be some way I can do this.
 

Madge

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Rod in Louisiana said:
Madge, I'm still trying to understand this RCI points thing. Is there any way I can use my Fairfield fixed week to get into the RCI points program? Since the Fairfield resort at which I own is an RCI Points resort, there must be some way I can do this.
Rod in Louisiana,

The option available to Fairfield owners is the FairShare Plus Enhanced Points program (this is the official name). This program provides some benefits through RCI Points; however, it is separate. Fairfield is not offering conversion to RCI Points specifically. Because this program does provide access to RCI Points inventory, it is listed as RCI Points-affiliated in our online directory.
 

nigam

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Can a Fairfield Week (not in FairShare Plus) be deposited in an RCI points account in the points for deposit program?
 

EAM

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Requesting way for owners of enhanced FSP to check availability in RCI points online

Madge,

Apparently there is currently no way for owners of enhanced Fairshare Plus Points to check availability in the RCI Nightly Stay program without making a telephone call. Could RCI please consider adding this feature to a future web site upgrade? It would be nice to be able to book these online, but for the time being some of us would just like to be able to check availability, then call if something we want is available. It could keep us from spending a lot of time on hold, only to find that nothing we want is available.

EAM
 

Robnsunny

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EAM said:
Madge,

Apparently there is currently no way for owners of enhanced Fairshare Plus Points to check availability in the RCI Nightly Stay program without making a telephone call. Could RCI please consider adding this feature to a future web site upgrade? It would be nice to be able to book these online, but for the time being some of us would just like to be able to check availability, then call if something we want is available. It could keep us from spending a lot of time on hold, only to find that nothing we want is available.

EAM

Allow me to second this. Is there any technical reason that Fairfield owners couldn't get a search only points account?

I rarely even try to use RCI points because of the difficulties of the phone call. Not only do you spend excessive time on hold to find out there's nothing available, but there may well be a perfectably acceptable alternative available that the VG missed in the search because of imperfect communication (always a given in such transactions). This means RCI misses out on exchange transactions and has VG time wasted.
 

Madge

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EAM,

There are technical issues that have been difficult to overcome between Fairfield's system and ours. However, both companies are continuing efforts to make online access for RCI transactions possible. At this point, I do not have an ETA. It will depend on how/when the issues will be resolved.
 
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