HGVC to RCI

[DannyTS]

HI, what is the trading power for 7000 HGVC points in RCI? Is there a chart i can look at? I am not a member of either at this moment, just considering to buy.
Thank you

 

[SmithOp]

It can vary based on season. There will also be an exchange fee up to $239 for a week. Also keep in mind that HGVC is the top shelf in RCI, very few others will compare, you will be downtrading. Very little DVC gets deposited.

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[PigsDad]

As you can see by the chart, HGVC doesn't really deal in "trading power" -- if you have the points available and the RCI week is available, then you can book the reservation. With HGVC, owners use a corporate RCI account accessible through the HGVC portal, not a personal account. This means you cannot combine your HGVC week with other weeks you may own outside HGVC. With the corporate account, we can see pretty much anything out there, so very good in the traditional "trading power" sense.

While it is true that HGVC properties are top shelf and most RCI trades are "downtrading", the point structure is set up to compensate for that a bit. For example, a standard 2BR HGVC in the top season (Platinum) is worth 7000 HGVC points. However, trading to an RCI 2BR in the top season (Red) only costs 4800 HGVC points. You roughly get a one-size upgrade when trading into RCI using HGVC points. For trading into equivalent-quality resorts like DVC, this can make the trade look like a bargain, IMO.

Kurt

 

[DannyTS]

As you can see by the chart, HGVC doesn't really deal in "trading power" -- if you have the points available and the RCI week is available, then you can book the reservation. With HGVC, owners use a corporate RCI account accessible through the HGVC portal, not a personal account. This means you cannot combine your HGVC week with other weeks you may own outside HGVC. With the corporate account, we can see pretty much anything out there, so very good in the traditional "trading power" sense.

While it is true that HGVC properties are top shelf and most RCI trades are "downtrading", the point structure is set up to compensate for that a bit. For example, a standard 2BR HGVC in the top season (Platinum) is worth 7000 HGVC points. However, trading to an RCI 2BR in the top season (Red) only costs 4800 HGVC points. You roughly get a one-size upgrade when trading into RCI using HGVC points. For trading into equivalent-quality resorts like DVC, this can make the trade look like a bargain, IMO.

Kurt

Thank you Kurt. I understand that many RCI resorts are not top notch. This does not concern me as long as there is still SOME availability for gold crown resorts during the prime seasons (kids still young but we will get to the point where we will have to follow the school calendar).
Is the availability ok in general?

 

[PigsDad]

The key with RCI is planning, the further out you can put in an ongoing search the better. If you know your school calendar a year out you should be fine. With that said, I have generally been able to find good RCI trades the few times I have done that. Mostly, I stick to HGVC resorts which I can almost always get what I want if I book at the 9-month mark when Club Season booking opens up.

Kurt

 

[DannyTS]

The key with RCI is planning, the further out you can put in an ongoing search the better. If you know your school calendar a year out you should be fine. With that said, I have generally been able to find good RCI trades the few times I have done that. Mostly, I stick to HGVC resorts which I can almost always get what I want if I book at the 9-month mark when Club Season booking opens up.

Kurt

Have you tried resorts in Europe? I am curious for example if i would be able to book Hilton Vilamoura in Portugal during the summer vacation (weeks 25-34)

 

[PigsDad]

Have you tried resorts in Europe? I am curious for example if i would be able to book Hilton Vilamoura in Portugal during the summer vacation (weeks 25-34)

That is a very difficult property to book in the summer, since most of the summer weeks were sold as fixed weeks and by the time the 9-month window comes around, owners at that property have already grabbed up any availability (owners can book at 12 months out).

Kurt

 

[youppi]

Jut curious. The chart shows up to 3 bdrm. Does it means that you can't book a 4 bdrm & up on RCI ?
Thanks

 

[GT75]

i would be able to book Hilton Vilamoura in Portugal during the summer vacation (weeks 25-34)

You can book Hilton Vilamoura directly via HGVC w/o using RCI. Still like @PigsDad said, it I think is very difficult to book even for owners there during the summer weeks.

 

[DannyTS]

one last question concerning the affiliated resorts where you have to call to deposit to get the HGVC points: can you still see availability in the HGVC system as well as on the corporate RCI without having the points yet in the account and deposit after you found something suitable or you have to deposit and have the points first?

 

[PigsDad]

one last question

Ok, last one!

concerning the affiliated resorts where you have to call to deposit to get the HGVC points: can you still see availability in the HGVC system as well as on the corporate RCI without having the points yet in the account and deposit after you found something suitable or you have to deposit and have the points first?

That's a great question! I do know that you can definitely see availability of the HGVC resorts that you can book online even if you don't have any "available" points.

As for RCI, I suspect you can still see availability, but honestly I don't know for sure. I do own two affiliate weeks so I need to release those home week reservations if I want to do something else with those points, but I also own a 3rd week at SeaWorld, and when I go into RCI, it shows the "points available" as the sum of points I haven't used for the current year, next year, and year after next (we can effectively borrow two years ahead for RCI reservations). Therefore, I have never been out of points so I can't say for sure what would happen.

Kurt

P.S. If you have more general questions regarding HGVC, you might try the HGVC group as it would get more exposure there. Cheers!

 

[Denise L]

I'm trying to figure out if the RCI 1 in 4 rule applies to less than 7 nights booked with points at HGVC. I was just looking online and the "Urgent Information" mentioned that the 1 in 4 rule applies, but I seem to recall that it was only for weeks, not nights. With the recent RCI changes/fee increases, I am not sure what the rule is. I also didn't know that there is now a Grace Period to cancel and get all my points and transaction fee back, so that is something that will give me time to get my answer and call them to cancel, if I need to. Thanks for any advice or for pointing me to the right thread.

 

[DannyTS]

if i understand correctly, the RCI inventory can be weeks or points. Can HGVC points see both?

 

[SmithOp]

if i understand correctly, the RCI inventory can be weeks or points. Can HGVC points see both?

If you change the search criteria “Length of Stay” to 1-6 days, then you are searching points inventory and can book less than the 7 day weeks inventory.


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[Cyberc]

Have you tried resorts in Europe? I am curious for example if i would be able to book Hilton Vilamoura in Portugal during the summer vacation (weeks 25-34)

I’m an owner at hgvc vilamoura and inventory in the summer months gets booked very fast. I have never seen the resort in rci, don’t think it exists.

If you want vilamoura on a regular basis you need to own there. If you wish to try it once you could try and stalk the reservation site when the 9 month window opens.

 

[Cyberc]

I'm trying to figure out if the RCI 1 in 4 rule applies to less than 7 nights booked with points at HGVC. I was just looking online and the "Urgent Information" mentioned that the 1 in 4 rule applies, but I seem to recall that it was only for weeks, not nights. With the recent RCI changes/fee increases, I am not sure what the rule is. I also didn't know that there is now a Grace Period to cancel and get all my points and transaction fee back, so that is something that will give me time to get my answer and call them to cancel, if I need to. Thanks for any advice or for pointing me to the right thread.

The 1:4 rule normally only applies to weeks reservations I do however know of a group of resorts in Europe (Anfi) which don’t care if you stay for 1 day or 7. They also enforce it very strictly, they cancel your reservation if you book at any of their resorts within the 4 years.

The grace period of 24 hours have been there for many years.

 

[Panina]

I'm trying to figure out if the RCI 1 in 4 rule applies to less than 7 nights booked with points at HGVC. I was just looking online and the "Urgent Information" mentioned that the 1 in 4 rule applies, but I seem to recall that it was only for weeks, not nights. With the recent RCI changes/fee increases, I am not sure what the rule is. I also didn't know that there is now a Grace Period to cancel and get all my points and transaction fee back, so that is something that will give me time to get my answer and call them to cancel, if I need to. Thanks for any advice or for pointing me to the right thread.

The 1:4 rule normally only applies to weeks reservations I do however know of a group of resorts in Europe (Anfi) which don’t care if you stay for 1 day or 7. They also enforce it very strictly, they cancel your reservation if you book at any of their resorts within the 4 years.

The grace period of 24 hours have been there for many years.

I just emailed HGVC to get clarification on when the 1 in 4 rule applies. If I talk to the RCI rep that handles HGVC I will not trust the answer. Let HGVC get the answer from RCI. I will post when I get the answer.

 

[Panina]

This is the response I got from hgvc on the 1 in 4 rule.

“Thank you for your inquiry. As a HGVC member the 1 in X rule would apply to any reservation no matter the length of the reservation.”

 

[Jan M.]

With the changes in the RCI website in the past year now if I try to book a resort with that rule that I've used within the 3 or 4 year period, it won't let me book it. A message pops up telling me I've stayed there with in that time period. That is one change I like.

 

[Panina]

With the changes in the RCI website in the past year now if I try to book a resort with that rule that I've used within the 3 or 4 year period, it won't let me book it. A message pops up telling me I've stayed there with in that time period. That is one change I like.

Sometimes it works to stop us and sometimes it doesn’t. Today it would let me book a 1 in 4 I shouldn’t be able to through the RCI portal. Makes me question if the answer they gave me is correct.

 

[Jan M.]

Sometimes it works to stop us and sometimes it doesn’t. Today it would let me book a 1 in 4 I shouldn’t be able to through the RCI portal. Makes me question if the answer they gave me is correct.

I had an RCI rep tell me that with points I wasn't restricted by the 1 in 4 rule at Orange Lake that it just applied to weeks owners. And that may have been in just one section of the resort not all the sections. You can ask three different reps with RCI and get three different answers so I ended up not booking it because I didn't want to take the chance. My sister and BIL own there and in the next year or two we want to a family vacation with them, their son and his family, us, our son and his family.