RCI upgrade for Platinum owners?

[jules54]

Has anyone done this or does it exist? Someone did ask the questions at owners meeting and the rep who answered said yes Platinum owners are to get an upgrade to the next later unit if one is available with RCI. How or where can I find out about this or read the information.
I did an exchange online today with a Platinum account and no larger unit was offered and they were available. Do I have to call to find out?
Thanks for any information.

 

[Free2Roam]

It doesn't work like the Wyndham upgrades, where you choose from what's availabile during the reservation process. You have to specify on the reservation that you'd like an upgrade... when/if it happens, it's within 2 weeks of checkin. They will notify you by email.

(assuming you're talking about RCI Platinum, not Wyndham platinum... if not, I can't answer as I'm not Wyndham platinum)

 

[paxsarah]

As I understand it (I'm not VIP and have never done it) it needs to be done by calling in to make the deposit (at least it did in the old system), and it's actually an upgrade in the number of points deposited to RCI. Here's a thread where it was previously discussed: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/rci-deposit.220969/

 

[north]

The VIP benefit for Gold and Platinum has this wording:
"Worldwide External Exchange Deposit Unit Size Upgrades
• Upgrade to the next largest unit on all Value and Quiet season deposits."

You have to call in to use this benefit. I used it earlier this year, and it was a bit difficult.

The VC I spoke to, had no knowledge of this benefit. He thought I just wanted to make a regular RCI deposit. I had to point him to the text on the web site, and then he had to contact someone to get information. I think I waited more than 30 minutes before the VC was ready to continue.

He finally took 35 000 points from my Wyndham account, and said I would receive 55 000 points in my RCI account. I asked why I did not get 63 000 points as that would be the upgrade from a studio to a 1 BR, but he said that was what the internal document said. After spending more than an hour on the phone, I wasn't in argueing mode. The points would show up in my RCI account the next day.

The next day, I checked my RCI account, and it had 35 000 new points in it instead of the 55 000. A new call to a VC. She had no knowledge of the VIP benefit I had been trying to use. I asked to be transfered to Owner Care, but this problem wasn't something I could bother OC with, and she offered to help me herself. I pointed her to the text on the web site, and then I had to hold for a long time while she found someone that could explain the benefit to her. When she came back, she told me that she couldn't fix the problem, and had to transfer me to Owner Care!

OC could see that the VC had done something wrong when he made the RCI deposit a day earlier, but it took another 30 minutes to fix the error. The OC guy said that this was not a VIP benefit that was used very often.

The points in my RCI account doesn't seem to have any restrictions to what season I can book.

 

[perigo449]

Yes this benefit does still exist as per the above link but good luck getting a VC that can make it work correctly in the new system. We meet many couples at a RCI resort every year for 2 weeks so I do used this benefit. I am still working with owners services to get my last deposits correct with the upgrade from 35K to 63K.

 

[bobpark56]

The upgrade does exist. We were upgraded to a 2BR unit at Las Mimosas on the Costa de Sol this past March. No advance notice...just found out about it when we arrived.