Worth Joining RCI

[mike53]

We own several timeshare weeks and if not using the resort we have traded through II. I just noticed that one of my resorts (Island Seas) is now an RCI weeks resort.

I am interested in traveling more to Central and South America and I note that RCI has many more resorts listed than II in these locations although some/most are hotels. We would like to travel to San Andreas Island or Cartegena in Colombia. We've traded into Santa Marta resorts with II but they have no listings for San Andreas.

Has anyone had any experience in trading into these areas with RCI? Just wondering if it worth joining.

 

[brigala]

I'm wondering the same thing about whether an RCI membership is worth having. I am looking at the RCI membership fees and I'm a little confused. A regular subscription fee is $99/yr. A "platinum" upgrade is $89/yr and a "gold" is $49/yr. It's not clear why the platinum is more than the regular subscription - I'm guessing it must be in addition to the regular fee and not instead of it, but the chart is confusing. Then there are the fees involved in actually booking an exchange.

My parents are RCI members and I've used their system from time to time for exchanges because my parents don't use it much. I've been able to get some good vacations through them, but it's often not easy to get into a place during a time or at a location we want.

We just purchased privately at a resort I initially got into through RCI and fell in love with, but in the 20 years of having access to my parents' RCI account I've only managed to score a room at this place twice. Now we'll have one every year during a week we can predict and plan for; I probably won't become an RCI member although maybe eventually if we start getting tired of going back to the same place every year - although it's a prime rental week so even then I think it might make more sense to just rent it out and spend that year's vacation $$ on renting elsewhere - or arrange for a private exchange here on TUG.

I'm looking at the RCI resort directory and I do see some units available in Cartegena, but they are all-inclusive resorts. The one I'm looking at, in addition to the RCI fees and the exchange points also charges $105 per adult per day as a resort fee. I'm not sure that would make more sense than just calling the resort (or a travel agent) and booking it.

 

[talkamotta]

The regular price is $99, sometime you can get it for less if you buy more years. The upgrade is on top of the $99/year.

I have owned both II and rci and there are advantages to both. Some resorts trade in both some are exclusive to one of the other. Try rci and see if it works if it does don't sign up again.

 

[WinniWoman]

If you are planning to exchange a lot and RCI has the resorts you HOPE to go to then you should join and try it out as long as you are good with the fees.

If you plan on going to your home resort year after year like we do, then I would not join. We have not been members for many years. Once in a while when we do exchange we have used the free memberships with DAE and Trading Places. There is also Platinum Interchange, SFX and RTX to name some others and there are other ones besides these out there.

, you can even try exchanging right here on TUG.

Just keep in mind they do not have the inventory that II and RCI has by any stretch of the imagination.

Of course, if your timeshare ownership is in RCI points you have to be a member of RCI in order to use it.

 

[mike53]

The regular price is $99, sometime you can get it for less if you buy more years. The upgrade is on top of the $99/year.

I have owned both II and rci and there are advantages to both. Some resorts trade in both some are exclusive to one of the other. Try rci and see if it works if it does don't sign up again.

That sounds like a plan. I'll give it a try and see which one works best for me.