RCI Points does not charge you a reservation fee for ONLY your Home Week (your underlying week) booked during the Home Week Reservation Period (13-12 months out). Home Resort Reservation Period (12-11 months out) has a $40 fee. Outside of that 2 month period, all other 7 night transaction cost your $164 reservation fee (lower number of nights, fee is less; BUT, the resort you are booking into might charge you at checkout a "cleaning charge", as they have to reset the unit for another exchanger. Bill4728 is very correct in that unless a week is available from another RCI Points owner, it will NOT be in the Points system.
Now,
Wyndham - Bill4728 is correct that at MOST resorts, all weeks are in the Points pool. Some Wyndham resorts still have fixed week owners, who are NOT part of the UDI/Points system ... but at this point, they are a small minority within Wyndham. For every 77,000 points you own, you get one reservation transaction and 77,000 housekeeping credits. If you need more of either of these, you must buy then as you book your reservation using a credit card.
You use a reservation transaction every "day" you book a reservation or deposit to RCI/II or transfer points to another member ... so plan several bookings on one day.
Housekeeping credits are used based on the size unit you book; 2bdr requires more HK than a studio. But it is NOT based on number of days - 2 days is the same as 7 days and 10 days is 2 times the 7 day "cost".
Home resort booking advantage is from 13-12-11 month out, but VIPs (full developer price high point owners) can book at 12-11 month out. Red time at resorts mainly require a 7 day booking starting (mostly) on Fri and Sat (and Sun). That rule can be altered if, you are travelling multiple resorts with consecative nights and it adds up to 7 or more nights (don't know about HK credits, reservations transactions can be gotten around by booking all in one day).
Those are some of the differences.
Wyndham point charts for usage at each particular resort is in granite when it is opened (UDI-undivided interest as that is how the deed is described). So generally, older resorts are "cheap" point eaters to stay there, but then HK get used faster. New resorts have "Point Inflation" happening to cost you more to stay (old pt resort154,000 for 2bdr, newer resort 203,000 for 2bdr, newest resort 289,000 for 2bdr). You can bank points only throught planning far in advance for $; but you can borrow using a reservation transaction. Can transfer HK credits too when grabbing points. Reservation transactions are $49 each. HK credits ??? (Wyndham seems to increase this regulary), but they can add up to real money quickly. Use years start (based on deed) either Jan1, Apr1, Jul1 or Oct1. Cancelled reservations/changes use Reservation Transactions (or loss of $$), but HK credits are returned. (Unless you cancel 15 or fewer days before checkin, then you lose all).
RCI Points points charts can just be changed by RCI, and your week deposit value of points is changed and points to book into a resort changes. Use year starts the month after you set up your RCI Points account and I think, with each new points deposit (that is the one that drives me
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Both have online computer systems, to book and check availability. Wyndham's reservation/availability/financial has limited hours (M-F 8 to 10PM) with weekends/holidays less except at the year end when it shuts down. RCI tends to close once a month on a Sat night.
OKAY? IMHO, buy where the resort you want to vacation at 4 out of 5 years, learning that one system before buy a week of Wyndham pts here and a week of RCI points there and a DVC and etc. You won't master any system to best use its strong advantages and avoid its weakness in the TS world.
