Understanding points in the timeshare world

There are numerous vacation clubs throughout the world that offer packages of points. The points and denominations are typically distinct from resort to resort and often keep one guessing as to how they convert through RCI points.

Resorts use various points scales- these scales will vary from one resort to the next- Their points are designed to express or represent their “currency” within the point’s world. A good example of this is Club Intrawest which uses a scale in the tens. Ex. 120 points or 160 points- whereas Wyndham Vacation Club uses hundreds of thousands numbers to represent “their currency”. How long you can stay in their resorts with your total points is most often found in your owner’s kit that you received when you joined your club. Typically, points are spent just like currency and factors that affect week timeshares, often are similar to point’s resorts and clubs- Lower season use lesser points and bigger accommodations at Christmas time require more points- more currency.

So what is the big deal or differences? Well, as a general rule you can use less points in lower season and not waste or consume a whole high season week for a trade of lesser value. As most vacation clubs typically afford you the luxury of “carrying over” any or all of your unused points…They can be used in the next travel year and coupled with the next year allotment. This way you have points left over for some additional travel through the year or add to the next year’s allotment which would allow for a longer vacation or larger unit at your favorite resort.

An additional consumer benefit to the points for the timeshare traveler is that you can book vacations less or more than the standard 7 night vacation with set check in dates other than the weekend days. This often can help save on airfares by checking in on a Tuesday and booking stays for more than 10 days, for example.

You could check with your resort customer service department to get the exact equation as to how many RCI points you will receive for your “club” points. However, most vacation clubs with multiple locations have a factor that will proportionately give members the equivalence of your ownership within the RCI conversion. To help you plan your next RCI vacation with ease and accuracy, your Club’s member services or your RCI representative will remain the best people to talk with, to plan your points exchange accurately.

Another question we are often asked is, can RCI point values change over time? The answer is yes! If a resort was a standard resort for years and now qualifies as a gold crown resort through integral improvements or a “resort with higher trading power” for a location that’s more in demand, then the points required to travel to this location will increase to reflect its new valuation.

Not only can points be saved in your RCI points account but you can also extend their usage over a three year period. So, you own an allotment of points at a travel club and your allotment has been converted into RCI points- then you would be able to extend the shelf life for another length of time through RCI without fear of losing them (please check with your club member services if this type of banking is available as rules may differ from club to club)

A great opportunity for travelers wanting to explore the world of timeshares is to consider memberships in the RCI points system. The RCI Point Membership allow nightly travel, hotel stays, cruises and last minute travels only using approximately 9000 points for a whole week (subject to change). Overall, in the last 7 years or so, more and more resorts world-wide have been converting their “weeks” timeshare model into the easy to use RCI points with RCI enhancements making life a breeze for the thrill seeking traveler. With all these newly discovered benefits of timeshare travel using points, and lower maintenance or usage fees- give an RCI points membership a try! You will be impressed by all the new travel opportunities this membership will bring in the upcoming years.