Trading RCI points for DVC

[RememberWhen]

Hi there,

We are being offered an RCI timeshare with 53,000 points. It's a fixed week two-bedroom. Does anyone know what the trade-in to DVC is like? We have a different timeshare that trades through Interval, and traded with DVC back when they traded through there, but we can't remember how it worked.

Can you trade a week for a week? Or do the points convert through some equation?

We're not picky about where we stay or when, so what's available isn't that big a deal if we know what we could potentially get with those RCI points.

Any insight would be extremely helpful.

Thanks a million!
-RW

 

[Rob562]

We're RCI Weeks so I can't speak specifically to booking through Points, but I can give a few general ideas...

As far as I know it's only 7-night reservations that you can book, with Friday, Saturday or Sunday checkins. With Weeks we could start an "Ongoing Search" that essentially put us in a queue for anything that would deposit into the RCI system on the Weeks side. The Weeks and Points are separate inventories, though it always seems like Points get them first. DVC hasn't been depositing inventory into RCI until 4.5 to 5 months out. If you're farther out than that, it's a waiting game. If you're inside that, I'd at least have alternate accommodations lined up.

The other big thing to know is that 99.9% of the time you're only going to see 1-bedroom units deposited into RCI. It's been 3+ years since DVC deposited 2-bedroom units into RCI. (I think our November 2015 exchange was one of the last 2-bedrooms)
Those 1-bedrooms also typically require quite a bit of trading power/points, especially in the busy season.

Also, most deposits are at Saratoga Springs. Some are OKW. And then you see a smattering of other resorts once in a great while, but at least on the Weeks side those are usually snatched up by long-standing Ongoing Searches and never make it into the openly available inventory pool.

Lastly, I presume it's the same with a Points reservation, but be prepared to pay a fee to DVC upon checkin. It used to be $95, but last year they doubled it to $190. It's officially some kind of "cost recovery" for DVC working with RCI to process the exchange, but some just look at it as a "because we can" fee. Originally they charged $95 to incoming RCI guests, and $95 to DVC owners who were exchanging their week out of DVC into RCI. But they decided as a perk to DVC owners they'd eliminate that fee for DVC owners, but they did so at RCI exchangers' expense.

Going forward I'm not sure if we're going to try exchanging from RCI into DVC again. I admit that even with only getting a 1-bedroom at SSR we're still coming out way ahead compared to what we'd pay to rent DVC points through a service like David's for similar accommodations. (In fact, for the time of year we typically go, if you add up our maintenance fees at our home timeshare resort, the RCI exchange fee and the DVC fee, we're getting a 1-bedroom for about $300 less than we'd pay to rent a Studio through David's)

But this last time was very nerve-wracking. We had our Ongoing Search running since January or February, hoping for anything during Food & Wine Festival. Nothing was coming through for a long time. I believe it was the end of JULY that we finally got a match for a 1-bedroom at SSR the last week of October... Three months out was cutting it way too close for my taste. So maybe if it works out again sometime, but I think my next couple trips we'll either rent DVC points for a Studio, or if we have friends coming along see about splitting renting points for a 2-bedroom.

-Rob

 

[RememberWhen]

Thanks Rob! That's incredibly helpful. I think we've decided we don't want to take on another timeshare, even if it means more Disney trips. My mom is a DVC member and she lets us use her points, so that's a pretty good deal for us.

Hope your next trip is awesome and stress free!

 

[Gawrsh!]

We're RCI Weeks so I can't speak specifically to booking through Points, but I can give a few general ideas...

As far as I know it's only 7-night reservations that you can book, with Friday, Saturday or Sunday checkins. With Weeks we could start an "Ongoing Search" that essentially put us in a queue for anything that would deposit into the RCI system on the Weeks side. The Weeks and Points are separate inventories, though it always seems like Points get them first. DVC hasn't been depositing inventory into RCI until 4.5 to 5 months out. If you're farther out than that, it's a waiting game. If you're inside that, I'd at least have alternate accommodations lined up.

The other big thing to know is that 99.9% of the time you're only going to see 1-bedroom units deposited into RCI. It's been 3+ years since DVC deposited 2-bedroom units into RCI. (I think our November 2015 exchange was one of the last 2-bedrooms)
Those 1-bedrooms also typically require quite a bit of trading power/points, especially in the busy season.

Also, most deposits are at Saratoga Springs. Some are OKW. And then you see a smattering of other resorts once in a great while, but at least on the Weeks side those are usually snatched up by long-standing Ongoing Searches and never make it into the openly available inventory pool.

Lastly, I presume it's the same with a Points reservation, but be prepared to pay a fee to DVC upon checkin. It used to be $95, but last year they doubled it to $190. It's officially some kind of "cost recovery" for DVC working with RCI to process the exchange, but some just look at it as a "because we can" fee. Originally they charged $95 to incoming RCI guests, and $95 to DVC owners who were exchanging their week out of DVC into RCI. But they decided as a perk to DVC owners they'd eliminate that fee for DVC owners, but they did so at RCI exchangers' expense.

Going forward I'm not sure if we're going to try exchanging from RCI into DVC again. I admit that even with only getting a 1-bedroom at SSR we're still coming out way ahead compared to what we'd pay to rent DVC points through a service like David's for similar accommodations. (In fact, for the time of year we typically go, if you add up our maintenance fees at our home timeshare resort, the RCI exchange fee and the DVC fee, we're getting a 1-bedroom for about $300 less than we'd pay to rent a Studio through David's)

But this last time was very nerve-wracking. We had our Ongoing Search running since January or February, hoping for anything during Food & Wine Festival. Nothing was coming through for a long time. I believe it was the end of JULY that we finally got a match for a 1-bedroom at SSR the last week of October... Three months out was cutting it way too close for my taste. So maybe if it works out again sometime, but I think my next couple trips we'll either rent DVC points for a Studio, or if we have friends coming along see about splitting renting points for a 2-bedroom.

-Rob

Hi Rob, curious about your above post... we just joined RCI and I put an ongoing search out there for any DVC property in January - February 2020. You didn't mention above what points were needed to get into DVC? Any thoughts there? My exchange is worth 39 points (I already used 5), so I have 34 to use. Will that get me in someplace? I called RCI and they were kind of cagey on the point requirements. Thanks!

 

[Minthorne]

Hi Rob, curious about your above post... we just joined RCI and I put an ongoing search out there for any DVC property in January - February 2020. You didn't mention above what points were needed to get into DVC? Any thoughts there? My exchange is worth 39 points (I already used 5), so I have 34 to use. Will that get me in someplace? I called RCI and they were kind of cagey on the point requirements. Thanks!

if that is equivalent to 34 DVC points it would cover 1 night in a 1 bedroom at SSR during most seasons.

Here is a link to the point charts

https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/SS-Points.htm

 

[Rob562]

if that is equivalent to 34 DVC points it would cover 1 night in a 1 bedroom at SSR during most seasons.

Here is a link to the point charts

https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/SS-Points.htm

No, RCI is different.

The poster is talking about the "Trading Power" of their RCI Weeks exchange. Every week that goes into the RCI system is assigned a "trading power" based on the unit size, time of year and general popularity of the property, plus how far in advance you deposit.

The week you deposit has to be as-good or better than what you're trying to claim. So you know ahead of time what your own week is worth, but if there's nothing currently available for what you're looking to book, it can be difficult to know how much you need.

Let me see if I can find what my exchanges required and get back to you.

-Rob

 

[Rob562]

Hi Rob, curious about your above post... we just joined RCI and I put an ongoing search out there for any DVC property in January - February 2020. You didn't mention above what points were needed to get into DVC? Any thoughts there? My exchange is worth 39 points (I already used 5), so I have 34 to use. Will that get me in someplace? I called RCI and they were kind of cagey on the point requirements. Thanks!

OK. So for the two times we exchanged into Saratoga Springs...
In November 2014 we stayed in a 2-bedroom unit for 40 Trading Power (TPU). As I mentioned in my prior post, this was during the final few months that 2-bedrooms were ever deposited into RCI. I think we matched that in late-April/early-May of that year.

In October 2016, we stayed in a 1-bedroom unit for 33 TPU. That match came in late-July.

Both were matched with Ongoing Searches that had been started February or earlier in those years.

There's a timeshare message board that I poke my head into every once in a while. They have a board where people post matches they've gotten and freely available inventory they see on the RCI site for weeks that weren't snatched up by Ongoing Searches. Though you have to subscribe for a nominal fee to access that particular sub-forum.
It also appears that trading powers have been fluctuating a bit lately. They'd been going up for a while, but now perhaps the laws of supply and demand are bringing them back down.

A few recent matches for stays in 2019 were a late-January and an early-March for 42TPU and mid-February at 60TPU.
However someone also posted a match for early March at 30 TPU.
So there's still hope.

If you're interested, the timeshare forum is www.tugbbs.com

-Rob

 

[FCivish3]

I own DVC but I also own Points at Worldmark. I was ONCE able to make a trade, through RCI, into a 2-bedroom unit for one week at Animal Kingdom - Kidani Village. 4 years ago. (It was marvelous, and primed my desire to get DVC. I didn't realize that then, but look at me now with over 1000 DVC points at 3 resorts.) Since then, I have tried and tried to do it again, without success.

I ONLY request a 2-Bedroom or larger, because of the number of people who almost always travel with me. (I would do TWO studios or TWO 1-bedroom units, but I would need BOTH of them, so I haven't done that.) For 4 years I have specified ANY 2-bedroom unit at ANY DISNEY WORLD DVC RESORT at ANYTIME. (If I get the week, I will make the trip, no matter WHEN it is.)

I want you to know that almost 3 years ago, I made a $250 dollar deposit with RCI to have them keep checking on my requests EVERY SINGLE WEEK. It doesn't matter. There is NOTHING that is a two-bedroom. There has been NO availability in all that time. They still have my $250, and are still checking. I get emails from them regularly, saying they are still searching.

As far as I can see, Disney NEVER puts DVC 2-bedrooms into RCI, anymore. I do know they changed this very soon after the one time I did it. All you will ever see most of the time is a 1-bedroom at Saratoga Springs. Occasionally at OKW. Almost never a Studio. So, my advice is that, unless this is exactly the type of trade you are looking for, then DO NOT EVER expect RCI to get you a trade into DVC.