RCI Exchange

As a Resort Properties Timeshare owner you have access to an exchange mechanism that gives you over 5,000 resorts to choose from.

From ski chalets in the Swiss Alps to luxury catamarans in the Caribbean, the world of choice is yours to enjoy.

Today RCI has over 3.6 million members and 5,000 affiliated resorts in 100 countries. Through operating both Fixed Week and Points systems, RCI's members are given a multitude of holiday options.

 

For 35 years Resort Condominiums International (RCI) has been helping people to get the most out of their holiday ownership. Although Timeshare had been established for a number of years, it was the birth of RCI in 1974 that allowed, and continues to allow, Timeshare owners to really benefit from being a part of the global network of holiday ownership.

Before RCI, Timeshare owners had the option of holidaying in the luxury resorts where they owned. However, they were limited to returning to that same resort year after year. RCI was born in response to such limitations.

Rather than Timeshare owners missing out on fabulous worldwide destinations, RCI began approving top-class resorts to be affiliated into its system. In addition, developers, recognising the benefits of such a global network, began to build and maintain outstanding resorts to meet RCI's stringent approval process. This growth meant that members of RCI could now benefit from a far greater choice of holiday destinations in the same high standard of accommodation that they had come to expect from Timeshare resorts.

 

RCI works around the concept of a "Spacebank", much like a conventional banking system. For a small exchange fee owners deposit their week/s into the Spacebank and then withdraw another week at their choice of destination. This exchange system is known as "Fixed Weeks" and has traditionally been the most popular way of getting the most out of holiday ownership. Quite simply, owners are able to swap their own week for their choice of any one of the fabulous resorts in the RCI system knowing that they are going to be holidaying somewhere with first-rate facilities and accommodation of the highest standard.

To ensure Fixed Week exchanges work in the fairest way possible, RCI introduced a grading system to make sure that members were getting "like for like" holidays. Time owned is categorised by season and demand in the following way:

In addition, and to further increase the fairness of exchanges, a grading system for resort quality was also put into place. While all RCI affiliated resorts offer a high standard of luxury, the crème de la crème became known as "Gold Crown", offering levels of quality and service above "Silver Crown", "Hospitality", and "Standard" accommodation ratings.

As well as Fixed Week exchanges, offering a diversity of travel options and fair exchanges, RCI's Spacebank also offers the flexibility of allowing single week owners to take multiple week holidays. By depositing and saving the weeks owned for up to two years, members can add to the following year's weeks. Therefore, a family who own one Red Week could save their week and go on a fabulous, once in a lifetime two week vacation to Florida - except with holiday ownership it doesn't have to only be once in a lifetime.

To add to the appeal of Fixed Week exchanges, RCI also offers the option of taking "Extra Holidays" or "Late Deals". These bonuses are extra weeks in the banking system that offer everything from city-breaks to long-haul destinations for incredible value for money. With the added option of transferring holidays to family and friends, enabling them to experience the luxury of top-class travel, the list of benefits of Fixed Week exchanges are very long indeed. So to summarise, here are the primary benefits:

 

However, in response to customer feedback, and to continue its development of the exchange system, RCI implemented a new system in the 1990s - RCI Points. Instead of depositing weeks in the Spacebank and relying on receiving a fair exchange, RCI Points members are allocated a set number of points per year to correspond with the quality of their ownership. These Points are based on several variables such as:

Higher-end ownership members, say, of a two-bed unit at a Gold Crown resort in Red Time could expect a value of approximately 70-90,000 points, whereas a studio, Blue Time in a Standard resort would be in the region of 10,000 points. This allocation of Points means that, across the board, owners can expect to get what they pay for and make their weeks work for them.

The RCI Points system shares many of the same benefits as its earlier counterpart. For example, like the Fixed Weeks system, Points have a life span of two years and can be banked or borrowed for the following year. They offer freedom of choice, a huge selection of worldwide destinations, and outstanding accommodation and amenities. However, for an increasing number of members, the Points system works better than Fixed Weeks in a number of ways.

 

With enough Points, owners are able to make the choice of taking longer holidays or taking several shorter holidays in the same year. This flexibility works particularly well for higher-end ownership members who can, for instance, take a three week holiday in any given year by choosing accommodation with a Points value that adds up to the total of the Points they own. In the same way, larger accommodation also becomes an option for vacations with friends or family.

 

Unlike the Fixed Weeks system, where there is a fee for each week exchanged, Points members only pay one fee per holiday request. In addition any Points that are not used one year are automatically saved, free of charge, for the following year.

 

As previously mentioned, Points can be used to purchase city-breaks and shorter holidays without losing the Points not used up. These Points can then be used to purchase holiday extras such as car hire or holiday insurance, potentially saving members a great deal of money.

 

With enough Points, members have a larger number of options available to them than the conventional Fixed Week system. They can use their Points to get exactly the holiday that suits them at the time. As well as being able to transfer the Points to other members or secure a Gift Certificate for family or friends, Points members can also holiday in resorts that do not operate the Points system.

So, whether owners choose the traditional familiarity of the Fixed Week system or the increasingly popular option of RCI Points they are guaranteed unrivalled benefits for years of spectacular holidays in an ever-expanding choice of fabulous worldwide destinations.

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