RCI Points - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Q - What are RCI Points?
A - RCI Points are credits toward various vacation options. RCI Points can be spent like dollars toward such things as timeshare condos, hotels, airfare, cruises, car rentals, theme parks and more. You buy a certain number of annual RCI Points and every year that number of points is deposited into your RCI Points account.

Q - Who is RCI?
A - RCI is the world's oldest and largest timeshare exchange company. RCI has two types of owners, RCI Weeks (traditional one-week ownerships)and RCI Points (the subject of this article).

Q - Where do I buy RCI Points?
A - RCI Points can be purchased at a timeshare resort (like paying retail) or from a resale broker (like buying wholesale)

Q - How does the RCI Points program differ from traditional timeshare?
A - Traditional timeshare (RCI Weeks) is for one-week increments in timeshare condos for accommodations only; RCI Points can be used for shorter nightly stays in not only timeshare condos but also hotels, plus airfare, cruises, car rentals, theme parks and more.

Q - What is the main advantage of RCI Points compared to the old one-week type of ownership?
A - RCI points allows more flexibility to go on shorter stays, the points can pay for the other vacation options listed above. Also it is very possible that in return for your payment of the one annual maintenance fee you can receive more than one week per year of vacation whereas with traditional timeshare you only get one week. Also, all RCI Points are of equal value, so no other owner has priority over you, whereas with the older RCI Weeks ownership there are many confusing criteria which are built into the RCI computer and over which the owner has no control.

Q - How do I find out how many points it takes to spend a night or week at a particular location for a particular date:
A - RCI Points members have a paper directory which shows the point values for every day of the year, in every resort in the world. RCI points can be used in all 3700 RCI Resorts worldwide. If you want a quote for a particular vacation, please contact us.

Q - Are RCI Points re-sellable?
A - Yes

Q - Are RCI Points like a deed - do they go on indefinitely?
A - Some RCI Points are connected to a deed and some are not.

Q - What are the annual costs associated with RCI Points?
A - RCI Points ownerships are very similar to traditional timeshare. There is an annual maintenance fee and the RCI Membership Fee. The maintenance fee varies from resort to resort, the RCI Membership fee is currently $99 per year.

Q - How Much Are the RCI Exchange Fees:
A - For traditional timeshare the exchange fee to use a resort other than your home resort is as follows: $149 for a domestic exchange within USA and Canada; $189 for an international exchange. For RCI Points members, the fee is less: $19 per night up to 5 nights, $79 for 5 nights or more. (So a week is $79 as opposed to the $149 it would be for a traditional timeshare.)

Q - Can someone else stay in the accommodation I reserve using RCI Points?
A - Yes. A guest certificate must be obtained from RCI ($49). RCI sends this to the resort to assure that there are no check-in problems for your guest.

Q - What is a rough rule of thumb as to how many RCI Points it takes to spend a week
in an RCI Weeks resort?
A - Generally speaking it takes about 40,000 points to stay in a 2 bedroom (sleeps 6), and 27,500 to stay in a one bedroom (sleeps 4).

Q - Are there closing costs associated with buying RCI Points.
A - Yes, but this varies greatly from resort to resort, ask details. There is usually an escrow fee, plus the RCI Points account setup fee is $250. This covers the setup of your RCI Points account, and you will receive an RCI Points membership kit which contains complete information including your RCI Points directory.

Q - Do I have to use all my points in one year?
A - No, you can carry over to the next year, the points you didn't use the previous year. You can only carry over for one year.

Q - What if I don't have enough points for a particular vacation?
A - You can either borrow points from your next year's allotment, or you can rent points from RCI for two cents per point. You can rent up to 50% of the amount of points you own.

Q - What is the least number of RCI Points that would get me a full week of vacation?
A - 9,000 points for the RCI Instant Exchange (45 days or less in advance of travel date) This is a tremendous bargain because you can stay in any size unit such as a two bedroom.

Q - Do you have an example of use of RCI points, to help me understand?
A - Yes, click here to see a real life scenario of how exciting RCI Points can be!