CONVERSION FEE
RCI Points charge a conversion fee of around �250 when ceding weeks into the RCI Points exchange system. Approved vendors will add their own costs/commission on to this total.
It is worth contacting a number of vendors to see what the charge will be - there are large variations between vendors. When buying pure points the conversion charge is usually 'included' in the cost of the points.
Conversion deals are available from as little as �1,000 but we have also heard of people being asked £2,000 or more, especially when attending presentations abroad. For more information about vendors used and recommended by our members, click on Contact Us on the home page, and ask for further details.
It is worth contacting a number of vendors to see what the charge will be - there are large variations between vendors. When buying pure points the conversion charge is usually 'included' in the cost of the points.
Conversion deals are available from as little as �1,000 but we have also heard of people being asked £2,000 or more, especially when attending presentations abroad. For more information about vendors used and recommended by our members, click on Contact Us on the home page, and ask for further details.
POINTS PRICES
The price you pay for pure points will vary from one vendor to another, and according to the number of points you purchase - the more you purchase the cheaper should be the price per point. A reasonable price will be in the region of 5p-8p per point. This may not sound a lot but you will be purchasing tens if not hundreds of thousands of points.
For example a two-bedroomed apartment in Carlton Village, Madeira, a 5 key resort, in peak summer weeks will 'cost' 61,500 points per week. A two-bedroomed apartment in a 2 key resort in Spain (Club Playa Flores) in peak summer weeks, will cost 49,000 points per week. Some weeks in peak time in the UK can be in excess of 100,000 points per week. Off-peak weeks will 'cost' in the region of 12,000-30,000 points.
For example a two-bedroomed apartment in Carlton Village, Madeira, a 5 key resort, in peak summer weeks will 'cost' 61,500 points per week. A two-bedroomed apartment in a 2 key resort in Spain (Club Playa Flores) in peak summer weeks, will cost 49,000 points per week. Some weeks in peak time in the UK can be in excess of 100,000 points per week. Off-peak weeks will 'cost' in the region of 12,000-30,000 points.
MAINTENANCE FEES (CEDED WEEKS)
If you have ceded weeks that you own at a resort (whether you owned them prior to "converting to points" or bought them as part of your entry to the scheme), you will have to continue to pay the annual maintenance fee to your home resort.
THIS DOES NOT CHANGE when you move to points - you are still classed as the owner of the week(s) and responsible for the maintenance fees!!
THIS DOES NOT CHANGE when you move to points - you are still classed as the owner of the week(s) and responsible for the maintenance fees!!
MANAGEMENT FEES (POINTS)
These are the equivalent of a resort's maintenance fee. The management fee will vary from one vendor resort to another as it is linked to the maintenance fees charged at that particular resort. It is something you need to clarify with the vendor and something that should be compared between one vendor and another.
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE
An annual membership fee (which includes RCI membership) of £75 (2006) plus 'PAY AS YOU USE' EXCHANGE FEES.
TRANSACTIONAL FEES
New members to RCI Points join under the ‘pay as you use' or transactional fee structure:
- If you book in advance to stay at your home resort in your original home week(s), no exchange fee is charged
- To make a Home Resort booking for any other time of the year the fee is �34
- For other exchanges made within the RCI Points scheme a fee is charged - �56 for a stay of 5 nights or more, and �12 per night for a stay of 4 nights or less
- If you are booking for two or more weeks in the same resort, there is only one transaction fee. If you book a week at two separate resorts, two transactions fees will be payable
- If exchanges are booked into resorts in the RCI Weeks (the original exchange system), reduced RCI Weeks exchange fees will apply per week of exchange - �69 (European exchange) and �69 (Intercontinental exchange)
- A fee of �36 is charged for Guest Certificates or for a temporary transfer of points to another points owner
- A Points Partners booking fee of �30 per reservation is made
COST OF "POINTS" v COST OF CEDED WEEKS
Since June 2004, the way the management fees on pure points is worked out has changed. It is now be related to the maintenance fees at the resort where you are buying the pure points, and so will vary from one vendor resort to another. RCI changed the name from pure points to next generation points.
The option of adding to your points total by buying extra pure points may work out more expensive than buying a resale week and ceding it. In the same way, buying pure points to become part of the RCI Points system may well incur high annual management fees compared to some resort maintenance fees. It is worth checking with a number of vendors to see how much the management fees will be before committing yourself.
Each case is different, depending on specific resort maintenance fees and the number of points involved. However we advise that everyone carefully works out the specific costs involved:
What are the purchase and annual costs (management fee) if I buy additional points from a vendor?
Would it be cheaper to buy a cheap resale week giving me a similar number of points and with similar annual costs (ie maintenance fees)?
The option of adding to your points total by buying extra pure points may work out more expensive than buying a resale week and ceding it. In the same way, buying pure points to become part of the RCI Points system may well incur high annual management fees compared to some resort maintenance fees. It is worth checking with a number of vendors to see how much the management fees will be before committing yourself.
Each case is different, depending on specific resort maintenance fees and the number of points involved. However we advise that everyone carefully works out the specific costs involved:
What are the purchase and annual costs (management fee) if I buy additional points from a vendor?
Would it be cheaper to buy a cheap resale week giving me a similar number of points and with similar annual costs (ie maintenance fees)?
