How timeshare works

To know how timeshare works, you must have an
understanding of Exchange Power and the Power of
Exchanging. NOW CALLED DEPOSIT CREDITS.

Deposit Credits is a number score given to a week of
timeshare based on your Power of Exchange score.

You will learn how to optimize the most with the units you now
own in the RCI Weeks Program and the best kept secret, on
how to exchange.

Note: There are over 4,000 resorts in the RCI system of which
over 950 resorts have chosen to convert over to the RCI Points
Program. Oyster Pointe Resort and Oyster Bay Resort are two of
the resorts that have joined the RCI Points Program.

We will first go over how the weeks exchange system
works and why it doesn't work. We will also show you how
you can get around the rules. The more flexible you are the
better.

Exchange Power is based on the Trading Power Rules. (Now called Deposit Credits)

Trading Power consists of the following:

1. The Size of the unit you are Depositing.

2. The Demand of the Resort you are Depositing.

3. The Demand of the Resort area you are Depositing.

4. The Season Red, White or Blue you are Depositing.

5. The status Gold Crown, International Distinction or Standard/Hospitality you are Depositing.

There are really only two ways to make great exchanges. One way is purchase a Gold Crown Resort that is in a very demanded area with 2 or 3 Bedrooms in a high season. You will then be able to go where you want, when you want to go. The problem with that is you will be spending from $25,000 to
$40,000 or more.

OR
Know how the system works and be a little flexible. Let me explain.

Lets say, you spent the big money and own one of the best resorts, on a scale of 1 to 10 based on your Trading Power you are a 10. Lets say, I own a 1 bedroom Standard unit in the middle of no where, in off season. Now we are both trying to make an exchange to go to the same location 6 months away. When you call RCI you will be told about all the wonderful choices you have to pick from. Now I call at the exact same time and ask to go to the same location, now remember what I am trying to trade. When I call, all I
hear is there is nothing available. That is because from 1 to 10 in the trading power rules I am a 2 or a 3.

NOW WAIT, the salesperson that sold me my timeshare told me that I could go anywhere in the RCI book when I wanted to go. HA HA.

You see the people that are paying big money really deserve to get the best exchanges and that is really how the system works. But, there is a way around the Trading Power Rules. On a normal
exchange, 46 days to 2 years in advance, that is exactly how the system works. But, RCI in it's wisdom saw that they were loosing millions of dollars in units that remained empty and not used. You see, RCI makes it's money by charging exchange fees and if owners don't qualify to make exchanges the units remain empty and they don't receive the exchange fees. So what they did was come up with a rule most RCI owners don't know about or really don't understand, the Power of the Instant Exchange. An Instant
Exchange is what it was called years ago and some of the new employees at RCI are not familiar with that term, but the same rules still apply.

How Timeshare Works

The next two paragraphs are quoted exactly from the RCI Rules.

RCI Weeks Instant Exchange

"An RCI Weeks Instant Exchange is any Vacation Exchange
(domestic, international, or internal) confirmed two to 30 days in
advance of travel".

"At 30 days before the start date of each available Vacation Week in
the RCI Weeks deposit pool, certain exchange restrictions (such as
Trading Power) are waived".

What this means is this; If you call RCI and you have a week deposited in the Space Bank and you ask to go to another RCI Week Resort there are no restrictions that will stop you from getting that exchange. Whether it is a studio, blue week in the middle or no where you are equal to another timeshare unit that someone paid $40,000 for. This is because there are no rules, they were waived.

Some folks will say only having, 30 days in advance of when you can go on vacation isn't enough time. Well, that is over 4 to 5 weeks in advance and if you absolutely have to make Once you really understand why it does work, you can exchange to locations you would not have qualified for otherwise. There are two ways to make exchanges. One, if you have spent a lot of money you can get exchanges far in advance. The other is to make an exchange over a shorter period of time.

There are three classifications of units that become available over a short period of time. Two of which were not available even if you had the best week money could buy.
1. The first are Cancellations. These units are exchanges that have been confirmed by RCI and because of circumstances in owners lives, the units have been put back in the system. A lot of these units are at great locations. You see the members that first received the conformation, wait to the last minute to redeposit it back in the system because they werehoping the circumstance that prevented them from going would change. These weeks can be great quality weeks.

2. The second are we like to call Procrastination Weeks. If you don't know already, you are able to deposit the weeks you own all the way up to 14 days before the start date and still have 2 years to use those deposited weeks.

Well, what happens is, RCI will call members that haven't yet deposited their weeks approximately 30 days before the start date and remind them that if they don't deposit their weeks before 14 days prior to the start date they won't be able to exchange them. The owner will thank the representative from RCI for reminding them and deposit their weeks.These weeks can also be great quality weeks. In both the above examples the weeks that were deposited were not available to anyone regardless of their Exchange Power and now they are only available on a short notice.

3. The next type is simply unit weeks that were not requested by anyone and in a short period of time won't be available because they will pass by the start date and expire.
NOTE: RCI makes its money by charging an annual fee and from the exchange fees. This is why they came up with the 30 day rule commonly know as the Instant Exchange. In that way they recover the Exchange Fees they would have lost if the units remained empty.

Now, the way to do an Instant Exchange is to call RCI in the evening. "Use the phone not their Internet site". RCI closes it's phone center at 12:00 EST. That is when people are coming home for dinner and discussing their timeshare options and reluctantly redepositing their weeks because they have other commitments. It is also when RCI calls owners getting
them to deposit their unit weeks before they loose them.

When you call to make an Instant Exchange, just ask what they have available in your vacation choice area less than 30 days away. That's over 6 weeks away. If nothing is available or there are only 1 bedrooms and you need 2 bedrooms don't panic, simply hang up and call back in 15 or 20 minutes and ask the same questions again. You will be surprised of the results.
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