RCI Points Holidays

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RCI points are like holiday money or currency. They offer a real alternative to conventional timeshare ownership. More importantly, they offer the ultimate in holiday choice and flexibility.

A Points System has a stock of holiday accommodation principally in timeshare resorts, though hotels are available too. Each week in the system has been valued based on the apartment size, the season, the location and the quality of the resort. Timeshare experts have valued each resort and apartment and the value of each week is expressed in Points.

Members of the Points System or Club use points to "pay" or "trade" for their holidays with the "price" of the week expressed in Points. And they select their holidays from accommodation that is in their Points Club's "stock" of accommodation.

Surprisingly, the timeshare product has been around for more than 30 years. Over this period, it has continued to evolve offering new variances and enhancements to make the product even better. Floating seasons and apartments, alternate year schemes and buy and rent programmes have all been developed to meet what members demand - holiday quality, choice and flexibility.

The main impetus to the development of holiday ownership was the concept of exchange. Basically, a barter system, exchange has provided thousands of families with the opportunity to travel worldwide. This has proved incredibly successful with over 20 million exchanges confirmed over the last 25 years.

But changing leisure patterns mean changing holiday requirements and a continuous challenge to the industry. In response, the industry has evolved a new product - Points Systems. Although they have been available for some time, it is only recently that technology has been developed to meet the worldwide need for a reputable alternative to traditional timeshare and exchange. Resort developers offer points systems rather than conventional weekly ownership because members can enjoy a fairer and more flexible holiday experience than they have up to now.

The main similarity is that you trade the use of your own week for something else. This "something else" is Points. You then use these Points to 'pay' for another holiday.

The principal difference is you give up the use of your week automatically EVERY year without having to deposit it with an exchange company and hoping that 'Trading Power' will get you the holiday you want. If you don't use all your Points on a holiday in one year, you can save any unused Points to the following year. You can also borrow Points from the following year.

No more banking or depositing: You get Points each year, the Points Club places your week in its pool of accommodation and club members select the holiday they require.

The most important difference to normal exchange is that you know in advance how many Points you "own" and the Points values of all of the weeks in the Club's programme. You can then choose to spend your Points how you like on the holidays you want, provided you have sufficient Points to 'pay' for them.

For many people, timeshare means exchange, the ability to swap their own weeks and travel to other resorts worldwide. This form of barter has worked very well with over 2 million exchanges confirmed last year.

The process of exchange is quite simple. Members deposit their week with an exchange company and request space at the resort of their choice. The formula for this exchange is based on the resort quality, demand, apartment size, the time of year and when the week was deposited.

It is dynamic with values changing constantly. The system has worked well and will continue to do so especially for those whose holiday patterns haven't changed and who are still happy with the like-for-like, week-for-a-week system. Any why not? Satisfaction rates are over 90%.

So don't worry - traditional exchange is still very much alive and will continue to provide holidays for thousands of members. But for those who want the benefits of added flexibility, unhindered by like-for-like, colour-coded and size restrictions, Points are the solution.

Points Systems can offer timeshare owners the opportunity to enjoy truly flexible holidays simply by converting their timeshare ownership to Points. They can then take control of their holiday choices by selecting the exact type of holiday they want without being tied to a season or accommodation type.

Point System members can choose where and when they want to travel, the type and size of accommodation they need and the holiday destination they require.

The most important criterion for success is having the widest variety and choice of resorts and accommodation. Few will have anything near the range and diversity needed to offer true flexibility at the start-up stage.

The next most important factor is for the Club to have a thoroughly tested infrastructure and computer system in order to maintain management control over all the accommodation and provide that all-important reservations service. This costs money and requires management experience and expertise.

The choice is simple.

Taking into account the criteria detailed above, I recommend the Points Club that has the widest spread of accommodation in the world; Is Europe's fastest growing and most talked about; That has the experience, credibility and knowledge to provide members with the greatest holiday flexibility; And has the infrastructure and expertise that goes into making it a success.

For many timeshare owners, RCI has been the mainstay of their timeshare purchase. Over the years, RCI has responded to the changing demands of its members with the innovative development of Gold Crown Resorts, Resorts of International Distinction, Late Break holidays, Cruise programmes, Bonus Weeks and so on.

RCI is now committed to providing owners with a solution to their new demand for increased holiday flexibility. RCI wants owners to use their ownership how and when they want with as few restrictions as possible.

Their solution is the development of a new holiday based system, called the Global Points Network. It provides the very best in flexibility, supported by a multi-million dollar investment in technology. More importantly RCI,  a name trusted around the world, is supplying the programme on a worldwide basis and offering current members and other timeshare owners the opportunity to become involved in the new system.

In addition to RCI in Europe other international regions are also operating similar Points Systems.

As mentioned above, RCI Inc. is working on the development of a new computer system at this very moment. This will join all the regional systems together.

The choice to - Holiday at the time of the year you want - Stay in the apartment type and size you need - Decide the standard of the resort you visit - Determine the length of your holiday from a weekend break to a multiple week stay - Enjoy a range of destinations around the world - Select the number of holidays you take every year - Spend your Points at a timeshare resort or luxury hotel - Pay for car hire, cruises and flights - Use them for an RCI exchange - Return to your own resort.

RCI Inc., with corporate headquarters based in the USA, decided that the development of this Global Points Network should be undertaken regionally to take into account the differing holiday habits of its members.

As a result, RCI Europe acquired CRI (Club Resorts International), an established Points company, as its launch pad. This is a tried and tested holiday system, which is expanding into new resorts and new countries all the time. One of the best aspects of membership is that the system is infinitely flexible, to suit you and your needs for each and every holiday and new phase of your life. But that's not all. CRI members are also able to use their Points to access weeks in the regular RCI exchange system.

Once you have been allocated your RCI Points the choices begin! You can either:

Use your Points allocation to visit other RCI resorts or stay at your own resort, each time spending only the number of Points needed to get exactly the holiday you want.

Use your Points to access the entire RCI Exchange System. Yes, you can still use all the facilities of the RCI Exchange System, but this time knowing exactly how many Points you own and how many are needed to reserve the holidays that are right for you.

RCI Members receive a new-style directory detailing all the RCI Resorts together with their quality rating (expressed in Keys, ranging from one key to five keys) and Points values.

So, just like a traditional holiday brochure, you always know how much your holidays are going to cost and the standard of the accommodation. Only this time the amount is in Points rather than Pounds and there are no unwelcome surprises.

For example, you could use all your points to 'pay' for a peak season week in a large apartment at a top quality resort. Alternatively, you could choose four off-season weeks in a lower category property. Yes, that's right. You can enjoy several holidays, including mid-week and weekend breaks, from your current timeshare ownership.

RCI Points offer great flexibility with your holiday choices. At last, your timeshare is working for you.

Making a RCI Points Reservation couldn't be simpler as this simple step-by-step guide shows.

RCI currently has a large range of quality resorts and hotels worldwide for you to choose from. Each has been graded for quality and the accommodation valued so you know the standard of each before you travel. That means there are no surprises.

RCI Resorts are located in some of the most popular holiday destinations in the world including Florida, mainland Spain and France, while for those who do not want to travel abroad, RCI offers some excellent resorts closer to home.

RCI members also have the opportunity to continue using the exchange opportunities of RCI with over 3,600 resorts worldwide. This time, though, you will know how many Points each holiday costs.

RCI resorts are located in all the most popular holiday destinations so if you want a family holiday or a romantic trip for two, you have a wide variety of destinations and standards to choose from.

In one word - flexibility. Probably more flexibility than you can imagine. As a RCI member you will no longer be restricted to the same resort, unit size and season year after year.

You can experience different holidays each year. In fact you can even skip a year without losing anything simply by saving your unused Points from one year to the next.

You can use all your Points on a single family holiday in high season in a large apartment or you can use your Points for multiple holidays in smaller apartments out of season.

RCI members are not restricted to the exchange company colour coded seasons and like for like rules. If you have the Points, you can "pay" for exactly the kind of holiday that you want, at the time of year you want and in the apartment type you want.

If you have more than one week, then converting them all consolidates what you own into a single holiday currency that you can spend each year on the holidays that suit you best.

You are only limited by the number of Points you have in your account! But, if you need more holidays or bigger and better holidays, simply add to your Points Account by buying some more. No need to sell what you currently own to upgrade. Just add more Points.

Best of all, you have now joined the Points Revolution. Just convert your ownership to the exact Points value that your week(s) are worth and enjoy all the benefits of this great holiday innovation.

Your timeshare ownership will now respond to your changing holiday requirements and patterns - not restrict them.