This segment will deal with the type of timeshare you should look for. There are many types. One type that RCI Promotes is the Point Program. RCI is an exchange company. We will talk about “exchanging” in the next part. RCI values your timeshare and gives it a point rating. The better the timeshare, the more the points. The more the points, the more the maintenance fees. For instance if you have a Timeshare in Hawaii, the point value may be 20,000.00. You can use the 20,000 points to exchange for a timeshare with a comparable 20,000 point vacation spot. If you trade for an 18,000 point unit, you can retain the 2000 points for future vacations, dinners, or car rentals. If your trade is 22,000.00 then you can buy points to make the difference. The problem, I have heard, is that the point redemption values change. For instance if you bought your timeshare 5 years ago, and you were given 20,000 points, today to stay at the timeshare you own, may be 25,000 points. In other words, you do not have enough points to stay at your own resort, with out having to buy more points. Also your not guaranteed the week you own.
The other type of timeshare, is you own your week, and you are always guaranteed that week. You can exchange it, if you wish to travel to other resorts. This is a traditional type of timeshare, and can be great especially if you own specific weeks that you will always travel on and always want to return to the same location. For instance if you like to ski, and you own a timeshare in Lake Tahoe for the fourth week of December. This is the least flexible plan. Also, if you have a timeshare that is not in high demand, it may be difficult to trade for a resort you like.
The other type of timeshare is a floating week. In this type of timeshare you can return to your location any time of the year. They will not always guarantee the week you want to travel, but if you book far enough in advance, you can usually get the dates you want. Also, you will have better trading power with a floating week timeshare.
Look for resorts that is part of a group. For instance, with the timeshare we own, we can go to 10 different locations without exchange fees, and we get preferred placement. Look for a place that is in high demand, it will give you better trading power.
