Forgot to bank my points...so, how is RCI?

lorenni

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 27, 2012
I'm an idiot and forgot to bank my points by midnight last night. (We live outside the US so with travel restrictions there is no way we can use them by Feb 2021)

I have 486 points that I can still transfer to RCI. We've never used RCI. Any advice/warnings/suggestions? How far will 486 points get us?

Sigh.
 
Call MS and see if they will give you an exception. They have been pretty strict so far given it all but being it’s only one day late you may get them to do that for you.
 
Call MS and see if they will give you an exception. They have been pretty strict so far given it all but being it’s only one day late you may get them to do that for you.

Already called and was told no by the person I spoke with and his supervisor. No exceptions, even though I missed it by only 12 hours.
 


Darn. I haven’t ever used RCI so I don’t have anything to add about that.
 
That’s ALOT of points. Call back and speak to a different person until they make an exception? Stress that you are overseas and the time difference..... and it’s only 12 hrs later....
 
There’s the history of allowing a “single one time exception.” Have you ever used that?
That idea has been out there for years and years. If you haven’t used it, someone in the office should be willing to do it. I agree, don’t give up just yet!!
 


Definitely try calling MS back. I've read many times about people getting the one time exception, and just missing it last night I really think you have a good chance to find someone who will make that exception for you.
Otherwise, you can try to rent them out as a points transfer to another DVC member.
 
I will definitely call again tomorrow and see if someone else can apply the one time exception.

In the meantime I reached out to the Sponsor for this site who brokers point rentals, and got a completely incorrect and garbled response about FIRPTA (doesn’t apply to rental income) applying to all non-U.S. residents (nope, it applies to non-US persons) and saying they can’t rent my points.

If anyone from that company sees this, I would be happy to provide some free technical training for your team. I run the information reporting and withholding practice for a major accounting firm.

For any US citizens living abroad - so long as you provide a valid Form W-9 you are not subject to Chapter 3 nonresident alien withholding on US source rental income, nor are you subject to FIRPTA withholding on gross proceeds from the disposition of real property.
 
Back to your original question, we have used RCI in the US a few times mostly when an event had us in another city for several days. It's not "Disney" but we had no complaints or problems. We have not used RCI in Europe but did check some out this year in Germany for a trip and they seemed very nice, just not located where we hoped to stay.

Our stays have all been a one-shot stay, we called DVC, told them where we wanted to stay and they made it happen. We have not transferred a group of points to be used later so not sure how that works.
 
I feel for you, the same thing happened to me. I am a new owner and did not realize the website cut off points banking at midnight Eastern since I own at DGC and thought I had until midnight Pacific time zone. I called the next day and they said no exceptions that they would not bank the points. With the layoffs happening the CM I talked to had no sympathy at all. So, I booked a stay at the DGC for October since we wanted to go there for Halloween anyways. They canceled that reservation that night! But, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because if Disney cancels your reservation after your points banking window then they will still let you bank your points. So, I called the next day and happily was able to bank the points!
 
I feel for you, the same thing happened to me. I am a new owner and did not realize the website cut off points banking at midnight Eastern since I own at DGC and thought I had until midnight Pacific time zone. I called the next day and they said no exceptions that they would not bank the points. With the layoffs happening the CM I talked to had no sympathy at all. So, I booked a stay at the DGC for October since we wanted to go there for Halloween anyways. They canceled that reservation that night! But, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because if Disney cancels your reservation after your points banking window then they will still let you bank your points. So, I called the next day and happily was able to bank the points!

@lorenni ! See if there is availability in a 2 bedroom or something at VGC in the next week or two? Cuz we all know it's not opening up anytime soon.... Maybe this would work for you....
 
I'm an idiot and forgot to bank my points by midnight last night. (We live outside the US so with travel restrictions there is no way we can use them by Feb 2021)

I have 486 points that I can still transfer to RCI. We've never used RCI. Any advice/warnings/suggestions? How far will 486 points get us?

Sigh.

I have stayed at several RCI properties in the U.S. and Caribbean through DVC and have never had any problems. Over the years, I have also looked at Caribbean, European, and other international RCI properties to see if I could find availability for my travel dates. Below are tips on booking DVC RCI:

1) Check the RCI website to see which resorts are available for booking in your chosen destination. This can be done by clicking the Resort Directory. Once you have decided which properties meet your standards, go to RCI Vacation Search to see which resorts are showing availability for the dates you want.
2) Research any RCI resorts you are interested in beforehand by going to TripAdvisor to read customer reviews. You can also read the reviews on the RCI review page for that resort. Look at the traveler pictures on TripAdvisor to see what travelers are reporting the resort looks like and what the COVID experience is like.
3) The best RCI resorts are those designated with the Signature (key), Gold Crown, and Silver Crown symbols. If the resort you are viewing doesn’t have one of those symbols, you need to really do your due diligence to ensure the resort is up to your standards.
4) RCI resorts are not the same as DVC resorts, so don’t expect the same amenities because they vary by property. Clicking on the room details on the DVC RCI website for each property will tell you what to expect. Not all properties have washer/dryers or full kitchens in a 1 bedroom. These are standard at DVC, but not with RCI. Do your research ahead of time and know what to expect.
5) Booking an RCI property takes some diligence. You can either start an open search on your own or contact DVC to do it for you. If you decide to do your own search, it will require checking the DVC RCI website daily to see if the property you want is available for the dates you want.
6) When you find the property you want, book it immediately on the DVC RCI website. DO NOT call DVC to book it for you. You may loose the reservation (someone else may book it before DVC can)—they don’t tend to stay up long.
7) Most 1 bedrooms on RCI are about 150 points for a weekly stay. The Signature Collection RCI resorts (designated with a key) are significantly more. Check with DVC to see how much you have to pay to extend points you deposit in RCI until February 2022. I believe you are able to do that. 486 points should get you about 3 weeks worth of accommodations depending on where you plan to go. Given the current travel restrictions, a lot of RCI properties are still showing 2020 and early 2021 availability. Of course, go to the resort website to see if the resort is open before you book.

Good luck. RCI is a great option for using your points, you just have to be willing to do the leg work.
 
How long are the points good for once they have been deposited into RCI?

LAX
 
How long are the points good for once they have been deposited into RCI?

LAX

They should expire the same as they would with DVC if you didn’t bank them. To extend their expiration by one year in RCI, you have to pay a fee. Same as that if you banked your points with DVC, they are good for another year and you can use them to book RCI. Here’s the information the DVC website (click on the Know Before You Book link):

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/list/world-rci/rci/
 
They should expire the same as they would with DVC if you didn’t bank them. To extend their expiration by one year in RCI, you have to pay a fee. Same as that if you banked your points with DVC, they are good for another year and you can use them to book RCI. Here’s the information the DVC website (click on the Know Before You Book link):

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/list/world-rci/rci/

Once points are deposited into RCI, it extends there life by 2 years, much longer than if kept in DVC, You can deposit points already bsnked as well.

If you want to extend an additional year, you can pay a fee And then have 3 years to use them once in RCI.
 
How long are the points good for once they have been deposited into RCI?

LAX

Once deposited, you get another 2 years to use them, For example, I have points expiring November 30th.

If I wasn’t using them at the end of a October, I could deposit to RCI, and I’d have into 2022 to use them...or pay a fee, and get until 2023!
 
Once deposited, you get another 2 years to use them, For example, I have points expiring November 30th.

If I wasn’t using them at the end of a October, I could deposit to RCI, and I’d have into 2022 to use them...or pay a fee, and get until 2023!

Thanks. It sounds like DVC points need to be deposited at least 30 days prior to expiration. Otherwise, there are lots of restrictions attached. Plus, using your example, after the points have been deposited in October 2020, they are good for reservations through October 2022, correct?

LAX
 
Double check the deposit date. I've have two different DVC CM tell me that the deadline for deposit is Oct 17th for points expiring Nov 30th this year. (These are banked, extended points from Oct2018 use year.)
 

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