RCI Exchange Use
Exchange through Resort Condominiums International (RCI)
RCI offers the most flexibility and largest time window for use. It is very important that you familiarize yourself with how exchanges work and what the benefits are. Your RCI Directory and other RCI literature lay out the exchange program in great detail. Additional information is available at http://pgs.rci.com/landing/InsideRCI/index.html. Please take the time to thoroughly understand this information and you will enjoy many pleasurable vacations. We have summarized the assignment procedures below. THIS OPTION IS THE BEST USE OF YOUR VACATION OWNERSHIP.
RCI is the premiere exchange network affiliated with over 4500+ affiliated resorts worldwide. RCI offers outstanding opportunities for vacationing at almost any destination; it also offers a variety of vacation related services and discounts. Once you have had a vacation exchange, you will use the exchange system time and time again. Click here for RCI Web Site and additional information.
Use the following procedure to exchange through the RCI system:
1. Make sure all fees are current for the period of intended use (Sea Mist Maintenance Fees & RCI Membership/Subscription Fees).
2. Upon receipt of payment – Sea Mist will deposit your week to RCI via the RCI RL2K system based on your ownership type and request submission. You will receive a confirmation of the Space-bank deposit directly from RCI.
3. When you know when you want to travel, request your exchange week directly thru RCI 800-338-7777, 317-876-8899, 317-805-8000 or www.rci.com at a comparable resort or resort area. If your desired resort choice is immediately available, you will be notified by RCI.
4. If your desired resort or location destination is not immediately available be sure to INITIATE AN ONGOING search with RCI. An ongoing search enables the RCI system to continue a constant (24/7) search for your desired destination rather than just searching the few minutes you are on RCI.com or on the phone with the RCI call center.
Getting the resort, or resort area, of your choice depends on a series of factors, including how soon you make your deposit to the RCI SPACEBANK and the seasonal designation of the week you are exchanging. Even with a lower exchange trading power you can be successful with exchanges by using such strategies as depositing early and/or using the instant exchange system of RCI. The key is getting to learn the system.
NOTE: By depositing 2 years to 9 months before the start date of your week, you can help maximize your Deposit’s Trading Power.
See RCI Weeks Enhancement Program
Additional Information & Tips for making successful exchanges:
ONGOING SEARCH: We cannot emphasize enough the importance of initiating an ongoing search with RCI. This option allows the RCI database to search for your desired travel destination 24/7/365. Inventory is constantly being added to the RCI inventory database. If you do not take advantage of the ongoing search option you are limiting your search window to the few minutes you are on the phone with the call center or online with RCI.com.
COMBINE DEPOSIT/DEPOSIT CREDITS: New with the Weeks Enhancement Program is the ability to combine your deposited weeks and/or left over deposit credits from confirmed exchanges. If you find you have not traveled on a banked week and are about to lose the week because you are unable to travel before its expiration date, you may now combine the week that is about to expire with a current week and have 24 months from the date of the combination to travel against the total exchange credits. This option also allows you to combine multiple weeks to gain access to an exchange that might otherwise not be available due to your ownership season ETP. You may also combine ETP to travel against a future year deposit earlier than the traditional 1-year prior travel window. Visit RCI.com for current rates and options.
RCI.COM: The exchange fee is currently $289.00. Take advantage of the many search options you can use online. You can search by resort ID, Region, State, City, Date or Date range. If you do some broader searches you may find some travel destinations you might not otherwise have thought of traveling to. Don’t forget about Vacation Offers for when you’re ready to travel but might not have a week available or the credits you need. Extra Vacations Getaways, Last Call Vacation and Nightly Stays don’t require exchange credits. You can find these features under the Air, Car, Cruise & More tab on the RCI.com homepage.
SHORT NOTICE TRAVEL: If you are able to travel with short or little notice you can take advantage of some great deals. The exchange credits needed to get into unconfirmed weeks at many resorts will often decrease the closer it gets to the check in date. RCI’s main goal is to fill the open exchange. If they have units that are not being confirmed they will drop the exchange credit required to book that open exchange.
Biennial year owner (EVEN years only or ODD years only), receive a week assignment and pay a maintenance fee payment only during years of ownership (EVEN years [2024, 2026, 2028 etc.] or ODD years [2023, 2025, 2027 etc.]).
REMINDER: Owners with active RCI memberships can always take advantage of Extra Vacation Getaways and Last Call Vacations. These exchanges do NOT require a banked week and can be found when initialing an exchange search on RCI.com as well as through the RCI call center, toll free at 800-338-77
Early Assignment Requests:
Sea Mist Resort does allow for early week assignment requests. Sea Mist follows along with THE ‘24 Month Prior’ RCI guideline for early deposit. If you wish to receive a future year week assignment early for deposit with RCI, own use, guest use or private rental, it is required that the maintenance fee payment be submitted for each year requested in order for Sea Mist to generate a future year week assignment. The fee amount collected for early assignments will be based on the current years maintenance fee rate. The fee for the future year will not be set until the fall of the preceding calendar year. If there is a change of maintenance fee rate on any future year pre-payment, you will be invoiced/credited accordingly based upon the approved budget for that year of ownership.
If you wish to make a request for early assignment, please contact Stacy Lane to receive an early invoice:
Phone: 239-789-1150 or email: [email protected]
Mail: P O 61639, Fort Myers, FL 33906-1639
RCI Early Assignment/Deposit Guidelines:
Weeks may be deposited as early as 24 months prior to the start date at the home resort, for travel as early as 12 months PRIOR to the Start Date at the home resort. Travel may take place as late as 24 months AFTER the Start Date at the home resort. This early deposit option can offer as much as a three (3) year Window for travel against any week deposited to RCI. Early Deposit requires maintenance Fees to be paid for each year being deposited. Fees are based on the ‘Current’ Years maintenance fee, and will be adjusted once the fees for the pre-paid year are set at the Annual Budget Meeting.
You may also make requests for early assignment of Own Use/Guest Use or Private Rental weeks up to 24 months prior to the start date of the week assignment. However the actual access of the Own Use/Guest Use or Private Rental week must fall within the calendar year of ownership as previously outlined.
RCI 3-Year Window of Use Timeline Example:
Timeline for a 2022 Week #20 assignment with a May 20, 2022 ‘Start Date’ thru RCI: The owner is eligible to deposit their May 2022 week as early as May 21, 2020 (depositing this early offers the owner the highest possible trading power for the week). However they could wait unit as late May 4, 2022 (14 days before the start date) to deposit the week. Once the 2018 Week is deposited, the owners may request and exchange against the week and can travel any time between May 2021 and May 2024. This timeline may even be extended further if needed with purchase of an extension or a week/exchange credit combination option with RCI.
