I was asked a question the other day about whether timeshare owners in companies like  Disney, Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, Diamond, WorldMark and Hilton get preferential treatment when exchanging through RCI or Interval International.  I feel that big companies may get some extra privileges for their owners from both RCI or II but no one knows for sure. 

What I can tell you is that when an owner wants to do a timeshare exchange out of one of these high end timeshare companies, that a specific week from a specific resort still has to be deposited with RCI or Interval International.  And that’s what determines your trading power.  Therefore,  the better the resort and week you give up, the better your exchange.

But what about big companies like Diamond and WorldMark? Although Diamond claims more than 100 resorts and WorldMark more than 50 in their chain, many of them are third rate.  So if Diamond deposits a September week from the Coconut Palm Beach Resort for one of their members, they won’t have a lot of trading power.  That is, of course, unless II gives Diamond special treatment.

I’ve found that Interval International is now focusing more than ever on quality-of the week and resort deposited.  So my suggestion is to find out if you can pick which week and which resort you want deposited in RCI or Interval International.  For instance, if you’re a Diamond member, see if you can pick a February week from their Maui Resort or something similar.

They will probably tell you that “with Diamond it doesn’t make a difference which week is deposited.”  Don’t believe it.  Be persistent.  Most likely they won’t let you pick the exact week and resort so make them put in a good one.  Again, don’t let them tell you it doesn’t matter.  The reservation clerk believes that because they have been trained that way.

If you really want to nail it, then, oh dread, go through your closing documents to see what your rights are when exchanging.  They should be in there.  I’d also ask for the policy to be emailed to you. 

You may think this a lot of work but when it comes to exchanging you want  the most power you can get.  Never let some low level Owner Services reservation person convince you that all weeks are the same when it comes to exchanging.

You should also call RCI or Interval International  to ask if all weeks from your resort club exchange equally.  They will typically tap dance around such questions but do this everytime you’re on the phone with II.  I’ve gotten some really good information from II representatives that happened to be in a good mood that day.

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Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges. 

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog. 

For 10 FREE videos on getting a better exchange in RCI and II, go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.