Timeshare Trading Companies - Review and Comparison

As an owner of nine timeshares, I have had the unique ability to use many of the exchange companies over the years. In my opinion, the best customer service is offered by VRIety Exchange (powered by Trading Places), the best value is offered by VRIety Exhange and the best exchange company overall would be a tie between Interval International and VRIety Exchange. RedWeek is up-and-coming and if they are able to increase their inventory, their low cost and fair points-based system may overtake the others. Having the diversity of four exchange companies makes vacationing anywhere possible. Our road-trip this summer will include one II short-stay, one RCI trade, and one VRIety split-week trade in addition to hotel/extended-stay reservations. The diversity of memberships has offered options, but I do not plan to renew my RCI membership when it expires next year because of their drive to sell deposited units to travel agents; an exchange company should be in the business of exchanging units not selling then to outsiders.

Company	Costs	Perks	Downsides	Web Site
RCI	Expensive	Provides great travel options when booked way in advance or last minute. Customer service has improved over the last few years. Unit upgrades are common and do not incur fees. On-going saved searches are offered.	RCI has admitted that they sell deposited weeks to travel agents resulting in reduced inventory; much of the available inventory is undesirable and small. Membership and exchange fees are among the highest. Guest certificates are expensive.	The old RCI website worked well and rarely had errors. The new RCI web site is full of bugs and glitches which can be frustrating. Discounts are offered for exchanges booked online. The resorts are described well and have adequate information.
Interval International Gold	Membership: Expensive Exchanges: Reasonable	Shortstays allow for a one week deposit to be extended to two 6-day exchanges. Shortstays also allow the flexibility of weekend or short trips. The travel and entertainment 2-for-1 discounts (offered by Entertainment Book) are nice when traveling. Guest certificates are reasonably priced. Access to high-end resorts such as Marriot.	No matter what, they will not upgrade units. If you deposit a one-bedroom, that is the largest unit you can get with very few exceptions. Inventory seems limited except for last minute trips; but on-going saved searches are fulfilled quickly. Gold membership is a must to make best use of II and it comes at a high cost.	IntervalWorld works flawlessly. The site could use more pictures, virtual tours and additional information about the resorts. However, I prefer a well functioning website over an abundance of information; but having both would be even better.
RedWeek	Inexpensive	Cheap membership and inexpensive exchanges. The points-based system keeps things fair and operates much more effectively that RCI Points and other points based systems. Discounted weeks can be reserved using very few points. There is no hidden inventory and all resorts are included.	No support available via telephone. Since RedWeek is relatively new to timeshare exchanges, inventory is limited. Unit upgrades will drain points quickly or require the purchase of additional points.	RedWeek has the best website out of all of the exchange companies. Traveler reviews, rentals, for sale units, and exchanges are at your fingertips. Plenty of photos and information is available. Exchanges are not live (powered by DAE) but the availability information is reliable.
VRIety Exchange	Inexpensive	One of the best trading platforms powered by Trading Places. Free membership and cheap trades make it even better. To top it all off, deposited weeks can be split allowing for one 3-day trip and one 4-day trip to most destinations for a small fee. No hidden inventory – in-fact, VRI owners actually have access to more units (VRI owned units) than a standard Trading Places account. The support offered by VRI and Trading Places is unmatched and superior.	Ownership of a VRI managed unit is necessary to be a member. Season upgrades are only offered on last minute trades and unit upgrades can be costly. Inventory is limited to VRI managed resorts plus some units available through Trading Places. Some of the resorts are not in the best condition – but that is nothing a little pre-planning is research can’t prevent.	VRIety’s website is powered by Trading Places and is easy to use and straight-forward. Exchange requests are processed in real-time just like other much larger exchange companies. The information about the resorts is limited but many have several photos. To do a split week reservation it must be done over the phone – it cannot be done online.

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Century 21 Lois Lauer Realty
33699 Yucaipa Blvd. • Yucaipa, CA 92399
Office: 909.227.2191 • Toll Free: 877.283.7624
Email: skrug@loislauer.com
DRE License 00895388