RCI: The new shape of travel.

Like most great companies, we started with an idea ….

In 1974, our founders Jon and Christel DeHaan pioneered the concept of vacation exchange. The couple realised that swapping vacation homes offered greater choice and added value to the timeshare ownership experience. They developed a system to allow timeshare owners to exchange a vacation at their home resort for a stay of the same duration at other resorts which had joined RCI’s exchange programme. This gave timeshare owners all over the world a new level of flexibility and choice, revolutionising the vacation experience for millions of people.

Today we remain the global leaders in vacation exchange, with the world’s largest network of resorts, destinations and vacation experiences to offer timeshare owners. More resorts trust us to deliver a world-class vacation exchange membership journey to their valued owners than any other vacation exchange company in the world.

At RCI, we understand that no matter how busy life gets, you cherish the time you set aside for vacations with family and friends each year. We want to help you make memories to last a lifetime – because your vacation means the world to us.

Our evolution

1970s

In 1974, RCI’s first office was established in Indianapolis where we still have a presence today. Within one year, 236 exchange vacations were confirmed. 1976: Mexico office opens, followed by London in 1977.

1980s

Offices open in Argentina, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Portugal and South Africa. In 1985, we welcomed our 1,000th affiliated resort. By 1986, more than 300,000 exchanges confirmed. By 1989, member families exceeded 1 million.

1990s

We launched our Gold Crown quality recognition programme in 1991. In 1998, Christel House was established by our founder, becoming our charity of choice. In 1999, more than 2.7 million exchanges are confirmed, sending around 7.5 million people on vacation.

2000s

RCI Points launched: the first global points-based exchange programme. We launched our luxury exchange programme in 2002: The Registry Collection. We celebrated our 30th anniversary in 2004, with 3 million members. In 2008, we welcomed our 4,000th affiliated resort.

Today

Through our core exchange programs, RCI Weeks and RCI Points, we offer our members access to affiliated resorts in more than 100 countries, for a single exchange fee. Our members also enjoy great deals on rental accommodation, with our partner companies, travel and vacation ‘extras.’ Upgrading to RCI Platinum membership offers even more lifestyle benefits at home and on vacation.

What is RCI Weeks membership?

RCI Weeks Explained

Ownership weeks are assigned a trading power value based on set of criteria, including the rating our members give the resort, seasonality of your week, size of accommodation, range of on-site amenities and demand. The greater your trading power, the more you have to use for booking your exchange vacation at other resorts!

You can book a vacation with a lower trading power value – you may find you can book two vacations or more. If you have trading power left over after making bookings, you can combine these to give you enough trading power to book an additional exchange vacation. Our regular trading power discounts throughout the year can include vacations with values as low as 4 so you can use up your remaining trading power to enjoy additional escapes.