 |  | Research My Vacation > Timeshare > What is a timeshare? > What are Exchange Companies?  |  In the U.S., there are two vacation exchange companies: Resort Condominiums International (RCI) and Interval International. These companies link timeshare resorts worldwide into a network that allows you to swap vacations. To exchange your vacation timeshare for an RCI time share or Interval International time share, you would have to become a member of one of the companies, which costs between $80 and $135 annually. Each time you make an RCI exchange or an Interval International exchange, you pay an additional fee of around $125.
To swap your vacation, you simply go to the website of the exchange company, www.RCI.com or www.intervalworld.com, and browse for an RCI vacation or Interval International time share that you would like to swap for yours.
Naturally, when making an exchange, you'll only be able to trade like-for-like. You wouldn't be able to trade, your offseason week (at a ski resort in June, say) for a high-season RCI resort at the beach in August. Similarly, like all vacations, location is paramount.
Or you could consider an Interval International Getaway vacation, in which you do not need to exchange your vacation week for another. Instead you simply pay a flat fee for the alternative Interval International resort. And if you need help in choosing your time share vacation, you can contact Interval International Travel or RCI Travel, full-service, members-only travel agencies with special rates on airfares, car rentals and travel packages. If you're interested in selling your time share, you might consider RCI resales, which would make your property available on their network, along with other RCI time share sales. |  |  | Newsletter | | | |