Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answer to your questions

Hopefully you can see from our website how keen we are to provide as much information as possible on Expectations Holidays! It is really important to us that all of our members have a good understanding of how we work, what our products can (and can’t) do and how to get the best value and use from their membership.

What is Expectations Holidays?

Expectations Holidays is a private members club specifically tailored for families and couples who like to take one or more quality holidays each year.

Designed as an alternative to package holidays or booking websites, members of Expectations have access to excellent standards of holiday accommodation through RCI – The World’s largest vacation exchange network. With a portfolio of over 4,000 resorts worldwide members can choose from a great variety of holiday styles and accommodation to suit their needs.

With quality accommodation available from as little as just £8 per person per night, depending on the holidays you take and how you use your membership, you could make some substantial savings on the cost of your holiday accommodation.

What are Expectations Points?

Expectations points are the credits used by members to book holiday accommodation through RCI.

Using an in-depth knowledge of holiday property markets, Expectations Holidays Club has created a carefully managed portfolio of occupancy rights at high-quality resorts around the world.

Each year this portfolio of holiday accommodation is deposited into the RCI exchange network. In return, Expectations members receive their annual allocation of points which are automatically credited into their membership account. Members can then book as many holidays as their points will take them on each year at any of the 4,000 RCI affiliated resorts worldwide (subject to availability).

Expectations points are allocated annually and can offer more flexibility than traditional holiday ownership products. For the holiday of a lifetime, members can save points onto the next year or borrow them from their following year’s allocation, additional points can also be “rented” to increase your holiday options.

As with many other holiday ownership products points can also be resold or passed on to other family members if you so desire.

Do I have to visit a different resort each year?
No. You can visit the same resort more than once during your membership. Some resorts do experience very high demand however, and may apply a 1-in-4 rule. Simply put, this allows you to exchange into this resort once every 4 years to be fair to all RCI members.

How do I rent extra points?
Members can “Rent” additional points at the cost of £0.0075 per point (up to a maximum equivalent of 50% of their annual points allocation in any given Use Year). For Example: if you have a membership providing 50,000 points every year, you’ll be able to rent a maximum of 25,000 additional points every year at a cost of just £270. You can rent extra points online or over the phone when making a booking.

How far in advance can I borrow points?
From up to one year in advance from your next Use Year you are borrowing from.

Do I have to book flights through RCI?
No. RCI does offer additional travel services; however, certainly with regard to flights, you will undoubtedly find the best value using price comparison services. We would always advise shopping around for flights.

How are individual holiday periods and accommodations assigned a points value?
RCI assigned points values based upon a set criteria of: Location, quality, amenities, unit configuration and time of year.

Who can use my Expectations membership?
You can invite anyone to join you on an Expectations holiday, provided that you do not exceed the maximum occupancy of the accommodation at which you have booked. Friends and family can enjoy bookings without you, provided you purchase a Guest Certificate. Guest Certificates can also be used to book friends or family Late Deals and Extra Holidays!

Can I really book as many Late Deals and Extra Holidays as I want?
Yes! Your Expectations membership gives you unlimited access to RCI Late Deals and Extra Holidays. These holidays do not require you to use any of your points, with the cost depending on the destination, time of year, and apartment size. Please see our website for real-time examples.

Can I convert/recycle an existing timeshare?
Depending on the timeshare or holiday ownership product already owned, we may be able to convert this into our Expectations Full Membership. We cannot convert existing third-party products into a 3-year Trial Membership. For more information, please see our page on recycling an existing timeshare.

If I am able to recycle a timeshare into Expectations points will I still liable for its management fees?
No. If Expectations add your existing product to the portfolio of properties they will also take over any annual management fees. Any annual fees you pay for your points will be invoiced from Expectations and at the same rate per point as if you had purchased the points without first owning the original timeshare.

What happens if I have to cancel a reservation?
Your points will be refunded in full if you cancel 90 days or more before the check-in date. Cancellations made between 89 and 46 days before check-in refund 75% of the points, 45–30 days 50%, and 29–1 days 25%. Refunded points will be credited back to your membership account with their original expiry date, whilst any transaction fees will not be refunded.

Can I sell / gift / bequeath my membership?
Yes. Full Members of Expectations Holidays can sell, gift or bequeath their membership onto a third party. If your circumstances change and you are no longer able to take advantage of your membership you can also provide 6 months notice to the club and walk away without any further obligations. This is provided you have been a member for a period of 3 years.

Different types of holiday

Members of Expectations have three booking options available:

Exchange: This is where members exchange their Expectations points for holiday accommodation at any of the affiliated resorts available at the time. Members can enjoy as many exchange holidays as their points will take them on and have complete flexibility over the size of their accommodation.

Extra Holidays: Available across our diverse resort portfolio, as the name suggests, Extra Holidays do not require the use of any points and can be booked without any points remaining in your account! These are cash deals often at prices much lower than equivalent accommodation on popular online booking portals.

Late Deals: Take advantage of heavily discounted prices with Late Deals bookable up to six weeks prior to check-in. Just like Extra Holidays, Late Deals are paid for in cash and our comparisons show there are some very handsome savings to be made!

With prices starting from just £175 for a 7-night holiday you’ll certainly find some fantastic bargains. Quality accommodation available from as little as just £5 per person per night!

Something to note: Expectations members can take as many holidays as they wish in a Use Year as there is no limit on Extra Holidays and Late Deals, even when you’ve used up all your points.

Late Exchange Bookings:

If you are using your points to book an exchange holiday it is worth noting that discounts of up to 50% are placed on last-minute holidays up to 45 days prior to check-in.

• 50% points discount for holidays booked within 14 days prior to check-in date.
• 25% points discount for holidays booked within 15-30 days prior to check-in date.
• 10% points discount for holidays booked within 31-45 days prior to check-in date.

Saving and Extending Points

Saving Points

If you have used some but not all of your points in a single Use Year they will automatically be added to the following year’s balance free of charge. Alternatively, if you want to save all of your points from one year to the next you can do that too, for a small administration fee.

Since unused points will carry over to the next year we encourage members to look at using Late Deals and Extra Holidays. You can then use the extra points you have the following year to book that extra special holiday.

Extending Points

When your points are first allocated they will have an expiry date of 24 months. If after saving points members still haven’t used them and wish to extend their expiry date, they can do so into a third year, although a small fee applies:

• £33 for less than 30,000 points
• £61 for 30,000 points or more

Borrowing Points

“Borrow” extra points from the next Use Year for that extra special holiday you’ve had your eye on. Borrowing points expands your choice so you can book exchange holidays that may have been previously out of reach using one year’s allocation.

Borrow anything from just a few points to your entire year’s allocation and by combining Borrowed and Saved points you can enjoy enormous flexibility. Borrow points for free from your next Use Year, as long as the annual management fees are paid.

Top up Points

Members who prefer not to borrow from the next year’s allocation, but still require additional points, can simply 'top up'. Topping up points allows members to book holidays beyond their points allocation without having to dip into the your following year's balance! The amount of points which you can top up is limited to 50% of a members annual allocation.

The cost of topping up is subject to change. For 2020 the cost is £0.0075 per point – so, an additional 25,000 points would cost £187.50.

Top Up points cannot be Transferred or Saved and must be used within the Use Year they are purchased (subject to availability). Contact our concierge service to top up your points

What sets us apart?

In general, most organisations selling holiday points have first built a resort, obtained corporate membership to RCI and then allocated a portion of their accommodation into the RCI points system. This underpins any points they may sell (points can’t just be created from thin air!). These points can then be exchanged for other holiday accommodation through RCI.

What sets expectations apart is the way in which the accommodation used to underpin their points is acquired. Instead of building an entire resort from scratch, expectations uses a great deal of specialist knowledge and expertise to purchase accommodation rights across a range of resorts.

With exclusive access to certain inventories, Expectations actively manages this portfolio of holiday accommodation with a firm focus on generating good value for its members.

Just as an investor may look to build a “balanced portfolio” and seek out the best value within a particular market, accommodation has to pass the following criteria if it is to be added to the Expectations inventory:

• Well managed and maintained
• Reasonably priced running costs
• High demand accommodation, destination & seasonality
• The RCI Points value versus the running costs delivers good value for money

Each year, Expectations deposits their entire portfolio of holiday accommodation into the RCI network. In return, Expectations members are automatically credited with their annual points allocation.

What additional fees are there?

3-year members and those on our Full Membership, have different additional fees to consider. It is very important to us that both our current and future members fully understand any additional fees that they may come across when booking holiday accommodation and so we have a separate dedicated page which covers this in detail. You can read more about annual membership, maintenance and RCI fees here.

PDFs

• Points Illustrations
• Sample Agreement
• Club Articles
• Club Rules