Which RV membership?

[Eagle]

There are a number of RV memberships available like Passport America, Good Sam Club, Great RV Escapes and others.

Do you belong to any of those listed or others?

Have you found the benefits worth the cost of membership?

Insurance offered by some is more expensive than from my local insurance agent.

About the only benefit I've gained from membership is a discount on campground fees but sadly, those discounts are not available during most holidays or during some main attraction events.

[WSKinVA]

I've used Good Sam, KOA, and Passport America.

KOA - okay price, okay discounts, pretty good website and campgrounds. Good online registration process. Good for overnite stops during a journey if you don't want to boondock.
Haven't used or considered other features/services offered

Good Sam - okay price - comes with auto discount at Camping World, for what that is worth. We've used Camping world for service and had good results. Is useful for finding 'off the beaten path' campgrounds, but have seen a few that really need to be wiped from the maps. Good rating and comment system, though. Okay discounts. Convoluted registration process.

Good Sam Services? - have gotten quotes for Extended Service Contracts, but declined the offers. I do have the Roadside Assistance, but that is for redundancy to vehicle RSA, GEICO RSP, MasterCard RSA, OnStar RSA - I shouldn't get stranded anywhere with all of that!

Passport America - tried it, hated it. The only other system I have used is ReserveAmerica, which is ok, but is not of any use if you are trying to apply a discount (like lifetime State Park Membership or Lifetime National Parks membership).

[Travels with Yoly]

We have membership in Passport America, Good Sam and KOA Value Kards. Other than Passport America, the rest typically offer a 10% discount which basically covers the taxes on each stay. I'd say that 80% of parks also offer the same 10% off for AAA, AARP and Military. Doesn't seem like much but obviously it simply depends on how often you pay for a RV site. In most cases 10 stays will recoup your cost with a 10% discount

Passport America offers a 50% discount (or close to it) but there are quite a few restrictions (Sunday thru Thursday only for example and many months of the year with no discount at some resorts). Most also limit the discount to 1 or 2 nights but we've seen exceptions to that rule as well. Come to think about it, the thing I most dislike about PA is that the rules and conditions are all over the map, but possibly that's why they can offer such a great discount.

The worthiness of each based on their cost of membership is simply a matter of doing the math. If you only camp a couple times a year, the cost of membership will be higher than the potential savings. In our case, we camp about 75 to 100 nights (average) a year so it's a no brainer.

Even with the severe restrictions, the Passport America membership usually pays for itself in a week if you simply stay at about 3 PA parks. The Good Sam membership also gives you a 10% discount at Camping World when you buy stuff so take that into account also. I hate Camping World but they are still a good source to find stuff (that WallyMart doesn't stock) when you need it.

The KOA Value Kard offers points for staying at KOAs as well as the 10% discount ... just like a hotel. You can exchange points for free nights. You also get additional points for making a reservation online.

It's also worth noting that you must mention your affiliation and or ask about what discounts are available when you check in.

[LJAZ]

I have the Good Sam membership but no experience with the others. It's pretty cheap around $20/yr or so. I mostly use the Good Sam for discounts at Camping World. I know they aren't the cheapest supplier but there is one literally across the street from where I work so the convenience factor is there. And with the discount the prices aren't too bad. The staff is pretty knowledgable as well.

Then there's discounts for some RV Parks and for fuel at Flying J gas stations.

Their website has a trip planner that I've fiddled around with but haven't used to actually plan a trip. It seems pretty good but don't know for sure. They also have a rating system where members can post their experience which is pretty handy.

The thing I hate is the constant mailers for insurance. I get one at least once a month it seems.

[michellep]

I have Passport America and find it can pay for itself quickly if you camp a lot. I just renewed for another year.

I joined Escapees last fall...wish I hadn't. It was pricey and offered 10%ish on some campgrounds. I think the thing with them is their "own" campground(s)???

As far as the roadside insurance, I LOVE Coach-Net. Slightly more expensive than that offered by my homeowners/auto provider, but much better in what services are provided. I did an apples-to-apples comparison of home/auto and Coach Net a couple of years ago and Coach Net won hands down.

[Travels with Yoly]

We just let our AAA membership expire simply because we were inundated with 10 times more junk than Good Sam generates. Car Insurance, Life Insurance, RV insurance, Travel packages, hotel discounts ..... all kinds of stuff really got annoying. Also, the one time I called them last year it took 15 minutes for someone to answer the phone. Just for fun I started the process of changing my own tire while the phone was ringing and I had just about finished the task by the time they picked up.

We also have Good Sam Roadside Assistance and I've heard nothing but bad things about them also. One person I talked to needed their trailer towed from their campsite to a local repair facility and they wouldn't do it because it's called "Roadside Assistance" and the trailer wasn't on a "road". Another time I watched a YouTube video by a well-known videographer/blogger who called them when his Ford diesel died in Napa, CA. He's broke down by the side of the road and they tell him that they can't get a truck there until the next day. How is that helping ???? We won't be renewing when it expires.

[getzold]

A good youtube article on this topic. A lengthy one, but very informative.


RV Clubs - Which to Join? (March 2015)
Technomadia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UUL2D5vcS4

[Travels with Yoly]

Thanks for the link .... watched the whole thing, learned a few things and will be looking into a few new options possibly.