I'm new to camping. I noticed that some campgrounds offer discuounts for Good Sam Club members. If you have this membership, what percentage of discounts do you get and is it worth it, in comparison to how many times a year you use it and what you pay for the membership?
QUOTE(prettipear @ Jul 1 2009, 04:48 PM) [snapback]17264[/snapback] I'm new to camping. I noticed that some campgrounds offer discuounts for Good Sam Club members. If you have this membership, what percentage of discounts do you get and is it worth it, in comparison to how many times a year you use it and what you pay for the membership? The discount for Good Sam membership is 10%. As we use Good Sam Cgs in our area, for us the membership is worth the cost. There are other benefits with the membership, some are free and there are those that have a fee. Check out the website at www.GoodSamClub.com
QUOTE(prettipear @ Jul 1 2009, 03:48 PM) [snapback]17264[/snapback] I'm new to camping. I noticed that some campgrounds offer discuounts for Good Sam Club members. If you have this membership, what percentage of discounts do you get and is it worth it, in comparison to how many times a year you use it and what you pay for the membership? Join at a Good Sam park and it only costs $12 and you get a coupon for a free night stay at a Good Sam park. This year GS wanted $44 to renew. I said forget it. Then it was $29 and I said forget it. I was at a GS park and the person at the desk said just join as new for $12. I did.
I don't do camping clubs, but to me, the Good Sam is worth it. However, you may have to kick, scream, and stamp your feet to make sure they don't put you on junk mail lists. I had to, three times, before they stopped passing my name around. JJ
I think Good Sam is worth the yearly fee. We travel two to three months per year and stay in Good Sam parks about a third of the time. The discount is 10% per night, so we more than recoup our fee. They do send out a lot of promo e-mails, which can be annoying at times. Shop around for the best price if you decide to join. They often offer discounts for 1st time members.
QUOTE(nedmtnman @ Jul 2 2009, 09:26 AM) [snapback]17283[/snapback] Join at a Good Sam park and it only costs $12 and you get a coupon for a free night stay at a Good Sam park. This year GS wanted $44 to renew. I said forget it. Then it was $29 and I said forget it. I was at a GS park and the person at the desk said just join as new for $12. I did. Ya know it's funny I have a Good Sam's membership and never have a had a problem with junk mail. I guess I've been lucky yes the discount is 10% and while you check out the website check for campground locations....then you will be able to see haw many parks are where you camp. Not many in the area where I live but we have found them when we travel....
Good Sam's has a great marketing tool. You sign up for an expensive membership, get a minimual discount, and they get to send you tons of solicitations. The idea of a discount is saving money. If you save enough to cover the cost of the membership then it's probably "worth" it.
I too have good sam and do not get all the junk mail. Also one can go to their site and check off the things they wish to recieve or not recieve and they are good about following your wishes. Also I get a discount for my car insurance with GMAC for having a good sam membership. So double discounts as far as I am concerned.
Well, I have "checked off" all I could check off, and I still got the "Sue Bray asked me to talk to you" letters (which is BOGUS for: "We sold your name to a junk mailer...") and I told Good Sam if they did that one more time, I was cancelling! Haven't had a junk mail problem since...... JJ
Despite the positives or negatives of Good Sam's, FMCA, etc., there are some better bargains in a discount camping membership. Passport America and Camp Club USA are two that offer 50% off; albeit there are some limits on when that discount is given. Even so, it only takes 2-3 uses to pay for themselves. Some states offer free discount cards. Texas is one of those. You can get a 10-15% discount at camp grounds that are members of the Texas Assoc. of Campground Owners. If you can meet the qualifications, the best bargain is the Federal Interagency Pass more commonly known as America the Beautiful program. The senior pass is a one time $10 fee and the access pass is free. Both provide 50% off federal campground fees without restrictions.
I think the Good Sam Club is a great deal. Along the with 10% discount, you also get their highways magazine, and better yet you get online trip planning that you can customize, such as avoiding low overpasses, avoid or favor interstate, toll roads, etc.
Thanks everyone, for your responses. As a newbie, I have really benefited from all the veteran advise!!! It seems like the feedback is synomonous......it's worth it.
QUOTE(prettipear @ Jul 12 2009, 06:10 PM) [snapback]17519[/snapback] Thanks everyone, for your responses. As a newbie, I have really benefited from all the veteran advise!!! It seems like the feedback is synomonous......it's worth it. We've been GS members since we started living full-time in our motor home 3.5 years ago and travel around the country for our work. However, it mostly hasn't been worth it for us as the parks give no discount for stays longer than (I think) a week and we usually stay at least a few weeks or a month or more for work in the area. Rarely do we stay in places for a few days. What is worth it to us is their magazine which gives all kinds of tips and good information. Also, when our extended warranty on our coach expires in 2010, we will be purchasing one through GS. It does have its pluses and minuses for us.
