Support memberships and insurance. Either/or? Both??

Hi there!

Had a query about two things.

1. What are some popular support memberships? For example, I've heard of Good Sam's club. When I go to their website it seems Greek to me. What does it offer, generally? What is the yearly cost? (Pay by month/year...or like insurance, billed?). Are there other similar companies? Subpar? Or, stellar? Are some "5 star" while others are "do-it-yourself" level?

2. Do you just add your rig to your auto insurance, or your homeowner's insurance? Or, do you have a different insurance all together? Does insurance offer some of the same ^^ amenities, or none, or some?

2a. Should you attempt to include both? What is the payoff to having a support membership?

Thanks!

Good Sam get you discounts at camp grounds other than that steer clear.  You get the same or better discounts with VA Card or AAA  Their road side assistance do a search on the forum.  The posts are less than stellar.  I have AAA for RV have used it 3 times and have been very pleased.  Better than I have on the Auto side.  The card works for both.  Just call you auto insurance agent.  He will know what to do.  If it's a TT then it's just like other possessions.  MH probably like a car, just call him.

The insurance policy road assistance programs are very minimal.  I have never lost or wasted money having AAA.  You would be completely foolish to have nothing.

For RVers, there's RV insurance, there's roadside assistance, and there's camping memberships (annual) and/or ownerships (more like timeshares).  We have our motorhome insurance through the Family Motor Coach Assn. and the current carrier is National General, although it changes occasionally.  This National General insurance is for the usual liability and collision coverage written for a motorhome.

Roadside assistance can be good or bad, but most of us consider it essential, especially if we spend a lot of miles on the road.  If we have a breakdown alongside a highway in the middle of nowhere we need knowledgeable help.  With larger vehicles it's important that you have people on the other end of the telephone who understand that you may need a very large tow vehicle or even a flat bed trailer.  The person who comes to your aid needs to know how to tow the RV so there's no damage to either the vehicle part or the house part.  Many on the RV Forum use Coach Net roadside assistance which has knowledgeable people answering the phone.  Sometimes their technicians can help troubleshoot while you're on the phone with them.

Good Sam is now a very broad-based organization that provides roadside assistance,  an annual membership that includes things like Camping World discounts and campground discounts, various rallies for RVers, and various books like their campground directory.  Each of the Good Sam services has a different purchasing arrangement (for lack of a better word) so you can buy their roadside assistance plan, an emergency evacuation plan for health emergencies, or you can buy the annual "club" membership that includes the campground discounts and chapter rallies.  We currently have the Good Sam roadside assistance and the annual membership for campground discounts.  To date we've only needed minor roadside assistance and we've been happy with the GS service so far.

As to other memberships, many of us belong to Passport America for campground discounts.  They have their own network of campgrounds.  PA is an annual membership that can be renewed or dropped.  Some people want to purchase a campground membership in places like Thousand Trails, but those are contractural in nature, much like a timeshare rather than an annual renewable fee.  Many fulltimers belong to Escapees which has their own network of campgrounds, a popular mail forwarding service, and the ability to have Livingston, TX as their legal domicile.

As you can see, there are many options depending on your needs.  It's easy to join both Good Sam and Passport America for their campground discounts but even they may not fit how you travel.

ArdraF