Are there anymemberships worth the fee? Any better than others?

[Bill N]

One campground discount I am not seeing mentioned here but that exists at many where we have stayed:  Veterans Discount - usually 10 percent but have seen it at 15 percent a couple of times.  BUT you have to ask for it at most places.  One owner even told me, "Thanks for asking. I am going to start giving 15% since I am a veteran myself."

 

[postmandug]

I looked at the Passport America program while researching our planned (at the time) trip thru the Northwest starting mid-May. Seemed to me most of the places I had in mind to visit did not honor the discount during the summer months. What good is a discount if you cannot use it??

 

[Badlands Bob]

If you like to camp in state parks, check and see if they have some sort of camping discount program.  If you are 62, the Golden Age Pass is a great deal.  1/2 price camping at COE parks and other Federal campgrounds.  We rarely stay in private campgrounds so the commercial camping programs don't appeal to me.  I'd much rather have more room at a state or federal campground than be packed in so close I can't extend my awning.  The down side is most state and federal campgrounds don't have sewer hookups.  You just have to figure out what kind of camping you want to do.

 

[muskoka guy]

We used passport America all winter and recouped the cost of the membership about many times over. 50 percent discount is substantial. The membership was 44 dollars, and we saved 30 dollars in one night at many places. We found that you had to look up the individual RV website to find their restrictions on the PA discount. Some wont accept it in the winter, some wont accept it in the summer. Some were only good Sunday to Thursday. Some were only good for a maximum of two days. Every park was different. If you plan on travelling a lot to different parks, you could save far more than the cost of the card. If you are only staying in one place, chances are you wont see much of a return. We also had good SAM, and AAA roadside assist. We used it last year to change a tire, but this year only to get discounts on RV parks that didn't take passport America. Still saved 10 percent with either of these cards. We also bought the National parks pass for 80 dollars, and got far more than that back. You wont miss a park if you don't have to pay any additional money. We travelled close to 20000 miles in two winters, so we saw a lot of national parks and monuments.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

What good is a discount if you cannot use it??

Precisely. That's why you need to look at what is offered and when rather than the amount of the discount or other incentives.

All the deals are good IF you can use them as offered. If not, they are just a waste of money. A free night at a campground 300 miles out of your way is useless. So is a freebie at a place you don't like or doesn't suit your needs.

As for Passport America, it's basically a way to help the park owner fill sites during off-peak times. The park would be nuts to turn away full rate customers in order to give you a 50% discount, so most discounts are offered during the week or outside of prime season. Just when that may be varies with each park, but for those with the flexibility to travel at different times and places, PA can be very effective. And it only needs to be used a couple times each year to break even.

 

[WILDEBILL308]

If you pay attention to how and where the savings are with PA you can save. I saved over $550 last year with PA. I also saved $1066.00 with FMCA on 6 new tires. Then there was the $100.00+ saved because of the FMCAssist is included in the dues and I was paying extra at Good Sams. FMCA's Roadside Rescue is $69.00 a year and the last service had doubled to over $200.00 a year.
You just need to do your homework.
Bill