Good Sam or Passport America?

[FLMikeG]

Like everyone else, I love to save money. I have been looking at these discount clubs to save on campground fees. Which of these clubs is better overall, Good Sam or Passport America? (Or is there another one that I don't know about)?

We like campgrounds that are more "woodsy" or have a wilderness-like feel.  We don't care for the shuffleboard, clubhouse, activities, pool, or most amenities other than hookups and Wi-Fi. Canoeing, hiking, bird-watching, and fossil-hunting are what we like to do. So if the participating campgrounds in a club are mostly those 55+ adult parks or expensive campgrounds with a bunch of amenities we won't use, then I would prefer to join a different club.

(Also, not sure if this means much, but the bulk of our camping will be in Florida and the southeast states)

 

[grashley]

There are several recent threads on this topic.  Search  /  Good Sam  /  or  / Passport America  /

The big difference is GS is only 10% off, but is much more widely accepted and fewer restrictions.

It may take longer to pay for a GS with savings, but it is often easier due to wider acceptance.

PA is often 50% off but fewer campgrounds accept PA, it is often good for 1 to 3 nights and are usually not available on weekends.

PA will quickly pay for itself IF you travel weekdays with one night stays and there are PA campgrounds where you need them.

Some people have both.

 

[Jeff]

We just spent two nights in a PA park in SE MN and saved 40 bucks, the annual costs on a 5 year membership. We will be in several PA parks before we get back to AZ this Fall.


We usually save a couple of times what we pay for a Good Sam membership in the 5 months or so we spend on the road. I have been seeing GS parks accept several other discounts like FMCA, etc.

 

[scottydl]

Here's a somewhat recent thread on this same topic: http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,89772

Deciding which membership(s), if any, will work best all depends on where you plan to camp... and what THOSE campgrounds offer.  Take a look at www.passportamerica.com and I believe you can view their directory of participating campgrounds.  Good Sam is probably the same on their website. 

PA has a better 50% discount, but more restrictions (often just weekdays, or 1 night of your stay... depends on the park).  GS parks may be more plentiful but their discount is a lot less at 10%.

Or, just avoid the chain places altogether and go with county/state/federal land campgrounds.  I'd say many of those offer the wilderness atmosphere you are seeking, and prices are usually quite low.  We camp in county/state parks more than anyplace else where I live (Illinois), which are usually around $20-25/night.

 

[martin2340]

I have a GS membership but rarely, actually never, do I have to show a card or ID. I just mention that I have it and get the discount. On a recent stay at a GS CG I didn't even mention it and they gave me a 10% discount. I don't know how PA works but if you go with them you may still get the GS discount rate just by mentioning it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I don't think Good Sam has a lot more affiliated parks than Passport (roughly 2100 vs 1900), but it's mostly a different set, so one may have more parks in the area where YOU travel most often. The big difference is that PA has a steeper discount but often with more restrictions on its use.

If discounts are your main goal, PA is the best choice unless you just don't travel where PA parks are located. Busy parks in popular areas rarely participate because they have no need to use steep discounts to fill the park every night, so GS is often a better choice for those areas. However, you need to camp a dozen nights/year there to break even on the membership costs. PA can often break even in just a couple nights.

There is also a Family Campers & RVers. See http://www.fcrv.org/

 

[Dance Chick]

We've used both during the same stay. As mentioned, PA usually has restrictions and can't be used on weekends. (However, we have used it Fri. & Sat. on a very rare occasion.) When staying for 4 or 5 days that encompassed a weekend, we were allowed to use PA for the allowed 2 days during the week and GS for the 2 weekend days. We've found them both to be valuable.

 

[Jeff]

When we started full timing eleven years ago there were three PA parks we used very regularly and for weeks at a time. All these parks have improved their facilities, grown their businesses, and stopped taking PA. They all now accept Good Sam.


As I mentioned earlier we still use PA and save more than enough to continue renewing.

 

[Rancher Will]

We have been life members of both Good Sam and Passport America for decades. Every year we save more than the original membership cost.

If you plan to continue RVing for a few years, we recommend that you purchase a lifetime membership to save the most cost over time.

 

[Bill N]

We has GS but don't predicate our stops or stays on whether it is a GS park or not.  But what we have found lately is that many parks now offer military discounts to both active duty or retired (which I am) and also to senior citizens regardless of AARP or not.  At one mom and pop CG we asked if there were any discounts and the guy said:  "Since you asked we will take off 15 percent."  Go figure that one. LOL  Most parks in Branson, Mo offer military discounts and several are GS.

 

[NY_Dutch]

We have Good Sam, Passport America, KOA VKR, and Escapees memberships, plus the Federal Senior Pass, and they all pay their own way and more each year for us. But as said, each one has its own strengths and limitations, so do your homework and decide which best fits your RV'ing style as your primary membership, and then maybe try a secondary membership for a year or two to see if it works for you. And of course you an always change as your RV life changes.

 

[FLMikeG]

Thank you all for the feedback. I feel better equipped to make a decision now. 

I will likely wait until we have done some traveling and camping before making that decision. Since we like to camp in the wilderness, I doubt we will be staying in too many RV parks. Most of our stays will likely be in state parks, national forests, and BLM areas. If I do end up joining a discount club, it will likely be Good Sam because the discount is more widely accepted with less restrictions.

 

[Trivet]

There is also a Family Campers & RVers. See http://www.fcrv.org/

I looked at this website and don't see any camping discounts.  Their "benefits" page has a listing of discounts that includes Hertz and Passport America, but with no indication of what the discount is, and the links they give just go to hertz.com or passportamerica.com

They also say there's a discount for camping at participating campgrounds, and there's a link to a list of them.  But there are only 19, and there's no indication of what the discount is.  Links for the campgrounds just go to the main website for the campground--again, no discount mentioned.

What am I missing?

 

[Campingnut16]

I'm just relaying information but my 2 coworkers that RV looked into good Sam and passport Am they saw nothing it offered that their normal car insurance didn't offer for similar money and said their own insurance actually offered more than the others for around 15 a month . I don't know what companies these are but I would check into who you trust before trying out a company you don't know just my .02 cents

 

[scottydl]

I'm just relaying information but my 2 coworkers that RV looked into good Sam and passport Am they saw nothing it offered that their normal car insurance didn't offer for similar money and said their own insurance actually offered more than the others for around 15 a month . I don't know what companies these are but I would check into who you trust before trying out a company you don't know just my .02 cents

It sounds like you (or your coworkers anyway) are referring to roadside assistance coverage, in case of a flat tire or other breakdown.  While Good Sam does offer those programs (Passport America does not), this thread is about the campground membership/discount offerings available by the two companies and others.  It's completely separate from any roadside assistance or other service-related products.

 

[FLMikeG]

It sounds like you (or your coworkers anyway) are referring to roadside assistance coverage, in case of a flat tire or other breakdown.  While Good Sam does offer those programs (Passport America does not), this thread is about the campground membership/discount offerings available by the two companies and others.  It's completely separate from any roadside assistance or other service-related products.

Has anyone here ever had to use the roadside assistance offered by Good Sam? Just curious, because that would factor in to my decision. That is a nice perk.

 

[Tom]

Has anyone here ever had to use the roadside assistance offered by Good Sam?

Yes, and the service was very good. That was in the 80's, and it was part of the Good Sam ERS package, separate from/additional to the Good Sam membership. I have no idea what they offer today.

 

[BoomerD]

You'll find mixed reviews of just about any roadside assistance program. There's a thread going on currently in General Discussion where a member had a terrible experience with GS...others have had completely opposite experiences.
I use my State Farm Roadside Assistance. So far this year, I've had to have a tow of almost 50 miles (about $500) and a flat tire change on the road. No problems with either service.

HOWEVER, since this thread seems to be about campgrounds, availability and discounts...I've used GS for a couple of years. The 10% discount helps slightly...but since we also stop at KOA's when we're on the road, we rarely get back in discounts what we pay in membership. PLUS, once you become a Good Sam member, they will spam the crap out of your snail mail box. I get 2-3 "offers" each week for roadside assistance, extended warranties, insurance, and their travel assist program. I've called a couple of times asking to be removed from those mailings...but they keep coming anyway.

Until this past trip to/from Yellowstone, I'd have said that Good Sam parks tend to be of slightly better quality than those that aren't so affiliated. (except KOA's...which are a mixed bag) BUT, we ended up in a park in Oregon that was rated fairly highly...but was one of the worst RV parks we've ever been to. If it wasn't so late in the day...and if I wasn't so tired, we'd have moved on. (sites were WAAAAAAY out of level, showers were out of service,  just pretty run-down in about every respect.) I'll now take the GS reviews with a grain of salt...and a heavy dose of skepticism.

I suspect the campgrounds that accept Passport America are just trying to fill unsold spaces during their less busy months...which explains the heavy restrictions many have on the days it's accepted, the number of days it can be used, and months PA isn't accepted.
Still...if there are campgrounds where you want to be...and they're decent, it doesn't take many nights to pay for the membership.

 

[NY_Dutch]

If you're a GS member getting too much GS spam, log into your GS account and change your mail preferences. It takes a few weeks for it to clear out of the system, but it does work. We now only get an occasional insurance solicitation once every month or two.

On edit: I just checked my GS account, and it appears that they've removed the snail mail preferences options. Calling GS customer service is the only option given now. Bummer! 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

They also say there's a discount for camping at participating campgrounds, and there's a link to a list of them.  But there are only 19, and there's no indication of what the discount is.  Links for the campgrounds just go to the main website for the campground--again, no discount mentioned.

What am I missing?

Probably not much. The FCRV is not as widely recognized a group as GS, so the discount program is not as extensive as some others. It is mostly popular with owners of smaller RVs and family groups. You can get six months of membership for free, so no risk for trying it out, but if all you are looking for is discounts for campground stays, FCRV is probably not for you. But then, neither are GS or Escapees. They are camping clubs that have discounts available, whereas Passport America is all about campsite discounts and essentially nothing else.

Some states have state park discounts available (usually only for residents), and there is a Seniors and also a Disabled discount for federal parks (if you qualify for either of those).