6 Best Campground Memberships

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Last Updated on September 4, 2024 by Paul Clayton

6 Best Campground Memberships

Campground memberships allow you to save a good chunk of money in the long run. Buying a campground subscription is a good idea if you travel and stay in RV campgrounds frequently.

• Cost-effectiveness for frequent campers.
• A vast network of associated campgrounds.
• Additional amenities enhance the camping experience.
• Discount options for campground fees.
• It understands the terms and conditions before purchasing.
• I am assessing camping frequency to determine suitability.

There are plenty of names, so how do you choose the right subscription?

Below, we want to introduce you to the 6 best RV campground memberships. We’ll provide detailed insight into their benefits, which should help you choose more easily.

6 Best Campground Memberships

1. Good Sam Club

First comes Good Sam Club, perhaps the most renowned RV campground membership provider. It’s a particularly good option if you travel often.

Campground benefits

When it comes to campground benefits, the Good Sam Club provides a 10% discount at over 2,400 Good Sam Parks and campgrounds around the United States.

10% isn’t the highest rate you can find with RV campground membership providers, but it is still a decent amount, especially if you frequently stay at campgrounds.

Aside from the discount, Good Sam Club provides members with a huge catalog of campgrounds.

This catalog is pretty nice—among other things, it provides users with data and locations of campgrounds offering boating activities, campgrounds best for families, and campgrounds with or by casinos.

In addition, the Good Sam Club offers online reservations, park reviews from other members, and a trip planner.

One thing to keep in mind with the Good Sam Club reviews is that they tend to be more optimistic than reviews on other platforms. To stay safe, double-check the desired park on another platform or review site.

Other Benefits

It’s also important to consider the plethora of other benefits coming with a Good Sam Club membership. 

Most notably, a regular Good Sam Club membership will provide you with access to fuel discounts at select Pilot Flying J locations:

1. 5/1 cents per gallon of gas (US/Canada).
2. 8/1 cents per gallon of diesel (US/Canada).
3. 5 cents per gallon of propane.

In addition, you get a $2.50 discount at dump stations. When paired with a Pilot Flying J RV Plus Charge card, you get 5 cents off per gallon of propane and $2.50 off at dump stations.

If you acquire the Good Sam Club Life membership along with an RV Plus Charge card, then your benefits and discounts will be as follows:

1. 6/2 cents per gallon of gas (US/Canada).
2. 8/2 cents per gallon of diesel (US/Canada).
3. 10 cents per gallon of propane.
4. $5 at dump stations.

Finally, we have the Elite membership. Good Sam provides this three-year membership to those who purchase an RV from a Camping World RV dealership.

The discounts provided by this plan, when combined with the RV Plus Charge card, are as follows:

1. 7/2 cents per gallon of gas (US/Canada).
2. 9/2 cents per gallon of diesel (US/Canada).
3. 10 cents per gallon of propane.
4. $5 at dump stations.

Aside from these discounts, you are getting:

1. Up to 10% off every day at Gander Outdoors & Camping World retail locations.
2. Free shipping for over $49 orders at Overton’s, Gander Outdoors, and Camping World.
3. Free RV & boat dump services and 15% propane discounts at select Camping World SuperCenters.
4. Over 65% discounts on the Good Sam Guide Series.

Good Sam Club Membership Pricing

The pricing for the Good Sam Club membership is as follows:

1. $29 if bought for 1 year.
2. $50 if bought for 2 years. This plan includes a $25 merchandise certificate, which allows for a $25 discount at Camping World.
3. $75 if bought for 30 years. This plan gives you two $25 merchandise certificates.

As of early November 2023, the discounted price of the life membership was $399, while the regular price seems to be $499. This membership is for life; you do not need to renew it.

Bottom Line

The key benefit of the Good Sam membership is the variety of goodies you get. It seems like a particularly good choice if you spend most of your time on the road rather than staying at a campground.

While the campground discount is just 10%, you can save plenty of money on fuel and dumping. Besides, if you happen to be a frequent visitor to Camping World, the discounts here will also be great.

2. Passport America

Passport America claims to be the world’s original and largest 50% discount camping club. A Passport America subscription is a good option if you want to save money at campgrounds and nothing more.

Campground benefits

We’ve already mentioned the main benefit of a Passport America subscription—a 50% discount. This discount applies to nearly 1,800 campgrounds across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Passport America’s campground coverage isn’t as good as Good Sam’s, but you should be able to find a good number of excellent campgrounds from the available 1,800 sites.

Passport America also provides a catalog of its campgrounds. Thanks to the available search filters, you can reasonably easily look through it and find the right campground.

For example, the filters allow you to find pet-friendly campgrounds that have a swimming pool or offer hot showers.

Besides, Passport America offers a trip-routing tool that appears to work decently.

Unlike Good Sam, Passport America doesn’t provide campground reviews. You’ll have to research campgrounds independently through third-party tools and websites. 

Other Benefits

Passport America offers fewer side benefits than the Good Sam program.

You are gaining access to a free online subscription to RV America Magazine ($12 value), occasionally having access to numerous Passport America programs, and getting a Passport America decal for your RV.

One benefit that may particularly interest you is the referral program.

Each person you refer and who becomes a Passport America member will receive a $10 certificate on your next Passport America Discount Camping Card renewal. In other words, you’ll get a $10 discount for each person you refer.

Passport America Membership Pricing

Passport America is priced as follows:

1. $44 if purchased for 1 year.
2. $79 if purchased for 2 years ($9 savings).
3. $109 if purchased for 3 years ($23 savings).
4. $179 if purchased for 5 years ($41 savings).
5. $399 if purchased for life.

The yearly memberships are a little pricier than with Good Sam. However, given the 50% campground discount, the membership can pay for itself after just a few stays.

Bottom line

Passport America is oriented at campground discounts. If you don’t need any of Good Sam’s side benefits and want to save money on campground fees, Passport America is a great choice, especially if you camp frequently.

3. Escapees

The key feature of Escapees is its community. Escapees may be the right club for you if you are communicative and like to meet new people. 

Campground Benefits

Escapees partners with over 800 commercial RV parks to offer members 15-50% discounts, depending on the location. If you are lucky enough, your savings can be as significant as with Passport America!

Of course, Escapees also offers a comprehensive park directory that allows users to look up campgrounds by keywords. It even allows you to filter out any parks that do not currently provide a 50% discount.

Escapees provides members with an online mapping tool as well. Aside from allowing you to plan your trip, this tool shows discount parking options, work opportunities, events, and more.

If you are a fan of boondocking, then you’ll be glad to hear that Escapees provides you with access to discounted memberships with Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts.

An Escapees membership also gives you access to SKP Co-Op Parks and Rainbow Parks, with the former only available to Escapees members. What sets these parks apart from others is their community atmosphere.

Other Benefits

The Escapees membership offers many other benefits as well:

1. Escapees mail forwarding service allows part- and full-time RVers to stay on track with their USPS mail (for an additional fee).
2. Educational programs for RVers, including the RVers Online University, RVers Boot Camp, and several others, teach you how to operate your RV safely.
3. The RVer Job Exchange allows you to look for a job or hire other Escapees members.
4. Escapees community resources.
5. Partner discounts include a 10% discount with ASPCA Pet Insurance, 15% with Goodyear, and even 3 extra months and a keychain if you are a member of the Passport America program.

Escapees Membership Pricing

The pricing of the Escapees membership program is as follows:

1. $39.95 annually for US residents.
2. $49.95 annually for Canada and Mexico residents.
3. $54.95 annually for residents of other countries.

Aside from that, Escapees offers a life membership that is priced as follows:

1. $850 for US residents.
2. $905 for Canada and Mexico residents and residents of other countries.

The lifetime membership costs a fortune compared to Passport America and Good Sam. However, the benefits you are provided with are incomparably more abundant and valuable.

Bottom Line

The Escapees program is aimed at those pursuing a part- or full-time RV lifestyle. Aside from that, with many educational materials, Escapees is an excellent option for newbie RVers. 

The community benefits of Escapees and job-finding opportunities will also interest avid RVers.

While you may purchase an Escapees membership no matter how often you travel in your RV, it would be a wasteful purchase if you were to travel only occasionally.

The Escapees community is a huge part of the experience, and Escapees is better suited for full—or part-time RVers.

4. Boondockers Welcome

Boondockers Welcome is very different from the other RV campground subscription services we’ve reviewed so far. It’s also more affordable and offers a few unique benefits.

Staying Benefits

Rather than providing discounts at existing campgrounds, Boondockers Welcome allows you to stay at other members’ properties and host others at your property.

After acquiring a Boondockers Welcome membership, you can stay at other members’ properties for free.

Boondockers Welcome doesn’t require you to pay anything other than the subscription fee, but it recommends that you offer cash to cover the host’s costs associated with electricity, water, or other similar expenses.

Besides, you may share your experience on the Boondockers Welcome website to let future guests know what to expect.

Aside from that, Boondockers Welcome allows you to become a host for other RVers. In exchange, you get a 50% discount on your guest subscription just for signing up for the host program. And for every member hosted, you get 3 free months for your guest subscription.

Boondockers Welcome: this is a kind of peer-to-peer platform where members can offer a staying place to others.

This is great since you bear little to no cost while staying at someone’s property, and many more hosts will be available than commercial campgrounds. Besides, you’ll be able to communicate with fellow members and RVers.

On the other hand, the not-so-good side of Boondockers Welcome is that the amenities available will depend on the host. You may have access to electricity and water with some hosts but not others. Besides, some hosts may offer little bonuses like grills or picnic tables.

It would help if you also had a self-contained RV to participate in the program. A self-contained RV allows you to take care of sleeping, cooking, eating, and sanitation inside the RV. This is because the amenities available with hosts are limited.

How long you stay will also depend on the host – some may be okay with you staying for a week, while others won’t be comfortable with more than 2-3 days.

You can negotiate all these things with the host, but keep in mind that Boondockers Welcome members probably will not have the conveniences campgrounds usually offer.

Other Benefits

A Boondockers Welcome subscription also offers some other benefits, including:

1. A free RV boondocking guide ($17 value).
2. 20% off a single-year membership at Harvest Hosts.
3. 10% off on RV Trader if you are selling your RV with the Enhanced option.
4. $10 off a Full Time Families membership.
5. $5 off a premium membership at Mobile Internet Aficionados.
6. 20% off an RV Health monthly membership.

Boondockers Welcome membership price

As of early November 2019, a yearly Boondockers Welcome membership cost $30. However, since November 15, the cost has increased to $50 annually.

The price increase will fund the development of the Boondockers Welcome mobile app. Now, you only have the Boondockers Welcome website.

Bottom Line

If you have a self-contained RV, a Boondockers Welcome membership is a great way to save plenty of money. You don’t need the conveniences of campgrounds, so why pay for something you don’t need?

5. Harvest Hosts

Harvest Hosts shares many similarities with Boondockers Welcome, but it has a little twist—it aims to support local businesses.

Staying Benefits

Like with Boondockers Welcome, Harvest Hosts allows you to stay at other member’s properties. You may become a host for others as well.

The critical difference with Harvest Hosts is that it is aimed at providing hosting opportunities for local businesses, including:

1. Wineries.
2. Breweries and distilleries.
3. Farms.
4. Museums and other attractions.
5. Golf courses and country clubs.

This means that Harvest Hosts allows a unique marketing opportunity for local business owners.

Not only will you communicate with many people who may become your customers, but Harvest Hosts also encourages guests to support the businesses they visit with a purchase.

Local businesses participate in the hosting program entirely for free, and they get the following benefits:

1. Free Harvest Host membership and its benefits.
2. Member purchases.
3. Free marketing and referrals.

On the other hand, guests can combine their hobbies with their RV trip by staying at around 1,200 available sites. Besides, they get access to trip-routing tools and host reviews of other Harvest Hosts members. 

Like with Boondockers Welcome, staying at any host is completely free of charge (except for supporting the host’s business).

However, be mindful that guests are limited only to an overnight stay. Some hosts may agree to longer stays, but Harvest Hosts implies only one day.

Besides, guests are again required to have self-contained RVs.

Harvest Hosts Membership Pricing

Harvest Hosts has two plans:

1. $79/year with access to over 918 locations, including 414 wineries, 93 breweries & distilleries, 231 farms, and 180 museums & other attractions.
2. $119/year with access to over 1280 locations, including 362 golf courses and country clubs, as well as access to spa facilities & restaurants.

Bottom Line

If you want to enjoy your hobbies during your RV stay, Harvest Hosts offers plenty of sites.

In addition, Harvest Hosts provides local businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with others and market their products.

In other words, Harvest Hosts is Boondockers Welcome but more business-oriented.

6. Thousand Trails

Finally, if you are ready to pay the money to stay at the best campgrounds and RV resorts, look at Thousand Trails. A membership with these guys is much more expensive than with all the previous clubs, but it may be worth it.

Campground Benefits

Thousand Trails provides just 81 campgrounds in several states. While the number of locations and state coverage is incomparably more limited with Thousand Trails than other clubs, this club promises to provide access to the best and richest RV campgrounds. 

The key benefit of a Thousand Trails subscription is the chance to camp without nightly fees. However, some sites may require a small nightly fee and additional payment for on-site services. 

In other words, read the fine print if you decide to go with Thousand Trails.

Thousand Trails divides its campgrounds between 5 zones:

1. Northeast, with 14 campgrounds across Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
2. Southeast, with 23 campgrounds across Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
3. Northwest, with 18 campgrounds across British Columbia (Canada), Washington, and Oregon.
4. Southwest, with 18 campgrounds across California, Nevada, and Arizona.
5. Midwest, with 8 campgrounds across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan.

For an additional annual fee, Thousand Trails also provides access to over 100 additional destinations, including campgrounds and Encore RV resorts across the zones listed above.

Each of the zones must be purchased separately. And while the costs do not grow exponentially, the variety of campgrounds provided by Thousand Trails is relatively limited.

There is also no coverage of the Midwest US, and the coverage in the West is limited to the West Coast.

Another thing to remember is that reservations need to be made in advance, and since there are only so many sites available, you have to be very strategic and quick when booking a spot at one of the Thousand Trails campsites.

In addition, the maximum number of consecutive days you can stay at a resort is 14. If your stay exceeds 4 consecutive nights, you will have to wait 7 nights before staying again at any other Thousand Trails resort.

Other Benefits

A Thousand Trails membership includes the following two benefits:

1. Discounts on stays at Encore Resorts.
2. A free TrailBlazer magazine.

Compared to what some other clubs offer, this isn’t too much. The main reason for you to go for a Thousand Trails membership thus is the quality of resorts available.

Thousand Trails Membership Pricing

A membership at Thousand Trails is priced as follows:

1. $585 annually for one zone.
2. $54 annually for each additional zone
3. $214 annually for The Trails Collection with over 100 campgrounds and resorts.

Thousand Trails is thus quite expensive, but it does allow you to stay at the best campgrounds and resorts at a discounted rate and with no nightly fees in some areas.

Bottom Line

Who should go for a Thousand Trails subscription?

Well, first comes availability. Since Thousand Trails offers the best coverage in coastal areas and the Northeast, there are only so many places where this club membership will be reasonable.

Aside from that, since the Thousand Trail subscription is pretty costly, you will have to travel a lot for the plan to pay back for itself. So unless you travel very often, a Thousand Trails membership isn’t worth it.

Is Buying A Campground Membership Worth It?

So, is buying a campground membership even worth it? While these memberships are mostly not too expensive – under $100 annually – why spend the money if you don’t need all those benefits?

Here’s the thing. It would help if you decided whether buying an annual membership at any club is worth it.

A Thousand Trails subscription costs $585 annually, for example. When would it be a reasonable buy?

Well, if your savings throughout the year are at least $585, then you can say that the purchase is worth it. It would have been worthwhile if you had spent more than $585 without the membership. But if you only save, say, $400, then you will have wasted $185. 

If you spend that $585 on a Thousand Trails membership, your stay should be at least $585 throughout the year.

If you spend more time on the road than at campgrounds, you may want to consider a subscription like the Good Sam. This subscription gives you a 10% discount at campgrounds, but it also offers fuel discounts.

These numbers imply that a Good Sam subscription would be a good buy if you are traveling a lot. 

On the other hand, if you stay at campgrounds most of the time during your RV trips, you would want to get a subscription that provides you with higher campground discounts, e.g., Passport America.

Since you won’t be on the road much, the fuel discounts provided by the Good Sam Club membership will be less useful.

Hopefully, our little analysis above gave you an idea of how you should read the numbers provided by subscription providers. The good thing about the overviewed plans is that they are pretty different from each other, which means that choosing one shouldn’t be too difficult for most people.

If you are struggling to choose between 2-3 membership providers, you may need to do some calculations to approximate how much money you would save with each. 

Remember – you spend money now to save more in the long run. No matter which plan you choose, you should ensure that it allows you to save money. If you plan and know your costs, this should be easy. 

The difference between an RV Park and a Campground

The difference between an RV park and a campground primarily lies in the services offered and their location.

An RV park, generally designed for recreational vehicles, is a more structured arrangement that offers amenities such as power hookups, laundry facilities, and recreational facilities like pools or hot tubs.

This enhanced service provision usually makes it a more expensive option.

Conversely, campgrounds are typically nestled in rural settings, providing a more traditional camping experience. They are often less expensive due to the limited amenities. While they may not offer the luxury of an RV park, they provide a closer connection to nature.

Final Thoughts

Campground Memberships are cost-effective for those who frequently participate in camping activities. Investing in such a membership can significantly reduce the overall expense incurred from regular campground fees.

These memberships usually offer access to a vast network of associated campgrounds, providing variety and flexibility to the members.

This allows frequent campers to explore different locations without worrying about the availability or cost of the campgrounds.

In addition, Campground Memberships typically include additional amenities that can significantly enhance the camping experience. These may include swimming pools, recreational rooms, Wi-Fi, laundry, and more.

Furthermore, some memberships also provide discount options for campground fees, which can lead to substantial savings over time.

However, it’s crucial for potential members to thoroughly understand the terms and conditions of these memberships before purchasing. This includes understanding the scope of services, any limitations or exclusions, and renewal terms, among other details.

This ensures a fair transaction and helps avoid any potential disappointments or misunderstandings in the future.

Lastly, assessing one’s camping frequency is essential to determine the suitability of a Campground Membership. If camping is a sporadic activity, the cost of the membership may outweigh the benefits.

On the other hand, for those who camp frequently, a Campground Membership could be a beneficial investment that offers significant cost savings and a better and more enjoyable camping experience.

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