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I’ve lived in my RV for 8 years. As a full-time RVer, finding affordable rates at campgrounds and RV parks is a big priority. Many RV parks charge over $50 per night for a camping site with full hookups.
In the quest to find afforadable RV campsites, I’ve joined (and quit) every RV campground membership and RV discount club available.
Below are my honest reviews of the 10 best RV membership clubs. Read on to choose which RV memberships and discount clubs offer the best deal for your RV camping needs.
Let’s dive right in!
Contents
RV Campground Memberships
Let’s start with RV campground memberships. These camping clubs are groups of RV parks that offer free or discounted camping for members. Most RV campground memberships charge an annual fee for all members and a larger, one-time fee for upgraded memberships.
Thousand Trail Zone Pass
The Details
Thousand Trails is the most popular RV park membership as they offer FREE camping for members. The basic membership, also known as a zone pass, retails for $670 and includes free camping within a specific region of the country.
There are five Thousand Trails zones: Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. Each zone includes between 8 and 23 campgrounds. New members can opt to include additional zones in their membership for $90 per zone.
Members can also add the Trails Collection, which adds more than 100 affiliated campgrounds across the country to your plan.
Thousand Trails members can camp up to 14 days in one RV park for free. If you stay four nights or more in a campground, you must wait seven days before camping at another Thousand Trails park.
Christina’s Review
We had a Thousand Trails Zone Pass for one year before we decided to upgrade to an Elite membership. It saved us a ton of money!
With unlimited free stays for less than $1000 per year, the Zone Pass is a great deal for anyone who camps more than two weeks per year. If you assume an average full hook-up RV site Costs $40 per night, then you wold only need to use the Zone Pass 17 nights per year to break even.
While most Thousand Trails RV parks offer full hookups and amenities like swimming pools, the quality varies greatly by park. Some of their RV parks are real luxury RV resorts, while others are basic campgrounds with crowded site.
To decide if the Zone Pass is right for you, look at the campgrounds in your region, read reviews of the individual parks and estimate how often you woud visit each one.
For the best deal on Thousand Trails memberships, email or call (804-366-0798) membership specialists Sharon and Warren Lewis and tell them Christina from Travels with Ted sent you.
Thousand Trail Elite Memberships
The Details
For full-time RVers or frequent campers, the Thousand Trails Elite Basic membership may be a better bargain. In addition to the annual zone pass fees, elite members must pay a one-time fee to purchase the upgraded membership.
The one-time fee is typically $8,995, but you can often receive discounts based on current specials if you contact the membership specialists mentioned above.
The Elite Basic membership allows you to stay for free in a Thousand Trails park for up to 21 days and move between parks without any days out of the system.
You also receive discounts on cabin rentals and other non-RV travel discounts, as well as a free 1 year membership with RPI. You can resell your membership at any time, so you won’t lose your full investment if your RVing habits change in the future.
There are also several other elite membership options with different price points, stay limits and booking windows. See our complete guide to Thousand Trails memberships for more details.
Christina’s Review
We love our Thousand Trails Elite Basic membership as it allows us to stay a full hookup RV parks without breaking the bank. Since we stay at membership campgrounds frequently, we were able to pay for our membership in just two years.
Even thought our elite membership has been paid off for years, it still saves us money as we typically spend 8 to 12 weeks at Thousand Trails parks each year.
An Elite Thousand Trails membership is definitely sensible for full-time RVers and frequnet campers who know they will be RVing for years to come.
If you are new to camping, and are nto sure if it will be a long-term adventure, I would hold off on one of these expensive memberships.
Resort Parks International (RPI)
The Details
Resort Parks International is another great RV membership club & park network. Their network includes more than 200 membership RV resorts, 400 public campgrounds, and hundreds of condominiums and cabins across North America.
RPI members are able to camp at all membership RV parks for a $10 per night. Affiliated public campgrounds offer RPI members discounted rates (typically 50% off). Cabins and condominiums are available for discounted rates that vary by location.
Typically RPI memberships must be purchased directly through one of their member RV parks. The annual fee will vary based on which park you select. Therefore, the most affordable way to join RPI is through your Thousand Trails Elite Basic membership.
Once you purchase the Thousand Trails membership, you will get a free one year RPI preferred access membership that can be renewed for just $165 per year. Both RPI and Thousand Trails have online portals that allow you to make camping reservations online.
For more details, see our complete guide to RPI RV memberships.
Christina’s Review
We recieved a free RPI membership with our Thousand Trails membership, but decided not to renew this membership after the free year. We didn’t have a negative experience with RPI, we just used our membership very little.
However, RPI can be a good deal for RVers who are camping near their resorts.
Member campgrounds tend to be in vacation destinations and are more heavily concentrated on the coasts. Washington, California and Arizona have the most RPI resorts, so a membership may be more valuable if you frequently travel in these states.
Coast to Coast RV Resorts
The Details
Coast to Coast RV Resorts is a network of RV resorts across the country. The Coast to Coast membership is similar to the RPI membership. They have hundreds of RV parks where members camp for a discounted rate (typically $10 per night).
Coast to Coast memberships are only sold at member RV resorts. The prices will be different depending on where you purchase the membership, so you should call multiple member parks to find the best deal.
They also offer a free 3 day/2 night stay for RVers who are interested in purchasing a membership. You will be required to attend a tour of the park and membership orientation, so I would only take advantage of this offer if you are genuinely interested in purchasing a membership.
For more information, see our complete guide to Coast to Coast RV memberships
Christina’s Review
Coast to Coast is the only RV club on this list that I have never joined. I have looked into utilizing the 2-night free stay, but decided it wasn’t worth sitting through the sales pitch.
As with RPI, Coast to Coast may be a great deal for campers who would use their parks frequently. Personally, we’ve found that one campground membership was sufficent and we choose Thousand Trails because they allow the longest stays.
RV Discount Clubs
RV discount clubs are membership programs that offer discounts on nightly rates at campgrounds or boondocking locations across the country.
Good Sam
The Details
Good Sam is a popular RV discount club that offers a discount at a huge number of RV Parks across the nation. The majority of the discounts are only 10% off the nightly rate.
However, this membership is still a good value as it is only $29 per year (or less if you purchase multiple years upfront). They have over 2,000 member RV parks and campgrounds, so you are bound to stay at a few Good Sam parks if you RV regularly.
Good Sam also offers several other perks in addition to discounted camping. Members receive savings on fuel, propane and RV supplies from Camping World.
Good Sam also partners with their parent company, Camping World, to offer members-only deals, 10% off purchases, free RV dumps and free shipping. Members also receive 5 cents off gas and 8 cents off diesel at select Flying J locations.
See our complete guide to the Good Sam RV Club for more information.
Christina’s Review
We have been Good Sam members off and on during our eight years on the road. With their huge number of parks, Good Sam is worthwhile for most full-time RVers and road trippers who freqently stop overnight on extended road trips.
However, since my husband is a veteran, we often receive 10% off nightly stays without a membership. When an RV park we are planning to stay at offers a larger Good Sam discount, we will renew our membership.
Generally, if you plan to stay at least 7 nights per year at a Good Sam RV park or you regularly shop at Camping World, this membership is good value.
Passport America
The Details
The Passport America membership program is similar to Good Sam, offering a discount on nightly rates. Their discount is much larger (50% off vs. Good Sam’s 10%).
An annual membership costs $44, but Passport America offers multi-year deals including a lifetime membership for $399. Passport America’s large number of parks make it a good option for long road trips across the country.
See our complete guide to Passport America for more information.
Christina’s Review
As with Good Sam, we have been Passport America members on and off. We don’t seek out Passport America parks, as they are often not the nicest campgrounds.
However, if we know we are going to be staying at a Passport America park, we will renew our membership to get the discount.
I recommend RVers plan out their yearly travels, then check how many Passport America and Good Sam parks are on their itinerary, then it will be easy to determine which RV discount club you should join.
Harvest Hosts
The Details
Harvest Hosts is an RV membership club that offers free RV parking at wineries, breweries, farms, museums and golf courses across the country. Some of the most unique camping spots include alpaca farms, an active salt mine and an air museum.
The program also provides an opportunity to support local businesses and meet the people who run them.
Sign-up now using this link and receive 15% off your Harvest Host membership. Simply click on the link and enter HHFRIENDS15 in the coupon code box during check to receive the discount. A membership costs $84.15 with our special offer.
Christina’a Review
I love our Harvest Hosts membership! In fact, I think every RVer who takes extended road trips should join this RV club.
To be honest, our Harvest Host membership doesn’t always save us money. When staying at a host, we often spend more money purchasing their products (wine, food, etc) than a nightly campsite would cost us.
However, staying at a beautiful vineyard or on a farm is a great experience that is always preferrable to staying at a noisy campground off the interstate.
Boondockers Welcome
The Details
Boondockers Welcome is another unique RV membership club that connects members with free RV parking on private property. Host members offer free camping in their driveway or on their land.
It costs $79 per year to join Boondockers Welcome. However, new members can click this link and enter code BWFRIENDS15 to get 15% off.
They are also expanding globally with host sites available in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Christina’s Review
We are currently members of Boondockers Welcome and love it for the same reasons we love their parent company, Harvest Hosts. In fact, we joined this club, after the company was aquired by Harvest Hosts.
With a bundled membership plan, we pay $179 per year for combined Boondockers Welcome and Havest Host membership. The fee is totally worth all of the fun stays we’ve had!
I also love that many Boondockers Welcome hosts offer partial hookups for campers.
Escapees
The Details
Escapees is an RV membership club that has a smaller list of campground partners than Good Sam or Passport America, so I would not recommend this club for discounts alone.
However, they do have some special benefits that you may consider. You will need to purchase a membership if you plan to use their mail or domicile service.
They also offer a workamping job board, host rallies and community events and own a few parks that you can only visit if you are a member.
Click here to read our complete guide to the Escapees RV Club
Christina’s Review
We were Escapees members for our first two years on the road. We joined Escapees to use their mail forwarding service. However, we never used their campground discounts or attened their rallies.
When we decided to have a family member handle our mail, we canceled our Escapees membership since we were not utilizing the benefits.
However, I have talked to other full-time RVers who really love attending the club’s events and rallies. Escapees is not a great option for camping discounts, but it can be a worthwhile RV clubs for campers who need mail services or want to build community on the road.
KOA Value Kard
The Details
KOA (Kampgrounds of America) has their own rewards program and does not participate in other RV discount clubs. The KOA Value Kard membership offers a 10% discount off your rate at all KOA campgrounds.
The costs of the membership is $30, so it is typically worthwhile if you are going to spend more than a week at KOA sites. Members also earn rewards points which can be redeemed for free nights at KOA RV membership parks.
KOA also has an easy to use smartphone app so you can easily claim rewards and make reservations from your phone.
Christina’s Review
We regularly stays at KOAs because they are in convenient locations and usually offer consistent quality. KOA is also the only campground option when we are visiting part of our family in the Midwest.
Therefore, we always keep our KOA Rewards membership updated, and have earned several free stays over the years.
Any campers who stays at KOA campgrounds should sign up for this discount program.
If you are looking for more ways to save money when RVing across America, check out our article on FREE camping options.
For a full-breakdown of the cost of living in an RV, see our article on RV living budgets.
Happy Camping!
Christina Pate is a seasoned full-time RVer who, along with her husband Justin, has journeyed across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Drawing from her extensive travels, RV repairs and RV renovations, she founded Travels with Ted to guide and inspire fellow RV enthusiasts. Christina is also the co-author of The Owner’s Guide to RV Maintenance and the creator of My RV Log Book.
