RV travel costs can quickly add up, and a great place to save money is with RV memberships and campground clubs.
To save you time we have compiled a list of what we consider to be the best RV memberships available. It’s not a complete list, just the ones that we consider to be the most helpful.
We don’t necessarily recommend signing up for all the memberships below, however most RV owners typically find that its best to sign up for at least 3-5 RV clubs in order to get the best savings. This also offers more flexibility and chances to use an RV discount club.
Let’s dive into the best memberships.
Best RV Campground Memberships
- Good Sam Club
- Passport America
- Escapees RV Club
- Boondockers Welcome
- Harvest Hosts
- KOA Value Kard Rewards
- Thousand Trails
- Happy Camper Half Price Camping Club
- Explorer RV Club
- FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association)
- Overnight RV Parking
1. Good Sam Club
Quick Benefits Overview
There is a lot to be said about the Good Sam Club membership, and it’s definitely the most well-known on our top 11 list. Not only do they offer discounts at any of their 2,000 plus participating campgrounds, but you also get discounts at major camping retailers such as Camping World, Gander Outdoors and Overton’s.
On top of all the discounts that you get out-right with the membership, Good Sam is very good about sending some great offers and deals throughout the year.
Pros
- Get 8 cents off diesel and 5 cents of gas at participating Pilot Flying J locations.
- One free yearly RV inspection at Camping World.
- 15% Discount on propane at Camping World.
- Helpful trip planning app.
- Free RV & Boat dump station usage at capable Camping World centers.
Cons
- Not as many campgrounds in network compared to other memberships.
- An over abundance of promotional material will flood your inbox and mailbox. This can be good or bad depending on your personal preference.
Membership Cost
- $29.00 per year.
- $50.00 2 years (includes a $25.00 certificate)
- $75.00 3 years (includes a $50.00 certificate)
2. Passport America
Quick Benefits Overview
This is one of those RV memberships will literally pay for itself in just 2-3 stays. They offer 50% discount off their nearly 1800 partnered campgrounds.
The campgrounds are found all through the United States as well as a select number in parts of Mexico and Canada. The have also been in operation since 1992 and currently have more than 100,000 members.
If you have heard about Passport America, and are on the fence about it, I would recommend taking a look at your planned travel routes by browsing the Passport America website and seeing which campgrounds in your route accept the membership. That will help you to determine whether or not you will save by becoming a member. (I can almost guarantee that it will be worth it)
Pros
- 50% discount at partnered campgrounds.
- Free online subscription to RV America magazine
- Free campground catalog.
- Mobile app to search for nearby RV Parks.
Cons
- Every campground has different days that they will accept the Passport America discount. For example, many campgrounds will only accept it Sunday-Thursday and not on the weekends or on holidays.
- Website and app do not allow for online booking. You actually need to call the campground to make a reservation.
Membership Cost
$44.00 per year. You can also save more by purchasing 2 year, 3 year, 5 year or lifetime memberships.
3. Escapees RV Club
Quick Benefits Overview
This is one of those memberships that works for both beginner and seasoned RV owners.
There are a great deal of benefits that come with Escapees RV Club and its a fantastic network if you are looking to hang out with other RV owners. With the amount of events and niche groups that you can join there is no reason to feel lonely.
One of the best benefits in our opinion is the BOF (Birds-of-a-feather) groups. These are formed groups with different sets of interest such as Amateur Radio enthusiast, hikers, computers, singles clubs, christian clubs etc.
Pros
- On demand mail forwarding service allows you to receive mail whenever and wherever you travel in North America.
- Strong support network of other experienced RV owners.
- Easy to use online mapping system to find nearby parking.
- Discount parking at more than 800 RV parks.
- Overnight low-cost camping directory.
- 18 owned and operated Escapee parks.
- Large amount of RV owner education for all types of classes.
Cons
- Smaller number of RV parks in network compared to other memberships.
Membership Cost
- $39.95 per year (US Membership)
- $49.95 per year (Canada Membership)
- $49.95 per year (Mexico Membership)
4. Boondockers Welcome
Quick Benefits Overview
Boondockers Welcome is an excellent network of 2,000 plus RV lifestyle loving property owners. These are not campgrounds that you will be staying at, but instead private property owners that are kindly allowing RV goers to stay on their property.
The system is quite simple to use. Once you signup you can search listings within a defined radius and then review each of the hosts that show up. You will need to read each owners listing carefully since that’s where they define the type of RV that they can accommodate as we as the types of hookups, if any, that they have.
After you have narrowed down your selection to a few hosts simply send them a message using the websites secure messaging system and wait for the owner to respond.
A Boondockers Welcome subscription can significantly help reduce RV living costs, even if its just for a few nights per month. It all adds up. It’s also a great way to grow your network of RV friends and it’s definitely one of the best RV memberships you can get.
Although its free to stay on the Hosts property, it is understood that Hosts should be given enough money to cover the electric and water used by the guest.
Pros
- Free to stay on the property which means no campground fees.
- Discounts on additional RV products and memberships.
- Grow RV friend network.
- Hosts are often knowledgeable on the local area and can provide you with great recommendations.
Cons
- Average length of stay is 1-2 nights
- Some properties have limits on the size of the RV that they can accommodate.
- Many of the Hosts do not have hookups (hey, its boondocking).
- Some do not allow pets.
- Reservation system could be better.
Membership Cost
A 1 year subscription to Boondockers Welcome is $50.00. You also receive a 50% discount if you have a location where you host Boondockers Welcome Guest. There is also a no questions asked 90 day refund if you are not satisfied with the membership
5. Harvest Hosts
Quick Benefits Overview
This is one of those memberships that is highly underrated. As someone that enjoys a good beer or glass of wine from time-to-time Harvest Hosts is on my favorites list for RV memberships.
Harvest Hosts is essentially a network of unique locations throughout North America that allow you to stay on their business property in exchange for a simple purchase of company merchandise. In my opinion these are some of the best places that you can stay and completely worth the price of an annual membership. You won’t be disappointed (If you are the membership comes with a 100% money back guarantee).
Harvest Hosts reservation system is similar to Boondockers Welcome in that you simply send a message to the hosts requesting a stay.
Pros
- Excellent opportunity to stay at some truly unique and beautiful spots.
- Pets are allowed at 90% of the locations.
- All classes of RVs are allowed.
Cons
- Limited number of locations offer hookups.
- No online booking system or App.
- Only fully self contained RVs are allowed.
- 24 hour maximum stay.
Membership Cost
Harvest Hosts Classic – $79.00 per year
Unlimited FREE overnight stays at 915+ locations that include wineries, breweries and farms.
Harvest Hosts + Golf – $119.00 per year
All the benefits of the classic plan but it also comes with 359 golf courses and country clubs.
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6. KOA Value Kard Rewards
Quick Benefits Overview
KOA offers a fairly standard set of amenities and they do a good job at keeping up their campgrounds. That being said, they’re not for everyone and they offer less locations than many of the other memberships that are on the list. However if you are an RV owner that enjoys knowing exactly what you are getting and enjoy KOA campgrounds this could be a good program to join.
You don’t receive a ton of discounts and benefits after joining, but you do earn rewards that can be used for free night stays. They also offer discounts with some of their network partners like Dish Satellite and Geico.
Pros
- Inexpensive to join.
- Points can add up quickly if you stay long-term.
- 10% off daily registration rate.
- Exclusive offers and coupons.
Cons
- Not as many campgrounds in network.
Membership Cost
$30.00 per year.
7. Thousand Trails
Quick Benefits Overview
Thousand Trails, also known as TT, offers a fantastic camping membership. They have over 80 campgrounds in their network and they split up their membership into what they call zones; Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.
You essentially pay $585.00 per year to be able to camp all year long in the zone you purchase. You do have the option to be able to camp in more than one area but its an additional $54.00 per zone. This can be well-worth it though if you like to travel frequently. Another option that TT gives you is to purchase their upgrade package called The Trails Collection.
This upgrade gives you access to an additional 110 parks for just $210.00. Keep in mind that 18 of the parks within the Trails Collection are not considered free and will charge $20.00 per night since they are considered premium parks in very popular destinations.
Pros
- Cost effective if planning to use for a large number of days per year.
- No nightly fees for camping in RV or tent.
- Unlimited day use at parks in the zone you purchased.
Cons
- You can only camp in a Thousand Trails park for 14 days at a time and must leave the system for 7 days before being able to use your camping pass again.
- Very limited number of parks.
Membership Cost
$585.00 per year for one zone (Monthly payment plan is an option)
8. Happy Camper Half Price Camping Club
Quick Benefits Overview
Happy Camper does not try to be everything for everyone. They keep things simple and are exactly what they say they are, a “discount club for RVers and Campers”. With Happy Camper you get a discount of 50% at hundreds of campgrounds within their network.
With such a large discount and with new parks joining frequently it can be very cost-effective to add this to your list of RV clubs to join.
Pros
- Large list of helpful Ebooks included with signup.
- 50% off campgrounds in Happy Camper network.
- Free trip planner.
- Long term discounts available at a select number of parks.
Cons
- Not a great reservation system
- Travel planner is not very easy to use.
- Website is outdated.
- No mobile app.
- Not an easy way to make reservations.
Membership Cost
- 1 year Membership $39.00
- 2 year Membership $71.00
- 3 for 2 season sale $79.98
9. Explorer RV Club
Quick Benefits Overview
If you find yourself venturing over to Canada quite a bit you may want to look closer at the Explorer RV Club.
They offer discounts at a good number of parks in the United States but they primarily service Canadian RV owners. This is not a particularly large club to join but they do offer some good discounts on RV insurance, hotels, Emergency Roadside Service, RV dealer discounts and of course campgrounds.
Pros
- Campground discounts.
- High focus on Canadian parks.
- Discounts for RV Insurance and ERS.
Cons
- Not focused on US residents
- Limited network of participating parks
- Discounts are not as significant as some of the other clubs.
- No reservation system.
- No mobile app.
Membership Cost
- Canada 1 year – 37.99
- US 1 year – $60.00
10. FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association)
Quick Benefits Overview
FMCA is a great community focused association that leans heavier on supporting the RV owner with training and engagement than it is on saving money.
As you can see in the benefits below, its more about getting the RV owner connected with other like minded individuals through local chapters and events. Its also about providing them with peace of mind while on the road with their Roadside assistance and FMCAssist which you can read about more on their website.
Pros
- Discounted roadside assistance.
- Savings on tires.
- Over 600 videos and articles in the online education portal
- Special FMCA chapters all across the United States and Canada.
- RV WiFi discounts with Verizon and Sprint
- Monthly RV magazine.
- Mobile App.
Cons
- Not focused on providing discounts at campgrounds.
- Less savings on everyday RV expenses.
Membership Cost
- 1 year $85.00
- 2 years 160.00
- 3 years $225.00
11. Overnight RV Parking
Quick Benefits Overview
Almost every RV owner has needed to find a place to stop for a night and wondered if it was okay to park there throughout the night. Overnight RV Parking solves this problem by providing you with a list of places throughout the United States and Canada that you can and can’t park.
This list is updated regularly and it currently includes over 14,330 parking and no parking locations. This is a great subscription to have in case you ever get in a bind and just need to stop somewhere for the night without the cost of a campground fee.
Pros
- Smartphone app that uses GPS to locate free parking locations near you.
- No campground fees.
Cons
Not a lot of cons to list considering this is just a list of free places to stay.
Membership Cost
1 year $24.95
Which RV Club Should I Join?
This will entirely depend on what type of RVer you are. Your best bet is to chart your routes and plan accordingly. Depending on where you are intending to travel the memberships that you hold for the year may change. Most RV owners end up picking about 3-5 memberships and then go from there. Overtime you will figure out what works best for you.
Our Thoughts On RV Memberships
If you’re on the road quite a bit or at least travel a few months out of the year these memberships can save you a lot of money. It will probably benefit you the most to have at least a few if not all of these memberships since each one can be used at different times and will provide you the greatest flexibility to choose between the best deals.
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