good Sam VS AARP.

bikendan wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

pnichols wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

pnichols wrote:


Now .... with respect to camping discounts ... the most worthless campng membership we have is Passport America. RARELY do commecial campgrounds honor their supposed 50% discount - there's always some excuse at campgrounds as to why our Passport America isn't honored. What a waste. :(

total nonsense.
but I always suggest to folks that they check the web site for locations/conditions/etc. If you can't save the pittance to sign up with PA which is about 2 nights use, you just aren't trying or it is not right for you.

bumpy

We're signed up with PA on a multi-year membership. HOWEVER, we don't "search intentionally" for PA campgrounds ... we choose camping spots based on where we are at the time (... and BTW we're not into "resort campgrounds", either).

It's just that usually the campgrounds that we pick either wind up not being a PA CG ... or are a PA CG, but for a variety of excuses don't happen to honor the PA discount "at that time". Baloney!!

PA needs to modify their contracts with campgrounds (and charge more for memberships if that'll help their business model) such that when you pull into a PA campground, you can COUNT ON getting the discount ... regardless of the day or season. Now that I could get excited about!

PA is designed to let campgrounds fill unsold spaces. No different then airlines giving discounts to fill unsold seats or discounts that allow motels to rent unfilled rooms. Just as airlines and motels if rv parks can fill their sites at full price why offer a massive discount. Just like airlines and motels you can save money in non peak times.

EXACTLY! What campground is going to give a 50% discount during high season, when they have all their campsites occupied at full price.:S
I'll agree that it may not work for everyone but that doesn't mean it's not worth the $44/yr membership. A two night stay often recoups the $44.

"What campground is going to give a 50% discount during high season, when they have all their campsites occupied at full price." .... Any PA contracted campground that gets subsidizd by Passport America to make up for the 1/2 price that a PA member doesn't pay because that customer is paying only 1/2 price.

What this means is that PA becomes a huge "campground pricing control insurance company" with a huge base of (hopefully ever increasing quantity) of members - only some of which are camping at any one given time across America.

The actuarial math would have to be worked for PA to offer this without impacting campground incomes in order to do this, of course. In fact that was the type of business model that I thought I was signing up for when I joined PA: Maybe higher membership fees ... but always 1/2 price on PA-contracted campgrounds anytime, anywhere for PA members .