Good Sam vs bad brands

[Airtrekker]

Last year I began my new full-time camping career. In preparation for this new camping adventure I looked for ways to save money. While shopping in a Camping World one day I was approached by a sales clerk who asked me this very question : " If you could save money on your fuel costs you would be interested, wouldn't you ? ". Catching my full undivided attention he explained that if I purchased a Good Sam card then I would be able to save money at the pump at any Flying J or Pilot i.e. SIGN ME UP !!! I made the purchase in May, 2012. Placing over 10,000 miles between May and December I arrived back home not having used the GS card once ! Not ONE Flying J or Pilot would honor the card and MOST attendants had never heard of GS.
Upon returning home I took this up with the Camping World where I bought the card. I watched the clerks face sour as I explained to her my experience and I got the distinct impression that she had heard this story before. Once I finished she said " Oh, those companies honor the GS card however you also need to have their own company gas card as well ". You are kidding, right ? She was serious.
Lesson learned. I will never shop with Camping World again just as I will also suggest to others the poor reputation of two BAD BRANDS : Camping World and Good Sam.
Other than that : LIFE IS GRAND !! I LOVE MY NEW CAREER !!!

[AWCHIEF]

What you need to is a Flying J/Pilot Frequent Fueler Advantage RV card. It is free at any Flying J/Pilot and then you have to go online to register the card. I get 5 cents off on each gallon of gas and 10% discount in the store on purchases of food and supplies. Good Sam also has an affiliation with Flying J/Pilot that gives discounts. You basically get the professional trucker discount. But yes, you do need to be a Good Sam member and you do need the Flying J/Pilot card to go with it to get the additional benefits.
I would not slander an entire company because of one uninformed employee.
An informed consumer is a happy consumer!

[moosetags]

The Flying J/Pilot discount card is available free at any of their stations. It gets you 2 cents off gas and 3 cents off diesel. I use it quite often. It also gets you half off their sewer dump charge.

As far as I know, it has nothing to do with having to be a Good Sams member. Being a Good Sams member does get you a discount at Camping World. Generally speaking, camping World clerks are not very knowledgeable about anything to do with camping.

The best savings deal on fuel that I have found is the AAA Visa which gives you an unlimited 5% rebate on fuel purchases. Our total rebate for 2011 was almost $700.00. We travel extensively and buy a lot of fuel.

Brian

[RickDavis]

As a good sam member you must still sign up for the RV plus Charge card. Don't remember if you do it from the good sam site or not as it has been a while.
This is a charge card which must be paid off monthly (not a credit card)and you will be billed and pay electronically. Just insert the card at the pump. In my case, as a life member it saves me .08 off the cash diesel price. and it does work. Just insert the card and enter a control (pin )number.
The card actually has both the pilot, FJ and good sam logos on it. It is not your regular membership card

We also have the AAA credit card but they changed the rules and it really does not pay back enough,(at least for us)any more unless you use it for other than fuel. When originally issued it would cover my AAA dues.

[RickDavis]

Here is a link to the RV Plus card for Good Sam members

Pilot RV Plus

[Airtrekker]

Thanks you guys ! The clerks at CW were unable to make things so clear. The people at the gas stations were unaware so this is the first time anyone explained the arrangement between the two with any clarity. You are great !

[dwightdi]

I am no longer a member of AAA, but the credit card I obtained with Bank of America through them still works and give me a 5% cash back for fuel. At today's prices, that is a 17 cent discount per gallon. It is much better than $./05 at the pump. There is no annual cost or fee. I get the road side assistance for free with my regular auto policy. I have not used them when I have been towing the trailer. Good Sam has a reasonable payback if you use their commercial campgrounds or buy from Campers world. I used to pay for their road side assistance program, but never were stranded to use it.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Airtrekker

Lesson learned. I will never shop with Camping World again just as I will also suggest to others the poor reputation of two BAD BRANDS : Camping World and Good Sam.

Being a Good Sam member saves me over $400 per year on my RV insurance. Progressive, GMAC, and other insurance companies offer discounts for Good Sam members. So, just because you didn't get your fuel discount is not enough reason to hate Good Sam Club.

Originally Posted by RickDavis

As a good sam member you must still sign up for the RV plus Charge card.

Unfortunately, the discount is only good on purchases of 25 gallons or more. Since my Interstate only holds 26 gallons of diesel, I've never once gotten the discount even when using the card because I never let my tank get that low.

[dboehmer]

Originally Posted by dwightdi

I used to pay for their road side assistance program, but never were stranded to use it.

If you don't mind me asking, who do you now use for roadside assistance?

I have been a Good Sam Platinum policy holder for 6 yrs. I am interested in what other companies offer a similar policy.

[dboehmer]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

So, just because you didn't get your fuel discount is not enough reason to hate Good Sam Club.

I don't think using the words "BAD BRANDS" means that a person hates them. That is how I see it anyway.

[AldeanFan]

I spent over an hour on the phone with GoodSam, Campingworld, Flying J, ect trying to explain that in Canada we have a Postal Code, not a Zip code. The card is available to Canadians but I applied in August and still don't have the card because they say they can't accept my Postal code, even though they can send me mail.

Camping world is way over priced anyway.

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by dboehmer

If you don't mind me asking, who do you now use for roadside assistance?

I have been a Good Sam Platinum policy holder for 6 yrs. I am interested in what other companies offer a similar policy.

I use Allstate. It has an App that gives the co-ordinates where I'm at. The one time I used it we were 6o miles from the nearest town on a little used road and the tow truck/tire repair truck found us without a problem.

[ibgl6]

I have been a GS Lifetime member for 15 years and used there roadside assistance a couple times without no problems.SAM

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Unfortunately, the discount is only good on purchases of 25 gallons or more. Since my Interstate only holds 26 gallons of diesel, I've never once gotten the discount even when using the card because I never let my tank get that low.

I carry a 5 gallon fuel can with us when we travel. If you do that, you can fill the can along with your Sprinter, and get the discount. Add the fuel from the can into the fuel tank at a rest stop. You'll then get the discount, and add to your driving range.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I carry a 5 gallon fuel can with us when we travel. If you do that, you can fill the can along with your Sprinter, and get the discount. Add the fuel from the can into the fuel tank at a rest stop. You'll then get the discount, and add to your driving range.

The "on purchases of 25 gallons or more" is only one reason I don't use the Pilot/Flying J card. Another is that Pilot/Flying J is one of the most expensive places to get diesel fuel where I travel; the discount only brings them down close to the competitive range.

My best discount actually comes when I buy groceries at Winn Dixie, and buy fuel at participating Shell stations. Last time I bought diesel at a Shell, swiping my Winn Dixie discount card first saved me a whopping $1.40 per gallon.

Besides, my AAA Visa gets me 5% (not 5¢ per gallon) rebate no matter where I buy fuel, as long as it's "pay at the pump." And I get that rebate on top of the Winn Dixie/Shell discount.

[masseyfarm]

I just wasted about 3 hours trying to get a RVPlus card on FlyingJ/Pilot. Three phone calls and three password reset emails and no luck. They have not figured out the Postal Code problem yet.

I think I can do better using the gasbuddy site when I need fuel. I just have to do a bit of research when on the go. Prices are usually lower off the beaten track.

Dave

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

I spent over an hour on the phone with GoodSam, Campingworld, Flying J, ect trying to explain that in Canada we have a Postal Code, not a Zip code. The card is available to Canadians but I applied in August and still don't have the card because they say they can't accept my Postal code, even though they can send me mail.

Camping world is way over priced anyway.