Good Sam - or not so much?

[remphoto]

I kind of like Good Sam's .03/gallon discount at Pilot, which has the lowest prices in our area and among the lowest when we travel to Florida or Texas. Just insert the Good Sam membership card at the pump when it asks for a reward card.

[Bob662]

It seems to me that at CW, with the Good Sam's discount, it takes the pricing down to about what you could buy it for on Amazon.

I joined Good Sams for a year, then realized I wasn't getting much for my membership. YMMV.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

What I don't like about "Good" Sam

The gobs and gobs and gobs of promotional material - and your membership renewal gets lost in the muddle.

A membership renewal that is mailed in March for a membership that doesn't need to be renewed until late August. But of course there's no expiration date printed on the renewal notice. (Probably JFN, but I'm renewing for three years and I'll report on this thread what expiration date is on the new cards - why? Because a maggot on my brain says - yes time does seem to pass faster as I age, but it really wasn't even two years since I last renewed this membership for three years.)

G. S. Roadside assistance - that probably duplicates what you have on your ordinary RV policy and/or Vehicle policy.

G. S. Repair policy - Save money on RV repairs - Yeah read that one closely.

Save money on RV insurance thru Good Sam - reselling Foremost, Geico and a couple of others starting at much HIGHER prices.

Oh and did I mention the endless "look for us on facebook" say something nice about us on "twitter".

And now I look at Tin Can Tourists and Escapees and lo.... there seems to be a lot of overlap. Passport America has some REAL good deals on the internet for mid-week stays but... Time to winnow a few out. Best deal around is the geezer pass from the government.

Paula

Yep...but who you calling a geezer ... oh, my wife- no doubt.

[pmclemore]

The more you travel the more likely you will find an occasion to need RV Roadside service. I have never called for tire service, though - I can change a tire with the best of them.

However, I have lost a Tahoe tranny on the Blue Ridge Parkway; had to be towed from Ganado AZ to Gallup NM; needed to find someone to replace my dragged-to-death umbilical in someplace OK; had to find a diesel mechanic that could figure out why mine went into "protect" mode and got me back on the road; found me a diesel station between Beluga Point and Anchorage before I had reached the point of no return.

I like the Good Sam service because they will tow me to the best place to fix my rig, not just the closest one that "might" fix it.

Pat

[firstwave]

Senior Access pass for $10 forever is the best deal around. Always keep GS roadside service but have never had to use it.

[Rich W]

When we snow bird in Florida we stay at a Carefree resort. Most of them offer a GS 10% discount for one night or a month, makes no difference. We have found other places that offer a discount as well. You also get the 3-cent discount at Pilot / Flying J for fuel and propane. There are discounts for participating UPS stores. I think just for the Carefree discount each year we've paid for the subscription. I'm OK with that.

[kb0zke]

We have a GS membership, but rarely take advantage of the various discounts - mainly because I forget about them. Have to post a note to use it when getting fuel at Pilot/Flying J. Might have to try a night at a CW if one is close when we're traveling.

The "geezer pass" really is the best deal around. Passport America is also helpful at times. I think we've gotten more than our money's worth this year.

[azflycaster]

We are on day 4 of a 100+ day adventure. We have saved around 8 bucks on campgrounds and 4 on gas. It is definitely worth it to me.

[Rocinante]

Last year we enjoyed the GS discounts at most Flying J / Pilot stations, and used it a few times for camping discounts when we needed a convenient stop. We also got a lot of use out of our KOA Kard.

So far this year we're camping a lot less, and will probably let both of them lapse until we find ourselves with more free time for camping. In the meantime, we'll focus on camping in county/state/national parks & in the national forests.

We don't need any discounts at Camping World - the last thing we want to do is fill our trailer with more junk we don't really need, so at this point we're very choosy about that sort of thing.

Oh, and we use AAA for road service, don't have an extended warranty with anybody, and buy our RV insurance along with our car insurance. Once Rocinante is too old to get replacement value insurance from a conventional insurance company, we'll start shopping around.

[Echelon73]

We are sitting in a Good Sam campground with awesome views right now. We saved about $36 just this week alone. We will be back to this campground later this year, so the membership is definitely worth it to us.

[waldosgone]

We've used the .03 discount on fuel from Oklahoma to Ohio to Washington and it saves us about $1.00 per fill up.

Of note, if you're in the military the membership is free. The one in North OKC gave me a 4 year membership for $0.00 so the price was definitely right.

[m.hony]

How much is a Good Sam membership?

[m.hony]

If Pilot/Flying J are a nickle or dime per gallon more expensive than the next station down the road...

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by m.hony

How much is a Good Sam membership?

Basic membership is $25 a year. Mine has expired but I'll renew before my next trip.

I find that the Pilots' price is usually at or below the other stations in the area. I use Gas Buddy to compare prices. If there's a Shell and I'm in a state that has Kroger, I'll go there to use my loyalty points if that will be lower. I have one for Oregon's groceries but I forget where that is right now .

[m.hony]

I would consider a Good Sam membership if I thought I could get more than $25 worth of discounts on fuel or campgrounds.
In my present situation, I can't.
No Pilot or Flying J in our town or the towns where I camp in state parks or corps of engineers parks.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[beachbouy]

We use Access Pass and Good Sam and it pays for itself in no time. The 10% discount is okay and three to four dollar discount per night does add up. Flying J is great as most have a couple pumps just for RV's so lot navigation is easier. Pilot I have yet to see that.

Access Pass is for anyone that has a document issued by Federal agency such as the Veteran's Administration, Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income, or document issued by a State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency can get a free lifetime pass. It provides access to more than 2,000 recreation sites managed by five Federal agencies. I use it to book sites online and with your card number it's half price.

[rodsterinfl]

Great Thread. I am reading and learning.

I will say that, in my area, the Good Sam card, to me, is worth it though I took a different approach-

I paid the first year then did a bit of homework on their various types of membership and decided on the Lifetime for $120- now it is like $300. I get the Pilot discount - 6 cents on gas (8 cents on diesel) and the discounts at the parks that as some have said, are too high to begin with. At least is softens the blow! I do shop at CW but not exclusively. Nonetheless, after 5 years of membership I have slowed down my CW interaction a bit. I paid for 6 years basically (counting 1st year)- but now have it for life. I used Flying J and Pilots almost exclusively last summer on my trip. I believe it all has to do with where you live and the facilities along your path. I believe it has ALMOST paid for itself. Two purchases I made easily benefitted from the membership as the super sale price on the surge protector and the fridge allowed me to buy locally for less than online and save about $80. I have not added the Pilot savings and other little things up so...

I will certainly look into the Passport America when I get to retirement and can travel more.

[A W Warn]

When you get the GS fuel discount at Flying J or Pilot is the price at the pump reduced?

I pay for all of my fuel with a rewards credit card that gets 3% back on fuel. I'm wondering if I would get both discounts.

[nickclifford]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

What I don't like about "Good" Sam

The gobs and gobs and gobs of promotional material - and your membership renewal gets lost in the muddle.

A membership renewal that is mailed in March for a membership that doesn't need to be renewed until late August. But of course there's no expiration date printed on the renewal notice. (Probably JFN, but I'm renewing for three years and I'll report on this thread what expiration date is on the new cards - why? Because a maggot on my brain says - yes time does seem to pass faster as I age, but it really wasn't even two years since I last renewed this membership for three years.)

G. S. Roadside assistance - that probably duplicates what you have on your ordinary RV policy and/or Vehicle policy.

G. S. Repair policy - Save money on RV repairs - Yeah read that one closely.

Save money on RV insurance thru Good Sam - reselling Foremost, Geico and a couple of others starting at much HIGHER prices.

Oh and did I mention the endless "look for us on facebook" say something nice about us on "twitter".

And now I look at Tin Can Tourists and Escapees and lo.... there seems to be a lot of overlap. Passport America has some REAL good deals on the internet for mid-week stays but... Time to winnow a few out. Best deal around is the geezer pass from the government.

Paula

just joined Sams for first time and within a month my 2010 Tundra goes into safe power mode, who other story, NOT happy. anyways, Sams truck is quoted as 1hr 45mins .... wtf?

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

When you get the GS fuel discount at Flying J or Pilot is the price at the pump reduced?

That's what happened for us when we bought gasoline at stations that honored the GS card. The pump showed a reduced price per gallon based on the discount, which of course resulted in a lower total cost for the fill-up and a smaller charge to our card.