Good Sam Club: Are Membership Benefits & Discounts Worth It?

Established in 1966, the Good Sam Club has grown into a leading organization for RVers, providing a host of benefits that cater to both novice and seasoned RV travelers. From campground & insurance discounts to savings on parts and service, Good Sam offers savings on lots of RV-related items. But are the benefits worth the membership fee, and is Good Sam an RV club that you’d find helpful based on the way you travel?

In this post, we take an in-depth look at Good Sam membership benefits, promotions, and features.

What Is the Good Sam Club?

The Good Sam Club offers RVers a variety of benefits, many of which are included in the basic membership and some that require additional fees. Let’s take a look at what they offer so you can decide if Good Sam is a good fit for you.

Campground Discounts

Good Sam Club offers its (paid) members a 10% discount on nightly camping rates at a large network of participating campgrounds across North America. This is one of the main reasons we’ve maintained our continuous active membership status in Good Sam for over 20 years. We actually signed up as Good Sam members in 2002, before we even started RVing, in preparation for hitting the road full-time in April of 2003.

With over 2,000 participating RV parks, members can save on overnight stays in many locations. You can search by the type of location you’re looking for, such as campgrounds near well-known hunting, fishing, or hiking areas, or those near casinos, resorts, or other attractions. You can also find rentals, RV sites, and park models for sale. You can even find workamping jobs.

Product and Service Savings

Camping World is part of Good Sam’s family of brands, so your Good Sam membership can provide you with savings at both Camping World & Overton’s (online and at their physical stores) in the form of points that can be used for purchases at either store. The percentage of points you get back with qualifying purchases varies based on your Good Sam membership level (more on that later).

Whether you’re ordering a replacement sewer hose, dog-bone electrical adapters, software, bedding, a canoe, a tent, or electronic devices, free shipping on Camping World orders over $69 is included in the membership (for Standard & Elite level members).

All Good Sam membership levels save on propane purchases at Camping World with a 15% discount. They also offer a per-gallon discount on gas and diesel at participating Pilot Flying J locations (again, at the Standard & Elite membership levels only).

You can further benefit from FREE dump station privileges at Camping World, as well as annual multi-point inspections and an extended return policy at Camping World for Good Sam members. And each membership level comes with access to discounts at different companies (including places like Jiffy Lube, RecNation storage, Fantasy RV Tours, and much more).

Roadside Assistance

Good Sam members can buy a roadside assistance plan through the club, which offers several options. These vary quite a bit, so we won’t post all the details about member benefits here. But if you click on the links provided for each plan, you’ll find more information about each choice.

• Standard RV ($64.95/year)
• Platinum RV ($79.95/year)
• Platinum Complete RV ($119.95/year)
• Platinum+ RV ($219.95/year)

We’re sure Good Sam Roadside Assistance is fine in many situations. But if you saw the comments at the end of our post on the best RV roadside assistance programs, you’ll find yourself questioning their offering in this particular area. We’d suggest, especially if you have a large Class A motorhome, that you confirm your expectations ahead of time and ask if they’ll be able to assist you in certain situations.

So, while Good Sam Roadside Assistance is available for an additional fee, we’d suggest there may be better options. We’ve had Coach-Net roadside assistance for years. While we’ve had only a single experience using their service (getting our rig towed out of the desert), it was excellent. And we’ve heard from lots of fellow RVers that Coach-Net has been great for them, too, especially for those with larger RVs.

RV Insurance

Protecting your RV and its contents is crucial, and Good Sam Club members enjoy discounts on RV insurance as well as auto, home, and boat insurance. Good Sam is now a full-service insurance agency that’s partnered with reputable insurance providers to offer coverage that meets the unique needs of RV owners.

Good Sam Insurance Agency offers specialty RV insurance, total coverage plans, and legally required protection for traveling in Mexico. These insurance plans are offered through Good Sam’s network of insurance companies, including Progressive, National General, Safeco (a Liberty Mutual company), and Foremost.

TravelAssist

For an additional fee based on the level of coverage you choose, Good Sam members can join their TravelAssist program, which offers emergency medical services to travelers. This type of coverage eliminates out-of-pocket costs associated with certain medical services as well as getting you, your vehicle, and your family home.

These services can include any or all of the following in the event of a medical emergency:

• Once stabilized, the service gets you home or to a nearby medical facility for treatment and recovery.
• If you’re unable to drive, the service may pay to return your RV home or coordinate a friend or family member to do so.
• If you’re at a medical facility that’s not equipped to assist you, they can coordinate and cover the cost of transporting you to a medical facility with the expertise to treat your condition.
• Coordinating and paying for your pets to be boarded nearby if you’re hospitalized while traveling.
• Managing and paying the cost of returning remains home from anywhere in the world in the event of a death while traveling.

For more information on this type of service/insurance, see our post on medical evacuation insurance.

Tire & Wheel Protection Plan

As a member, you can also opt for a Good Sam protection plan simply for your tires and wheels. This allows you to get a flat or wheel repaired or replaced so you can get back on the road.

The plan offers protection for tires & wheels on autos, trailers/towable RVs, and motorhomes. Coverage generally includes the following:

• Nationwide coverage
• Flat tires
• Tire repair
• Tire mounting & balancing
• Tire replacement
• Wheel replacement and repair
• Extended coverage for a connected tow vehicle

Extended Service Plan

For an additional cost, Good Sam offers extended service plans covering its members traveling in the U.S. and Canada. Plans are available to cover new and used RVs, motorhomes, travel trailers, automobiles, trucks, and SUVs.

With this Good Sam protection plan purchase, you can choose your deductible and pay as you go either monthly, quarterly, or annually. The goal of the extended service plan is to avoid major repair bills should your rig break down.

RV Valuator

This Good Sam membership benefit is for anyone ready to sell or trade in their RV. The Good Sam RV Valuator offers a free appraisal based on the make, model, year, and condition of your RV. Your quote, if you accept it, is sent to the nearest Camping World or RVs.com dealership to secure your guaranteed trade-in value.

You can sell your RV quickly and easily (though almost certainly not at the best price) directly to Camping World. You can also use their consignment program. You’ll receive quotes for both options and decide what you’d like to do. You can also choose to consign your RV through their dealer network through which they’ll advertise and sell your RV for you.

Is a Good Sam Club Membership Worth the Cost?

As of this writing, Good Sam Club offers three different levels of membership:

• Basic Membership: Free
• Standard Membership: $39/year
• Elite Membership: $109 (for 3 years)

Basic Membership is free, but offers a limited set of benefits (1% points on Camping World/Overton’s purchases + personal discount offers) that do NOT include the 10% discount at camgrounds. To get that you have to upgrade to at least the Standard membership level.

Standard Membership ups the ante, giving you access to the 10% campground discount, 5% points for purchases at Camping World or Overton’s stores, and more. Elite Membership level adds exclusive Elite Member Access to the RV Tech Hotline… which could save you an expensive tow or service call.

For even more details on the various membership levels, check out the Good Sam Membership page.

We haven’t kept exact records of the number of times we’ve saved at RV parks using the Good Sam discount. But we’re sure we’ve used it a lot. More than enough to still be members after more than 20 years.

So yes, we think joining Good Sam is worth the cost, especially since most RVers are likely to save enough to pay for their membership with just the campground discounts alone (not to mention all the other benefits). We just sold our motorhome (after more than 18 years of full-timing in it!) and are getting ready to take delivery of a brand-new rig. There’s no question we’ll continue renewing our longtime Good Sam membership going forward.

Whether you feel the fees for optional Good Sam service plans are worthwhile is something you’ll have to figure out based on your own needs. But we think the general membership is worthwhile just for the discounts, which is why we’ve been Good Sam members for over two decades.

See a complete list of Good Sam membership benefits and sign up using this link:

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