Good sam?? Good riddance!

[RobWNY]

It's not just Pilot/Flying J's and Campgrounds where you think you're getting a discount but rarely are. Go into a Camping World and price some things they sell. Then go on Amazon or most any other online store and look for the same items. In most instances, it will be cheaper online and have free shipping. Of course if you need the item right away, you pay the extra money but a little patience waiting for your items to arrive usually means a big savings. Camping World Widgit $19.99 With Good Sam Discount $17.99 Amazon price $11.99 and free shipping.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

I have GoodSam Roadside Assistance. Have never used it so I don't know if it's any good or not. I had the camping card last yr but haven't renewed it. Pilot/FlyingJ are convenient but not the cheapest.

We had Good Sam Roadside Assistance (GSRA) and had to use it three times. The tire replacement was excellent, but GSRA has contracts with specific vendors. I know that sounds obvious but please read on. The first time the vendor was in the nearest town so that was good. The second and third times the vendor was an hour away. That may sound reasonable for someone driving down the road, but not when the road is I-10 IN HOUSTON TEXAS. It was ridiculous having to wait so long in Houston when there was a tire store within a couple of blocks from the parking lot that we stopped at. (It was one tire of a dually that had blown out, so we limped off of the interstate)
We have Progressive Insurance on our Greyhawk, arranged through USAA and it includes roadside assistance so we dropped Good Sam's Roadside Assistance. Again in Houston, we hit something on the road that ripped a hole in one tire of a dually so I called Progressive. If you have a jack and a spare tire Progressive will take the flat tire off and put the spare in in its place. They will do NOTHING MORE! I called Good Sam and restarted their roadside assistance coverage. Someone came out and replaced the torn tire.
Good Sam's Roadside Assistance may take a while to get someone to your RV, and when someone does get there you get very good help.
I do agree that Pilot/Flying J is not always the cheapest gas, but in my experience they usually are. I've never had any problem getting a gas discount when using the RVPlus credit card, but occasionally the Good Sam lifetime member card fails to result in a discount. In those infrequent occasions calling Good Sam was of no help.
Quite often we have found gas at Buckees, along I-10 in Texas, is as inexpensive as Pilot/Flying J. Buckees has so many pumps that is easier to get into to refuel that any other gas station. Plus they have good food.
I have never had an RV park that advertised Good Sam not give the discount. Same thing with parks that are Escapees affiliated. If you are an Escapees member then you get their discount.
Good Sam membership is not perfect, but for us it is definitely worth it.

[teejaywhy]

Originally Posted by Widoemaker

We just joined Good Sam's Club... HUGE disappoint!!!... First off they say save .08 cents on every gallon of Diesel at Flying J and Pilot stations..

Wow, 0.08 cents per gallon. Save a penny on 12 gallons.

[kluza2786]

I used to be a Good Sam member - and might decide to renew. We moved from the Cincinnati area to Indiana so there was about a year where we didn't do much camping. A couple of times I tried to use the GS discount at a campground and found that the AAA or AARP discount was the same as GS. As for CW, you have to really watch what and when you buy. If they're having a promotion on an item at times it can be a good deal - otherwise their normal prices aren't so hot.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by kluza2786

I used to be a Good Sam member - and might decide to renew. We moved from the Cincinnati area to Indiana so there was about a year where we didn't do much camping. A couple of times I tried to use the GS discount at a campground and found that the AAA or AARP discount was the same as GS. As for CW, you have to really watch what and when you buy. If they're having a promotion on an item at times it can be a good deal - otherwise their normal prices aren't so hot.

We got a 5 cents per gallon discount with the Good Sam card. As for shopping at Camping World. I very rarely go there anymore. Their prices are high and I have bought merchandise that turned out to be poor quality. We bought an RV cover that was supposed to fit our 32 foot Greyhawk. It turn out to be very much too long. Even with folding some over at both ends it could not be tied even remotely tight. At least they took it back and refunded our money.
Good Sam - Yes
Camping World - No

[RdWarriors2]

We too are GS members. We had the extended Service Plan and our AC went out on us and had no trouble getting it replaced. We have never been able to get the gas discount card to work so don’t mess with it. We did however have our trailer brakes to bust on the right side of our old trailer and it was an absolute nightmare to deal with them on that. I still get mad thinking about the total mess they made of it. Not sure if we will renew after this or not.

[Cannon]

We are GS members. I rarely buy from CW or FJ but save $75 to $100 year in campground discounts.

[TCNashville]

We bought our Eagle in 2012 from Camping World and received a 3 year Good Sam Elite membership. In the 4th year they started calling and have renewed it for free every year since we bought it, including this year.

[twdenman]

Originally Posted by RipinSC

I have used it many times and always got my discount. I always look for a Good Sam campground first. We went out west for 6 weeks last year and used it most of the time. I also use the pilot discount allot when traveling. They normally have enough space for big rigs to maneuver. I also just signed up for the 3 extra years and received the $50 coupons.

I also have had a good experience with Good Sam. I hate the owners beliefs, but I received enough discounts to pay for membership.

[bwft57]

[QUOTE=wags999;702074and getting 2 $25 coupons to use at Camping world, my net was $25 for three years.. Doesn't take many nights of camping to be ahead of the game. I don't purchase much at Camping world, at least not at regular price, but, sometimes you have no choice and you also get a 10% discount and many times a better price on many items.[/QUOTE]

A 10% discount at Camping world is still 30% higher than Amazon.
So your coupons are worth $17.50 each.

Seems like you are still wasting money.
Especially if you buy anything at camping world.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by TexanTraveler

A 10% discount at Camping world is still 30% higher than Amazon.
So your coupons are worth $17.50 each.

Seems like you are still wasting money.
Especially if you buy anything at camping world.

That's actually not true. Just bought X chicks from caning world using a $25 certificate. Price was within $1 of Amazon less my $25 bucks. Amazon is no longer the least expensive place to shop...its just another place. Shopping sales and specials offtimes less than Amazon even with prime. And at over $100 for prime unless you buy a lot at the last minute it may not pay.

[rollingrockTX]

Originally Posted by wags999

Just bought X chicks

I would never buy x chicks. The wife would not be happy with that decision.


(Joke) .

[RobWNY]

Originally Posted by rollingrockTX

I would never buy x chicks. The wife would not be happy with that decision.


(Joke) .

You don't buy x chicks. You rent them by the hour

[bwft57]

Originally Posted by RobH063

You don't buy x chicks. You rent them by the hour

"If it floats, flys or what again? You rent it, don't buy it"
I always price check amazon, but I can tell you, I have never had Camping World be competitive on anything I have ever wanted.

To each their own.
Mileage may vary.

[Cannon]

I buy very little from CW but if you watch their sale and coupons you can get some good deals. I purchased a RV GPS with dash cam back in May for $279.00 Best price on Amazon at the time was $376.00

[Steve1152]

get a gas buddy fuel card. ties to your credit card and you can use it almost everywhere. 5 cent discount. try it, doesnt cost anything.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by Steve1152

get a gas buddy fuel card. ties to your credit card and you can use it almost everywhere. 5 cent discount. try it, doesnt cost anything.

Even better, the Costco Visa, you can use anywhere, gives you 4% back on gas purchases. That's about 10 to 12 cents a gallon currently.

[TCNashville]

Sams Club Mastercard gives you 5% back on fuel purchases at stations nationwide.

[ifallsguy]

[QUOTE] Even better, the Costco Visa, you can use anywhere, gives you 4% back on gas purchases. That's about 10 to 12 cents a gallon currently.[QUOTE]

.12 cents at $3/gallon

[QUOTE] Sams Club Mastercard gives you 5% back on fuel purchases at stations nationwide. [QUOTE]

.15 cents @ $3/gallon

You can use either card for the rebates, but the GS card also takes off their discount BEFORE you pump gas (or diesel). So when I buy fuel with my Costco or Sam's CC, if the pump price is 2.33/gallon (cost of fuel here as of this morning), then with the GS card it's 2.28/gallon and then I get the discount. On a 30 gallon fill up, that's an additional $1.50 savings before the rebate which I won't see for months. That's an additional 2.1% and it's immediate.

As an example, using $3/gallon (easier math), with the 4% Costco card, 30 gallons would rebate $3.60. Add the $1.50 using the GS card and you save $5.10 on a 30 gallon fill. And you don't see the rebate until the annual check. Then add the cost of membership to either club and what is the real amount of the rebate? (I do belong to both clubs, (nearest Costco 190 miles, nearest Sam's, about 50miles but I do shop at both.)

The percentage changes with cost of fuel but on my last trip, where I spent over $2000 on fuel, I saved an roughly an additional $30 before the rebates. And I fill up at the local Pilot when the fuel cost is when 1) I happened to be in the area, and 2) when the pump price minus the GS discount makes my fuel cost equal to or less than the stations I normally go to. I honestly figure I save an extra $30-40/year in addition to the give backs from Costco or Sam's. And that doesn't include our annual month plus long trips out west.

If you have it and don't use it, you leave money on the table. And that could be more money than you will ever see back just using the rebate cards. That is not to say you (or I) shouldn't pay less at another station. But if you need fuel, have a GS card, and the price is equal or less than other stations ………….. I don't necessarily like CW prices or the CEO, but the savings on fuel in what I use that card for. And I make a lot of use of GasBuddy while on the road to find prices. I just won't drive 3 miles out of the way for a 1 or 2 cent savings in fuel. When you figure time to get there and fuel burned to and from that station, you loose money (and time).

[robert9999]

Love the GS discount I get at campgrounds & the 5 cents a gallon off if refueling at FJ. The card pays for itself in no time. I also have the RS assist but never used it.