Guide
RV clubs and campground discounts
Most full-timers and long-haul RVers carry at least one membership card. The savings are real, but only if you remember which parks take which card when you're booking. Here's how the main types work and how to actually use them.
Last updated: October 2026 · about a 7-minute read
RV memberships fall into a few buckets, and they work differently enough that it's worth knowing which one you're holding before you call a campground.
1. Know which kind of membership you have
- Discount clubs. Passport America and Good Sam are the big ones. You pay a yearly fee and get a discount at participating parks. The parks set the rules, so discounts often come with limits on days of the week, seasons, or how many nights.
- Brand loyalty programs. KOA's program gives you savings and points at KOA parks. It only helps at that brand.
- Campground networks. Thousand Trails and Encore are networks of parks with membership plans. What you get depends on the plan you bought and the region it covers.
- Lodges. Many Elks and Moose lodges let traveling members park overnight, some with hookups. It's a member benefit, not a public campground, and every lodge sets its own rules.
2. Check before you book, not at the gate
Club directories change. A park that took your card last year may not now, and a discount may not apply on holiday weekends. When you book, say which membership you have and ask how the discount applies for your dates. It takes one sentence and saves an awkward conversation at check-in.
3. Do the math on whether a club pays for itself
A discount club pays off when you stay at enough participating parks. Before you renew, look back at your last year of stays and count how many took the card. If you mostly stay at state parks or boondock, the card may not earn its fee. If you're on the road full-time at private parks, it usually does.
4. Overnight parking: free, but not guaranteed
Plenty of businesses let RVers park overnight: some Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Bass Pro and Cabela's locations, casinos, and lodges for their members. Policy is set store by store, and it changes. Call ahead, ask the manager, park where they tell you, and keep it to one night with no chairs, awnings, or slides out unless they say it's fine. Buying dinner or supplies is the polite way to say thanks.
How RV Compass handles your clubs
Add your memberships to My clubs in settings: KOA, Thousand Trails, Encore, Passport America, Good Sam, Elks, and Moose. From then on, campgrounds show the clubs they take as badges, the parks that honor yours are marked, and the Accepts my clubs filter narrows campground search to them. Brand badges like Jellystone and Sun Outdoors show on their parks too. It's free.
Passport America and Good Sam participation comes partly from RVers: after a stay, you can answer yes or no with one tap, and those parks carry a note that the club was reported by RVers, so confirm the discount when you book. Elks and Moose lodges and the overnight parking partners are always marked call ahead: overnight parking isn't guaranteed, so ask before you arrive.
The app also lists Love's RV hookup sites, with the site details and a link to book. More in your clubs, on every park, or see how to fit stops into a trip in how to plan an RV trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is Passport America worth it?
It depends on where you stay. Passport America's discount only applies at participating parks, often with limits on days or seasons set by each park. Count how many of your stays in a typical year would have qualified. Full-timers who stay at private parks often come out ahead; RVers who mostly use state parks or boondock may not.
Can I use more than one RV club at the same campground?
Usually not on the same stay. Most parks apply one discount at a time. Ask which one gives you the better rate for your dates when you book.
Can RVers park overnight at Elks and Moose lodges?
Many lodges allow traveling members to park overnight, and some have hookups, but each lodge decides. You generally need to be a member of the organization. Call the lodge ahead of time and ask about their rules and any fee.
How do I find campgrounds that take my RV membership?
Each club has its own directory, but checking several directories per stop gets old fast. In RV Compass you add your clubs once, and campground search marks the parks that take them, with an Accepts my clubs filter. Club info reported by RVers is labeled, so confirm the discount when you book.
See your clubs on every park
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