Community Forums

wingman139 · 10-14-2015, 06:54 AM

New at this. Is there a few good purchases out there to have when on the road? For discounts at campgrounds? And fuel.

ctpres · 10-14-2015, 07:42 AM

Passport America for 50 percent off campgrounds
Penn Fed credit card for best gas discount
Welcome to the world of memories

tbbg II · 10-14-2015, 08:02 AM

I can't say I am all that impressed with Passport America. No doubt I will get flamed for that opinion, but many of their campgrounds have some strict restrictions, like no weekends, limited stays and cash only. Some that we have tried led us to WalMart and boondocking. Lots of people use Good sam or KOA. Check them out to see if they meet your needs.

FlyingJ/MyPilot card can save another few pennies per gallon, but the PenFed card is best for paying at the pump. Some Pilot stores (and maybe others) won't let you pay at the truck pumps, so no discount with the PF card.

RVParky is a nice app for your phone to get an idea of camps near where you will be that night (including commercial boondocking sites).

Gas Buddy is another nice app for your phone. It shows gas and fuel prices for many stations (but not too many truck stops - I guess truckers either don't care or use another system).

MSHappyCampers · 10-14-2015, 05:28 PM

For campgrounds we use Passport America, Escapees, and Good Sam, in that order. Lots of restrictions with Passport America but still pays for itself many times over!

For credit cards we use the PenFed Visa Platinum Cash Rewards for 5% rebate on fuel (must pay at the pumps), Sams Club Mastercard for 3% rebate on dining, and Chase Freedom Visa Signature card for 1% rebate on everything else!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

KT4Wextra · 10-14-2015, 08:36 PM

If you are 62yo or older get a "America the Beautiful" pass from the gov. Costs $10 +any postage for a one time charge. It is good for the rest of your lifetime. Use it for free entrance to most national parks, BLM, Corps of Engineer campgrounds, some discounts for historic sites (not all). Good for 50% discount for camping fees at COE campgrounds and some national parks. You can sometimes purchase it at a national park or you can get it online sent to you. I got mine when we went to the Painted Desert about 5 years ago. Best $10 I ever spent. I went to Archs, Bryce Canyon, and Zion and didn't pay any entrance fee which saved at least $50 just for that.

Ramets · 10-15-2015, 04:48 AM

When on the road we'll use Passport for over nighters if they're on our route. It will more than pay for itself after a couple stays. I also whole heartedly agree on the "America The Beautiful Pass". Been using ours for 5yrs.. Good Sam will get you 10% off at participating places. The biggest discount is when you stay somewhere for a month or more.

dons2346 · 10-20-2015, 09:45 PM

Passport America kinda sucks. We made around trip from WA to WI and checked the parks along the way to and from only to find that most of them do not honor the PA discount during the tourist season(aka summer).

We use Elks Lodges, county and city parks and a few regular parks thrown in. We use KOA as a last resort.