We have Top Tourist membership and use them when they are available but sometimes we find the local council one is better value so use it. As others have said you only get 'up to $30' in total on any one stay. If you stay one night here and another night there, it is only the discount for the one night each time you'll get. I also read the small print and found that if you book in for 3 nights, you get the discount on the 3 nights but if you change your mind and decide to stay say, another 2 nights, they don't give you the discount on those two nights (unless it's a new person who doesn't know that rule!) I think we'd only upgrade to Platinum if we were using cabins. Then you would be more likely to get a discount that is $70 or more as each night is so much more expensive than a powered site. We also re-joined Family Parks because we were going to one of their parks. They have gone to $40pa and add a lot of vouchers in their membership book. Most of them we would never use so it's a bit of a rip off. I'd rather pay $30 like TT.
To join any of these groups, it's only worthwhile if you are going to use them. If you enjoy freecamping, it's a waste of money. We won't join two next time round.
-- Edited by neilnruth on Monday 13th of May 2013 10:04:50 PM
botbot said
03:03 AM May 14, 2013
Hi All
This is my first time using this site and i am looking forward to using the brains of the members to anwsers some questions for me.
I have just received my renewal for Top Tourist Parks and they are offering an upgrade to the Platinum card that is associated with the presidential card which offers discount on a range of things. Does anybody have or use one and is it wirth while.
Thanks for your help
Bot
herbie said
03:09 AM May 14, 2013
hello and welcome, you do not say how much extra it is to update to the Platinum,and what is the amount you pay for this card with out the bells & whistles .
botbot said
03:16 AM May 14, 2013
The standard membership is $30 for 2 years and you get up tp $30 off your stay. The Platinum is $70 and you get up to $70 off per stay.
herbie said
03:24 AM May 14, 2013
Hello once again, so what you are saying if you stay one night and the price it $35 for argument sake, they take the $30 discount from this card you have and the site for the night is only costing you $5.??? How many times per month are you allowed to use this card, and is it allowed to be used xmas/ easter/ public holidays/ school holidays. As i was a member of another big name chain of c/v /parks ,and there was so many rules to the use of the card , i found i just did not get much value from it and what they did not explain to me before i joined was if i stayed say five nights i could only get the one night discount ,not each night.
jimricho said
03:25 AM May 14, 2013
I would not recommend upgrading to Platinum unless you can foresee the additional savings coming from the caravan park discounts. I don't see the other "benefits" warranting the additional expense. I upgraded last year in the expectation of extensive use at TT caravan parks based on usage in previous years but then had a change of plans so I'm now unlikely to fully recoup the extra cost.
I do tend to use TT parks more than others but this is just a coincidental usage pattern and not a result of any brand loyalty.
Grams said
03:32 AM May 14, 2013
Herbie,
I think it's UP TO $30 of an overnight stay. So not a powered site, but more for a cabin.
I have been a member of these type of things, and the savings are minimal. I don't think they are worth it.
herbie said
03:34 AM May 14, 2013
Thanks for that Grams, i was just perpexed in reading the post. I was thinking Hell we all are missing out on the deal of the year on this one.
botbot said
03:38 AM May 14, 2013
It says on the renewal for "10% discount up to the valus of $30 per stay in any accomdation choice (from non pewered tent sites through to cabin accomdation)".
jimricho said
03:48 AM May 14, 2013
The $30 limit applies to normal membership, without pulling out my Top Tourist stuff or checking the website I think that limit is higher for Platinum. If a regular user of TT parks the normal membership is worthwhile. I'm also a member of Big 4 and usually (but not always) recoup my membership with the discounts but only marginally so.
herbie said
03:48 AM May 14, 2013
All i can say to you is ring them or go onto their web site and see what all the disclaimers are and exclusions. I just think all this discount card thingo is just another marketing ploy ,to get you in the gate. I find after being a card holder ,the discount is some times a little bit naughty of them in the way they stucture all this, they jack the price up to cover the discount ,so in the end ,counting the $30/ 70 what ever, you have payed for the card the discount is not that grate in the end, when in most cases i have found the c/ van /park down the road with out a discount is cheaper with out the discount card.
Grams said
03:52 AM May 14, 2013
Hi botbot,
Most powered sites are between $15 and $30 so you are only saving $1.50 to $3.00 per night. So unless you intended to stay for 10 days on the $30 a night example, you will save $30, but if you stay more nights, it doesn't matter as you will pay full price.
So it doesn't seem to make that much difference. As you would have to be a member of lots of CP to get the discounts on the each of the different CP memberships. It's not worth it unless you stick to particular tourist companies.
herbie said
03:57 AM May 14, 2013
Grams wrote:
Hi botbot,
Most powered sites are between $15 and $30 so you are only saving $1.50 to $3.00 per night. So unless you intended to stay for 10 days on the $30 a night example, you will save $30, but if you stay more nights, it doesn't matter as you will pay full price.
So it doesn't seem to make that much difference. As you would have to be a member of lots of CP to get the discounts on the each of the different CP memberships. It's not worth it unless you stick to particular tourist companies.
Another thing to remember is in a lot of out of the way towns/ places/ locations the parks that have these discounts cards just don't exsist.
Grams said
04:05 AM May 14, 2013
All our country CP aren't members of these companies. These are going to be the places we prefer to stay in, not the big ones with all the fancy add ons.
hako said
04:07 AM May 14, 2013
We just got our renewal as well - we'll stay on the $30 plan (it was $20 two years ago!). Lowest overnight stay we've had was $27.50 less 10% and Highest $45 less 10% so they are not a cheap chain to stay with. We stay with them or Big4 because you have a fair idea that the place will be clean and tidy. Big4 is $50 for 2 years - just for the 10% off.
herbie said
04:13 AM May 14, 2013
I like the Mum/ Dad and the family caravan parks to stay in , i just find these are the parks who are doing it hard in some of the out back places. Some of the big chain parks over the last few years have dropped the standed of cleaning i have noticed at the few we had to stay in coming across to QLD from WA late last year.A few even have contract cleaners now that may only come in every second / third day on the low season.
jimricho said
04:32 AM May 14, 2013
Grams wrote:
All our country CP aren't members of these companies. These are going to be the places we prefer to stay in, not the big ones with all the fancy add ons.
Neither Big4 nor Top Tourist own any caravan parks. The parks in these groups are members of the relevant group and pay (quite substantial) membership fees. The owners of the member parks are independent operators although multiple ownership is not unusual and some parks are owned by companies such as Aspen or Discovery.
When selecting a park to stay in I look at other factors beyond just whether the park is a member of a group. I too have found some of the smaller non-aligned parks nicer to stay at.
herbie said
05:25 AM May 14, 2013
neilnruth wrote:
We have Top Tourist membership and use them when they are available but sometimes we find the local council one is better value so use it. As others have said you only get 'up to $30' in total on any one stay. If you stay one night here and another night there, it is only the discount for the one night each time you'll get. I also read the small print and found that if you book in for 3 nights, you get the discount on the 3 nights but if you change your mind and decide to stay say, another 2 nights, they don't give you the discount on those two nights (unless it's a new person who doesn't know that rule!) I think we'd only upgrade to Platinum if we were using cabins. Then you would be more likely to get a discount that is $70 or more as each night is so much more expensive than a powered site. We also re-joined Family Parks because we were going to one of their parks. They have gone to $40pa and add a lot of vouchers in their membership book. Most of them we would never use so it's a bit of a rip off. I'd rather pay $30 like TT.
To join any of these groups, it's only worthwhile if you are going to use them. If you enjoy freecamping, it's a waste of money. We won't join two next time round.
-- Edited by neilnruth on Monday 13th of May 2013 10:04:50 PM
When i was a member of the BIG 4 the discount was only for one night of your stay ,even if you pre booked say for three. The thing that kind of put me off ,was the fact if there was some thing on in the area like a show/ fesivial/there is no way you would get that discount ,even if it was not a public holiday/ xmas/ easter. So when i needed the use of their voucher it was not available for me to use.I worked out that the only way they really wanted you to use them was in their down /off season or when the park was empty.
jimricho said
12:51 PM May 14, 2013
As I implied earlier I would only consider Platinum worthwhile if you intend to stay at one park for an extended period, sufficient to run up the full $70 discount entitlement. If the additional vouchers included in the membership are of any use to you, consider this a bonus rather than a factor in making your decision.
I have never had the discount limited to the first night only of a multi-night stay. I have also found that when extending a stay at either a B4 or TT park I have received my full discount entitlement up to the maximum based on the total stay. If ever you incur an instance of where a park refuses a discount entitlement this should be taken up with B4 or TT.
jimricho said
01:03 PM May 14, 2013
herbie wrote:The thing that kind of put me off ,was the fact if there was some thing on in the area like a show/ fesivial/there is no way you would get that discount ,even if it was not a public holiday/ xmas/ easter. So when i needed the use of their voucher it was not available for me to use.I worked out that the only way they really wanted you to use them was in their down /off season or when the park was empty.
I have been a member of both groups for over 10 years and have never been refused a discount, peak season or off season. I have used both TT and B4 extensively over this period.
The only instance of a discount not applying that I have personally come across is a TT park in Nth Qld that gives a much larger discount for stays of 10 weeks or more and stays of that length at this park are not uncommon. It is not unreasonable to not give further discounts where a more generous discount has already been applied.
It is normal practice throughout the tourist industry to apply higher base charges at peak times and this is just the normal laws of supply and demand at work. This is not the same as a refusal to apply a discount entitlement.
magraret said
02:34 PM May 14, 2013
cant see the sence paying for a card did have one and found they were the dearest parks to stay at and the discount was not worth it
not only that why should i pay for kids to have fun
Dougwe said
02:53 PM May 14, 2013
Welcome Bot, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I hope all works out well for you and see many great and wonderful places in the playground. There are many great, interesting and knowledgable people on this forum so ask questions and have a bit of fun as well. Just be careful of wombat holes around here and don't get too dazzled by them, you never know you might even see a Gypsy.
I had a Big4 membership but didn't renew late last year as they where getting too expensive. I thought of Top Tourist but decided no for me. I intend to do a lot of free or alternative camping and don't think I would get value for money with a membership of any sort.
Dougwe said
02:57 PM May 14, 2013
Just a quick comment. I found over the last few months If I want a CV Park, I check "Caravan Parks Australia" and pick a CV Park with only a one $ symbol. They are usually cheaper, low rated parks and I have been very surprised and happy with them.
Gerty Dancer said
04:04 PM May 14, 2013
We had an Ozparks membership, as we agreed with their philosophy of providing good amenities etc without all the unnecessary frills. But there aren't many of them around. Once, at a small park we asked for the discount as they were listed as an Ozpark. She gave us the discount, but said they were no longer members as it cost the caravan park $1500 per year to belong! I wonder how much the TT and Big4 parks pay to belong to those chains? Of course those costs all have to be passed on to the customer. Now we choose independent parks, or free-camps.
Duh said
04:28 PM May 14, 2013
When we first started caravanning and in particular our first around Oz trip we joined Big4 and TT, later Oz parks as well.
Mostly it was because we were new to the RV lifestyle and didn't know what to expect, sounded good at the time. Also I think a fear of the unknown and security when first hitting the road comes into it a bit, with the membership booklets you knew what to expect in their cp's etc and it gave you a sense of belonging.
These days we belong to none, choosing our C/P's on spec or from past experience. Many will give seniors or pensioner discounts as well.
We also found the RAC guide a waste of time, they only list the parks now that pay to go in their guide, one town we went into were not even listed with them, but we found they had a beaut park so we stayed there. When we asked why they were not in the guide they told us they had been, but AAA that does the guide for the RAC charged too much to be listed, and they did ok without being in it. Oh, and they gave us seniors discount.....
Now just use the Camps Australia Wide book and Caravan Park Australia Wide.....Prefer hard copies in case of flat batteries etc on laptops/GPS etc.
botbot said
02:00 AM May 15, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen I can't thank you enough for the response to my question. The information you all provided was informative and balanced and I couldn't have asked for any thing more. I look forward to chating with you in the future. Many thanks and happy travels. Bot.
Douglas said
02:25 AM May 15, 2013
If you have a smart phone, consider downloading the WikiCamps App for, I think, $1.99. This is great App with information about CP's and Camp sites and getting better every day from information uploaded by the people who submit information about places they have stayed at.
botbot said
02:40 AM May 15, 2013
very interesting, thanks for that.
neilnruth said
05:27 AM May 15, 2013
The following is copied from the Home page of the Top Tourist website.
CONDITIONS OF USE
1.Tourist use only. Not applicable to storage, long term or yearly arrangements 2.Basic Club Membership - Bonus rate limited to 10%, up to a maximum of $30 at each park, each stay 3.Platinum Membership - Bonus rate limited to 10%, up to a maximum of $70 at each park, each stay 4.Not transferable from name on card 5.Not valid when other discounts or commissions apply. 6.First valid from park of issue 7.Card must be shown on ARRIVAL to obtain discount. Producing the card at a later time will forfeit rights to discount. 8.The card issued remains the property of Top Tourist Parks of Australia
Thought it might be helpful.
herbie said
05:32 AM May 15, 2013
Have also been reading on other forums about if you ring or book on line some people are saying you do not get this discount.I do not know what chain that is though.
We have Top Tourist membership and use them when they are available but sometimes we find the local council one is better value so use it. As others have said you only get 'up to $30' in total on any one stay. If you stay one night here and another night there, it is only the discount for the one night each time you'll get. I also read the small print and found that if you book in for 3 nights, you get the discount on the 3 nights but if you change your mind and decide to stay say, another 2 nights, they don't give you the discount on those two nights (unless it's a new person who doesn't know that rule!) I think we'd only upgrade to Platinum if we were using cabins. Then you would be more likely to get a discount that is $70 or more as each night is so much more expensive than a powered site.
We also re-joined Family Parks because we were going to one of their parks. They have gone to $40pa and add a lot of vouchers in their membership book. Most of them we would never use so it's a bit of a rip off. I'd rather pay $30 like TT.
To join any of these groups, it's only worthwhile if you are going to use them. If you enjoy freecamping, it's a waste of money. We won't join two next time round.
-- Edited by neilnruth on Monday 13th of May 2013 10:04:50 PM
Hi All
This is my first time using this site and i am looking forward to using the brains of the members to anwsers some questions for me.
I have just received my renewal for Top Tourist Parks and they are offering an upgrade to the Platinum card that is associated with the presidential card which offers discount on a range of things. Does anybody have or use one and is it wirth while.
Thanks for your help
Bot
hello and welcome, you do not say how much extra it is to update to the Platinum,and what is the amount you pay for this card with out the bells & whistles .
Hello once again, so what you are saying if you stay one night and the price it $35 for argument sake, they take the $30 discount from this card you have and the site for the night is only costing you $5.??? How many times per month are you allowed to use this card, and is it allowed to be used xmas/ easter/ public holidays/ school holidays. As i was a member of another big name chain of c/v /parks ,and there was so many rules to the use of the card , i found i just did not get much value from it and what they did not explain to me before i joined was if i stayed say five nights i could only get the one night discount ,not each night.
I do tend to use TT parks more than others but this is just a coincidental usage pattern and not a result of any brand loyalty.
I think it's UP TO $30 of an overnight stay. So not a powered site, but more for a cabin.
I have been a member of these type of things, and the savings are minimal. I don't think they are worth it.
Thanks for that Grams, i was just perpexed in reading the post. I was thinking Hell we all are missing out on the deal of the year on this one.
All i can say to you is ring them or go onto their web site and see what all the disclaimers are and exclusions. I just think all this discount card thingo is just another marketing ploy ,to get you in the gate. I find after being a card holder ,the discount is some times a little bit naughty of them in the way they stucture all this, they jack the price up to cover the discount ,so in the end ,counting the $30/ 70 what ever, you have payed for the card the discount is not that grate in the end, when in most cases i have found the c/ van /park down the road with out a discount is cheaper with out the discount card.
Most powered sites are between $15 and $30 so you are only saving $1.50 to $3.00 per night. So unless you intended to stay for 10 days on the $30 a night example, you will save $30, but if you stay more nights, it doesn't matter as you will pay full price.
So it doesn't seem to make that much difference. As you would have to be a member of lots of CP to get the discounts on the each of the different CP memberships. It's not worth it unless you stick to particular tourist companies.
Another thing to remember is in a lot of out of the way towns/ places/ locations the parks that have these discounts cards just don't exsist.
We stay with them or Big4 because you have a fair idea that the place will be clean and tidy. Big4 is $50 for 2 years - just for the 10% off.
I like the Mum/ Dad and the family caravan parks to stay in , i just find these are the parks who are doing it hard in some of the out back places. Some of the big chain parks over the last few years have dropped the standed of cleaning i have noticed at the few we had to stay in coming across to QLD from WA late last year.A few even have contract cleaners now that may only come in every second / third day on the low season.
Neither Big4 nor Top Tourist own any caravan parks. The parks in these groups are members of the relevant group and pay (quite substantial) membership fees. The owners of the member parks are independent operators although multiple ownership is not unusual and some parks are owned by companies such as Aspen or Discovery.
When selecting a park to stay in I look at other factors beyond just whether the park is a member of a group. I too have found some of the smaller non-aligned parks nicer to stay at.
When i was a member of the BIG 4 the discount was only for one night of your stay ,even if you pre booked say for three. The thing that kind of put me off ,was the fact if there was some thing on in the area like a show/ fesivial/there is no way you would get that discount ,even if it was not a public holiday/ xmas/ easter. So when i needed the use of their voucher it was not available for me to use.I worked out that the only way they really wanted you to use them was in their down /off season or when the park was empty.
I have never had the discount limited to the first night only of a multi-night stay. I have also found that when extending a stay at either a B4 or TT park I have received my full discount entitlement up to the maximum based on the total stay. If ever you incur an instance of where a park refuses a discount entitlement this should be taken up with B4 or TT.
I have been a member of both groups for over 10 years and have never been refused a discount, peak season or off season. I have used both TT and B4 extensively over this period.
The only instance of a discount not applying that I have personally come across is a TT park in Nth Qld that gives a much larger discount for stays of 10 weeks or more and stays of that length at this park are not uncommon. It is not unreasonable to not give further discounts where a more generous discount has already been applied.
It is normal practice throughout the tourist industry to apply higher base charges at peak times and this is just the normal laws of supply and demand at work. This is not the same as a refusal to apply a discount entitlement.
cant see the sence paying for a card did have one and found they were the dearest parks to stay at and the discount was not worth it
not only that why should i pay for kids to have fun
Welcome Bot, enjoy here and out in the playground.
I hope all works out well for you and see many great and wonderful places in the playground. There are many great, interesting and knowledgable people on this forum so ask questions and have a bit of fun as well. Just be careful of wombat holes around here and don't get too dazzled by them, you never know you might even see a Gypsy.
I had a Big4 membership but didn't renew late last year as they where getting too expensive. I thought of Top Tourist but decided no for me. I intend to do a lot of free or alternative camping and don't think I would get value for money with a membership of any sort.
Once, at a small park we asked for the discount as they were listed as an Ozpark. She gave us the discount, but said they were no longer members as it cost the caravan park $1500 per year to belong! I wonder how much the TT and Big4 parks pay to belong to those chains? Of course those costs all have to be passed on to the customer.
Now we choose independent parks, or free-camps.
When we first started caravanning and in particular our first around Oz trip we joined Big4 and TT, later Oz parks as well.
Mostly it was because we were new to the RV lifestyle and didn't know what to expect, sounded good at the time. Also I think a fear of the unknown and security when first hitting the road comes into it a bit, with the membership booklets you knew what to expect in their cp's etc and it gave you a sense of belonging.
These days we belong to none, choosing our C/P's on spec or from past experience. Many will give seniors or pensioner discounts as well.
We also found the RAC guide a waste of time, they only list the parks now that pay to go in their guide, one town we went into were not even listed with them, but we found they had a beaut park so we stayed there. When we asked why they were not in the guide they told us they had been, but AAA that does the guide for the RAC charged too much to be listed, and they did ok without being in it. Oh, and they gave us seniors discount.....
Now just use the Camps Australia Wide book and Caravan Park Australia Wide.....Prefer hard copies in case of flat batteries etc on laptops/GPS etc.
If you have a smart phone, consider downloading the WikiCamps App for, I think, $1.99. This is great App with information about CP's and Camp sites and getting better every day from information uploaded by the people who submit information about places they have stayed at.
very interesting, thanks for that.
CONDITIONS OF USE
1.Tourist use only. Not applicable to storage, long term or yearly arrangements
2.Basic Club Membership - Bonus rate limited to 10%, up to a maximum of $30 at each park, each stay
3.Platinum Membership - Bonus rate limited to 10%, up to a maximum of $70 at each park, each stay
4.Not transferable from name on card
5.Not valid when other discounts or commissions apply.
6.First valid from park of issue
7.Card must be shown on ARRIVAL to obtain discount. Producing the card at a later time will forfeit rights to discount.
8.The card issued remains the property of Top Tourist Parks of Australia
Thought it might be helpful.
Have also been reading on other forums about if you ring or book on line some people are saying you do not get this discount.I do not know what chain that is though.