Camping Cards
Has anyone explored the differences between Camping Cards? I have always used the CCI (Camping Card International) issued by the FICC. Others I am aware of are Camping Key Card, the ACSI ID card and the Scandinavian card. Some seem to be more widely accepted than others and I assume the insurance and discount levels differ. Do you even bother with any of these cards, are they essential for Continental touring?
peedee
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We always pay for and take the ACSI ID, it’s only about 5€. It seems fairly widely accepted even at non ACSI listed sites. Whilst not probably essential it does speed up checking in. We always hand it over and they copy information including name and passport number off it. Most hand it back, a few photo copy it and rarely one will keep it until you leave. There is no discount for just having this card, you need the separate discount card for that. We have occasionally been given a discount by proffering that, even at sites not in the scheme.
We also have the camping key card, as it comes with the red pennant insurance, but have never found anywhere interested in it. I think it is more accepted by the larger 4 star + sites and we tend to favour the much smaller 3 star variety. I believe there is a discount associated with it at some sites.
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Thanks, do the ACSI and Key cards offer any third party insurance like the CCI one? I have never obtained or even tried to get discounts with the CCI card and it has only ever been declined on a couple of Swedish sites. I think it is probably the most widely accepted, or certainly used to be before ACSI came to the fore?
peedee
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I never found any of those cards essential or useful at the sort of campsites we went to with caravans .
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Always bought the CCI from the other Club. There is a site we like to use on the Île de Noirmoutier which invariably requires people to deposit passports at reception but they are willing to retain the CCI in lieu. For the small cost, it’s worth it for that alone.
If staying on sites which are not ACSI listed, they seem happy to accept the CCI as id.
The one time I considered the Camping Key card, it seemed to be less widely accepted so I have never bothered buying one.
It less handy for obtaining discounts I suppose, but one year we were offered one at a site near Poitiers when en route to Spain in Winter. At that time, they accepted Camping Cheques and we had none left, but the chap at reception spotted the CCI as I looked for id and gave us the Camping Cheques price. We used it a number of times at that site in the following years. Another site at Archachon advertised a discount for CCI holders at reception. Maybe a handful of other times – it’s sometimes worth asking if the site is not in the ACSI discount scheme and they display the CCI symbol.
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My information is a bit out of date but we always took the Camping Card with us as it came with Red Pennant Insurance. Going back years it would sometimes get you a discount on some Municipal sites. With the advent of ACSI we did invest in their Camping Card but generally found that if we were using an ACSI discount site the actual card that came with the book was sufficient. It was Italy where we found a preoccupation with Passports on some sites but they were usually returned once you had booked in. Given the relatively small costs of these cards they are probably worth having for the exceptions, especially if you are travelling around a lot an using multiple sites?
David
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Digital ACSI & ACSII ID Cards for me.
I've seen the CCI card mentioned at a number of sites as well, but have never felt the need to get one. I also get a Camping Key card FOC with Red Pennant but I don't think sites are particularly interested in that one.
Does anyone know if Camping-Car Park cards include liability insurance ?
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I have travelled half the world just with three credit cards, a driving licence and a passport - hotels, guest houses and campsites seemed happy to have me. I don’t take other little ID cards.
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If hotels, guest houses and campsites (UK or Overseas ) want liability insurance they take it out. I don’t.
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I can’t find any mention of liability insurance on there web site. However, perhaps worth mentioning is that from March they will no longer be issuing cards. You can still continue to use a card if you have one, or you can generate a code within the App to tap into the key pad, however as the code is only valid for 5 minutes it requires a 4G signal at the barrier. The blurb is all a bit confused, but it may be that the digital card within the App can also be used by touching the phone to the key pad, however I’m not sure on that. Not that we ever have, but you will no longer be able to top up your account on the barrier terminal, only on the App or by phone. If you have a card, look after it.
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ET
Surely the difference is that UK Guest Houses and Campsites generally make you pay, either before you arrive or on the day of arrival, so liability insurance for non payment is not required. Can't speak for hotels abroad but most campsites you pay at the end of your stay so more opportunity for a campsite to miss out on payment.
David
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To me the advantage is more the ID side of the card, rather than the liability insurance. The passports have never been required when booking into a campsite, the ID card which has all the passport information and more has always been adequate. It also has the benefit if they require additional assurance I am happy to leave it with them, where as if they wanted the passport(s) I wouldn’t.
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I use the ACSI discount card to hand to the campsite office as it has the essential details. They usually hand it straight back. We go south in August (no discounts) returning through France late September. As we only spend a week in France on our return I didn't bother with a new book last year but used the card from 2023 for ID. Despite the year clearly marked on the card the 3 sites I used all gave me ACSI discount rates.
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