Do you travel a lot throughout Europe and are looking for a way to save money on camping sites? If, like us, you travel a lot on a budget, then the ACSI card might just be the answer to your money saving questions.
The ACSI Card is a great way to enjoy a budget-friendly holiday whilst travelling throughout Europe. It allows holders to access special discounts on camping and motorhome sites throughout the continent.
Whether you’re a frequent traveller or an occasional camper, the ACSI Card can help you save money on your accommodation.
So, if you’re planning a camping or motorhome trip to Europe, keep reading to find out everything you need to know, including how to get an ACSI card, how much they cost, and whether they are worth it.
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How does the ACSI card work?
For those interested in camping, the ACSI Card is a must-have. With it, you can access reduced rates at over 4,000 campsites throughout Europe.
All you need to do is show your card upon check-in at a participating site and you can enjoy discounts of up to 20% off the regular rate. ACSI Card holders can also take advantage of special offers during the low season, with some sites offering discounts of up to 70% off.
If you’re travelling in a motorhome or campervan, the ACSI Card can also help you save money. Over 3,000 motorhome sites across Europe accept the ACSI Card, allowing you to save up to 25% off the regular rate.
The card also comes with access to a number of special offers, such as free days of camping at participating sites. The ACSI Card is an essential travel companion for anyone looking to save money on their camping and motorhome holidays in Europe.
With discounts of up to 70% off, and thousands of participating campsites and motorhome sites, it’s easy to see why the ACSI Card is so popular.
Is it worth getting an ACSI card?
Generally, we prefer to go off-grid when we travel in our motorhome, and stay at as many free spots as we possibly can and get out into nature more. We prefer the quiet spots in the middle of nowhere.
However, this isn’t always possible, especially if you stay in a country where wild camping is illegal, so it becomes more necessary to stay at campsites.
We have used ACSI discount when we went to one of the best campsites we have ever stayed at in Croatia over the Christmas period. We managed to make a huge saving compared to the price we would have been paying without the discount, so we have first-hand experience of the benefits that this card brings.
If you plan to do a lot of travel in Europe in the off-season (outside of school holidays) then the card is absolutely worth it, however, if you have specific campsites in mind that you would like to stay at, then it might be worth checking that they are part of the ACSI scheme before you travel, to ensure you can make the most of the discounted cost.
If you can only travel during peak season, the card may not be worth it for you.
How much does an ACSI card cost?
There are a few different options on the ACSI website with a few different costs. Allow us to break these options down for you to make sure you choose the right one.
2023 prices
The first option is the CampingCard ACSI subscription which costs €20.94 for Club ID members 1st year or €21.94 for Non-members 1st year.
The CampingCard ACSI provides discount at 3,000 participating campsites across Europe, that are inspected every year to ensure that you’re staying at some of the very best campsites. With this card you can save up to 60% per night.
With this option, you are committing to a minimum 2 year subscription which will auto-renew after the 2 years.
The CampingCard ACSI offers discounts during the off-season so is a big bargain for every camping enthusiast who likes to go on holiday or travel outside the high season.
With the CampingCard, you also get included the CampingCard ACSI guide, the CampingCard ACSI discount card and the mini-atlas with all participating campsites.
So what is the difference between Club ID members and non-members?
The ACSI Club ID membership costs €4.95 and is an ongoing subscription.
Nearly 8200 campsites in Europe accept the card as a replacement proof of identity. Not only at campsites, but also in rented accommodations and at hotels.
It also provides liability insurance up to a max of 11 people. ACSI Club ID members also benefit from special discounts in the ACSI web shop.
If you would prefer not to pay for the subscription, and just buy the CampingCard as a one-off, then the cost is €24.94 for Club ID members and €25.94 for non-members.
The final ACSI product is the CampingCard ACSI app. With the app you have the CampingCard ACSI guide available with you wherever you go on your smartphone or tablet.
The app allows you to filter by more than 150 amenities, read and write reviews, save your favourites and quickly find which participating campsites are near you.
You can use the app on three devices at the same time, and the app also works without an internet connection.
The cost of the app is €3.99, and you can only buy the app in combination with the CampingCard ACSI discount card, or if you already have a discount card.
As well as the 3000 campsites that are included, if you travel by motorhome or campervan like we do, then you also have the option to add on information on over 9,000 motorhome pitches.
How do I get an ACSI card?
You can purchase the ACSI Club ID and the CampingCard on the ACSI website, using the following link – ACSI Webshop | Inexpensive camping in the low season
What are the ACSI card delivery times?
The following delivery times apply to ACSI Club ID:
Address in the United Kingdom – 15 days
Address in the Netherlands – 8 days
Address elsewhere in Europe – 15 days
How long does ACSI last?
If you buy the subscription CampingCard, the requirements of this membership are that you have it for at least two years.
If you buy the non-subscription CampingCard, then it will last for a year, and you need to make sure that you buy the correct card for the year that you are in.
Summary
So if you’re a motorhome or campervan enthusiast, looking for a way to save some money on camping during the off-season, then it sounds like the ACSI card could be great for you! Who doesn’t want to save a little money on their travels?!
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I love everything about travel, from seeing new places, learning about new cultures and trying new foods! I believe that travel is one of the best forms of education you can get, I have learnt so much about myself and about the world from travelling all over. Travel is something I feel so passionately about, and I love the fact that we are now lucky enough to have this opportunity to do what we love as much as we can, it’s a dream come true.
Before we started travelling, I worked in local government in administration. I had been in this job for several years and had reached a complete brick wall where I was so fed up, but didn’t know what else to do. The only thing I knew that I wanted to do was to travel, and had wanted to do that for many years.
There were hundreds and hundreds of places on my wishlist that I wanted to go to, and I knew that going on a weeks holiday maybe twice a year if we were lucky wasn’t going to cut it.
After being in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, and working from home staring at the same 4 walls every day, 2021 seemed like the perfect time for us to take the risk to finally do what we had dreamed of for so long.
It was a hard decision to completely change our lives, but so far it has been the best decision we have ever made!
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