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There appear  to be a lot of us on here who use Camping Cheques - we've been using them for twelve years, and more recently also an ACSI card and Touring Cheques. (see below for websites).  If you're going outside high season (which is mid-July to mid-August on most French sites), and the site you're going to accepts them, then yes.  You'll usually get a discount over the lowest site  price.  This discount might not be much, but can be as much as 20 euros or more (at Cambrils Park in Spain, for instance).  Similar discounts can be had with Touring Cheques, or ACSI card.

Most sites accept them up to the end of June, and again from the 1st September, but there are some which take them right up until mid-July, and again from mid-August - just check the dates carefully.

We used Camping Cheques for the whole of our stay the last 2 weeks of August on a site in SW France last year. The site would have cost 34 euros per night had I not used them so we made a huge saving. There are lots of sites on the Camping Cheques web site that take them for all or part of those weeks so worth checking Vals link above if you have to travel in season. If I could travel out of season and not have to book then I wouldnt go without a combination of CC's and the ACSI card.

Carol

No doubt Camping Cheques and other discount cards are good value. We have  even taken 7 cheques from the Caravan Club with a ferry, and been able to discard the cheques and still save money.

However-------- A word of caution, particularly relevant in the present economic climate. We are aware of  a certain site (part of a major chain) who have decided that  the return Camping Cheques give them, is no longer worth them accepting cheques, and they have exited the scheme for 2009.

Point of the above is that many of us will be familiar with sites from times past, and it will come as a bit of a nasty shock if we roll  up expecting to pay by cheques, only to be asked to pay in full. So where you are going to pre booked sites, it pays to check what arrangements are in place for 2009.

FM

Quote: Originally posted by bushey5 on 28/10/2008

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Do you have to pay for the cheques? Sounds as though they could be a good idea. Apart from FM's point about 2009, how long in advance would you normally get them. I don't fully understand how they work. Is the point of them to encourage us to use particular sites?

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You buy them in advance either in paper form or you can opt for the Gold Card where the cheques are electronic. The Gold Card gives you greater advantages but it does does cost more initially. Camping Cheques are site vouchers. When you arrive at the site you inform them you will be using them and pay the the require number of nights when you leave. Each voucher covers a pitch with electrics for two persons, it can also include an animal. Extra people pay at the standard charge. I suppose if there is a disadvantage it is that you have to pay for them before you go. Schemes like the ACSI Card only require the purchase of the site directory at a cost of about £10. You then pay as you go.

David

any experience with camping & caravanning clubs freedom vouchers which seem similar to acsi in that they only cost £5 for 30  unlike camping cheques which are prepaid

george

Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 28/10/2008

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Basically Camping Cheques is an organisation, originally set up and run by a consortium of campsite owners, to encourage 'low-season' use of sites which are 'members' of the scheme.   Each Cheque pays for one night for a pitch/two people/electricity/car, caravan, tent or motorhome/awning and a dog (dogs only at some sites).  Each site specifies its own 'acceptance dates'. There are now 575 sites throughout Europe, including in Britain, which accept the cheques.  Basically you then look through the site guide which comes with the cheques, or on the website, and can stay on any site, which accepts them on the dates you want. You can tour around, staying as little, or as long, as you want, on each site - or you can spend the whole holiday on one site. If the site accepts cheques and you are more than two people, then you pay a supplement on top of the cheque directly to the site to cover the cost for the extra people (including children - although some sites have a children go free policy and some sites will allow up to four people for one cheque).

Usually there is no need to book in advance, but if you're going to an area with few sites then buying a 'Gold Card' gives you priority booking arrangements at some sites, so that although you're getting a discount rate you can be sure you'll find a pitch at the site when you arrive.

You can buy them directly from Camping Cheque, either just the cheques, or as part of a 'package' where they can book a ferry crossing too, or from the Caravan Club (which I've found to be better value).

If you think of using them, then carefully check the site's own pricing structure, so that you can calculate whether it's worth your while when you've added on the supplements you might pay for extra children or adults. The type of site they choose may not suit you either - so it's not for everyone, but we use them twice a year now, getting in a Spring Bank Holiday fortnight and then again in late August/September.

Normally you'd buy Camping Cheques a few weeks before you're heading off to allow for posting times.  If you leave it until just a few days before you can have them posted by express delivery.  They are valid for two years - so any you buy next year can be used until the end of 2010.  We're just using up the last of our 2007/2008 cheques with a week in the Lake District in the middle of November.

As said, at the moment with the financial turmoil who knows what might happen, so it would be prudent to pay for any you buy with a credit card so you're protected in the event of financial meltdown!

Frogman - which is the site you mentioned in your posting?  Just in case we were heading there next year!

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Quote: Originally posted by georgegarside on 28/10/2008

any experience with camping & caravanning clubs freedom vouchers which seem similar to acsi in that they only cost £5 for 30 unlike camping cheques which are prepaid george

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Quote: Originally posted by Floydfan on 28/10/2008

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Also, don't forget that in low season, there are many other campsites around that could use your cash but don't have the pot of money to invest in either the Camping Cheques or ASCII schemes. Many of these smaller sites charge around the same as the 'big boys' do.

By spreading your options around, you're helping those of us that do stay open throughout the year to earn a bit more money, and hopefully remain open year on year and improve so's you can come back in the future.

The bigger chains, like Castels etc. don't struggle as some of us do for trade in the off-season. It's a bit like the out of town shopping centres forcing your local butcher, baker (and candlestick maker) out of business.

I can't remember offhand what the costs were for us to join the Camping Cheques scheme, but I do remember it being in the thousands of euros! Good job I was sitting down at the time!

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