Camping Card International

[The wanderer]

Does anyone know how to obtain a 'Camping card International' without having to join the Camping clubs!

[chas]

Hi- I think you can still get them from the AA , and RAC but you would have to check, and you would also have to be a member. Chas

[The wanderer]

Just checked, they refer you to the Caravan Club!

[carolh]

We got ours from the RAC earlier on this year, but you have to be member. Carol

[net-traveller]

The short answer is no as I've been through this myself. The CCI is normally used as a form of ID and there is some dispute as to whether the insurance implied within the card is any use to man or beast. If travelling abroad I would suggest that you get photocopies of passports, or scan said item into computer, and add address. Seems we may be one of the few countries in europe who don't include address on passport. You can then use the photocopy as ID. The campsite may verify against your passport but shouldn't hang on to it. As to the benefit of CCI regarding reduction in per person charge it's probably not enough to warrant joining a club and paying for th CCI particularly as not all sites offer a discount and others may well have special deals anyway. Cheers

[The wanderer]

Many thanks 'net-traveller' for the excellent advice and that piece about the passport copies, I shall follow that course. Camping cheques will supply if you buy their travel insurance! Trouble is it will not cover those over 65years of age, as we are. I did try the CCI web site but it's not available!

[Basil]

They are available from the AA and the RAC. As we are members of the Caravan Club and use the excellent Red Pennant Foreign Touring Service we get ours free as part of the deal, although you can get it alone for around a fiver. Yes they can be used instead of depositing your passport at the site, not all sites will accept photocopies as we found out and best of all we got discounts on our site fees of up to 25% (at Municipal Camping at Obernau) most without asking just by showing the card. Over the whole five weeks away we saved around 85 Euro, not an immense amout but then we did not stay on sites all the time using Aires and service areas as well. In any case we saved more than we spent on the Caravan Club annual subscription plus the cost of the CCI and we did not have to deposit our passports anywhere. Incidently our friends who we met out there for one of the weeks got discount as well on the back of our card. Well worth having IMO. Bas

[MOTORHOMER]

We get ours from MCC but the RAC definately do do them. In both cases you have to be a member. We always use the card for ID at campsites. In last two years never been asked for the passports. I would not leave them with the site anyway. Always keep them with us unless in the pool then they are hidden away. motorhomer

[Greynomad]

A 'C C I' is an essential item for anyone using Campsites, outside the UK, except USA/CANADA, it is plastic and only credit-card size - so very easy to carry. Because it carries the personal details, of the 'lead' person in your party, that is your Name, Address, Date & Place of Birth, Passport Number, Nationality, date Passport Issued and Country (UK), this is why it is acceptable, in lieu of a Passport. Outside of the UK, the local Police frequently visit Campsites to check on foreign visitors - they expect the site owner/manager to show them, either the Passports or, the CCI of each visitor. I purchased mine, this year, from the Camping & Caravanning Club and, in March 06 it was only £4.75, expiring on the last day of Feb. 07, IMHO - such an inconsequential amount of money when compared to the overall holiday costs, to render any decision to accept the hassle of Camping without an CCI, rather silly. As already mentioned, it is worth it just for the peace of mind of being able to retain your Passport, at all times. To answer your original query, can a CCI be purchased without being a member of an F.I.C.C. affiliated Club - the answer is NO. Within the Conditions of Use, is stated (in Upper Case!): THE CAMPING CARD INTERNATIONAL IS ONLY VALID WHILST THE HOLDER IS A MEMBER OF THE CAMPING & CARAVANNING CLUB. This could also read CARAVAN CLUB or, MCC or, other Club that is affiliated. The Insurance within the CCI, covers the 'Risk' against 'third-party' claims arising out of any accident at any campsite, possibly, seen as of very limited value to us Motorhomers but, of primary importance to the Camp Site Proprietor. I would expect any Motorhome Travel Insurance policy to cover this risk anyway, so the CCI might be considered as 'belt and braces'. Should you be considering touring anywhere within a Scandinavian country, then you will need another card, as well - 'CAMPING CARD SCANDINAVIA'. Just ask, and I or, others will provide more information. Non of this negates the prudent precaution of photo-copying ALL DOCUMENTS carried, including ALL Passports, as previously suggested.

[gwyn]

Our camping card was obtained from ACSI they have a web site and they also provide you wioth a book of campsites in europe a lot of which are at discounted prices out of season on production of this card. All sites we have stayed at (not neccessarily in the ACSI book) were quite happy to accept our camping card

[net-traveller]

Just to clarify .................. The camping card referred to by Gwyn can be found on http://www.campingcard.co.uk and its sister site http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en which are interesting sites founded by the Dutch who are proud of their reputation for careful management of finance. They can give lessons and probably do! It is not a CCI card but many camp sites in Europe recognise it and will accept it as ID although discounts are only available on the sites which have agreed to do so in the Camping Card directory. The scheme is similar to camping cheques and the like. I should add that I use the scheme and find it excellent. Cheers :-D :-D :-D

[twooks]

isn't that a different card? CCI is accepted as passport substitute because it contains info on your passport and home address, and gives some insurance cover from the affiliated clubthat has issued it to you. ACSI may be an affiliated club but the ACSI card is primarily a discount card tho I've handed mine over in error - ie should've given them the CCI - and it has been accepted. B-) both well worth having imo :-> pps how's that for simultaneous postings ! :-> :->

[Norma]

I'm intrigued by Basil saying he managed to get discounts at some sites with his CCI card. Has anyone else any experience of this or has he been confused by the ASCI card too?

[Don Madge]

[QUOTE]Norma - 2006-10-26 11:02 AM I'm intrigued by Basil saying he managed to get discounts at some sites with his CCI card. Has anyone else any experience of this or has he been confused by the ASCI card too? [/QUOTE] Norma, We have often had a reduction for the CCI over the years. If you have the Caravan Club "Caravan Europe" 1 or 2 you will find many sites give reduction for the CCI. We always check out the price before mentioning the CCI though. Don

[Basil]

Hello Norma, No, I am not confusing cards, actually I have never had an ACSI card but after reading more about them on the ACSI site I may get one for belt and braces next year. I have always had CCI as it comes as part of the CClub Red Pennant package and we have had lots of discounts all over, though you sometimes have to ask! Occasionally I have been asked if I have a card when I have done as Don suggests and waited for a price quote before asking for discount and they have asked in order to offer a discount. If you look at the bottom of the following webpage (selected from my list of sites that I have visited at one time or another) www.obernai.fr/site/page_182.php they are actually offering the discount on the site, I notice though they have tiered it according to time of year on this particular site and it was 25% when I went there last. Bas

[gwyn]

acsi card is accepted as a substitute for a passport, your passport number is written on it, we have never had ours refused whether it was an acsi site or not

[Philman]

Hi Gwyn, the ACSI card does not contain passport details whereas the CCI Card does. Either card can get you a discount at the sites listed in the appropriate book. I have also found that quite a few sites offer discounts for the CCI Card even though the site is not listed in the CCI Book. The 2006 CCI Book lists 1100 campsites who give discounts of up to 25% Phil.

[Brambles]

Some background for you all re Camping Carnet International (CCI) or Camping Card International. Many organisations who used to supply the CCI card no longer do so. Most decisions to suspend supplying the service was brought about by the new Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations that govern insurance sales because the CCI includes an insurance element. Most groups supplying had to suspend sales of the CCI because they used to obtain the cards through a collective affiliated to the Federation international de camping and caravanning (FICC). The FSA prohibits obtaining insurance for members via a third party and so to comply organisations would have to affiliate with the FICC direct. This would incur an exorbitant annual fee as affiliation is calculated on total membership of the organisation, club or group rather than the membership who take out CCI’s each year. So for orgaisations like camping clubs the ratio of cards issued to members is high, but for example the AA would be incredibly small. So now we can only obtain from mainly camping and caravaning clubs and organisations. Another case of red tape going over board when exceptions should be made in certain circumstances. The affiliation to the FICC would only be cost effective if about 10% of the membership of a club took out the CCI but for many clubs and groups the number of people requiring the card have dropped each year as the usefulness of the CCI’s as identification and the benefits of the insurance have been called into question. Hope the above is of interest and have tried to summarise a reason why organisations have stopped selling the card - Gosh I don't half ramble on sometimes. Jon. P.S. The following links are to clubs still supllying the cards and may not be complete or totaly accurate. http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/ http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/ http://motorcaravanners.org.uk/ www.rac.co.uk ... I believe Company Car drivers can use their company's membership to obtain a card if they do not have individual membership.