July 2009
Nothing Better Than Kamping… Unless it’s Kamping & Saving Money!
For the last year or so, we’ve all been hearing about the value of our dollar and how to get the most for our money. We’ve been told we need to make wiser decisions and to make every hard-earned penny count. But is it impossible to make our dollars count and still have fun at the same time?“KOA has always believed in giving our guests a great experience at a reasonable cost,” said Pat Hittmeier, KOA’s Chief Operating Officer. “It’s why we originally came out with the KOA Value Kard, and expanded the program in 2008 to provide them even more savings.”
When Value Kard Rewards (VKR) was introduced in 2008, individuals with current Value Kards were grandfathered in to the new program. They continued to receive 10 percent off of each of their overnight stays—just like they had before. But they also started to accrue rewards points.
“A number of our guests have taken advantage of the Value Kard Rewards Kamping Points that they’ve earned by redeeming rewards certificates and saving $10, $20 or more on a kamping stay, “ Hittmeier said. “But other guests are still getting used to the new program.”
According to Hittmeier, the VKR program members receive a specific number of points for various activities. 500 points are given for joining the program, 250 are given each time a reservation is booked online at KOA’s corporate website and anywhere from 600 to 1300 are given for each overnight stay, depending on the daily site charge. Additionally, members may receive instant Value Kard Rewards Kamping Points, which are awarded at random throughout the year. Bonus points are awarded to frequent kampers.
So it all sounds great, but really, what do those rewards points actually mean? A lot more than you might think.
Once you earn 6500 points, you are eligible to receive a $10 certificate that can be applied towards your kamping stay. Accrue 15,000 points and receive a $25 certificate, or keep building those points up to 28,000 and receive a certificate equal to $50 off an overnight stay.
So for Frank in Iowa with those 374,000 Value Kard Rewards Kamping Points? He’s now eligible to redeem $650 in rewards certificates. Shannon in Montana? She’s got $550 in redemptions coming to her. And Jim in Indiana’s got a cool $300 in certificates just waiting to be redeemed. All they have to do is go online to koa.com and cash in their points. And each of them has earned these points in the last year.
“VKR members are usually surprised at just how fast their Value Kard Rewards kamping Points add up,” said Hittmeier “At the end of a single three-day weekend, they can already have more than 2000 points accrued.”
Plus, he noted, they are saving 10 percent every time they kamp and receive other benefits, like faster check-in and discounts with partner companies.
“It’s really important for us to let people know how much they can benefit from the VKR program,” he said. “VKR gives our guests a great opportunity to save money and have a lot of fun all at the same time.”
If you are interested in signing up for the Value Kard Rewards Program, simply click here to learn more.
