Although geocaching is a free hobby, it also offers a premium membership. But is Geocaching Premium worth it? What are the benefits of getting it? How much does it cost? This article will explore everything you need to know about whether Geocaching Premium is worth purchasing.

I’ve been geocaching since April 2022, and I decided to buy the premium membership literally on my second day. I’ve never regretted it and have kept my membership ever since, even though I don’t cache as often these days because I don’t have a car.

Geocaching Free Vs Geocaching Premium

So what exactly is the difference between Geocaching Free and Geocaching Premium? Well, the free membership still allows you to sign up for an account and start finding caches. The problem is that you’re much more limited in which caches you can find. There’s also much more limitations to the capabilities of the Geocaching app. Considering how useful the app is, those limitations can be really frustrating.

Here are some of the benefits of getting Geocaching Premium over the free version:

• More caches available – A lot of caches will be premium only. You’ll have a lot fewer options if you stick with just the free membership, and you could be walking past caches without even knowing it.
• Better search filters – You can find caches that suit your interests, by filtering for specific details. This can be things like proximity, difficulty level, terrain level, and even attributes. I used this to find climbs where I could climb trees!
• Create lists – Lists are a feature that allows you to group together individual geocaches. You can then access them even when you’re offline. This is great if you’re planning a day out and you’re worried you won’t have much data coverage.
• Give favourite points – Favourite points are a way of saying thank you to cache owners if you find a particularly good one. You can only do this if you’re a Premium member. You’ll be given 1 favourite point to allocate for every 10 caches that you find.

There are other benefits to and you can see the full list here.

How Much is Geocaching Premium?

Geocaching Premium is $39.99 for an annual membership or $6.99 per month. However, the price rose in 2023, so anyone who had a membership previously would have auto-renewed at $29.99.

If you’re in the UK, the price is £30.99 for an annual membership or £5.99 per month, so the monthly cost is a little more expensive than it is for American users, but it’s about the same for an annual membership.

Why Do People Hide ‘Premium Only’ Caches?

If you want to play it for free, you may be a bit frustrated that so many caches are only available for premium members. So why are cache owners choosing to exclude you? Firstly, I want to reassure you that it’s not for monetary reasons. Cache owners don’t get any money for hiding caches, we simply do it for the joy of the game. So in that case what are the reasons for choosing to make our caches Premium only?

One main reason is cache maintenance. Premium users tend to have taken the time to learn about the etiquette of geocaching. As such, they tend to treat caches with respect, and replace them how they were found. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case with free members. Not necessarily by any malicious intent, but they just might not be as cautious about the exact placement of the cache. They may also put in swag items that are not allowed, such as sweets, which can get sticky and ruin the cache. Free members also might not be as cautious to not be caught by muggles (non-geocachers).

Also, unfortunately you do get people who deliberately try to ruin geocaching for others. Some people will create an account and then deliberately find a cache so they can steal it or destroy it. Cache owners put in hard work to make a container and choose a suitable hiding spot, and it’s really demoralising if it gets destroyed or stolen. These kinds of hooligans are highly unlikely to pay for a premium membership just to commit their petty vandalism.

Conclusion

Does geocaching cost money? No, not inherently. But given everything that comes with it, I think that Geocaching Premium is absolutely worth buying. I would strongly recommend getting the annual membership as it’s much better value for money than the monthly one. Plus that way you pay once, and you never have to worry about it again. It also means you’re supporting the continuation of the hobby, which in this case I think is a good cause. It’s very reasonably priced, so if you can afford it, I’d say go for it.

Would you pay more for a better experience? Or would you rather just stick to free hobbies? Let me know down in the comments! Also, please follow our Instagram to keep up to date with my latest hobby adventures, including geocaching!