Skip to content 
Backcountry's Summit Club+ costs $49 a year and pays 10% cash back. So the only question that matters is whether you'll spend enough gear money to clear the fee, and Backcountry makes that easier to answer than most memberships.
We've covered retail sale events for more than eight years. Every figure below comes from Backcountry's own membership terms, including the refund clause that most write-ups leave out.
Cash back is 10% of the merchandise subtotal, so tax and shipping don't count toward it. If you plan to use the birthday coupon, add roughly what you'd spend on that one order, since the paid tier's coupon is 20% against the free tier's 10%.
The part that changes the decision. Backcountry's terms include a satisfaction guarantee: you can ask for a full refund of the membership fee within 365 days of paying it, back to your original payment method. The refund gets reduced by whatever cash back you've already spent, so you can't game it. But it does mean that if the year you planned doesn't happen, you aren't stuck with the $49.
| Benefit | Summit Club (free) | Summit Club+ ($49/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Cash back | None | 10% of merchandise subtotal |
| Birthday coupon | 10% off, once a year | 20% off, once a year |
| Early access to drops and promos | Yes | Yes |
| Shipping | Standard, free over $69 like everyone | Free 2-day expedited over $150 |
| Personal Gearhead | No | Yes |
| Third-party Partner Perks | No | Yes |
| Works on Competitive Cyclist too | Perks only | Cash back and shipping both |
One thing worth being clear about: the shipping perk buys you speed, not free shipping. Standard shipping is already free over $69 for everybody, so the paid tier upgrades that to 2-day expedited over $150 rather than making shipping free.
- In your favorCash back doesn't expire while you're a member. Most programs put a clock on it. Backcountry doesn't, as long as the membership stays active. If it lapses you get a 60-day grace period to spend what's left.
- In your favorYou earn it on sale gear too. The 10% comes off the merchandise subtotal of eligible orders, not just full-price items, which is unusual and matters at a retailer that discounts as heavily as this one.
- ExcludedThe membership fee itself earns nothing. Nor do taxes, shipping, gift cards, return labels, exchanges, event tickets, or Seel Worry-Free Delivery.
- ExcludedYou can't spend cash back on gift cards, or on your own renewal. So you can't roll last year's earnings into next year's fee.
- TimingIt auto-renews every 12 months, with at least 45 days notice first. You can switch that off in your account or by asking a Gearhead, and it's worth doing the moment you join if you'd rather decide again next year.
- In your favorCash back and shipping both carry over to Competitive Cyclist, which is the same company. If you buy bike gear as well as outdoor gear, that materially lowers the spend you need to break even.
Under about $500 a year, take the free tier
At 10% back, $49 needs $490 of merchandise spending before the membership has paid for itself, and that's before you count anything else. If you buy one jacket a year, the free tier already gives you the birthday coupon and early access for nothing, and that's the right answer.
Where it flips is the birthday coupon and the second brand. The paid tier's coupon is 20% against the free tier's 10%, so a single $400 birthday order is worth $40 of that fee on its own. Add Competitive Cyclist to the same account and a cyclist who also skis clears $490 without trying. Between roughly $200 and $500 a year the answer depends entirely on whether you'll actually use that coupon, which is what the calculator above is really asking.
How much do I need to spend for Summit Club+ to be worth it?
On cash back alone, $490 of merchandise spending a year, since 10% of that covers the $49 fee. The real number is lower if you'll use the birthday coupon, because the paid tier's 20% is double the free tier's 10%. A $400 birthday order closes $40 of the gap by itself.
Does Backcountry cash back expire?
Not while your membership is active, which is unusually generous. If the membership lapses you get a 60-day grace period to spend the balance, and if you renew inside that window nothing is lost.
Can I get my $49 back?
Yes. Backcountry's terms offer a full refund of the membership fee within 365 days, to your original payment method. The amount is reduced by any cash back you've already spent, so it's not a loophole, but it does mean a year that doesn't go to plan isn't money lost.
Do I earn cash back on sale items?
Yes, on the merchandise subtotal of eligible orders, sale gear included. What's excluded is tax, shipping, gift cards, return labels, exchanges, event tickets, and the membership fee itself.
Does it work on Competitive Cyclist?
It does. Cash back and the free 2-day shipping both apply across Backcountry and Competitive Cyclist, and in Backcountry retail stores. If you shop both, the spending that gets you to break-even is combined rather than separate.
