> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theprivateclubs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication and fees

> No keys or accounts, and what fee data each caller sees

Anyone can call Private Clubs. This page covers why your requests need no credentials, and what the fee fields in a response hold.

## No API keys

Neither the Private Clubs API nor its MCP server takes an API key, an `Authorization` header or an account. Send a plain request:

```bash theme={"system"}
curl "https://www.theprivateclubs.com/api/v1/clubs?state=Florida&limit=1"
```

## Fee access

Every successful API response includes `fee_access`, which says what fee data the response may hold. For calls without a theprivateclubs.com session, which is every call from your server or script, `fee_access` is `locked` and the response holds no fee figures.

| Value | Who sees it | What it allows |
| - | - | - |
| `locked` | Every call without a site session | No figures |
| `band` | Free account holders signed in on theprivateclubs.com | Ranges only |
| `exact` | Members with paid access, signed in on theprivateclubs.com | Exact figures for club-verified fees, and ranges for estimates |

## Fee fields

Each club in an API response carries these fee fields:

* `initiation_fee`, `annual_dues` and `monthly_dues` are always `null` when `fee_access` is `locked`, which covers every call without a site session.
* `fee_views` holds four entries: `initiation`, `annual`, `monthly` and `firstYear`. `firstYear` covers initiation plus annual dues. Each entry has a `kind`.
* `fee_tier` labels where a figure comes from: `verified` means the club is the source, `estimate` means it is an estimate, and `none` means there is no figure. It can also be `null`. Everyone receives it, and it is never a figure.

The `kind` in each `fee_views` entry is one of:

| Kind | Meaning |
| - | - |
| `none` | No figure is on file. |
| `locked` | A figure is on file but is not shared with this caller. |
| `band` | A range, shown only to signed-in account holders on the site. |
| `exact` | A club-verified figure, shown only to signed-in members with paid access on the site. |

Calls without a site session only ever see `none` and `locked`.

## Fees over MCP

Private Clubs never returns membership fees over MCP. Account holders see fees on each club's profile at theprivateclubs.com.

Where an MCP tool result has a `membership_fees` field, it holds this message instead of a figure, sometimes followed by a link to the club's profile:

```text theme={"system"}
Membership fees are available to account holders at theprivateclubs.com. Members see exact verified fees.
```

See [Available tools](/mcp/tools) for the tools that return it.

## Caching

Successful API responses carry `Cache-Control: private, no-store`, because fee fields can differ from one caller to the next. Do not store responses in a shared cache or CDN.

Next: [Pricing and limits](/api/usage-limits) and the [club object](/reference/club-object).


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