RE: How does your club handle this?
Hoss: Our club has about 70 members. We try to get everybody to renew their AMA as soon as the renewal notices are received in the mail. Most everybody (95%) does that. Our dues are renewable anytime before the first of January, and the new AMA card must be shown when those dues are paid. Members that haven't paid their dues by Jan. ist. are dropped from the membership rolls, and cannot use the flying field facilities.
Late stragglers are added to the roster when their dues are paid, but they must hold the new AMA card also. Nobody can re-join without having the AMA renewal in hand.