Youth Hostels---going crazy trying to plan a trip around Europe

Help!!! I'm going traveling around Europe  (to Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece) with one of my friends for 28 days, and we'll be staying in youth hostels most of the time. She somehow has come up with the idea that we have to have "hostel membership cards" to stay in any of them!?!?!? I've never heard that before, and I've stayed in hostels in London several times with no card, no problem. Does anyone know anything about this? The only cards I've seen cost about $30 and are for select hostels.

I don't think you do - and if it does become a necessity, I'm sure you'll be able to get it at the hostel.  You might want to pre-book your hostel stay as they do fill up though....especially the nicer ones!

I didn't think so either, but my friends boyfriend stayed at a hostel in London for two days, and therefore is the all-knowing expert on hostels  (nevermind I've stayed in them several times before) We're planning on pre-booking, which is what we were going to do last night until we got in a huge debate over hostel cards. I've researched them some now, and you do get a discount on some hostels, but not all. And none of the cards cover all the cities we're going to.