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View Full Version : Is AAA worth keeping if...........



CathyA
7-23-14, 4:41pm
If our new Auto insurance company has a fairly good roadside assistance?
I don't want to be double paying. I suppose AAA has some extras......like the travel books, discounts, etc., but we hardly ever use those.
The Roadside assistance we got with Travelers wasn't extra......it was part of the policy.
Suggestions?

lmerullo
7-23-14, 5:26pm
I keep it for peace of mind, but my car comes with its own coverage. We have other vehicles including motorcycles and an rv - so it's more than my car.

We just took a trip and I had a dead battery in the motor home. I had pulled out the card to call when a trucker helped us out (One of the nice things about sleeping in a rest area - truckers are usually the nicest and most helpful people)

We saved a total of $50 just in admissions on the trip with our discount - that sure helps!

goldensmom
7-23-14, 5:43pm
When I had AAA roadside assistance it covered any vehicle that I was in. We don't have it anymore because our auto insurance company has good roadside assistance but it only covers the vehicles on the policy. I liked the 'any car you are in' policy, not sure if it's like that anymore. I did not like the tow company that AAA contracted with in my local area. One time I had a flat tire and I called AAA to come and change it. They asked me 1-are you sure it is flat (I'm sure) 2- did you try to change it yourself (no, that's your job, that's what I have insurance for).

CathyA
7-23-14, 8:05pm
That's a good point about AAA covering whatever car you're driving. I believe it's still that way.

mschrisgo2
7-24-14, 2:27am
I've used my AAA for roadside assistance at least once every year, so to me that's worth it (flat tire, locked the keys in the car, dead battery, etc.). I like that it provides 100 miles of covered towing, since I live in a metropolitan area and often drive that far from home, and although I've never needed a tow, it does provide me peace of mind. And "in any car" is a big plus, it's the only service that I know of that does that. And then there are the discounts. I make a point of planning to use enough discounts to "pay" for my annual membership fee, so then I feel like I get everything else "free."

ToomuchStuff
7-24-14, 7:27pm
I know my company does tow reimbursement as an option on the insurance. How does travelers work; do they send someone out, or reimburse you after the fact?

iris lilies
7-24-14, 9:01pm
We don't have this or anything like it. If our auto insurance offers this, I don't know about it and I don't like paying for it.

We don't drive many miles anyway. The last time I had a busted tire, DH was out of town. I couldn't call him and and likely I didn't have a working cell phone with me anyways. (Yes I am unable to change a tire! Besides, I'm not entirely sure where the spare is on my car, haha.) So anyway, I hiked 1,5+ miles to the home of my friend and asked him to drive me to my house. I spent the next few day without a car, but that was fine. We live in he city, no problem. My car with the busted tire sat on a public street in a fairly safe neighborhood, so I didn't worry about it.

Float On
7-25-14, 10:40am
We kept AAA when we were traveling 42 weeks out of the year for art shows. I think we used it 3 times in 12 years. A tire blew out in Chicago, a tow for a repair in Chattanooga, and a breakdown late at night in Oil Trough, AR (not a good place to break down - no cell phone reception). We also used the AAA discount at hotels, restaurants, and activities. Since we quit traveling so much we just went back to the road side assist our insurance offers which is a reimbursement for a tow after the fact. I have found there is less of a wait when calling a tow truck myself over the wait times we experienced with AAA.

iris lilies
7-25-14, 11:09am
We kept AAA when we were traveling 42 weeks out of the year for art shows. I think we used it 3 times in 12 years. A tire blew out in Chicago, a tow for a repair in Chattanooga, and a breakdown late at night in Oil Trough, AR (not a good place to break down - no cell phone reception). We also used the AAA discount at hotels, restaurants, and activities. Since we quit traveling so much we just went back to the road side assist our insurance offers which is a reimbursement for a tow after the fact. I have found there is less of a wait when calling a tow truck myself over the wait times we experienced with AAA.

I agree, just call a tow truck. Why a 2nd party needs to be involved, I don't know. Over the 25 years we've lived here we've called a tow truck a few times, each time for one of the vintage cars we've got. The daily driver cars do not break down.

Spartana
7-25-14, 1:46pm
I drive a fairly large amount of miles each year in a 14 year old truck (have a new vehicle now though). I often go to places that don't have a repair shop close by. So if I broke down, it would cost me a huge amount ot get towed to a distant garage to get repairs. So I buy AAA roadside card - I actually buy the more expensive plan that includes free towing up to 100 miles (vs. 7 miles free miles on their regular plan). I've used them a couple of times for a tow as well as for things like jump starts and, recently - like the other day - to unlock my car when I locked my keys inside. I also use their services for things like vehicle registration, free travel books and maps, notary services, traveler's checks, credit reports and monitoring, discounts (often very large) on things like car rentals, hotels, restaurants, admission prices to many places, heck even on my gym membership, all sorts of things. So it is worth it to me financially.

CathyA
7-25-14, 4:11pm
Thanks everyone. I'll have to sit down and really compare the 2. I really like AAA, but we have the "plus", and pay for our kids too, so it isn't cheap. Just don't want to have redundant coverage, but I'll bet that AAA has more to offer. We're like you Spartana.......we pay for the more expensive plan, since we could be pretty far from a reasonable repair shop. We've used it to tow a couple times, a dead battery, a lock out, etc.....so it's been worth it. I just wonder if the auto insurance "roadside assistance" would be rather slow and marginal.

ApatheticNoMore
7-25-14, 5:45pm
I also use their services for things like vehicle registration

Yes it's easy to forget, but you really can't underestimate their value for avoiding the DMV and having to deal with the couple hour wait, the rudeness, the incompetence. Of course sometimes you still have to go to the DMV as AAA can't do everything. I get my car insurance through AAA, so I don't think it overlaps with AAA service (I don't think they are the cheapest for insurance but Gieco's quote wasn't cheaper at any rate, and AAA is so easy to deal with in my experience so far, customer service for most insurance is pretty bad).

CathyA
7-25-14, 8:03pm
I'm really fortunate. In our small town, the wait is about 5-10 minutes at the BMV.

Tammy
7-25-14, 11:04pm
I renew our plates online

jp1
7-26-14, 12:05am
I've not dealt with this but a friend has. Apparently in CA if you buy a used car who's registration has not been kept current, or that you don't get the title to at the time of purchase, it can be a nightmare. AAA will take care of that for you.

Float On
7-26-14, 10:23am
Spartana, When we had it I thought it was 4 miles for a tow but that may of been when we first signed up. I do know that even though we had the regular coverage that each tow was way more than 4 miles and the one time in Oil Trough AR the first place AAA towed my husband to was more of a back yard mechanic who said "well, maybe I can get the part in 2 weeks" so the tow driver offered to go on to the next bigger town 40 miles away where the parts guy stayed late to order the part so it would be there by 9 the next morning. I expected a bill for that extra tow and never got one. If we were back on the road a lot I'd renew the AAA. Currently we're only taking 2 bigger trips a year and renting a car (which AARP gives a big discount).

Spartana
7-29-14, 4:40pm
Spartana, When we had it I thought it was 4 miles for a tow but that may of been when we first signed up. I do know that even though we had the regular coverage that each tow was way more than 4 miles and the one time in Oil Trough AR the first place AAA towed my husband to was more of a back yard mechanic who said "well, maybe I can get the part in 2 weeks" so the tow driver offered to go on to the next bigger town 40 miles away where the parts guy stayed late to order the part so it would be there by 9 the next morning. I expected a bill for that extra tow and never got one. If we were back on the road a lot I'd renew the AAA. Currently we're only taking 2 bigger trips a year and renting a car (which AARP gives a big discount).That's great. I've heard stories of long tow jobs costing hundreds of dollars (and requiring cash up front) so it's nice to know even with the basic AAA they didn't charge you more.

One of my dreads is that I would get stuck in a small town where it would take 2 weeks to fix my old truck, at an exorbitant price, and I'd have to stay at the Bates Hotel while I waited (and where they charged $100/night "extra" for a dog). But with the 100 mile free tow I know I can probably get "somewhere" bigger.