AAA worth it?

measureman said:
This has probably been covered before but is a membership worth the $59 per year?
Are they reliable when you are stuck on the road?
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Have you ever been stuck on the road in the last 10 or 20 years?
If not, that is a savings of $590 to $1,180.
Ive never been stuck, saved over $2000 by not being an AAA member. If your someone whom might use their discounts there maybe savings there.

(I do belong to the AMA - American Motorcycle Assocation) They do provide free road service for anyone in my family whom may ever need it. Many years ago, my daughter up at college used it for every little thing, locking keys in car, jump start, flat tire, she said they were great.

Wife and I never used it and only reason I have it, it was a perk with the AMA, meaning membership is $49 a year but if you do auto renewal every year they give you free roadside.
I enjoy their magazine and they are a lobby group for motorcycle causes.
 
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2strokeNorthstar said:
I used it 3 times this year for kids locking keys in the car. Also registered a motorcycle in just minutes. It was a good year to have it. It definitely makes you think when you don’t use it. You can call when the year is almost up and just request gas. One of our sons worked for a tow company said people often do this. Kind of a scam but it’s allowed.
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americanmotorcyclist.com

Join the AMA - American Motorcyclist Association

Join the AMA and stand with hundreds of thousands of riders who joined the AMA to protect their right to ride.
americanmotorcyclist.com americanmotorcyclist.com
Since you have a motorcycle with auto renew its free roadside. Read my post above this one.
 
123Honda said:
AAA is very reliable but it's quicker if you have auto repair businesses that have AAA tow trucks near by, many do. The $59.00 I believe only tows to the nearest shop, which I absolutely do not like because you have no idea about the quality of the work, or the labor rate per hour, or the honesty or dishonesty of the repair shop or a dealership which I would never use. I have the $110.00 per year plan which allows me to go for repairs of my choice within 100 miles, so that more times than not allows me to get my vehicle repaired at my neighborhood shop which is very honest and the labor rate is really fair. I also get $4 tows per year. Don't waste your money on the $59.00 plan
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Yeah, every time you call for a tow, they ask if you would like to go to the nearest "AAA recommended shop." I always decline, can you imagine the jacked-up pricing they have built in? No thanks!

And the battery service. Some towns, they do their little battery test right there on the side of the road and ask if you would like to buy[/I] a new battery before they jump....
 
schwinney said:
Yeah, every time you call for a tow, they ask if you would like to go to the nearest "AAA recommended shop." I always decline, can you imagine the jacked-up pricing they have built in? No thanks!

And the battery service. Some towns, they do their little battery test right there on the side of the road and ask if you would like to buy[/I] a new battery before they jump....
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The whole point of the AAA recommended shop was that they wouldn't jack you up otherwise they'd lose their recommended status if you complained. But who knows how it really works in the real work. I've used the 100+ towing a few times to get the car towed to my mechanic which could have been 40+ miles away depending on where you were when it broke down.

The do seem to have specific trucks that just do batteries, jump starts and lockouts, no need to waste a tow truck in those cases. I'm told the battery price is somewhat reasonable considering that they're coming out and changing it for you on the spot and they also have a warranty similar to a regular auto parts store.
 
Wolf359 said:
The whole point of the AAA recommended shop was that they wouldn't jack you up otherwise they'd lose their recommended status if you complained. But who knows how it really works in the real work. I've used the 100+ towing a few times to get the car towed to my mechanic which could have been 40+ miles away depending on where you were when it broke down.

The do seem to have specific trucks that just do batteries, jump starts and lockouts, no need to waste a tow truck in those cases. I'm told the battery price is somewhat reasonable considering that they're coming out and changing it for you on the spot and they also have a warranty similar to a regular auto parts store.
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I always thought it was the opposite but my mom did actually have a battery replace on the spot when hers died during a cold snap so I'll have to ask her how much it cost.

It always seemed like leading a lamb to the slaughter to me.
 
Wolf359 said:
The whole point of the AAA recommended shop was that they wouldn't jack you up otherwise they'd lose their recommended status if you complained. But who knows how it really works in the real work. I've used the 100+ towing a few times to get the car towed to my mechanic which could have been 40+ miles away depending on where you were when it broke down.

The do seem to have specific trucks that just do batteries, jump starts and lockouts, no need to waste a tow truck in those cases. I'm told the battery price is somewhat reasonable considering that they're coming out and changing it for you on the spot and they also have a warranty similar to a regular auto parts store.
Click to expand...
They do have different specific battery trucks. My son worked for one company and that’s what he did. Drove around it a Tacoma. I think he did gas deliveries too which gave me the info on how people use their extra calls at the end of the year requesting gas.
 
AAA is better for the travel discounts than it is for roadside assistance. I use my auto insurance for that...
 
It tends to work if you have older vehicles even if they are well maintained, if you live in an area with heavy snow and ice, if you like pushing batteries to their limits, if you have young drivers who live at home or fly in for a visit, and if you pay attention to the available discounts and use them. I have check marks on all those.
 
AAA Premier here. Never had to use it but the going rate for a tow in the Bay Area is 300-500 last time I checked(old landlord’s towing company’s rate to tow a car). I’ve only used the Hertz and carsharing discount as of late.
 
Real world example. 2019, my wife and I were on an Easter Sunday drive looking at the blooming trees and flowers. Our Ford started misfiring and pinging badly and the display said “stop engine immediately”. We pulled over and I called AAA. I had a human on the phone within 30 seconds. Because I had used the app, she could see right where we were, which is good because I had no clue. where we were. A truck was out to us in about 20 minutes, the car was loaded up in about 5, and the driver drove us back home and then dropped our car off at the dealer.

I asked the driver how much a tow usually runs and he said “An out of pocket basic tow will run you about $300, plus $4/mile, then you have to add Sunday premium which is another $150, and Holiday premium which is another $200. Plus tax”

So yeah, AAA is worth it because that tow would have run us roughly $700 after mileage and tax if we had been paying out of pocket.

One other thing to consider if you are thinking of cheaping out and just getting the roadside assistance through your insurance is that some insurance companies count towing reimbursement as a claim. This can result in higher premiums and a more difficult time shopping around for future insurance (I have a coworker who has dealt with this). According to the giant insurance claims database, he has 2 claims that have paid out at least $500 in the past 5 years. Zero accidents or comprehensive claims, just tows. Now he can’t get a quote for lower than $1400/6 months.
 
I havent needed it. The town we live near as well as where I work have excellent towing services.
 
measureman said:
This has probably been covered before but is a membership worth the $59 per year?
Click to expand...
I'm paying about $160 for the top tier membership with 4 tows a year up to 100 miles, a 5th up to 200 miles, and a free battery once a year. Any one of those incidents can pay for or get close to the annual fee, and I've used all those services at least once a year.
 
The last time I remember using an AAA service was when my dad brought me along to an actual AAA store/office or whatever to get a paper TripTik. I guess he told them the travel plan and they basically gave a packet of customized maps or something. It was in the early or mid 90s, I'm guessing for when we went to Disney World. Our Nissan Quest got wrecked pretty bad in the middle of nowhere when a frat boy in his dad's new Grand Cherokee rear ended it, but I don't think we used the AAA then because the Quest was drivable and managed to finish the trip, we just couldn't open the trunk.

I remember that incident, circa 1995-6 or so, being when my parents decided cell phones were a great idea, and AAA was maybe not that important.
 
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