I’ve had a AAA membership for years now. My own membership is $57 (currently paying $82 for two), and admittedly, it’s not
Don’t get stranded in bad weather!
something I leverage every day. In fact, I don’t use it very often at all. Therefore, it seems fair to ask the question: is a AAA membership worth it?
I say yes, and a big part of this is the roadside assistance service. Now, I haven’t been prone to too many car fiascoes over the years, so it’s not something that has been used too frequently. But there have been several situations where I needed their help with roadside assistance:
- A time where I was in a blizzard, away from home, and somehow lost my keys in the stormy weather. Don’t ask, as I don’t know how I could possibly lose a car key that was in my hand, but it happened. Anyway, it was freezing and I was stranded, so AAA helped.
- During a snowstorm, and while driving on a busy highway, my car tire blew out. I made it to the shoulder, but it was very narrow and in a highly urban, trafficked area. Thus, nobody would be too keen on trying to change a tire. Never mind that my spare was actually not in working order as it was. Anyway, it was a perfect time for AAA to help.
- A situation where my car battery died, when I was far from home and in an area where I didn’t know anyone to give me a jump. Plus, there weren’t too many other folks around I could ask. I gave them a call, and got help.
I’m sure others have had far worse, even dangerous situations where they needed help.
Anyway, for me, the roadside assistance equals peace of mind. This is especially good if you have children driving with you, or if your spouse or a loved one are often driving alone. Or, if you’re often traveling with someone who is elderly or has a disability. You don’t want anyone to be in danger, or even highly stressed by situations. You can often get this other places, perhaps your insurance policy, but I’m not sure the benefits will line up as well for the price. I have found that AAA roadside assistance is worth it.
There are other benefits to having AAA as well:
- Hotel Discounts
- Retailer Discounts
- Travel Information (guides, maps, etc)
Bottom line: If you drive a lot, and are periodically a good distance from home, AAA membership might very well be worth every penny and then some. It is for me.
My Questions for You
Do you currently have AAA, or have you had it in the past?
What is your opinion on its value?
My family uses AAA for all the same reasons you mentioned; primarily peace of mind. However, we do a lot of weekend travel and noticed that many of the attractions will give us a discount for showing the AAA card (even if the attraction doesn’t advertise they will lower the price for AAA members). So be sure to at least ask for the AAA discount when you arrive at your travel destination!
Mike – good reminder! If nothing else, it often doesn’t hurt to ask.
I agree that the sort of services AAA offers are worth the cost. However–and this is a mention only as a consumer and citizen of the earth, I have no vested interest–before joining AAA, check out an organization called the Better World Club. BWC offers roughly the same service as AAA but you might prefer its values. BWC also offers a plan for cyclists!
Kurt – interesting, never heard of that organization!
AAA also covers Motorcycles.
Interesting, never thought of that part of it
I used to have AAA and I thought it was a good deal, but when I got my new car and they gave me roadside assistance and many other perks, I thought AAA was redundant. I got rid of it and now they pepper me with promos to get me back. Maybe one day…
Debt Roundup – that’s interesting, more aggressive pricing to get you back as a customer…well, it can be well worth it, though I of course don’t know the other service you’re getting now.
I have had my membership for 35+ years. Since I keep my cars a very long time (average 15+ years) I think it is worth it. I might need a couple calls every few years, but it averages out.
I like your approach on both angles – 35 years with the membership, but also keeping cars for 15 years on average! Oustanding.
We’ve had AAA seemingly forever and as the parent of three (ages 19, 22, and 24) its been worth every penny. From the midnight phone call from “… outside of Las Vegas…” where my daughter’s car died on road trip with friends from LA to our son calling that his friend’s car had a tire hanging off of a ledge, we’ve gotten our money’s worth in terms of peace of mind for us as parents. I never complain about paying this annual bill and in fact we buy the version with extra towing benefits.
Roger – great examples. That sounds a bit unnerving, the hanging off a ledge episode and then the call outside Vegas. Sure helps to have assistance in such cases! Thanks for stopping by.
My mom has used AAA for years and I don’t think she’ll ever change companies. She’s been in several accidents and also needed road side assistance on many occasions and she’s been happy.
Untemplater – that’s the thing, once you’ve seen the benefit, the value becomes more clear. It can be such a help in those cases.
We have AAA and if it did nothing but give us peace of mine for knowing our daughter that is 1200 miles away at college with a car is coved it would be worth it. It does much more that that . It pays for it’s self in discounts alone. If your read your paperwork work when you get it ti covers a wide range of travel situations.
Yes it is worth it we have the covers everything package because we have motorcycles a,d drag “toys” around in trailers and this covers them all for towing.
That peace of mind has to be worth it by itself!
Absolutely worth it even the Plus option that expands the towing range. Especially because it follows the person not the vehicle. That means that when driving from Iowa to New Orleans and my friend’s car dies outside of Blythesville, AK we were able to get us and her car to Memphis.
Also anytime my own car died, (I had a series of old, questionably reliable, but cheap cars in my late teens/early 20’s)
And most recently, when I hit a deer coming into the city I’ve only lived in for 3 months.
Sounds like it’s been worth it for you!
I have always drove older vehicles so AAA has given me a little more piece of mind.
That makes sense to have it in those cases
I’ve had AAA for years and though I don’t use it very much it’s totally worth it. I’ve had car batteries die over the years and have needed a tow now and then. AAA comes in handy at times like these. And, many places do give discounts like you mentioned as a bonus.
Little House – thanks for stopping by. I can relate, AAA can be worth it in such situations. Sometimes we realize this once we’ve had a problem like this!
I currently don’t drive very much or very far. Everything I do is within 20 minutes of my home. However, if I was driving more and was away from home I think it would definitely be worth it!
Jules – driving longer distances can make it even more worth it!
We’ve had AAA for years as well. Used regularly for roadside assistance, traveler’s checks, maps and the latest was a doozy: went to buy glasses – the AAA discount was greater than my eye insurance discount!
Dan – that’s interesting to know! Seems like a good discount overall then.
Discount for insurance is roughly equal to the membership fee.
Good information!
One of the benefits of having AAA (or a similar service) is that the roadside assistance “insurance” may enable you to be able to drive a cheaper car. I drive an old car to save money, and I know that statistically it has a much higher chance of breaking down than a newer vehicle. I’m willing to take that risk because of the roadside assistance backup. So I feel that spending $90 a year on AAA allows me to save a lot more than that through driving cheaper vehicles.
SB – that’s a really good example of how one can make financial decisions.
A family member has had AAA for over 25years and has rarely used it. She has been traveling on the road quite a bit over the last two years, She ran over something on the highway and it flattened her tire and the tires of two other cars, so she called AAA for assistance. She was informed that she had used all 4 of her call allotments for the year and would have to pay over a $100 to upgrade if she wanted assistance. She didn’t have the funds so she was forced to wait until a state trooper came along. Because the tow truck was helping the other two cars he kindly offered to change her tire.
So, I ask you, did you know that you only get 4 calls a year for your annual membership fee and should AAA leave anyone stranded if they call a 5th time for assistance. How many years of fees do they collect without ever having to provide service. I think there should some type of a courtesy call allowance for long-standing members.
I’m disappointed to hear that this happened and am reconsidering renewing my own membership.
I just re-joined AAA, Classic membership. Then I went to the website and looked around. I saw my previous members stats. It listed 0 calls, 4 available, 4 not used. Only 4 assistances per year! That is not listed in the membership benefits. Then I looked more, free towing for Classic is for 5 miles per call, whereas Plus membership is 100 miles – more more reasonable.! If I am stranded on a highway, it is going to take more than 5 miles to get me to an auto mechanic. That is not listed in the Classic benefits either. Also, Classic membership gives you $up to $50 locksmith service per call, whereas the Plus membership gives you $100, which is a more reasonable fee the locksmith would charge. So, my complaint with AAA is that this information is not seen unless you dig deeper into membership. Look before you leap potential buyers. I am disappointed in AAA; this information should be obvious to the potential buyer when signing up.
I will never *not* have AAA again. I bought a new-to-me (aka used with me not really knowing the history) car last year. Within 24 hrs I registered it, got insurance and, for the first time in my life got AAA (stimulus money made me feel “rich enough to get it”). I’m approaching my renewal date and up until a week ago wasn’t sure I’d renew. I hadn’t used a single service call. But my car transmission failed me. I’d previously taken it to a local mechanic because I was having issues with the transmission. He assured me it was “fixed”. Two months later the transmission completely quit. Since I have the AAA, I had the car towed to a mechanic in a town I used to live in — 180 miles away (I have 1 tow up to 200 miles, then up to 100 for the others). That 180 mile tow alone would have cost more than three times what I pay for the membership. Now I’m off the mindset that for the cost of an average local tow, I can have up to 4 service calls in a year so it’s ridiculous to not do it.