AAA membership worth it?

[lilkimmyk]

I tend to think of it this way. The cost of the membership, even if $88 is still less than the cost of a tow truck. I have needed them in the past when I locked my only set of keys in my car, twice, in one month. Oops.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

DH and I have been AAA Plus members for years (My Card actually says I have been a member longer than I have been driving ) We have it mostly for the piece mind in case I break down somewhere and need a tow. I travel at least once a month to Arizona, to check up on my Mom, in addition to volunteering at a place that is 60 miles each way from our home, then there is also the once a month trips to Disneyland. DH stays closer to home for the most part. I have also called them for jump starts and tire changes. I was with a co-worker, when she got a flat tire at 5am on our way to work. She did not have a jack (her kid had borrowed it, and did not return it), her insurance roadside assistance told her they did not have anyone available to come out, and to call a tow truck on her own. I called AAA, and they were there in 5 minutes, even though they had told us close to 20.

We do use it for discounts occasionally, especially for Amtrak tickets, as I also take the train when I don't feel like driving.

My Vote will be AAA every time.

 

[usnuzuloose]

It sure is, we have 3 vehicles and one broke down and it was a long haul home. We have the highest one available and saved all that on the towing charge.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Have used it for a jump for a dead battery at the mall, emergency gas, flat tire twice, once on the side of a very busy highway, that one was scary!

We consider it just like insurance, hope to never need it but so glad to have it!

 

[kathy884]

I started carrying the basic membership when my son turned 17 and had his own car. Teens and 20 somethings are out and about a lot, and right now for example my son is working a 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. job. For me it was mostly to make things easy for him should he ever have a road side problem. Laugh out loud -- but I am the only one in the family who has used the emergency road side assistance to date. I had problems with tires twice -- nail and flat tire and triple A was great for coming out and taking care of me -- both times this happened to me at work -- they were fast and wonderful. I had problems two other times before without triple A at work (There must be some loose nails in our parking lots maybe??), and it was some work finding a place that would come out and I waited a lot longer too. // The contrast in the triple A vs. non triple A experience and a protective mom instinct means that right now I am sold on the membership.

Actually too the triple A discount for hotels has saved me some money each year too. I would not have ever bought triple A for that, but we stay at a Holiday Inn near where my mother-in-law lives every year for two or three nights and this year we were out there twice due to a funeral, and the triple A rate usually saves me $10 to $15 a night vs. my other best flexible rate (I usually go flexible vs. non refundable on hotels). And three times to date since I've had my membership, I've extended my New Jersey stay to include two nights in Manhattan (a little family fun after spending time in NJ with my 92 year old mother-in-law), and again the triple A rate typically saved me $10 to $15 per night. I often use VRBO, rent cabins, things like that vs. lots of hotel stays, but the last two years I stayed at an Embassy Suites in Denver before heading to the mountains in the summer -- again the triple A rate was actually a little better than my Hilton Honors discount -- not by a lot but $10 each time.

I have been a card carrying member for three years and plan to continue for the near future.

 

[RangerPooh]

We pay around $125 for a AAA Plus +RV membership. Worth the piece of mind when traveling. We regularly take road trips and having it provides piece of mind. We've used it over the years from flat tires to jump starts, to towing to the shop for repairs. 200 miles of free towing is worth the annual cost.

 

[Hikergirl]

Its worth it for peace of mind. Dh and I have had AAA for many years, we've only used it a total of 3 times. When my dd got her car we added her on.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I still renew ours and added ds19 when he first got his license. We don't feel the Plus membership is worth the extra $ but the basic coverage is good to have.
Once dh got a flat on a below zero wind chill night and though he could have done it himself, it was nice for us to not have to deal with it.
Another time, we were in Williamsburg and our first morning after the drive there we woke up to a dead battery. AAA was there for us and in 1 hour from our call we were back on vacation with a new battery. Without AAA, it would have been a pain to find a Pep Boys or some place open on a Sunday morning, get it towed/jumped and wait while they do the work. In both cases, it was a matter of convenience mostly.
I also enjoy the discounts for hotel, shops and restaurants at Universal and other non-Disney hotel stays.

I added ds when he turned 17 for peace of mind. When he gets a little older and becomes more independent, I'll let him take over his own membership and decide if it's worth it.

 

[amcnj]

I have been wrestling with this each December the past few years. We really only use their services every few years at best, so paying out of pocket would actually be cheaper. I actually have changed a couple flats myself over the years to avoid waiting for service, as I figured I could have it done by the time someone else arrived to start changing the tire. Most hotel discounts (if the hotel even offers any) have also been rather meager overall. And my insurance company does offer roadside assistance for only a few dollars a car. As you can see, I am going to have a big decision again this December!

 

[Dashzap]

Thanks for all the responses.

I did renew for the peace of mind.

 

[scrapquitler]

I've had a AAA membership for many years. I used to get maps and triptyks from them frequently, before smart phones. Now I only use them in case I need roadside assistance.

I'm on the fence whether it is worth the renewal cost of $88.

I bet if I don't renew, it will be the first time I need a tow in years. I drive a 2010 Honda Odyssey with about 50k miles on it.

Opinions?

Most definitely worth it. We have the PLUS membership, and have to call them at least once a year for a jump start or something else. My husband has a bad habit of sitting in the car with his phone or laptop plugged in and making the battery die, so the local garage guys know us because they've jump started him several times. And we live in an area where it gets extremely cold in the winter, so sometimes we've needed a jump for that.

When I had to have my car towed because the alternator crapped out, I was 98 miles from home (thank Goodness for the PLUS benefit -- 100 mile towing. I actually drove car along a couple extra miles with no lights etc to be sure I got it less than 100 miles from home before I called them).

Don't forget that your membership also gets discounts at a bunch of places (airport parking, hotel, movie tickets, auto/home insurance are the one I most frequently utilize).

 

[NotUrsula]

The roadside assistance is nice, but in 25 years of membership I've only had to use it twice, once because of a lockout when my car key broke in the door lock. My DS just got his own card at the beginning of the year, and used it within 2 weeks, when he was out with his girlfriend in her car and her battery died.

Our primary reason for having it for so long is that we insure our home and cars through AAA, and their prices and service in this area are wonderful. Add in the hotel/car rental/restaurant/entertainment/merchandise discounts, and it more than pays for itself. (Yes, there are merchandise discounts -- good ones. If you load the AAA app it is very easy to see what's available and get your money's worth easily.)

 

[mistysue]

We lost our key a couple years ago and AAA paid for the replacement key- somewhere around $165!
That was a nice perk not many people know about. It also gives an amtrak discount if you ever take trains- my husband commutes by train so it's worth about $7/week for us for that alone which more than pays the membership off.

 

[Sagginit]

I have the same debate every year. I got mine as a gift from my mother after having car trouble twice in one year (alternator died and flat tire). Thankfully there was a mechanic next to my apartment at the time so with the alternator they went across the street to jump my car for me and with the flat tire I managed to get over too. After that I got AAA and guess what? For the first time in my life I locked myself out of my car with it running. They were fantastic and there in 15 minutes. It is worth it for me as I have an older car and the chances are that something may just break without notice is higher than if I had a newer car. I too have used them for hotel discounts. Sometimes discounts are in blocks, so once or twice I found I couldn't get a discounted room at a hotel via orbitz or other site, but AAA had some left in "their' block of discounted rooms.

I think of it like insurance too, don't want to have to use it but will save me a lot when I need it.

 

[francophone]

I was originally gifted a membership by my parents when I got my driver's license and have kept it ever since with DH added on after we were married. It's peace of mind while road tripping, and in general driving/car ownership, especially in a wintery climate for months out of the year, aging car (DH's car is approaching a decade old and counting). The AAA road service has rescued me from dead batteries and keys locked in the car several times, and saved us travel dollars for hotels and other shopping discounts over the years.

 

[scrapquitler]

Oh, and just an idea...when we got married, someone gave us the AAA membership as a wedding gift. We've continued it ever since. I thought I'd throw that out there just as a suggestion to someone who needs to buy a gift for a hard to buy for person.

 

[Ngwira]

Absolutely worth it to me. I'm a PLUS member and have used it several times for locked keys, flat tires and towing. Not to mention discount on Amtrak and hotels, also discounts at shopping outlets.
Free passport photos too.

 

[dhardawa]

This was a surprisingly tough one for me - I've been debating whether to renew for the past 6 months - my parents were long time AAA members and I've been one myself for 30+ years. It's like a security blanket for me. But I just don't see the value as much anymore. The hotel deals have greatly lessened over the years - I have found the same or better discounts with a little online research every time. They no longer partner with Disney on tic discounts.

So I finally decided to let it go (no Frozen pun intended)...we have roadside assistance through our auto comp coverage and it seems like it covers the same things unless I'm missing something. AAA in my area is pricey - around 60 for basic plan (3 miles of towing max - unless I conveniently break down near my mechanic (unlikely), I'll have to pay.) and close to $90 I think for the plus. And it only covers 1 person, not the family so it's more for to add DH.

It actually costs less to keep our car comp/collision insurance active, even though we have 11+ year old cars that aren't worth much, just because it includes the Roadside Assistance services for both of us.

(But a part of me is still a bit sad to have discontinued it - I debate renewing every time I get one of their win-back mailings...even though it doesn't make financial sense.)

Just FYI, I learned the hard way that filing towing with the insurance counts as a claim. I lost my safe driver discount and got my rates upped because I had three claims. Two of the three were towing.

 

[shh]

Just FYI, I learned the hard way that filing towing with the insurance counts as a claim. I lost my safe driver discount and got my rates upped because I had three claims. Two of the three were towing.

I did not know that and appreciate you mentioning it. Roadside assistance cost you a safe driver discount? That's crazy.

Not sure if it's true for all areas, but in South Fla, AAA only allows 2 or 3 tows a year before they penalize as well...not sure if they charge after that or what. But I remember reading it in the membership conditions.

 

[runwad]

Absolutely worth it to me. I'm a PLUS member and have used it several times for locked keys, flat tires and towing. Not to mention discount on Amtrak and hotels, also discounts at shopping outlets.
Free passport photos too.

We have a new Tanger Outlet that opened by us and I got a free coupon book by showing my AAA card, would've cost $5 otherwise.

We've had our Plus membership 25 years too and now have car and home insurance with AAA.
I think it's totally worth it for our family. We have older cars and DH drives far to work, so we've used the towing a few times in the past. Just recently my battery died on a Sunday and they came out and installed a new one.