AAA- premier or plus, which one?

[Sagginit]

hi. i was trying not to start another AAA thread but on search i found most of them were about discounts, not the actual car services. for my birthday i was given $100 from a relative to buy myself a AAA membership. Premier comes to $117 a year and Plus $88. which do you have and which would you go with? the premier comes with a 200 mile tow vs 100 mile for plus, hertz gold car rental, and free ER car rental. i also get 2 sets of passport photos, and i believe my passport is expiring next year so i can use that perk. i have a used car and had two close calls in the last few months (flat tire and my alternator died). got lucky as both were in my neighborhood so i was able to get it to the shop but want AAA to avoid a hefty tow fee if anything else goes wrong so basic with only 3 mile does not seem practical.

for premier i am putting out $17, with plus i will get $12 extra. i would just spend the extra $ but i really don't know how often i would need the car rental or 200 mile tow since i live in an urban/suburban area. any thoughts? are there any other perks that i am not seeing?

 

[DVCBELLE]

hi. i was trying not to start another AAA thread but on search i found most of them were about discounts, not the actual car services. for my birthday i was given $100 from a relative to buy myself a AAA membership. Premier comes to $117 a year and Plus $88. which do you have and which would you go with? the premier comes with a 200 mile tow vs 100 mile for plus, hertz gold car rental, and free ER car rental. i also get 2 sets of passport photos, and i believe my passport is expiring next year so i can use that perk. i have a used car and had two close calls in the last few months (flat tire and my alternator died). got lucky as both were in my neighborhood so i was able to get it to the shop but want AAA to avoid a hefty tow fee if anything else goes wrong so basic with only 3 mile does not seem practical.

for premier i am putting out $17, with plus i will get $12 extra. i would just spend the extra $ but i really don't know how often i would need the car rental or 200 mile tow since i live in an urban/suburban area. any thoughts? are there any other perks that i am not seeing?

Before buying AAA check with your car insurance...we were about to get AAA and found out our car insurance paid for towing.

 

[Sagginit]

I looked into it when I had a breakdown once. They will set it up but I don't pay to cover it with my insurance. I also need help with things like flat tires which I am not sure they would cover either. I live in Jersey so car insurance is fairly high so add ons add up I think to more than the year of AAA.

 

[momof1princess]

i guess mine is the premier. it's about $112 per year, and covers towing up to 100 miles, which is important, since DH's work car is a 1990 model (which still runs great and has never given us any trouble). i LOVE AAA! the only downside, is that the towing companies they contract with around here take FOR-E-VER. there is nowhere in my town that takes more than 20 minutes to get to, but it always takes them at LEAST an hour to show up. once, i was 5 minutes from the towing company, and it took them almost 45 minutes to get there.

 

[Lewisc]

I just have the basic membership. All AAA members get unlimited towing back to the responding station.. The mileage limit comes into play if you want your car towed to the repair station of your choice. Good enough for me. Is the OP married? Use the extra money for an additional person.

Car insurance and car warranties cover whoever is driving the car. AAA covers whatever car the member is driving.

edited to add The extra towing makes sense for people who want repairs done by a dealer. People who have a specific station they want to use and if the extra towing distance is enough to cover them if they break down on the way to work or school.

Face it. Good chance road service will be for a flat, battery or lock out.

 

[gator75]

We have had aaa for 3 years it has saved my butt a few times. It is worth it and'm not saying this because of the discounts i'm saying it because of the towing and great customer service they provide we have the plus. I called in july of this year to check on the premier and found out it wasn't worth it as the 200 mile tow is only good 1 time. It just wasn't worth it to me to pay the extra for a 1 time tow that i probably wouldn't use. I'm not saying that my cars aren't subject to breakdowns , but i wouldn't have them fixed at a dealership.

 

[lvillotta1]

Have you checked in to AAA car insurance and home owners Insurance? They are the cheapest here in Nebraska. I have saved thousands. I also get a discount on their basic membership of $65/year through my job. I was in a horrible accident this may and totaled my car and another car and they took such great care of the whole situation. I was fortunate to get a check for $12,000 towards my newer Honda CRV.

 

[CarlisleMom]

We have plus. It is well worth it to us. It seems like everywhere we go is at least 20 miles or more away (semi-rural area) and we want our car taken to our local mechanic rather than someone AAA decided to send us. THink about having to pick the car up after the tow.

The one time I needed a tow about 25 miles from home ...... AAA flat towed my SUV to my garage and made sure that my DD (3 at the time) and I had a ride home.

If you go the insurance route it use to be that you had to pay then get reimbursed. I don't usually have that much money around.

 

[jedijill]

I do AAA Plus. I like the longer tow allowance but don't think I need premier. I have 2005 Jeep and a 66 Mustang....AAA has totally saved my rear end with both vehicles.

Jill in CO

 

[ScrampShopper]

Premiere also comes with house locksmith sevice. My husband manages to lock himself out of the house at least once a year, always when I'm out of town so that service alone pays for our AAA membership!! We also do a lot of driving to areas that I call the middle of nowhere so the longer distance of towing is important to me, especially since both vehicles are still under full warranty and I prefer to take them to the dealer.

 

[tasha99]

We have Plus. I make a few drives a year that could put me out of range, but I'm genarally within 100 miles of a town. i'm thinking of driving the Alcan hwy this summer and would probably upgrade for that.

 

[Lewisc]

We have Plus. I make a few drives a year that could put me out of range, but I'm genarally within 100 miles of a town. i'm thinking of driving the Alcan hwy this summer and would probably upgrade for that.

Again, AAA will tow you to the responding facility at now charge, no matter what the distance.

 

[tasha99]

Again, AAA will tow you to the responding facility at now charge, no matter what the distance.

I just wouldn't count on the nearest town with a tow truck having a repair shop as well.

 

[Sagginit]

OP here, thanks for the tips. i don't think i go more than 100 miles from my area very often so i think i will go with plus then, i dunno why i thought i might need the 200 miles (wishful thinking on a road trip i guess). home lockout really isn't a huge concern. my landlord lives below me and is home most of the time so she is my lockout insurance . im single so i have no one to add as spouse/partner.

i just found a link for having the enrollment fee waived ($10 i think from the last prices i saw) so it will be $78. good ill put the other $22 towards an oil change.