Aaa

[luvsJack]

I just got an introductory package in the mail for AAA. I have never been a member and I don't really know if anyone I know is a member. It sounds great and could be useful with dh out of town so much and me unable to change a flat. One time of locking the keys in the car and the membership would pay for itself.

So, it looks great and I don't see any reason not to join. So, just thought I'd ask, is there any reason not to?
TIA

 

[golfgal]

We have been AAA members for 20+ years and it always pays for itself either in hotel discounts or by needing a tow truck/service, etc.

 

[powellrj]

We were member for years and thought it was great piece of mind. Didn't use it alot, but it was nice to have when we did.

 

[happily single]

I can't think of a reason NOT to join. Great discounts on car rentals, hotels, self-storage units, t-mobile telephone, discount movie tickets, a lot of attractions offer a AAA discount. A lot of stores, including Target on-line, offer discounts. PS I've never had any problem with AAA selling my personal information or contacting me with unnecessary sales. I do get their newsletter and it is always fulll of intersting stories and great deals.

 

[bicker]

We let it lapse for a while, when we both bought pre-owned cars within a year of each other, and the deals we got included roadside assistance from the car-maker. Now that those deals expired, we're back with AAA. We may or may not break-even on discounts - and would absolutely not go into it expecting to unless you've done the math and proved to yourself that you will. I'm sure most years we did not. It's worth it just based on the peace of mind that someone will (eventually) come to help you, if you get stuck.

 

[MickeySP]

Join - it has been a lifesaver a few times. Even if you only use the Emergency Road once it pays for itself.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Love AAA! We not only get someone who gets my keys out of a locked car ....but we get tons of discounts too! For example, 2 weeks ago we got 10% off at Puck's Express at DTD because of the AAA card. We also save on hotels (saved $50 off "best available rate" at Homewood Suites....and saved $60 off "best available rate" at 2 Hampton Inns). So, in just the past month, we saved nearly $180 because of the AAA card!

I'd say that each year we save far more than what we pay for our membership.

K

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We're longtime members as well. They offer a whole lot more than just road service. We use them for tons of things - like insurances of all kinds (including trip insurance, even for a cruise), extended car warranties, trip planning, hotel discounts, auto and other loans, discounts at stores, restaurants and on services, etc. They have enormous buying power so they can get great discounts from the best companies for their members. (Check website to see discounts.)

They also treat their members well. Earlier this year I had to call for road service for a mishap on the road. When I called I found out our membership had "expired" since I'd apparently forgotten to pay the bill. I thought they'd say "tough luck", but instead, they treated me as nicely as ever, as if nothing had changed, and quickly renewed my membership over the phone so as to get road service underway. All on a holiday weekend. Just one of the many ways I've had great service.

Another time the AAA loan rep doing my car loan picked up on a numbers discrepency with the car dealership, who appeared to be trying to pull a fast one. I called the owner of the dealership who was BS at his sales and financial people (calling it an "honest mistake" ) but to "make up" for it he took another $1500 off the price of my car. I most likely would have picked up on it myself but the loan officer noticed it first and proactively notified me so I could deal with it from a better vantage point rather than when I was signing papers at the dealership, etc, and I'm sure they wouldn't have given me much more than a quick, forced apology at that point if it happened that way. So it was nice having AAA in my corner.

And speaking of auto loans, they generally have excellent/very competitive rates as they go with whichever institution is lowest at that time. You can apply over the phone and have an answer within 24 hours or less (usually by the afternoon if you call in the morning). Having your own financing all set gives you an advantage at the dealership, ie one less thing to haggle about. On a couple of occasions I've actually found dealerships to be "surprised" at rates so low and I've even had them "beat" those rates so as to keep the financing portion of the deal in house. And I've also had them say they were unable to beat those rates, as in last time, so as a buyer you feel like you're less at someone else's mercy than if they're "doing you a favor" financing you car for you.

AAA is one of the few companies today I feel really great about.

 

[dislaney]

I've joined just for the discounts. The hotel savings covers my cost of membership.

 

[monkeyboy]

have had it for years.

Discounts and saving etc but I have used it more with other people than myself.
Out with some coworkers and she locked her keys in the car and she didnt have it so I called for her


It like insurance great to have ...hope you never have to use.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We had it but dropped it around the time we got a vehicle with onstar. I call them if I lock my keys on the car.

However, I am reconsidering it...

The occasional discount is nice...
My van would not start on a trip down to Florida a few weeks ago. I got lucky. I was at a restaurant at a major exit, used my iPhone to track down a shop and tow truck. They jumped my car and bad me come to the shop where they checked my battery and it was fine. For some reason they did not charge me. I did end up going to Sears since it is a sears battery and they checked it in and out of the van for me and all they discovered was a loose cable. In any case---no charge for all of this (though I ended up having something done with my antifreeze which I don't think I ever had done before....)

additionally---my husband accidentally locked his keys in a rental car on a home visit when we were still in Florida. Hertz charges a pretty penny for that one (had we paid a higher level it would have been covered).


His own father had bad experiences with aaa. Evidently, in one year--he "overused" towing...I think 3 tows...and was rewarded with a higher membership fee the following year. So that sits in our minds.


Still contemplating. Being stranded is no fun and then having to pay extra for that privilege for a tow truck to come help you is even worse. Wasn't as big a deal when we took much shorter road trips.

Tough decision. It is not a cheap membership.

 

[SaraJayne]

We had it but dropped it around the time we got a vehicle with onstar. I call them if I lock my keys on the car.

However, I am reconsidering it...

The occasional discount is nice...
My van would not start on a trip down to Florida a few weeks ago. I got lucky. I was at a restaurant at a major exit, used my iPhone to track down a shop and tow truck. They jumped my car and bad me come to the shop where they checked my battery and it was fine. For some reason they did not charge me. I did end up going to Sears since it is a sears battery and they checked it in and out of the van for me and all they discovered was a loose cable. In any case---no charge for all of this (though I ended up having something done with my antifreeze which I don't think I ever had done before....)

additionally---my husband accidentally locked his keys in a rental car on a home visit when we were still in Florida. Hertz charges a pretty penny for that one (had we paid a higher level it would have been covered).


His own father had bad experiences with aaa. Evidently, in one year--he "overused" towing...I think 3 tows...and was rewarded with a higher membership fee the following year. So that sits in our minds.


Still contemplating. Being stranded is no fun and then having to pay extra for that privilege for a tow truck to come help you is even worse. Wasn't as big a deal when we took much shorter road trips.

Tough decision. It is not a cheap membership.

For us, the discounts (not to mention the peace of mind it gives you) are well worth the price of membership. The money we saved at Disney one year using the AAA rate was almost twice as much as the membership cost.

For less than $10 a month, it sure is cheap.

ETA: And I have a car with Onstar.

 

[momof1princess]

LOVE AAA! we have older cars, so it's great peace of mind to know we won't be stranded if one of them breaks down. we also use the card to get discounts, so it always pays for itself. even without the discounts, i feel much safer knowing i can always get help if i need it. DH works 60+ hours per week, so i'm usually driving alone, or with DD13.

 

[TwinsinCA]

We have had AAA for 18 years. We first got it because we were trying to rent a car for our honeymoon and realized that it isn't cheap if you are under 25 unless you have AAA. We've had it ever since.

We have used it for jumps (when we lived in MN and it was -20 ), tows, flats, a stranger being locked out of her car, and once for gas (we were in northern CA, the only gas station nearby was closed for the night, we called AAA so we didn't end up stranded on the way home). We use it for the free maps and tourbooks. We've used it for trip planning and discounts to many restaurants, hotels, and car rental companies. And in CA we can go to a AAA office instead of the DMV to pick up new stickers when we renew our tabs. There are years it has paid for itself and probably years it hasn't. But the peace of mind is worth it for us.

 

[Poohbear123]

And I do NOT drive or Own a Drivers License! YEP thats right, it covers whatever Car I am a Passenger in And it saves me bunches on Purchases and Disney tickets!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

For us, the discounts (not to mention the peace of mind it gives you) are well worth the price of membership. The money we saved at Disney one year using the AAA rate was almost twice as much as the membership cost.

For less than $10 a month, it sure is cheap.

ETA: And I have a car with Onstar.

We ended up not patronizing the discounts much. Which is why we had dropped it since key locks were not an issue.

Still reconsidering it.

Maybe in 2011.

And--we had no advantages using it with Disney. Shocking, but true. I guess one must travel and frequent the abundance of AAA's offerings. But for quite a bit, Hilton honors points, Marriot Points, and Car Rental points from all of DH's travel made AAA discounts obsolete since his work got govt rates or negotiated rates for travel...and then we in turn used the accrued points to get hotels and rental cars for free. Haven't paid for a car rental since 2004 or (except tax on the car rental) more than a AAA rate for hotel I quite a few years. I think the first time was our hotel post car trouble this last trip. Now that our travel needs will exceed what DH is rewarded for his work travel...it may be the time to restart.

We are fully aware of the benefits though. They are great if one can use
them.

I just want to reiterate that I am not knocking them. Just that I unexpectedly had a need for them last month and got lucky that I didn't have to lay for the tow, jump start or battery check. This post reminded me of that and is something we may wish to find a spot in our budget.

 

[manning]

We had it but dropped it around the time we got a vehicle with onstar. I call them if I lock my keys on the car.

However, I am reconsidering it...

The occasional discount is nice...
My van would not start on a trip down to Florida a few weeks ago. I got lucky. I was at a restaurant at a major exit, used my iPhone to track down a shop and tow truck. They jumped my car and bad me come to the shop where they checked my battery and it was fine. For some reason they did not charge me. I did end up going to Sears since it is a sears battery and they checked it in and out of the van for me and all they discovered was a loose cable. In any case---no charge for all of this (though I ended up having something done with my antifreeze which I don't think I ever had done before....)

additionally---my husband accidentally locked his keys in a rental car on a home visit when we were still in Florida. Hertz charges a pretty penny for that one (had we paid a higher level it would have been covered).


His own father had bad experiences with aaa. Evidently, in one year--he "overused" towing...I think 3 tows...and was rewarded with a higher membership fee the following year. So that sits in our minds.


Still contemplating. Being stranded is no fun and then having to pay extra for that privilege for a tow truck to come help you is even worse. Wasn't as big a deal when we took much shorter road trips.

Tough decision. It is not a cheap membership.

They do expect you to maintain your car. I know if you over use it there could be extra charge.

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

We have had it for several years. Having a cell phone & AAA when driving by myself to visit family 2 hours away means peace of mind. I did use it twice. We also get 40% discounted tickets for Six Flags Great Adventure and for NY Islanders games. Plus we get a 10% discount at Payless and the Hard Rock Cafe. I also like to read their monthly magazine. The discounts and news are in it. We never used it for Disney because we always stayed longer than the discount was for. The more nights you stay the less it is per night even without AAA.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We both have the top-tier level. Even though our cars now are relatively new, in the past this was not the case. Having the 100 mile tow gives me peace of mind. We travel for fun on weekends a lot and even have a driving trip to Vegas next month.

It is like extra insurance and the discounts are just always a bonus. I have to remember the AAA discount at Payless, thanks!

 

[mamacatnv]

Love it. The night 3 days before Christmas that DS then 16 hit a pothole that took out 2 tires and rims on the same side of the car, at midnight, in a sketchy neighborhood, when it was -5 stands out. AAA had a flatbed tow truck to us in under 20 minutes, this alone made up for all the years we had used the discounts but never the roadside services.

My son called me and I called AAA on my way to son, AAA dispatched the local police to keep an eye on son until both his Dad and I could get there, the tow truck was only minutes behind us.

I also love my Via magazine