Is it worth it to join AAA?

[DaBoo]

I am not a AAA member but was thinking about joining due to the discounts I hear with them on the board. How does this work? If I join would I be assured a discount on the dates I want to go, or would I have a time period I would have to stay in for the discount. Also If Disney offers a special like the free dining last year could AAA adjust my booking at that time so I could take advantage of the special if I have already booked?
Thanks for any help you can give me. I am new to the board but already hooked.
Thanks, Tammie

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

AAA rates are like any other discounted rate there are only so many per day. But if you are asking if AAA is totally worth it, YES!!

First time you lock your keys in your car, or get a flat tire and you wife didnt tell you the spare was flat you will totally be thankful that you have it.

 

[kab407]

One flat tire was all it took for me to realize how valuable my AAA membership is. The discounts are an added bonus.

Check the AAA website or visit a local office to see when the benefits kick in. I am going to guess immediately. I was given a temporary membership card till the pern one came in the mail.

 

[amyjo]

AAA is absolutely worth it. We more than make up our membership fee if we ever need a tow or tire change or a battery charge. The hotel discounts and other perks are just extra bonuses, in my book. You can get discounts at many, many hotel chains as well, not just Disney.

 

[Kapp]

but joined about 6 years ago for the discounts on rooms at Disney and other hotels ( I traveled a good bit at that time). Like a previous poster said, all it takes is one flat tire, locked keys in the car, need a jump start or tow and it is worth it. Without the discounts on rooms, I now find it worth it but add in the discounts (and the AAA was the only one we could get for Disney this year) and it is more than worth it. Just some additional insurance when you are driving and the other benefits are just perks.

 

[QT Pooh]

AAA is worth it regardless of any discounts it provides. I use it for emergency services, but it does provide a myriad of discounts at other places besides WDW - hotels, car rentals, theme park admissions, some restaurants. Plus they have some great travel services.

But, like any other discount rate anywhere, it is subject to availability of those rate codes - first-come, first-served.

 

[SaraMc]

We have a "al a Carte" membership because my car has roadside assistance that came with the car that's still good for another 50,000 km. We got the card specifically for using it at Disney. The Discount we got on our room for the 7 nights right there paid for the membership.

 

[ncbyrne]

I joined AAA last year after reading these boards. AAA was offering $25 Disney Dollar if you booked a WDW vacation in January. We booked for Oct. and got a great discount on the room, plus we booked the dining package. I had no idea before I joined how much the membership would save me on other discounts as well:
Casual Corner, FTD.com, Gateway, Hickory Farms, Lenscrafters, Reebok outlets, Prime Outlets, Sunglass Hut, Tangier Outlets, Payless Shoes, and it even has prescription savings.
And, there are all the FREE maps you can order online...yup, even free shipping.
Oh, and of course there are all those great auto services too!

 

[kjh]

I just joined AAA this past August when I knew that my Disney trip was just around the corner. While it was too late to use the AAA card for discounts on lodging I did use it to get free maps and tour books and I also used it at Goofy's Kitchen and PCH Grill in Anaheim (I could have used my Disney VISA at PCH Grill instead of the AAA). I got 10% off 4 adult character meals at each. To me, it was totally worth it. I live in Hawaii and my dad is retired so I probably won't find the roadside assistance as useful as others (although the 100 mile free towing willbe great if I ever need it). However, I did feel a lot safer driving all over CA while on vacation knowing that AAA would help me if I ever needed it. Small price to pay for piece of mind.

 

[gracey712]

I joind aaa b/c of going to disney. first off we are driving, so there's my road side protection. Also for the $47 (i think) it cost to join i saved around $300 when I booked my resort.

 

[tjevans]

To my way of thinking, AAA is free. While I may pay $40 for membership (varies by number of members in your family and club location), I usually save that much each year between either road service, discounts (not just on hotels, but things such as amusement park tickets, museum tickets, prescriptions, theaters . . .), and the free maps.

Whenever you go anywhere that charges admission, ask if they have a AAA discount. They may not advertise it, but often they do have one.

 

[magicfan]

It is worth it. You get free maps and many discounts at all different places. They will plan your whole vacation for you... For what you get, it's well worth the money spent.

 

[dsanner106]

AAA is fine as far as the disney discounts go, but their competitors in the roadside assistance field are far better. I had AAA for nearly 20 years and am so glad I dropped them. They left me stranded on the side of the road, 30 miles from the closest town with 6 little girls in bathing suits, some without shoes with a flat tire. They did this knowingly. If you use their service 3 times in a year, you are done. You still pay the monthly charge, but you cannot call them again until your anniversary date. I found this out the hard way. My anniversary date was July 31, I had my flat on July 29. On one of my 3 calls that year, they never showed up, I sat for 5 hours in Washington DC, in a bad neighborhood with a nail in my tire. Finally a good samaritan helped me out. They still counted this against my 3 calls because they say they can't control the independant agents who work for them, and I had made the call. I made maybe 5 calls in 18 years, unfortunately 3 in one year. They would not let me pay my next years dues 2 days early and send a truck, I was just stranded. I told them my situation and they did not so much as apologize. I tried to call and complain later, and they said that rules are rules........... NEVER will I trust my family's safety to AAA

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I use it for roadside assistance...and I love the maps and tourbooks .

When in DC for the Inauguration--we were downtown and happened by a AAA office..it was nice to walk in and get a free city map.

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with tjevans that AAA is basically free. I don't think a year has gone by since I got my license in 1980 that I haven't had to call for roadside assistance at least once either for a flat tire or a dead battery. That alone is worth the price. But the travel services are fantastic. You can get all the maps and tour books you want at no extra charge. We recently went to California for 2 weeks for summer vacation. I stopped in and got guide books for Northern Calif., Southern Calif. and Nevada. I also got road maps for each of those areas, street maps of the main cities we were visiting and a TripTik mapping out our driving route. The guide books alone were worth more than our annual membership fee.

 

[LADYnTRAMP]

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying. BUY AAA!!! I have to use it a number of times over the years for flat tires, locked up keys, needed a battery jump, but the most memorable was when we left the Magic Kingdom in the middle of the day to go back to the hotel (offsite unfortunately!) and rest for awhile and I drove through a construction zone, ran over a nail and had a blow out. The kids and I were never so glad that we had AAA! They have been a God send over the years.

 

[dsanner106]

I would like to know more about this ala carte membership someone mentioned earlier. I did like AAA for the discounts, etc. But cannot put my childrens lives in their hands again.

 

[LvsTnk]

We have their premium membership, and did you know you can give up your AAA card as a bond card???? Dh did it for a ticket.

Anyway we just used it to get a better rate for our next WDW trip than our AP could get us.

Trip before that we used it all over Universal, for our hotel stay at PBH, and the Holiday Inn Nick Suites.

Love AAA!

 

[Meezers]

I have AAA and used my regular TA to book our room only trip.

Can you believe she checked the AP rates for me and my AAA on GF Concierge was better than the AP rate? And the difference at AKL was negligable at best.

If you don't have a TA...MickeyMac at It's a Small World Travel is the bestest in the whole world! This will be our third trip planned with her!