Is anyone a member of AAA?

I got stranded in the boonies yesterday with a flat tire and had to pay enormously to get my car schlepped to the tire repair shop. In looking at the AAA "fine print," I see that only four calls are free, and afterward there is a service charge. Considering the condition of our roads -- sharp gravel -- I could almost use up the four calls in a month. Are the service charges reasonable? Maybe I could still save money and avoid lots of hassles by joining.

It's been decades since we needed our car towed.

But, it IS very reassuring to know there's someone you can call, and they will respond.

I hope someone will answer who knows how much they generally charge.

We love their maps and tour books...

one half of what I got charged yesterday. Rocket scientist here. :-)

I haven't used it all that often over the years, but when I needed it, I really needed it, and was awfully glad I had it. It also makes me worry less, if something might happen. I have a basic membership, but think a premium membership comes without a limit on free calls. They also offer travel agent services, used them when I flew across the country and my mother even used them for overseas trips. They also can help you plan your route and offer guides for each state. I wouldn't be without it. :hi:

over the years and their service was excellent. I pay Mother's dues every year, too. It is her annual mother's day gift from me.

4 calls in 30 days :o

seems like it would be cheaper to do some work on the road :shrug:

three of those were within the last month. Very poor county because of the presence of the Buffalo National River which means a skimpy tax base at best. Road upkeep is not affordable.

My guy is a member (thx to his company). He has a better plan which allows for more towing mileage. Hell, they came out and changed my tire without him being there and never asked to see the member card.

We ride motorcycles so that's why we got that coverage, too. All of our cars are old so we spring for AAA in order to have the best coverage for towing and have used it. I think one year we nearly used up the allotted amount but not quite.

Of course, I haven't locked myself out of my car since I joined. On the other hand, I did need a tow and a couple of jump starts, one of which was caused by a bad battery, which their serviceman diagnosed. Didn't cost me anything each time. I also bought my car through them. Got a great deal, and decent financing. That car is now 15 years old, so I'm not about to give up the membership. BTW, it doesn't have to be your vehicle. If you are with a friend, and they get locked out or need a tow, you can still use it.

Now, with built in satnav, I really don't know why I bother.

My car manufacturer does roadside assist / tows (lest one of their chi-chi cars be seen on the roadside, dead).

So does my Insurance Co, for which I guess I pay something. I've had AAA for around 30 years or so, and now that you ask the question, I'm wondering why . . . . Thanks for the nudge.

Edit: removed a couple of hard returns that snuck in.

I've been a AAA member since my parents gifted me with a membership when I got my first car - and I can't say enough how valuable that service has been, especially the towing services. I have the higher tier of service with the 100 mile towing, and I have a car that uses those 4 calls a year. I have an old BMW M3 with about 280,000 miles on it (not a typo), and when you have a german car at that age, they tend to be cranky from time to time.

It has saved me from breakdowns on road trips, flat tires - which is what happened today. They put my spare on for me. Service with a smile. 4 calls a year is about the average that I run, and they have no issue. They will withhold service if I go over it, and must pay out of pocket. But for the 4 calls that are made, the savings of money - the membership cost vs. the cost of four tow/roadside assistance calls is much much cheaper than paying out of pocket for everything.

They have a good set of services too - I don't know where you're located, but in many states they also do DMV-related things. They are able to issue license plates, registration tags, and such - so I'm able to leverage their DMV services as well as a member, which is a great benefit...

I'd recommend it.

You can get savings on hotels, rental cars, cell phones, various attractions, such as zoos and museums...

The one time I exceeded the allowed # of service calls in a year, it cost me $20 for the AAA service charge. Tow was still free.

hotel discounts. Still it is nice to know that it is there- kind of like"oh shit" insurance

I had to have my car towed twice in a year, and that would have cost me an arm and leg if I did not have AAA. And I had a flat tire at work and had to call AAA. That also saved me a bundle. Before I had AAA, I had a flat at home and had to call someone to come out and change it. That cost me $40. So I would recommend joining AAA.

And it was a wonderful, wonderful gift. I have over the years used their travel agency too, and bought my auto insurance through AAA. And they used to provide a service where you could write a check for emergency auto repair on the road and AAA would guarantee it. Dunno if they still do that.

Don't know about the service charges, but I think well worth it; otherwise you're just stranded. And membership is ? I forget, $35/year for an individual?

Also, just picked up 'tour' book, to find motel for a trip this weekend.

what it cost for my emergency call and tow yesterday.

I just renewed our memberships last month.

We had to call 6 times last winter, & were never charged any additional fees. Maybe we were lucky. It was an exceptionally hard winter up here, too.

I won't own a car w/o AAA.

:hi:

I KNOW I've had years where I went over the four calls. Perhaps they average them out or something. If you get it, go with AAA+ - longer towing distance for one thing. If you go over the tow distance, the towtruck driver will charge the difference, not AAA.

I've been forced by the government to pay them more than the cost of all the cars I've ever owned combined.

I can't drive without being forced by the government to purchase insurance.

Is your complaint that auto insurance in general is a hustle?

If so, what's your viable alternative?

The alternative is insurance if you want it and none if you don't. As opposed to our current system designed to exploit the masses so a tiny cabal of people can take in huge profits.

Edit: I would also accept government run insurance pool created with tax dollars, to create a system that doesn't funnel money from the poorest directly into the pockets of the most wealthy.

So you'd end up using tax dollars to make it easier for some dude to insure his Ferrari.

And no, you can't make auto insurance optional, at least as far as liability is concerned.

Please get back to me when you have something viable.

It is optional for almost everything else and there are no problems with liability. What makes cars different from everything else?

If we had progressive taxation, their higher tax rates would cover the increased costs associated with insuring their ferrari. Which sounds much better than buying their ferrari for them because the government is forcing you to through an intentionally exploitive system.

With everything else I own I would have to really try for it to hurt someone else.

Well, I did almost take out my next door neighbor by not planning properly when I cut down a tree in my back yard but that's the exception that proves the rule.

The damage resulting from improper car usage doesn't justify creating a system to exploit the weak to benefit only the rich.

Easy enough to take out a bus with a car.

And it's not just 'improper' car usage that can cause damage. You can be obeying all traffic laws, hit a patch of black ice and ruin someone's day.

How many times has a car ever taken out 30 people at once? It happens so infrequently that it is negligible.

You could be doing anything, have an accident and ruin someone's day. That is no reason to step up a system that exploits the poor and only benefits rich people.

How many people do you know that have never been involved in a car accident?

Relative risks my ass.

One person had a large branch fall hitting them in the head, knocking them unconscious and destroying their neighbors fence and some of their property. The other person cut through a branch and into their leg.

Edit: of all the car accidents, not a single one did enough damage that the owner wouldn't have been able to pay for it out of pocket.

Try again

Not a single accident created enough damage to cause more than a mild inconvenience to the owner and none caused injury.

Who gives a shit if they got in an accident if it didn't hurt anybody and caused negligible damage? So why are you harping on meaningless bullshit and obfuscating the real issue of relative risks and damages.

You're a disgrace to the name Tater.

The options are
1) Don't drive and don't buy.
2) Buy it.
3) Buy a surety bond for the amount of coverage your state requires.

I suppose one might also be able to create an escrow account containing the amount of money that coverage has to be.

when I had car trouble at 1:00 a.m.

...but be prepared for long waits for service, especially in extreme weather situations. I've never had a service charge when I've called them. Trust me -- if you have an unexpected breakdown any time of anywhere, you'll be grateful you're a member.

and their travel agents are very knowledgeable and helpful.

For example, if you're doing a road trip in the U.S., they have the latest information on where there might be delays for construction or weather. You tell them, "I want the route with the best scenery" or "I want the route with the most historic sites," and they'll plan it for you.

One of them even told me, after booking a somewhat complicated portion of my upcoming trip to Scandinavia, that I could either choose to have her do the rest for a required $50 fee or do the research myself and save the money. I thanked her and did the rest myself, which was simply a matter of looking up hotels on Trip Advisor and using a booking site.

The only think I didn't like about them in the past was that they lobbied against public transit, but they seem not to do that anymore.

But the travel books -- double check their directions for hotels, etc., against a GPS, Mapquest, or Google. Got burned more than once trying to find places.

They're the best insurance company I've ever dealt with and that's saying a lot.