Anyone belong to AAA?

[Richard Simmons]

Got another AAA thing in the mail but instead of tossing it in the trash I took the time to look it over. My wife and I are in our late 50's and she's had a knee replacement and both of mine are due for replacement so I was thinking how much hassle it would be to change a tire on the side of the road, etc. We've always kept jumper cables, tow strap, flares, blankets, rope, etc., in our cars for emergencies but I'm thinking this AAA at $52 for the year for both of us might be cheap insurance, so to speak. On occasion my wife travels out of town and we both go up to see my Sis in Maryland or go to the beach or other trips. Usually 200-300 miles but occasionally we travel to the Midwest which means a few thousand miles over a week or two. I could save another $5 if I used my credit card but since they don't tell you want the standard rate is I don't want to automatically renew anything.

Anyway, just wondering if any of our members have AAA and if you have, have you used it and were you satisfied?

[Phil125]

I've been an AAA plus member since I turned 16 and got my license. Birthday present from my grandfather. 100 x 24 years = $2400 bucks. Have I gotten that money's worth... No, but It has saved my butt on several occasions.

Over that period of time they towed me home twice and unlocked the keys out of mine or my daughters car 3 times. Which I paid nothing for each time. Both times I got towed I was in the middle of nowhere far from home(50+miles). So AAA saved me a ton of money on those tows.

I recommend the Plus membership. They will tow you 100 miles for free. Otherwise it is just 3 miles. A 50 mile plus tow is a few hundred bucks without AAA

I'd say I'm satisfied. It is nice to know when you breakdown you whip that card out and boom they got people on the way to you fast.

[rci2950]

My friend is a member. Has a whole bunch of their coins and some keychains. He goes in and out of an ongoing pill issue.

[Phil125]

My friend is a member. Has a whole bunch of their coins and some keychains. He goes in and out of an ongoing pill issue.

ummmmmm aaaaaahhhh hmmmm... "friend" you say?

[5.56NATO]

I had it and the tows come in handy. However, the insurance might be considered "underinsured" by some.

[paulo]

Have had it for 20 plus years. Just upgraded to the Gold package, in case my bike breaks down.
Worth it to me.

[ltorlo64]

I have had it for a while and we like it so well we bought if for both our mothers. We have used it enough to expect that I am breaking even between payments and usage, but even if I am not it is nice to know that when something unexpected happens I just call AAA and they take care of towing, getting me into the car so I can retrieve my keys, etc. We have looked at a few different companies and AAA, for us, was the best.

As for their insurance, we skip that and use a "real" insurance company as it is a little expensive. We do accept their free insurance though.

[imanaknut]

Been a AAA member for dozen or so years. I really like their battery replacement service. I have a car that the power door locks decided to play games and destroyed the battery. I checked the local stores for replacement costs, and then checked AAA online. They charged me the same price to come to my house, check the car's charging system and replace the battery as it would have cost me to take the battery out myself, buy a new one and replace it myself, and not know there was a wiring issue in the car.

There are also side benefits in their cards with discounts to many businesses as well as car rental and hotels.

Add to that the piece of mind that if something did happen, their tow or service call is already paid for by my dues.

Like car insurance, as well as a personal protection device, it is nice to have and not need than to need and not have. But then they don't add the other discounts from companies because you have that card.

[rci2950]

I had it and the tows come in handy. However, the insurance might be considered "underinsured" by some.

Oh That one. I thought you ment AA

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Yep wife and me been a member since hell I can't remember when......Well worth the $100 or so a year. One tow and the yearly payment is paid for..... Just an example this year, my humvee needed to go to a shop 40 miles from my home, had a fuel injector pump leak , Called triple A they came to the house and rollbacked it to the shop. I'm sure that one transport cost more than a $100.

[jet3534]

I have been a plus member for year. I only called them once to tow a car from my house to a garage about 30 miles away. After I called them a tow truck was at my house in about 15 minutes and I live in a rural area. So based on limited experience, I am a satisfied AAA member.

[Schuetzenman]

Yes I'm also an AAA + (GOLD) member. It has come in handy more than once when a vehicle took a shit. As pointed out you can be towed 100 miles as a + member vs. standard. It is a little dated in some of it's original functions as with GPS nobody needs a Trip Ticket to plan a driving route anymore. They do have hotel discounts and other travel discounts for being a member. I'm going to take a cruse later this year that came through in an email on travel deals. Can you get comparable deals without it, yeah probably but it is a lot easier to do a package with an AAA rep on the phone vs. sifting through web sites.

[5.56NATO]

Oh That one. I thought you ment AA

It's a 12 step process.