AAA worth it?
 

Hi,

I just got my renewal email for $172 which is long distance towing included. I have had it for 16 years and only have needed to be towed once in town.

I now have enough money/credit line to just pay for a tow if needed.

Are there good reasons to stay a member, is there some sort of guarantee that they would come get you in the middle of nowhere when a private company might decide it isn’t worth it or is a 200 mile tow a small fortune and I have no clue on price?

Peace of mind or risk tolerance.

Sounds like your risk is low.

I sold a civic last year and a 20 mile in town tow was 150$. 3 dollars a mile comes to mind.

Does your state use them for DMV business at the AAA offices? I got it just for vehicle registration things and it's well worth it.

Why is it $172? I have AAA Premier and it's $125. I get:
Towing up to 100 miles with 1 tow up to 200 miles
✔Vehicle Lockout service up to $150
✔$10K ID Theft Insurance with ID Theft Monitoring
✔4 Sets of Passport Photos
✔$25 off a AAA battery* purchase
✔Complimentary Rental Car with tow - One Free Day
+And all Plus Benefits

I used my 3 tows for the year already but they gave me one more for free getting an 01 Tacoma down to my shop.

The 200 mile tow is awesome.

Doesn’t your auto insurance cover tows? We had AAA years ago when one of our daughters took a car out to college in Texas. After we cancelled they continued to hound us to renew with one deal after another. Maps and “Trip-tics” are a thing of the past with GPS. I don’t think they’ll be around much longer.

I thought being a paying member was mandatory to maintain a lower premium.

Yes, but the city one is closer and works fine.

I don’t have insurance with them.

Good point, I need to pay my Porsche renewal this week and I will ask. Thanks!

Hi Shaun,

Just looked it up on the website and it says $166 a year for premier, the extra to make it $172 is probably tax. I do think that there are different “club” territories, so that could be the difference?

Or more likely, they give you the handsome boy discount!

Rutager

I think I must get the Brad Pitt/George Clooney discount. AAA Premier is $113 if I want it. lol

I needed a tow 12 miles to my Indy shop in Northern New Jersey. I had to wait 4 hours for the truck to show up. I’m reconsidering my AAA membership. Although, I did call several other towing companies while I waited and most went straight to VM.

We’ve had it probably for 15+ years and it’s coming handy several times. When Ms. Rocket’s Tahoe wouldn’t start recently, they came out several times and got it started. When I had a flat tire during rush-hour, they swapped out the tire for me.

That said, a couple years ago. I was about an hour and a half outside of Atlanta on the way home to Charleston, in the middle of nowhere, and after stopping at a rest stop, my 2014 F150 would not start. This was at at about 5:30 PM. I called AAA multiple times and a truck didn’t show up until about about 2 AM. We took it to a Ford dealer and he dropped me off at a hotel. Super nice guy, but the eight hour wait was ridiculous.

I think around town, you’re good to go. Out in the boonies, good luck!

If you were in California the best reason to have AAA is they have DMV services. Ever go to DMV in LA? Oh boy, long waits but there is a freak show to entertain you.

I also switched from State Farm to AAA and saved $2600/year on all my real estate and vehicles.

The only benefit I can think of is you would only have to call them no matter where you are and they then find the tow company rather than you having to try and find one that serves where you are stranded?

I believe in Murphy's Law so I've been paying the AA for decades. I know what would happen if I stopped.

It's triple A so throw in Chris Hemsworth for the trifecta.

Over a period of 30 years, I only used the towing twice. I mostly got a few maps, passport photos once, and did DMV a couple of times with therm. The towing did come in handy, but the total amount of use didn't come close to the membership outlay over the years. I cancelled mine a few years ago. My insurance covers the first $70 of towing, which isn't a lot.

If you have AAA car insurance you get the roadside coverage and towing for free. WIN WIN.

Definitely worth it for me. I use them for DMV services and got new auto insurance through them. I saved 4k for 2 cars for a year. They offer tons of services.