Roadside assistance! AAA, CC, out of pocket?

[Paul der Krake]

It has been suggested to us by a concerned parent that we look into AAA for emergency road assistance. At first I found the idea laughable since

a) the mechanically disinclined lady drives a ridiculously new vehicle (2010) from a ridiculously reputable auto maker
b) I drive a 20 year old vehicle from the same aforementionned auto maker, but never more than 15 miles at a time.

I noticed that many credit cards offer roadside assistance at what they say are, pre-negociated, discounted fees. For example, the Discover card offers the first 10 miles of towing, and it's a flat fee of $70 for each use. It's not clear whether my SO could use my card number to get assistance if I am not present.

https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/member-benefits/roadside-dispatch.html

AAA, on the other hand, is $60 annually for only 3 miles of towing. Premium memberships are more, and I don't understand what is included with their membership.

http://carolinas.aaa.com/Membership/Pages/AAA-Membership-Levels.aspx

What on earth is Travel Accident Coverage? Their website isn't even encrypted when applying for a quote on insurance (with SSN!), so needless to say I am far from impressed so far.

Who do you call when stuck on the shoulder of the road?

[Daley]

Don't bother with AAA... waste of money now that triptics and print maps are mostly irrelevant and plastic money processing is so ubiquitous that most people under 35 don't even know what a Traveler's Cheque is, let alone that most banks offer them with similar fees. If you're paranoid enough to want roadside assistance coverage and all the bells and whistles that come with it, you can usually get far better coverage for far less money as a tack-on with your current insurance provider.

Towing can get expensive, but I doubt self-insuring for any tow costs on a car that has an average travel radius of under 10 miles is going to break the bank, either, especially if you have a credit card that provides the service at a discount rate as well.

[clutchy]

geico had it as an add on for like $6 every 6 months.

I didn't even realize we had it until I was scrutinizing our last bill.

[shedinator]

geico had it as an add on for like $6 every 6 months.

I didn't even realize we had it until I was scrutinizing our last bill.

My concern with buying roadside assistance thru an insurer is that a string of crappy events  could increase premiums (source).

Roadside assistance from Progressive (my insurer) is $16/6 months on a 2 car policy, or $32/year. It would only take a $3/month increase in policy due to excessive towing  before the savings as compared to AAA were wiped out. I'm not saying 'get AAA' per se- self insuring seems to make much more sense in most cases- but if you're going to pay for Roadside assistance, you might not want to bundle it in to your insurance policy... or you might, I don't know what your risk aversion level is.

[capital]

AAA is an organization that often advocates against bicycle and mass transit funding:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7281/aaa-more-cycle-friendly-except-where-money-is-concerned/
I, personally, would never give my money to them.

My parents had and used them when I was a kid, and they offered other services like making trip plans and free maps that are less useful in the internet age, as well as discounts at motels and the like.

Better World Club, which I don't have any personal experience with, offers similar services without the aggressive pro-auto lobbying agenda, and also offers add-on bicycle roadside service and insurance:
http://www.betterworldclub.com/roadside_assistance/details.cfm
The liability insurance could be especially useful if you have high net worth and bike a lot.

[Phoebe]

We have a AAA membership, though I don't think it's necessarily right for everyone.  I drive a car that is 16 years old and my husband drives one that is 11 so breakdowns are a part of life.  We currently live a few hours away from any family and I travel a lot so having that number to call has saved us a lot of problems and gives me peice of mind.

For 2 of us the regular membership is $82 per year and in the last 12 months we had 1 tow, 1 lockout, and 1 jump (we couldn't jump it ourselves because I had parked the car really close to the garage and our jumper cables weren't long enough to reach to the car parked behind it - AAA brings a hand held jump).  We didn't have to pay anything out of pocket for these.  What I like most though, is that they get out to you within half an hour (important in the cold midwest), which is faster than I've been able to get a tow when calling around myself.  You also get discounts to a lot of things which we've been able to take advantage of.

To be honest, I didn't do a lot of research into AAA before signing up, so there might be a better alternative out there.  I'll be interested to see what other people use.

[the fixer]

I agree with eghee and came to this thread to post the very same thing. Any mustachian who truly cares about not being car-dependent should not be giving their money to that organization.

[AJ]

My concern with buying roadside assistance thru an insurer is that a string of crappy events  could increase premiums (source).

YMMV, but we excessively used ours and it didn't raise our bill - but they did cancel our roadside assistance coverage after a certain number of hits. We use State Farm - not sure if it varies by carrier.

[MrSaturday]

geico had it as an add on for like $6 every 6 months.

Geico won't let me add it without comprehensive coverage.

[superheropunk]

I've never used a roadside assistance for my personal use vehicle so not the best bang for the buck. Would think you would be better off stashing that cash in the bank and paying for towing, etc. as needed.

[Christiana]

We are considering the same thing right now.  I'm inclined to drop it.

The main convenience of AAA for us is that it has a single phone number that we can call for a tow, even while traveling out-of-state, which we do once or twice a year.  But we could just as well look up some strategically placed towing companies along our routes ahead of time.

On one occasion we were able to use a AAA card in place of paying a $50 pay-on-the-spot fee, for an out-of-state speeding ticket (they mailed the card back to us after the ticket was paid).

[adam]

I still have the AAA gold membership.  Its a bit of a holdover from when I was driving 164 miles a day for work.  We've used the discounted rate at a hotel once or twice.  Used the travel agent service for our honeymoon (which in hindsight was probably unnecessary).  I've needed it twice in the last 10 years probably.

We have roadside assistance offered through our insurance carrier, but I cancelled it when I realized I was paying for it twice. 

Now that we're both 4 miles from work and I don't take road trips like I used to I guess I need to look at if it is really necessary any longer.

[Dee18]

Check with your insurance company.  Mine provides that emergency assistance for a very small fee.  I had it when I had an unreliable car and I think it was only $8 per year.

[Dr.Vibrissae]

We've had AAA forever, originally gifted/paid through parents/grandparents and now on our own.  Although we don't drive much, so far I average 2-3 uses per year for lockouts, tows and once I ran out of gas.  I seriously considered completely dropping it this year (amongst my other cut backs), but then we had a tire blowout in-between Austin and home on a Monday morning, once again in the middle of nothing, and I was so relieved not to have to try to find my own towing in a strange town, that I decided to keep it.  I did reduce it though, and now only the Mr. is covered (since we rarely drive anywhere out of town separately).  It was less than $60 for the year and you can use it for any vehicle you are riding in, even if it is not your car (not sure that regular insurance riders work that way).

I didn't realize the whole thing about anti-bike lobbying though, so I guess it will be on the chopping block again next year.

[tuyop]

/\/\/\ If only tire repair or changing wasn't so difficult! Wait...

It has been suggested to us by a concerned parent that we look into AAA for emergency road assistance. At first I found the idea laughable since

And now you don't find it laughable?

But you've got two reasons:

a) the mechanically disinclined lady drives a ridiculously new vehicle (2010) from a ridiculously reputable auto maker

Mechanical disinclinations can be overcome for $0 per year.

b) I drive a 20 year old vehicle from the same aforementionned auto maker, but never more than 15 miles at a time.

So are you also mechanically disinclined or have any actual use for roadside assistance?

Also, why doesn't this concerned parent pay for the whole mess if they're so concerned?

[Dr.Vibrissae]

Oh I can replace I tire, but I have to be somewhere with a tire to replace.  The spare was in the trunk, but hadn't been mounted from the month before when we had replaced the tires.  Should have done it right away, I admit.  Still I had a blowout (and I don't mean a flat, I mean the tire wall exploded) and so I need to be towed over 30 miles to a place that could mount my tire.  They did that for free. As the original poster never goes much more than 15 miles, I assume he's in his home town, and it probably wouldn't be that useful for him.

I'll admit, I'm being a wussypants for caving to fear, but it's not unfounded fear, I travel cross country in old cars from time to time, and shit has happened regularly enough that I come out ahead with the service.  Where I've really improved is locking myself out of the car. Since there isn't much of value in it, I've just stopped locking it.  Ours is not really a vehicle most people would look to steal.

[Paul der Krake]

@tuyop: Oh no, I still find it pretty laughable to pay for AAA in our situation. At this point I am 99% convinced that the CC flat fee is the best option for us. I can change a tire and already do basic maintenance on cars, so really I would be paying for something out of ordinary.

Simply curious to see everybody else's opinion on the subject.

[Rural]

If one of us breaks down,we call the other, primarily b/c we're probably going to need a ride to the parts store. If it can't be fixed in a couple of hours roadside, it's time to start thinking about a tow home, since so many of the tools are here at home. Sometimes that's over a couple hours, though.

We've had one tow in the last three years, this past weekend , in fact, and it cost $35. Therefore we don't pay for any sort of insurance. Odds are, where we live,we'd have to hike a good ways to get cell phone signal anyway. Might as well call the SO at that point.

[BlueMR2]

I'm a big fan of AAA.  I get around quite a bit and having a single number to call is a huge advantage when you're in a strange area.

I'm pretty good with cars, but I still have my share of irreparable breakdowns on the side of the road/in a parking lot.  Failed power transistor that killed the entire ignitions system, ground strap that departed the car (not letting it start) and was a royal #@$% for even a shop to figure out, etc.  The wife's had a couple of timing belts that broke way early (well before normal replacement interval).

[NumberJohnny5]

AAA may save you money just by discounts alone.

Couple years ago I was booking several days (might have been 5-6, can't remember) at Fort Wilderness (DisneyWorld campground). I could get a AAA discount, but that was it. I checked, and I'd just about break even with the AAA membership just in the savings for the one trip. I don't think I've ever used AAA for its intended purpose, though we did use Hyundai roadside assistance several times (I dunno how we kept locking the keys in the car).

I did buy Good Sam's roadside assistance when we were driving to Alaska; a tow bill to get to the next town 100+ miles away was not something we could easily afford at the time.

Keep a set of jumper cables, usable spare tire, and an empty gas can, and you're covered in the majority of cases (not always, obviously).

[sleepyguy]

I'll confess I got roadside assistance from a company here called Canadian Tire.

It was a pretty good deal and i probably won't renew unless they offer the same deal next year.

"gold" status upgrade (longer tows)
50% off annual fee ($120 to $60)
one free oil change ($40) coupon
one $20 oil change (50% off) coupon

I've already used both oil changes on both our cars... and used their service once for a dead battery in the winter (very prompt service).  All in all it's been pretty worthwhile.  We have CAA here as well but it's pretty pricey at about $140/yr.

[Chris22]

I'm already double covered, USAA insurance offers roadside assistance for some token amount of $$$, and my wife's car has 10 yrs/120k miles of coverage, which I had extended to my car since my car is the same make and they will cover both as a courtesy as long as one has active coverage.  The third car is only single-covered, but doesn't venture that far so no biggie. 

I have thought of joining AAA just for the discounts though, whenever we go on a trip we ask about the AAA discounted rate, figuring that if it's worth it we'll pick it up for "free".  So far haven't gone anywhere we couldnt get a corporate or other discount that was just as good, but I imagine the day will come.

We often drive out in the middle of nowhere (family vacation home is in the wilds of Northern Wisconsin) so a tow could easily be 50+ miles to a decent shop.  Pay for one of those out of pocket and it would cover years of the coverage we pay for.

[Paul der Krake]

Wow, that's an old thread!

Since then, I have traded my 20 year old car for a 17 year old car (!), and Discover ended their flat fee towing coverage. I have actually used AMEX's complimentary road side assistance twice, including a tow of exactly 10 miles, but it's only available on their premium cards.

[fattest_foot]

Sounds like you'd be better off saving the AAA membership and just paying for your own tows as needed.

As far as things like lockouts, running out of gas, and flat tires, I wonder if having the safety net of AAA is causing people to be more careless? Who cares if I accidently lock my keys in my car if AAA can come to the rescue? Without AAA, you might find yourself paying more attention to how much gas you have, whether your spare tire is in working condition (and that you know how to use it), or whether you have your keys before you leave your car.

Really, AAA sounds like one of those things for people who don't have enough savings for minor emergencies. I've run across several coworkers where a flat tire is a crisis.

[rockstache]

I don't feel we need roadside assistance, so I have never gotten it. However at the beginning of the year we got a call from my MIL. She told my husband that while she was signing his (financially dependent, adult) siblings up for AAA she also included my husband and wanted to be reimbursed. Her justification was that "you're married now, so you should have it." We've been married for years, so I have no idea where that came from. We declined to reimburse her and suggested that she not sign us up for any unwanted services in the future.

[Daley]

Wow, that's an old thread!

Yes it is... and now everyone's going to reply to it and give you advice like it's new NEW NEW!

Note the thread dates of the OP and last responded before today, folks. This moldy oldie is from 2013.

[pdxvandal]

I have Better World Club. Don't often use it, however, have had to use it TWICE in the past month. One for flat tire help (no tow required) and another for a tow off the interstate.

Definitely worth it, peace of mind wise, especially if you have older cars.

[HPstache]

No AAA, no CC, no insurance adder... I just own a towing dolly that my grandpa gifted me years ago :).  Comes in handy for my side hustles too!

[oneday]

I heard somewhere this strategy, which I am using this year.  Cancel your AAA membership, but hold on to the card.  Keep it in your wallet when you are on a long trip or whatever. If you need it, call the 1-800 number & pay for a year of service right over the phone.  Then they will come & help you.  It helps to live in a dense metro area with a cell phone; I feel more comfortable with this strategy.

For a lockout, I'd call Mr. O.  Out of gas, I'd try to walk to a local station.  Although neither of these things has happened to me in at least a decade.  I can change my own tire.  For anything else, I happen to know a guy who owns a small tow company (husband of a family friend), so I programmed his company number in my cell phone.  If I didn't know him, I'd use Yelp or something to find a local & well-reviewed tow company and save their number instead.

[sokoloff]

I had AAA for years when I was driving less than fully reliable cars and was broke/cheap enough that I fixed them myself (meaning I wanted to be towed *home* not to the nearest shop). I was averaging a little over 1 tow per year, and some were 50+ miles which is pricey out of pocket.

I dropped it a few years back when I realized I'd only used them for towing once in the last 4 years or so and was driving fairly reliable cars.

On the discounts, you can always ask "Do you have a AAA or USAA discount?" I've only been asked to show the card at a hotel once in 20 years.

[Frankies Girl]

Wow, that's an old thread!

Yes it is... and now everyone's going to reply to it and give you advice like it's new NEW NEW!

Note the thread dates of the OP and last responded before today, folks. This moldy oldie is from 2013.

I find many people barely read the original post, let alone glance at the posts following. If it's something they have an opinion on, they just can't stop to check things like dates or read the subsequent posts made after the initial post. I find it kind of fascinating to watch sometimes when old threads are bumped, or the OP came back and gave detailed info in a later post that changes the whole premise of the thread and was missed by the non-readers.

And they generally miss out on some real nuggets of gold that happen on these forums... so much tasty foam! ;)

[HipGnosis]

I added road side assistance onto my auto policy only because my car doesn't have a spare and it's only a few bucks.
But I seem to recall that it's ONLY effective when I'm 100+ miles from home.
I need to see if any of my credit cards off service or at least a discount.

[Chris22]

Wow, that's an old thread!

Yes it is... and now everyone's going to reply to it and give you advice like it's new NEW NEW!

Note the thread dates of the OP and last responded before today, folks. This moldy oldie is from 2013.

If someone has something to add or discuss, it's far better for them to bump the old thread with all the relevant information, rather than start a new thread without it, don't you think?  Now there will be one thread with all of the centralized info on this topic rather than several threads someone will have to comb through if they are interested in the topic.

Never understood why some are critical of bumping old threads; in my opinion, it's FAR more preferable than yet another half-assed thread on something that's been discussed before.

[oneday]

Wow, that's an old thread!

Yes it is... and now everyone's going to reply to it and give you advice like it's new NEW NEW!

Note the thread dates of the OP and last responded before today, folks. This moldy oldie is from 2013.

I find many people barely read the original post, let alone glance at the posts following. If it's something they have an opinion on, they just can't stop to check things like dates or read the subsequent posts made after the initial post. I find it kind of fascinating to watch sometimes when old threads are bumped, or the OP came back and gave detailed info in a later post that changes the whole premise of the thread and was missed by the non-readers.

And they generally miss out on some real nuggets of gold that happen on these forums... so much tasty foam! ;)

I added to the thread because I didn't see the info I presented in the thread somewhere already.  Do I get a gold star for reading? :)

[Dexterous]

For most people, roadside assistance services are not worth paying for in my opinion.  The services usually only offer a vehicle to be towed a short distance.  Also, if you're in an accident the police like to call towing services directly in my area.

Flat tire changes, but only if you have a spare in the vehicle.  Just do it yourself?  It takes 2 minutes instead of waiting probably a hour.

Last, they'll bring a few gallons of gas to you if you run out.  Well, don't run out to begin with?

The few people I can see services like that useful for are those who are physically incapable of doing the above, or people who frequently travel in fancy clothes that they don't want dirty/sweaty.

[paddedhat]

We've had one tow in the last three years, this past weekend , in fact, and it cost $35. Therefore we don't pay for any sort of insurance.

I would hate for anybody to use your $35 figure as a factor in making this decision. the last time I spent that for a tow was in the early eighties, and I live in a low cost rural area. Here, there is little chance of anybody dragging you anywhere for less than $75 cash, and that will only get you a few miles.

I don't use AAA or anybody else for my car. I do however own an older motor home and use a company called Coach-net.  It's roughy $120/yr. and they will send a tow truck, or road service, anywhere in North America to  get a stranded rig going. I do this since it doesn't take much to end up with a four figure tow bill when a motor home is involved.