Baby, you can tow my car.

November 3, 2014 9:58 AM

Is AAA worth the money? I recently started a new job with a significantly longer commute (~50 miles/day roundtrip, mostly freeway) and am considering joining AAA because Pittsburgh is ranked 6th in nation for "most likely to get in an accident."

I come from a people suspicious of subscription services, but I am also physically unable to change a tire or walk long distances to get a gas refill. So I ask you: am I just as prepared if I have the names of local tow services? Or am I buying more than peace of mind for $49-89 a year?

posted by deliriouscool to Travel & Transportation (52 answers total)

Do you travel?

My husband and I travel at least 2x a year and save more in AAA discounts than we pay. Other than that, I've used AAA about 2x in the past 5 years - once to change a tire and once when I locked my keys in the car.

Some people lie and say they are AAA members when they're not to get the same travel discounts, but I have an ethical problem doing so.
posted by muddgirl at 10:01 AM on November 3, 2014

Best answer: Do you get roadside assistance another way? I get it through my credit card and through my car insurance (and I don't pay extra for either) and I think I got it with my car purchase for the first five years (again, without paying extra). For me, roadside assistance is a must, and AAA is probably the best, but check to see if you already have roadside assistance that you don't know about.
posted by brainmouse at 10:01 AM on November 3, 2014 [10 favorites]

Check with your auto insurance provider to see whether you already have equivalent coverage through them. If you don't, I would absolutely advise getting it -- I recently locked my keys in my car, and it was a godsend just calling my insurance company and letting them find someone who was open, and then find someone else when the first guy couldn't unlock my car.
posted by Etrigan at 10:03 AM on November 3, 2014 [4 favorites]

My can of fix-a-flat gives me as much peace of mind as my roadside assistance that I get through my car insurance without paying extra.

I think the benefit of AAA or similar services is mainly for when you're far from home. If you're only concerned about your local commuting, then you're just as well off if you're prepared to call local tow services.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 10:04 AM on November 3, 2014

SUCH YES.

Reasons I love AAA:

- Not sure if this is everywhere, but AAA locations can do a lot of DMV services for you, thus preventing you from having to go to the actual DMV.

- Four free tows a year. This was a lifesaver when I was driving a beater, and after I got a better car, it's still come in handy a few times. For example my boss' car needed a jump and I was able to just use one of my AAA tows to take care of it for free within an hour. Also, yes, if you get a flat or have car trouble or anything of that ilk.

- Discounts on stuff, as muddgirl says.

- I also have AAA car insurance, which is great. Not sure if you have access to that if you're not a AAA member.
posted by Sara C. at 10:05 AM on November 3, 2014 [11 favorites]

We have tightened our budget quite a bit while my husband starts a new career, and AAA is one of the things we kept. Things we have used them for in the past year:

My car wouldn't start in a mysterious manner (tow to dealer)
My car battery died. (tow to dealer b/c they insisted it was something else - really the only hassle we ever had, and they were just being conservative because it's a hybrid)
My husband's car battery died and the replacement they brought didn't work (tow to dealer, justifying my own tow above)
Flat tire, couldn't get lug nuts off
Husband fundamentally incapable of putting gas in car unless down to seven drops of gas; cut it too close and ran out in our driveway. (Brought gas in can, followed to station.)
Vehicle registration
Yearly smog check
Free maps

Now, we have the benefit of being in Southern California where you're never really far from things, but my experience with mobile carrier/credit card/warranty roadside assistance in Texas was absolute garbage, while AAA here is crazy-fast, excellent customer service, we are totally satisfied customers.

Everyone keeps pimping the travel thing, but AAA has been most useful to us when we needed our free sub-11-mile tows.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:06 AM on November 3, 2014 [8 favorites]

I totally forgot about the discounts. I always book AAA hotel rates, Amtrak tickets, etc.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:06 AM on November 3, 2014

Member for over 30 years here, and for me it has been absolutely worth it. Not a year goes by that I don't use them at least once.

In 2014 alone they have towed me out of my own driveway (rural, long, clogged with snow drifts), jumped my battery when I left the key on in the ignition after listening to the radio during my lunch break, and brought my dead car and I home a distance of more than 60 miles late at night (turned out to be a bad censor). All at NO CHARGE beyond my annual membership fee.

I don't know why EVERYBODY doesn't subscribe. It is such a comfort to know all I have to do is pull out that little gold card.

(Probably saved my marriage, too. Takes the pressure off my DH.)
posted by probably not that Karen Blair at 10:12 AM on November 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

My take is that AAA is sorta prohibitively expensive as a single person, but it becomes a pretty good deal if you get a couple or family membership and split it. You could probably split it with a friend if you wanted to, I don't think they really check or require that you have the same last name or anything.

If you use the free tow or lockout service even once every few years the membership pays for itself. Either one of those are surprisingly expensive if you just call up a towing company as J. Random Individual and pay cash (and in some cases it gives the other party an opportunity to take advantage of you, since they know you're buying a proverbial pig in a poke; if you have AAA they are less likely IMO to try anything shady).

As a matter of personal pride I won't call them for flat-tire changes, but if you don't share that hangup it's an even better deal, and even if you have a new car that is unlikely to require towing, you can get a flat tire as easily as anyone else.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:13 AM on November 3, 2014

Oh, I forgot about the other time I locked the keys in a company car, didn't call AAA because I thought corporate travel insurance covered it, and payed $55 out of pocket which is more than I pay for a membership ($50).

If that helps your math.
posted by muddgirl at 10:15 AM on November 3, 2014

The roadside assistance we get with our auto insurance has done everything AAA would have done, including hauling us out of the depths of a 3rd tier National Park a few dozen miles from the nearest city. If you don't have roadside assistance, its worth it. If you have it but aren't confident with the service, it's worth $50 for the peace of mind.

To the question of whether you're just as well-off keeping the number for local tow outifts on your phone: With my insurer's plan, if you need help, they come, sort out your problem, and you pay nothing. I assumed AAA was the same. The subscription fee includes the services that you might need.
posted by the christopher hundreds at 10:27 AM on November 3, 2014

It's worth it, IMO. Earlier this year I had a dead battery in a deserted grocery store parking lot juuuuust after the store had closed, and calling AAA to renew* my expired membership on the spot was cheaper than calling a service for a jump-start. And then when the battery died again the next morning (before I'd had a chance to replace it), they came back and sold me a new battery and replaced it in my driveway.

* Pro-tip: you can "extend" your membership year by waiting until you need the service again to renew.
posted by donajo at 10:27 AM on November 3, 2014

You can also get discount coupons for several movie theater chains and theme parks.
posted by brujita at 10:29 AM on November 3, 2014

Better World Club, an AAA alternative. My car had "emergency" service that it came with but that turned out to be more for stuff like "on fire or hanging off a cliff, especially if it was a Sunday."
posted by Buttons Bellbottom at 10:29 AM on November 3, 2014 [8 favorites]

It's always worth it to me. Definitely if you have an older car, and even though my car is newer and more reliable than when I was younger and poorer, most years I still get my money's worth through having them fix a flat or tow me when a battery dies, etc. The knowledge that there will be a complete lack of hassle should anything go wrong is really reassuring.
posted by something something at 10:30 AM on November 3, 2014

We called our insurer's roadside assistance line once and it was a bit of a joke. It was for a locked car and they had apparently outsourced it to a couple of college kids in a Honda. They had a smartphone app and some basic tools, and they generally acted like idiots, took half an hour to get into the car, and set off the car alarm in the meantime.

Never had that happen with AAA.
posted by smackfu at 10:37 AM on November 3, 2014

Nthing the travel discounts. I always invariably get a better car rental rate through them than I find anythwere else. The savings on the last vacation alone were worth the cost of the annual membership. My brother works for a well known hotel chain and sometimes the AAA rate is cheaper than his friends and family rate for me.
posted by rdnnyc at 10:41 AM on November 3, 2014

AAA is totally worth it. I remember once we went camping during off season, in the middle of nowhere, and I accidentally locked my keys in the car. One call to AAA and the guy showed up and saved us, no trouble. I've had cars break down and get towed with AAA, been saved from running out of gas, and received a few battery jump starts as well. I was a member for a good 20 years when I was in the US, and even in the years I didn't need their services, I never questioned the value. Because when I did need it, it was a lifesaver to know it was just a call away.

The discounts are great, the DMV services done in their offices - those are all just bonuses on top. Good ones, too.
posted by routergirl at 10:42 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

YES!

AAA is a great service, I've been a member since I've been a driver (36 years.) Sure, you get discounts on hotels, and attractions and rental cars. That's great. But the service is amazing.

AAA came and changed my tire on Christmas on I75 in Corbin, KY. My girlfriend ran down her battery, so I called AAA, they came, jumped her car, and then told her how many more cranks her battery had.

They will not only bring you gas, but a new battery. They don't charge you out the wazoo for it either.

Towing is just 1/10th of it.

So absolutely, invest in AAA.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:42 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

AAA roadside service has been a bacon-savor for me and my family, especially since a couple of our cars are getting a bit long in the tooth.
posted by doctor tough love at 10:45 AM on November 3, 2014

AAA has saved me on several occasions, most recently over the summer. We were driving back to Tallahassee from Jacksonville through the middle-of-nowhere that is Osceola National Forest.

The tire blew. Scared us both half to death. We tried to change the tire, but the tire shop had replaced the lug nuts way too tightly last time. Mr. Rose sprained his wrist trying to undo it. I was jumping on the wrench and nearly bent it.

Anyway, we called AAA, told them what was up, and after 1.5 hours (mostly because we were ~20 minutes from the closest shop that could drive to us), they'd gotten our spare on and we were able to make it to a proper shop to buy new tires.

I'm never going without AAA -- that tale was only the most recent of the many times they'd sorted things out for me. I'm crap under stress, and I know it. Having AAA there to figure out what to do is the best.

I use them about once a year, and that alone is worth the fees. The one year I had the clunker and used it the 4 times I was allotted pretty much solidified my need to never go without a membership.
posted by PearlRose at 10:46 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

We have roadside assistance from our insurance company, and we called them when we ran out of gas on a scary busy freeway interchange. After waiting 30 minutes, they still hadn't called back to let us know if someone was coming. I still had an active AAA subscription so I called them. They came in 10 minutes. I never did hear back from the Allstate roadside assistance people. We continue to renew the AAA subscription.
posted by matildaben at 10:47 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Another vote here from me that it's worth it. I have needed it at least 3 or 4 times now for car issues that come up at the worst times...such as the time I got back from vacation only to find my car had a flat at 1am at the airport parking lot. The travel discounts are also awesome. To me it's worth the money.
posted by FireFountain at 10:56 AM on November 3, 2014

Another vote for AAA. I've had good experiences with them the few times my car battery has died. The prices they offerred to install a new battery seemed pretty fair too, as I recall. I've also used them when friends have had dead batteries or locked their keys in their cars. AAA doesn't care who the car belongs to, as long as the member is there. I like being able to help out a friend in need, even if I'm not car savvy enough to do it myself!
posted by bluloo at 11:01 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

AAA is ok, but I've had multiple occasions where their service has provided sub-par repair advice that caused huge travel issues a few days later and then they refused to acknowledge it or comp any aspect of the emergency service that wouldn't have needed to be provided if they had gotten the diagnosis right the first time. Long story short--useful product, horrible customer service.

Thanks to the link to the Better World Club above--I'll be switching to that ASAP!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:03 AM on November 3, 2014

I lock my keys in my car about twice a year. AAA is worth it for that alone.
posted by nonasuch at 11:07 AM on November 3, 2014

Piling on to say that AAA is absolutely worth it; one tow/jumpstart/lockout call in a year and it pays for itself (and you get multiple calls per year. I think at the standard membership level you get 3?) Towing in particular gets expensive fast.

The other super-nice thing that I don't think anyone else has mentioned is that going through AAA for some kind of roadside assistance is so much more painless than it would be to try and find a local garage by yourself, even in this age of smartphones; one call to AAA and they have their own directory of 24/7 garages, and take care of the dispatch. Trying to find a local a 24 hour garage when you're stuck in the freezing cold at night is the the absolute last thing you're going to want to deal with on top of whatever has gone wrong.
posted by usonian at 11:10 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

With all the costs to buy/run/maintain/insure a car, I have always considered the annual ~$100 AAA fee to be an inexpensive adjunct that I was happy to pay for the rare times I need it.

(Of course, it doesn't pay nearly as well as it did with the junkers of my youth.)
posted by fairmettle at 11:16 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yes yes yes yes yes, a hundred times YES.

Towing fees are expensive. If you need to get towed ONCE, your AAA membership has just paid for itself for that year. Before I had AAA, I once paid $90 to have my car towed a total of 2 miles.

I have a 100 mile round trip commute, and AAA Plus (which will provide free towing up to 100 miles from where you break down. Regular AAA will only tow you 3 miles. Where I live, 3 miles won't even get you to the nearest town.) AAA Plus means in most cases I can just tell them to tow it to my preferred mechanic. (Of course, if I'm out of state, more than 100 miles from home, I can't do that, but that doesn't happen terribly often.)

I use AAA for my car insurance and homeowner's insurance -- good, low rates, but you need to be a AAA member to get their insurance.
posted by tckma at 11:24 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'm a AAA groupie. I have had them my whole life and they have saved me more times than I can count. I have even let it expire accidentally, needed service, and had them renew my membership on the spot, so I could utilize them in my emergency. Love them.
posted by Vaike at 11:24 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

They have saved my bacon many times! Plus I get 10% discounts at a lot of places, such as hotels, for being a member.
posted by harrietthespy at 11:28 AM on November 3, 2014

Also, I forgot to mention: AAA follows the member, not the car. If you're a passenger in someone else's car, and they need a tow, they can use your AAA membership to get the tow for free.
posted by tckma at 11:29 AM on November 3, 2014 [4 favorites]

When I've needed AAA (rotten, icky roadside conditions), they've been there -- including when our car slid into a ditch late at night in middle of a massive snowstorm 20 miles from the nearest town. There is a slight chance we have paid more in annual fees than what we could have paid out-of-pocket for the services they have rendered over the years, but it's a tossup. And the peace of mind for having such stellar service has been worth every penny.

And yes, AAA follows the member. When my 74-year old father's car had a flat tire in 20 below zero weather last winter -- and I was a passenger in the car -- AAA came and took off the flat & put on the spare (including inflating it) in just minutes, giving my Dad a bit of a break.
posted by apennington at 11:35 AM on November 3, 2014

The only reason I don't have AAA right now is that my car is 3 years old and came with 4 free years of roadside assistance. I'll certainly be right back to AAA when that is up. Roadside assistance can really get you out of a pickle.

Once during a very stressful period in my life, I was driving back from a doctor's appointment where I'd had a minor surgical procedure. I was rather uncomfortable and anxious to get home. I wasn't paying attention to my gas gauge and ran out of gas! I lived in the humid South and it was horribly hot. I was in no condition to walk to god-knows-where (I was not in a neighborhood I was familiar with) to try to get a gas can. AAA was a lifesaver!
posted by radioamy at 11:57 AM on November 3, 2014

I think having roadside assistance is completely necessary to owning a car, but I get basically the same service through my car insurance for only $15/year as compared to $50. I was a long time AAA subscriber, but I never used the discounts so that aspect was totally not worth it for me. I've been locked out and ran my battery down on both assistance programs and my car insurance operated with the same speed and convenience as AAA with still no out of pocket expense for me. If you would use the discounts, I think that might be worth the premium.
posted by rawralphadawg at 11:58 AM on November 3, 2014

No criticism of their service but they'll be lobbying law makers on your behalf, so check out their positions on things if it's important to you. The CAA here in Toronto has pushed for new expressway construction and spoken out against transit plans that would require a dedicated right-of-way on surface routes, so I dropped my membership (which isn't that big a deal in a large city).
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:23 PM on November 3, 2014 [6 favorites]

With respect to lobbying lawmakers... I get a few emails from them on occasion asking me to send an online petition to the Honorable Representative Phil I. Buster or Senator Gerry Mandering for or against some transportation issue. If I agree with the position, I do the online position. If not, I don't.

I had more of a problem when I was a member of the American Motorcyclist Association -- having them lobbying for racing rights and stuff like that on my behalf, and only reading about it in the monthly magazine -- when I didn't agree with more than half of their positions.
posted by tckma at 12:33 PM on November 3, 2014

Yes, they're worth it. Last winter, when it got so dang cold lots of batteries (including mine!) needed jump starts; multiple flat tires; when my transmission died in rush hour traffic; I could go on and on, but yes indeedy I've been glad to have them.
posted by easily confused at 12:54 PM on November 3, 2014

No criticism of their service but they'll be lobbying law makers on your behalf, In MA they are paying for adds that encourage people not to repeal a gas tax that will raise automatically without legislative approval (taxation without representation). That being said...

You can Join AAA the instant you need it. Just call them. Had I known that I could have saved myself a few bucks when I was locked out of my car.
posted by Gungho at 1:00 PM on November 3, 2014

Another alternative may be your cell phone carrier. I haven't checked in a few years because I currently get roadside assistance through my insurance, but before that I found Verizon's roadside assistance program was both cheaper and at least in some respects better than AAA (e.g., towing covered up to 10 miles on Verizon vs. 5 miles on AAA). You don't have to actually place the call for service from your cell phone, so you're still OK if you're in some remote area with spotty cell coverage and have to call from a landline.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:28 PM on November 3, 2014

I have it, and i'm the only person i know who does under 30.

Before I had AAA, I once paid $90 to have my car towed a total of 2 miles.

This would get you like 10 feet in seattle. ONE tow in my area is $85 TO START on hitch up/meter drop. AAA is $100ish a year for the beefier plan.

How far do you think they're going to tow you for $100? The equivalent of a 15 minute drive was like $180 last time i had to pay out of pocket.

They also, at least in my area, use much nicer tow trucks than the regular local services, of the flatbed variety.


It's also that me and my dad are cheap curmudgeons. My car, when i used to regularly drive it, cocked up fairly often. My dads car had a dying battery(i ended up being the one to run out and swap it in the middle of the day) and still has a flaky starter solenoid. And last time my partners car got checked out, they said the battery was "marginal" and might croak in super cold weather even though it's been fine so far in the fall.

Any of those problems, or the problems of anyone i'm riding with can be solved by just calling them, in like a half hour or less. A lot of my friends also have jankmobile or "i'm going to drive it until the wheels fall off" cars that are various values of flaky.

I put it in the same category as renters insurance. it's pretty cheap for what you get, and i wish i had gotten it way sooner.

You can Join AAA the instant you need it. Just call them. Had I known that I could have saved myself a few bucks when I was locked out of my car.

This isn't strictly true. For the first 48 hours or something, they'll only cover 5 miles of a tow instead of the usual 60/whatever you get at the tier you pay for. Found that one out the hard ware, but it still covered the hitch up fee and enough of the tow that it was only like $50 when it would have been like $200.

Still, buy it now, not when you need it. If you use it twice in a year it paid for itself and then some.
posted by emptythought at 1:57 PM on November 3, 2014

I think I end up using their battery service at least once a year due to stupidity. Agreed about great discounts: coffee, movie tickets, paint, hotels, food...
posted by cecic at 2:45 PM on November 3, 2014

Worth it. If you travel a few times a year, you will get back the cost in discounts from hotels and museums/attractions.
posted by Leatherstocking at 2:47 PM on November 3, 2014

My wife has AAA because she has such a long commute. The roadside assistance has bailed us out so many times over the years, it's silly. AAA is one of the very few services that is totally worth the money.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:49 PM on November 3, 2014

Seconding Better World Club.

I've had both BWC and AAA, and BWC's service is, as far as I've seen, identical. (I.e. you call them, they find a local garage and send a person with a tow truck.) They also offer hotel discounts and suchlike.

In addition: you can get roadside assistance for your bike, and they help you find things like bike rentals, green hotels, ecotours, etc. (I've never used these services, just the regular travel discounts.)

They also use a portion of your membership fees to purchase carbon offsets and lobby and advocate for sustainable transportation. (http://www.betterworldclub.com/about-us/green-business-practices/)
posted by BrashTech at 2:54 PM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Used to have Better World Club, never needed it. Got rid of it after a year or so. I have been at least 7-8 years without it or AAA. Never needed it. Never missed it. If you know how to change a tire, don't lock your keys in your car, and don't expect your car to constantly break down, I think you can get away without it. Theoretically my insurance has roadside assistance of some sort, but I've never needed it.

Obviously I'm in a vast minority here, but I personally wouldn't bother.
posted by Slinga at 3:32 PM on November 3, 2014

I haven't step foot in a DMV in years except to take a photo for a new license because AAA handles all kinds of paperwork like car registration and title transfers.
posted by Room 641-A at 4:23 PM on November 3, 2014

I think AAA is worth it, as someone who likes the faster, more pleasant alternative to the DMV and who has had a few less than 100% reliable cars and motorcycles.

That said, I wish they had more competitors. The policies are sometimes a little annoying (don't wait to activate the RV/motorcycle coverage until you need it--it takes 7 days to take effect), and the website is kinda amateurish.
posted by jjwiseman at 5:56 PM on November 3, 2014

Quickly skimming the answers, I didn't see this AAA benefit: in Illinois, speeding violations require the police to confiscate your drivers license unless you can post immediate bond, and, guess what, an AAA card counts as bond.

As said above, AAA has saved my bacon a number of times. Their roadside service usually takes longer than they say it will, but they do come, and they're always professional, friendly and get the job done.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 6:00 PM on November 3, 2014

In the same geographic area on the Ohio side, I have never not had AAA, for two reasons: Flat batteries without someone to jump me, and snow. I have called them on like four occasions in the past five years, once for a battery that got run down, and several times because I'd parked somewhere that looked fine and then ended up being unable to get back out again because of snow/ice/mud even with the usual tricks.
posted by Sequence at 8:48 PM on November 3, 2014

Man, I have serious issues with their lobbying positions, and my husband and I still make a point to maintain a AAA membership. Leaving aside travel discounts, we have used the towing/jumping/tire-reinflating service at least once a year, and it always makes the dues worth the money.

This is a good reminder for me to register my periodic disagreement with their policy positions, though. It is a membership association, after all.
posted by bowtiesarecool at 6:06 AM on November 4, 2014

Just got into my house after locking my keys in my car at 11PM. Called AAA at exactly 11:12. Had my keys in hand at 11:28. Total cost to me? Nothing.

Join AAA. You'll be happy you did if you are the type to ever have dumb car mishaps.
posted by Sara C. at 11:36 PM on November 4, 2014