Comments on: AAA Insurance – Is It Worth It?

By: Regena Jeoffroy

Regena Jeoffroy — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:26:20 +0000

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By: jaime

jaime — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:18:55 +0000

read through this post. the topic was entitled “AAA INSURANCE” (not AAA membership). Just want to make it clear to anyone not familiar with AAA… that if you buy an AAA membership, you can use it for towing, discounts, maps, trip planning, etc, money markets, cds, other things). AAA insurance should not be confused with being just an AAA member. Most people might know this. Others might not. Again the topic was AAA INSURANCE. I’m thinking and have inquired with AAA using my AAA membership for AUTO and Homeowners Insurance quotes. I answered the questions honestly (shame on those of you who didn’t… of course they’ll find out your driving history and if you’ve had any auto and/or homeowners claims). Is there anyone out there who is HONEST and who has had the AAA INSURANCE for a long time and if so, are you happy with the INSURANCE coverage for your car and/or home? Did the insurance policy jump or stay about the same? Again, not talking about towing… that’s a perk of being an AAA member.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:58:54 +0000

Never, ever buy insurance from AAA.

An elderly friend of mine bought insurance. He’s had several accidents but did not say anything as he shopped. AAA does not “count” the accidents until AFTER you buy the insurance.

AFTER THEY ISSUE HIS POLICY they come back and raise his rates by 5 TIMES.

They claim he should have told them.

He said he figured they would run his driving history and tell him what the rate would be. They are the experts, after all.

NEVER, EVER BUY INSURANCE FROM AAA. THEY WILL SCREW YOU. ESPECIALLY AN UNDERWRITER BY THE NAME OF JAMIE. A WOMAN WHO IS ON HER PERIOD EVERY DAY OF HER LIFE.

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:02:30 +0000

“I found a loophole in AAA service” When I signed up, they said that I wasn’t allowed to use the towing service for three days… perhaps the policy has changed.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:23:07 +0000

AAA sucks. They used a technicality to cancel a friend of mine, leaving him without insurance. He paid three months in advance too. They are dishonest. I’ll never use them and will tell everyone I meet to never use that company.

By: David

David — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:50:40 +0000

Little late on this one, but I found a loophole in AAA service. Once you buy AAA service, you’re technically always a member. If you let the coverage lapse, you can get it reinstated at any time, and pay a pro-rated charge. This means that you can wait until you need AAA service, and get your coverage reinstated over the phone, at a discounted rate. Your mileage here may vary, but I was able to do this twice. Once, I was stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken fuel pump. I called, and paid the $35 to reinstate the account (it was halfway through a coverage year). They sent the tow truck right away, and I was good to go, for less money. Of course, this policy could change at any time, but it might be worth a shot. Another strategy might be to let the coverage lapse, and only get it reinstated when you are planning a long trip, or finances get tight (meaning a tow trip or keys locked in the car could ruin a monthly budget, makes AAA worth it).

By: Credit Card Debt Update = $20,216 » Blogging Away Debt

Credit Card Debt Update = $20,216 » Blogging Away Debt — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 03:58:38 +0000

[...] bill (which finally came in the mail!), life insurance bills for my husband and myself and our AAA insurance [...]

By: Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » As With Many Things in Life, There’s the Good News and Then the Bad News…

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:13:27 +0000

[...] 4.) I renewed my AAA membership back in September (I was wondering back in September if we should renew it, but I did!) We saved money on the towing fees! Whew! [...]

By: Blogging Away Debt » Blog Archive » September Income and Expense Report

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 18:56:38 +0000

[...] Under the Automobile category, you will see $48 for breakdown insurance. I did end up renewing our AAA membership. We haven’t had to use it (yet), but at least it is there for an emergency. [...]

By: TL

TL — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:47:36 +0000

There’s an alternative to AAA — Better World Club (www.betterworldclub.com). Those guys will donate 1% of their revenues to environmental clean up, clean air, etc. They are either cheaper or the same cost as AAA.

You should also check your credit card. E.g. MasterCard Platinum provides free roadside service. American Express charge cards do as well, and their yearly fee might be cheaper than what AAA charges.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 14:23:32 +0000

I also read about your blog in the Burns column. Congratulations on your efforts! I used to be carry credit card debt, too, and I felt such relief and freedom when I paid it off! But, even before that, I felt hopeful and empowered when I started a plan to pay it off and was actively working towards that goal.

Anyway, about AAA. I got a AAA card when I started driving to college, which was 750 miles away from home. That was about 15 years ago. Since then, they’ve helped me out several times. The latest incident was two years ago when they saved Christmas for me! My boyfriend and I had loaded up the car to head to Vermont on Christmas Eve day. The car didn’t start. All the car repair places in my town were closed, of course. But AAA came, diagnosed the problem (dead battery), recharged it and advised me to go to Sears to get a new battery. If I didn’t have that service I would have had to wait until Dec 26. So even in my own driveway they helped me out of a jam.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 01:47:04 +0000

Barb – congrats on being debt-free! It’s always nice to hear success stories

Thank you everyone for leaving a comment. When you are trying to cut costs, sometimes it’s hard to justify something that you have just for peace of mind. I really have not used my membership for anything since I received it.

It’s very interesting to learn about the Lens Crafters discount. I probably skimmed right over that because we do not have one near to where I live. But, there is a possibility of stopping by one when we visit our parents next. If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know that I need new glasses badly lol.

By: Barb

Barb — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 20:32:25 +0000

I read about you in Scott Burns’ column–congratulations on paying off $8K of your debt. Hang in there! It is so worth it–dh and I have been totally debt-free since 2002, and it feels every bit as good as you would think.

Re: AAA, we pay $117/year to cover dh, me and two adult children. I consider it peace of mind money in case my kids get stranded. We also make a nice discount on our frequent Super 8 and Comfort Inn visits. We’ve used it several times for towing, and while we had to wait quite a while for the tow, we saved a bundle. Bottom line: if you’re traveling alone with your child, it’s worth it for the peace of mind.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:55:54 +0000

AAA also has a bigger discount on glasses from Lens Crafters then some insurances and Lens Crafters own discounts.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:52:32 +0000

While I’m happy with my AAA membership, I’m considering dropping it after this year just to save money. In the past I’ve gotten towing & roadside assistance through my car insurance for maybe $6- $12 per year, which is a savings over AAA. On the other hand, AAA membership does come with lots of discounts. I just found out one can get Amtrack discounts through AAA – how ironic!

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:51:13 +0000

Don’t forget that when you NEED a tow, companies regularly charge north of $3 per mile! You may hit that before even getting off an interstate.

In my mind, it is a must.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:50:00 +0000

I have AAA. I think its well worth it. My job requires me to drive all day and I have to use my car. Within in this year I have had two incidents where I needed service. One incident I had gotten a flat tire while driving on the highway as it was getting dark. I used my cellphone, (it pays to have a cellphone too), I called AAA. Someone came out and put on my spare tire on for me. Another time I was way out in the country and my bearings in my rear wheels were going out. My phone wasn’t getting any service. Some kind man let me use his work cellphone, I was able to get a hold of AAA, they sent out a tow truck to tow my car to the dealership near by where I lived.

The card can be used as a bond card too if you were to receive a speeding ticket and don’t want to give up your license.

I think its well worth it.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 18:54:18 +0000

I was a member of AAA for about 15 years. I moved to Texas, and I needed their service once, and it was horrible. My former 15 years with them in Massachusetts was excellent, but after this one bad experience with them, I did not renew my membership.

I agree with Kevin, the maps, guidebooks and discounts are great. As well as the piece of mind. At $48 a year, that’s less than $1 a week. For piece of mind, I would pay to renew the membership……although I am somewhat hypocritical, suggesting you renew when I no longer am a member.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 18:08:22 +0000

I personally like the AAA service, even though I rarely use the towing. I think in the 10 years I’ve had it, I’ve used the towing once and the lockout services twice.

I like the travel services they provide, the many discounts, and the free guidebooks and maps. I also like the discounts and quality service when you go with AAA approved auto service shops. Peace of mind is nice to have too. They also have a good auto buying discount program if you are buying a new car.