Is AAA worth it?

[hellokitty]

Just as the title says. I'm wondering for those of you who have had a AAA membership before, is it worth it, or do you feel like you can find similar discounts w/o an AAA membership? Has the roadside assistance been something that you have used before?

[egoldber]

We think it is worth it. Ours pays for itself in hotel discounts alone every year. But we also travel to visit family several times a year.

I also like the security of knowing that if I breakdown, I can call and they will come get us.

[JBaxter]

;) lock your keys in your car ...yup its worth it

[BabyBearsMom]

I had a flat tire last year, and was so grateful to have my AAA handy. They arrived promptly, changed the tire and got me on my way. The discounts are great for hotels, and also they have an on line mall with discounts at a lot of retailers that you probably use everyday. I really like the peace of mind that I get knowing that if there is a problem, I can call them.

[wencit]

Check your auto insurance company to see if they offer something similar to AAA already covered in your policy. I was pleasantly surprised when we switched to a different company that had roadside assistance included in their package.

Otherwise, my answer would be, "it depends." We purchased AAA back when we lived in California but never once used it. The discounts were not enough for us to justify the expenditure. Now that we live in New England, I was definitely planning to purchase it when the winter rolled around before we discovered that it was already included with our auto insurance. NO WAY was I going to chance getting stranded in a snowstorm with 2 little kids in my car.

[jess_g]

YES! Its worth it for the one time (or 2 or 3 if you have bad luck with tires like I do!) you get a flat tire and need help. Plus it gives you piece of mind to know that someone willl come help you when your car will not start and such. I have not used it much for the discounts, but our local pizza place used to give us a free kids meal with a $5 purchase which was great. We used to use that one discount all the time.

Jessica.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Yes. I don't use the discounts a ton, but the maps and tourbooks were fun in the past, even though now we use tripadvisor, the web and google maps on our mobile phone and ipods. On vacation, it always feels good knowing that if we need a jump or whatever, we can get it easily. The towing aspect really helped me a few times with an older car, and we've had them come one morning when my battery was dead. It was better to let DH go on to work on time and just have them come out and get my old car going. We sometimes use it for attraction discounts or the Target 10% off link. I plan on going in there soon to get vacation help as well.

[luv2bmommy]

Absolutely, we got ours to use for our 14 hour road trip to Canada with my old car, nothing happened, thank God, but the peace of mind was just priceless. Plus, I've called them for locked keys and tire change, and towing for dead battery. Oh yeah, worth every penny.

[luckytwenty]

I think it is. We take advantage of the discounts (especially travel and Payless) and always end up calling them for something auto-related 1-2 times a year. If you own your cars and/or drive older cars, it's definitely peace of mind.

[Babymakes3]

We own a towing company and we no longer tow for AAA but let me give you a tip! If any of you ever wait longer than or are told longer than an hour as the ETA for the towing company call another company, pay the bill and submit it to AAA, they will pay it. In your areas AAA may be better than in my area but here they don't care about their customers and how long they leave them stranded.
With that said, it is definitely a good thing to have! A few months ago I had a tire blow out on the side of the interstate at night with my baby, my SIL and her DD...it gave me insight to my husbands customers bc I was scared to death out there on the side of the road as 2 women with kids with cars flying by at 80+!
I don't know who your insurance is through but Geico has a good policy and in order to tow for them you have to give them less than a 60 minute ETA for them to accept the call. If your car is fairly new you may already have a policy that came with it too.

[belovedgandp]

I question it every year when I renew and then something happens. Especially when I'm solo with the kids driving around town all week with DH out of town it is security. In the last six years I've used them 6 times - tow from accident, 3 flat tires and 2 dead batteries. All of those occurred with kids in the car. I could have called in some favors or figured it out myself, but it would not have been easy. Even just waiting the 30 minutes or so for someone to come was frustrating enough.

[TwinFoxes]

We have AAA, and I definitely think it's worth it. I've had two dead batteries in a year (replaced it after the second time, it was faulty). I also use the discounts. You get 10% off at target.com. :) We're using the discount for our Disney trip as well, it's cheaper than the dine for free deal that's being offered when we're going.

Even if you don't get AAA, I think it's wise to have some sort of roadside assistance.

[vonfirmath]

I drive a LONG ways everyday. AAA is worth it for the peace of mind. In fact, we have AAA plus because I work out in the country and want to be able to be towed somewhere that can actually fix the problem!

[Twoboos]

One flat tire or one dead battery, and it's worth every penny.

[yournamehere]

Yes! I had it for many years and only used to get maps and occasional movie tix so I always questioned its worth until this year. We have had to have our cars towed twice, and my husband was in a car with someone else whose car broke down so he was able to use it then as well. We have the plus membership which allows towing up to 100 miles and 4 tows per year. I hope I don't have to use it again but it is definitely worth it to me.

[alien_host]

We like it for peace of mind...especially that DH drives 30+ miles each way to work and that I always have a small child with me in the car....we have used towing maybe once or twice.

I need to research and use the discounts more...I've bought Disney tickets from AAA, movie tickets etc...maps and guidebooks can come in handy. The AAA office is very close to my home so it makes those things easy.

Oh and the 10% off at GAP OUtlet...that's a great one!

[Smillow]

We have AAA premeir because we have older cars & travel regularly in a 250 mile radius of our home (1 free 200 mile tow). It has paid for itself every year. Especially in peace of mind!

[Dream]

I've had AAA for years now, and it does pay for itself with the hotel discounts you get. Both our vehicals are fairly new and they come with road side assistance. But...

I've used AAA 2-3 times I think and they're always arrived promptly. DH doesn't have AAA and when he had a flat tire in NJ and called roadside assistance that comes with the vehical, they couldn't even find his location, he waited so long around 11pm and he finally gave up and changed the tire himself.

For me its really worth it, and now with a kid I wouldn't go without it.

[scmama]

As someone who has locked their keys in the car, etc, it's been worth it to us. Not to mention that you can do some DMV services at the AAA office. I can pay for my car registration and get new tags there and that alone is worth it to me :)

[shawnandangel]

Totally worth it. My grandparents had it for me through college. I used it for discounts everywhere and also when my crappy old car broke down. They had the free towing for 100 mile plan for me. It was awesome.

I don't have it now because all our cars are fairly new and it doesn't pay for itself with the discounts. When DD is older though, I'm sure we'll have it for her.

[jacksmomtobe]

If your car maker or insurance co doesn't provide road side assistance then it is definitely worth it. I think it is worth it just for the security of knowing that if you break down you can call someone to help you. I just used mine last week when my battery died. I was actually close to home & able to walk home but it was nice to be able to call someone & have them come quickly. They also called me at home as the driver was arriving at my car so I could run back over there rather than having to wait around with 2 kids the whole time.

[hdubs]

I agree with the majority here, AAA is totally worth it! I've been a member since I started driving 14 years ago--initially under my parents' plan, and then on my own. I dont' really use them for maps anymore, but I have used them a number of times for dead batteries and when I was locked out once or twice. The discounts at hotels are also huge--typically 15% off the lowest rates I can find online. And you don't have to go through their website, it's usually an option on the hotel sites to say you'd like the AAA rate.

[Tondi G]

It has been worth it for us! Between hotel, rental car and amusement park discounts it has paid for itself. I recently helped a friend of mine get her car jumped when it died in her driveway and we couldn't get the jumper cables to reach. I like knowing that I have the membership... god forbid I blew a tire on the freeway and needed it to be changed I could easily call AAA and stay in my car.

[rlu]

Yes. We've been towed twice (first after I was run off a clover leaf by a big rig and second when our car caught fire - they towed the attached ramp trailer as well - they came super quick - after figuring out where the heck San Ardo is - when DH told them we had two dogs and an infant in the car), battery jumped/switched out numerous times, tire changed (shredded on 380 with infant baby boy in back seat), numerous tourbooks and maps (I like to highlight them as souveniers), discounts used when I remember, and we sometimes use their auto repair shop for basic stuff. My folks use their travel office to book trips and do some of their DMV stuff there ( I need to see if I can renew my DL there or if I need to make an appt at DMV).

[[email protected]]

Its absolutely worth it. When we lived in LA and were travelling to SF every month we had the plus so that we could get the car towed either back home or to Livermore if we ran into any trouble. I can't think of a year when I didn't call them for a dead battery or keys locked in the car or a flat tire. I've never waited more than 20 minutes but maybe its just been good luck.

[ewpmsw]

DH and I gripe about AAA's membership fee, but always end up using it several times throughout the year for roadside assistance or travel planning.

[GonnaBeNana]

My insurance covers it for one of our cars (we have the most coverage on this one as it's the newest). We also have Verizon Wireless and have their Roadside Assistance plan. It's $5 a month and covers EVERYONE on our plan, regardless of what vehicle their in, or whether they are the driver or a passenger. I've used them twice and they are great.

Beth

[gatorsmom]

Yes, it's definitely worth it. Absolutely.