How do You use AAA?

[Phroig]

The AAA hotel rate isn’t just discounted, but it also comes with free cancellation.
We’ve also had them change flat tires for us. I abused their free towing many times when I drove clunkers ages ago in graduate school, so I feel I owe them many more years of membership dues.
The occasional large packets offering to sell me life insurance are mildly annoying.

 

[badatmath]

Never used or talked to anyone who does.

 

[EarlyandLate]

Ditto on the bad experience. Never again!
Question: Are the hotel/car discounts any better than AARP?

 

[Montecfo]

Ditto on the bad experience. Never again!
Question: Are the hotel/car discounts any better than AARP?

In my experience no. Not to say there could not be an exception here or there.

But also when I reserve those rates I am never asked for the actual card.

Usually I find a senior rate or some other member rate.

 

[disneysteve]

We mainly use them for roadside assistance and hotel discounts. They’ve jump started us numerous times, changed a couple of batteries, and taken care of a bunch of flat tires.

When making hotel reservations I always check the AAA rate and it’s almost always the cheapest option.

We have occasionally bought attraction tickets from them and saved some money. We used to get TripTiks back in the day but GPS has eliminated the need for those.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Our cars all come with roadside assistance service but I have not weaned off from having a AAA card. I figure it may come in handy for when I rent a car and get stuck with a problem, although calling rental car company is always an option.

 

[Chuckanut]

AAAn in my area will only tow a car 5 miles at no extra cost. That is ridiculous. I could easily be at a store that is 10 to 20 miles from my house, have a problem, and then need towing to my mechanics business. Not the shop of some stranger I don’t know from Adam. Or If I am traveling on a county road in the rural part of the state the tow to any garage could easily be 30 miles or more.

I understand the need to have some towing mileage limit. But, 5 miles is just not enough.

I have towing coverage through another service, which has a much better towing range. They had a special deal on towing for Black Friday at 1/2 price for three years. A friend used them last year while on vacation and it worked out well for him.

 

[GrayHare]

Jump start/battery replacement within 20 minutes,

The wait time is not guaranteed. In a big city I've experienced a 2+ hour wait on a normal weather day, that is, not a cold or stormy day. Other times the wait has been less than an hour. I have also used them for non-emergency battery replacement. Their battery price was about the same as buying it at a parts store, plus they do the install and dispose of the old battery.

 

[pacergal]

We joined a few years ago. Luckily have not needed any car assistance, do use AAA rates for hotels, etc.
My brother and his wife use them a lot for travel, and they go to their travel seminars nearby frequently. I have looked into the seminars, but have not gone yet.

 

[aaronc879]

I just got Passport pics from them last week. It was free for my level. I think you would have to pay a few dollars but not sure. I pay closer to $100/mo. I have used AAA several times over the years for towing, both my vehicle or any vehicle I happen to be in that's needs assistance. I have used them for a tire change when I got a flat tire 1500 miles from home. They are good for paper maps if you are going to go somewhere that may have limited cell service(data service).

$100/yr, not $100/mo

 

[aaronc879]

I just signed into my account and checked. They do still offer the online TripTik capability. But it really isn't anything that you can't find on your smartphone during your trip.

These days it's more for if you are going somewhere that might have a dead zone. Not many of those anymore though. Maybe up in the rockies in some places.

 

[Ian S]

For the first time in ages, I had a flat tire on a busy interstate north of Phoenix. Fortunately, I was able to pull well off the road and with my air pump I always carry and thinking it might be a slow leak, was able to inflate the tire and continue on my way. Alas, it was not a slow leak and within a two minutes the tire indicator came on again. So, I called AAA thinking It might be an hour or so. That call was at 9:21 am. Shortly after 9:26, I got a message that a tow truck was on the way and that I could track him in real time if I wanted. At 9:30, I got a call from the tow truck saying he needed my precise location which I gave him. At 9:43, I got a message that the tow truck was pulling up behind me and sure enough there he was! He changed out for the spare and I immediately saw the large nail near the edge of the tread on my flat. He pumped up the spare, we discussed the closest Discount Tire, I thanked him and I got on my way to the tire shop.

So, I was pleasantly surprised with how efficiently it was all handled.

 

[tutan]

AAAn in my area will only tow a car 5 miles at no extra cost. That is ridiculous. I could easily be at a store that is 10 to 20 miles from my house, have a problem, and then need towing to my mechanics business. Not the shop of some stranger I don’t know from Adam. Or If I am traveling on a county road in the rural part of the state the tow to any garage could easily be 30 miles or more.

I understand the need to have some towing mileage limit. But, 5 miles is just not enough.

I have towing coverage through another service, which has a much better towing range. They had a special deal on towing for Black Friday at 1/2 price for three years. A friend used them last year while on vacation and it worked out well for him.

AAA Plus Membership will tow up to 100 miles but it costs more than the basic membership. I don’t know if your AAA offers it but I’m in CA.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Have used the 100 mile flatbed tow once and shorter tows a few times, battery replacement twice, flat tire change a few times, international license, insurance quotes but they were always pretty expensive. Have not used passport photos ($8) but I need to renew soon so will use them this time. The 100 mile tow makes me feel secure since the regular membership only offers 10 or 15 miles and that's just not enough for me. I've been happy with how quickly they show up when needed so will continue to renew every year for now at least until I get a new car and maybe even after.

 

[Koolau]

Ditto on the bad experience. Never again!
Question: Are the hotel/car discounts any better than AARP?

Two bad experiences with my State Farm auto-emergency service!!

Planning to go back to AAA this year.

 

[Sarah S]

Aside from roadside service, hotel and local museum discounts they do some rmv services in my state. I got my last license renewal at a aaa office complete with real id upgrade. While I was there also got passport photos. I no longer have a car and cancelled it but will rejoin when my next in person license renewal happens. Avoiding the rmv is worth a lot

 

[Lagniappe]

I was about to go to the Miami Airport for a trip abroad, planning to park my car at an off-site garage, driving across Alligator Alley. On the TV news that morning was a report on the number of broken down cars on that long lonely highway. I decided to get AAA, went online and purchased. About an hour later, I left for the trip. The drive was uneventful. But as I was parking my car, I got out to sign something and the (trying to be helpful) garage employee closed my door. My keys, luggage and purse got locked inside. Subaru roadside assistance estimated 4-6 hours for someone to come out. I called AAA, explained the situation (I didn't even have a membership number yet), a locksmith was there in an hour, and I made my international flight. Whew!

My next car came with better roadside assistance, so I did not renew.

 

[ShipofDreams]

We use the AAA Premier for 200 mile towing for our RV. We haven’t needed it yet, but it’s nice to know it’s there.

 

[audreyh1]

Ditto on the bad experience. Never again!
Question: Are the hotel/car discounts any better than AARP?

My experience with my usual hotel chains is that the discounts are better than AARP or senior. Also better than loyalty points and usually decent cancellation options.

I usually do have to enter my AAA number when reserving online.

 

[brett]

International drivers license.

Have not been a member for 15 plus years. Home insurance, auto insurance quotes over the years have been on the high side.

 

[CaliKid]

We get a dead battery about once a year but otherwise a waste of money.

 

[CO-guy]

We use the AAA Premier for 200 mile towing for our RV. We haven’t needed it yet, but it’s nice to know it’s there.

We have the Premier membership with 200 mile towing. We live in the middle of nowhere, so the basic service tow distance (10-15 miles) would get us nowhere.

Several years ago I hit a deer on the highway at 65mph in a remote part of the state, which rendered my vehicle inoperable. I was able to arrange a flatbed tow all the way back to my own driveway more than 100 miles away, not some distant repair center. AAA also provided a 1-day car rental until I could arrange a longer rental through my insurance company. The cost of that tow more than covered years of annual membership fees at the Premier level.

 

[pjm-7]

When I purchased a new car three years ago it came with free roadside assistance, so I dropped AAA. The price to renew went up more than I wanted to pay. I went back to AAA last month before a road trip. As a single woman if I'm on the road and need assistance I feel that I have a bit of security having AAA sending someone that they previously approved instead of taking chances with an unknow person who may show up.