OnStar vs. AAA

[rtroxel]

We currently own two cars, both of which include OnStar emergency services. We also subscribe to AAA roadside service. The situation seems to me like an unnecessary duplication. For example, if both AAA and OnStar can start a stalled engine or replace a flat tire, shouldn't I drop one of the services?

Thanks, in advance, for your suggestions,

Roy in New Mexico

PS: I hope I've placed this question in the proper forum If not, let me know.

 

[MC Rider]

AAA been great here now and again as needed.

I'd drop Onstar, it does sound like duplication of services.

 

[CaptTom]

I never understood OnStar. The idea probably made sense before everyone had a smart phone.

 

[Bflotomny]

Drop OnStar...You'll never see OnStar delivering a gallon of gas when you have run out

 

[Jerry1]

The main value I see with OnStar is the emergency crash response. Unfortunately, their pricing got way out of hand. When I was working and leasing new vehicles frequently (and making money), I didn’t care and all my cars had OnStar and XM. Now, I only have XM because they ran a great deal during the pandemic. I wanted to keep OnStar, but the cost/value proposition just isn’t there.

We’ve been AAA members for over 40 years. It’s come in handy a few times and the cost is reasonable (IMO), so we keep it.

 

[euro]

I would ditch Onstar too. I will admit that I don’t have any direct experience with their service (I think it came with free subscription last time I purchased a new car but I didn’t activate it) but I have a hard time believing their network of repair shops is anywhere near that of AAA as far as roadside assistance. Sure, if you are in a crash and incapacitated then they will be able to send help, but for actual roadside assistance, I don’t think it is worth it.
I suppose we could probably start a new thread (or maybe there have been such threads in the past) on good/bad experiences with AAA and other services. Like probably most, my AAA history has been mostly positive, although they did produce a couple of howlers as well, over the years….

 

[O2Bfree]

I've had AAA since I was 16. I'd visit the local office for paper maps, Tour Books, and printed TripTiks—remember those? I've used the membership for five or six tows and a couple lockouts over the years. Our latest van came with Onstar and a wifi hotspot, which we kept active for awhile because we were using flip phones. But yeah, with a smartphone both services seemed redundant and we dropped them.

 

[Franklin]

Drop OnStar...You'll never see OnStar delivering a gallon of gas when you have run out

Ive had both up until last month. I was stuck in the mountains with a dead battery and no clue where to turn. I called Onstar and they admitted they could not find me a new battery or jump. Last month all my NAV systems suddenly appeared in French Language. I called Onstar and they had no useful suggestions to fix the situation (transferred me to 4 people). Ive had other useless experiences with them but these 2 were recent. I dropped the service and now rely on my phone and AAA only.

 

[bmcgonig]

Does AAA respond if you are not a member? Assuming you’re willing to pay full fare for whatever is delivered?

 

[rtroxel]

Ive had both up until last month. I was stuck in the mountains with a dead battery and no clue where to turn. I called Onstar and they admitted they could not find me a new battery or jump. Last month all my NAV systems suddenly appeared in French Language. I called Onstar and they had no useful suggestions to fix the situation (transferred me to 4 people). Ive had other useless experiences with them but these 2 were recent. I dropped the service and now rely on my phone and AAA only.

Thank you everyone, for your quick replies.

OnStar is charging me a monthly rate that is twice the annual rate of AAA! The only time I have used OnStar was when I got lost following their own NAV instructions. When I called to complain, I was passed around to various "experts" who were clueless as to why their NAV was so wrong.

On the other hand, I've had battery trouble twice over the last few years, and AAA was there to charge it - within a half-hour of my calling them.

Roy

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Does AAA respond if you are not a member? Assuming you’re willing to pay full fare for whatever is delivered?

Not that I'm aware of. If that were the situation, you'd be better off just using your phone to find a local towing company. It will likely be the same one that AAA has contacted for you. The convenience of AAA is that you don't need to try and track down a local towing company.

 

[kgtest]

I just tow my own vehicles. Its a pay for convenience service. If the vehicle is disabled, not from an accident I can usually tow it to a place that is safe to then load it onto a trailer.

In all my years of driving, we used AAA one time and it was a gift to my DW when we were dating. Her car started overheating, and rather than doing more damage realizing the head gaskets were blown, we parked and waited for the AAA tow truck.

If it's an accident and the vehicle is disabled, I'll let the insurance company and my towing coverage handle that. I think they allow up to 50 or 100 miles of tow.

If it's a lockout, I have a second set of keys at home, can get an uber to the second set, and catch a ride back to my car.

If its a lockout with the car running, then the car runs until I get back with the spare set of keys. (I used to dangle a spare key under the carriage of the car but don't do that anymore).

AAA did have some deals with hotels where I could get a cheaper rate, but since I am a veteran, the AAA and veteran rates are about the same savings.

Now we have newer vehicles, but if our vehicles were older with high mileage I might consider AAA ...but again, insurance covers most of the tow. I've never used on-star but did have it for a little while until the new vehicle subscription service expired after a year. I accidentally hit the button once, but other than that never used it.

If I were older, and didn't want the hassle of towing my own vehicles, and didn't have towing coverage on my insurance...I might consider the service again.

 

[travelover]

Not that I'm aware of. If that were the situation, you'd be better off just using your phone to find a local towing company. It will likely be the same one that AAA has contacted for you. The convenience of AAA is that you don't need to try and track down a local towing company.

My insurance company, Amica, offers the same service for about $10 a year. They only cover the first $100, but I think I've used road insurance once or twice in a half century of driving. And that was before smartphones that allowed me to look up and call a tow company myself. I don't think AAA is a good value anymore, if it really ever was.

 

[Sojourner]

My insurance company, Amica, offers the same service for about $10 a year. They only cover the first $100, but I think I've used road insurance once or twice in a half century of driving. And that was before smartphones that allowed me to look up and call a tow company myself. I don't think AAA is a good value anymore, if it really ever was.

+1

I think AAA is overpriced for what it is, although I know many disagree. I feel comfortable with my insurance company's very cheap (by comparison) roadside assistance service. It's $20 for six months of coverage for all my cars.

 

[rtroxel]

+1
I feel comfortable with my insurance company's very cheap (by comparison) roadside assistance service. It's $20 for six months of coverage for all my cars.

My wife and I pay AAA about $33/year for each if our two vehicles. On the other hand, OnStar charges us $77/month for both vehicles.The only exceptional thing that OnStar provides that AAA doesn't is the way it tracks our cars' engine, fuel, electricity and other functions. Each month, I get an emailed report informing me how much air pressure is in the tires, when I need an oil change, etc., etc.. I think that is a worthwhile service, but not for $77/month.

Roy

 

[euro]

I just tow my own vehicles. Its a pay for convenience service. If the vehicle is disabled, not from an accident I can usually tow it to a place that is safe to then load it onto a trailer.

In all my years of driving, we used AAA one time and it was a gift to my DW when we were dating. Her car started overheating, and rather than doing more damage realizing the head gaskets were blown, we parked and waited for the AAA tow truck.

If it's an accident and the vehicle is disabled, I'll let the insurance company and my towing coverage handle that. I think they allow up to 50 or 100 miles of tow.

If it's a lockout, I have a second set of keys at home, can get an uber to the second set, and catch a ride back to my car.

If its a lockout with the car running, then the car runs until I get back with the spare set of keys. (I used to dangle a spare key under the carriage of the car but don't do that anymore).

AAA did have some deals with hotels where I could get a cheaper rate, but since I am a veteran, the AAA and veteran rates are about the same savings.

Now we have newer vehicles, but if our vehicles were older with high mileage I might consider AAA ...but again, insurance covers most of the tow. I've never used on-star but did have it for a little while until the new vehicle subscription service expired after a year. I accidentally hit the button once, but other than that never used it.

If I were older, and didn't want the hassle of towing my own vehicles, and didn't have towing coverage on my insurance...I might consider the service again.

I see where you are coming from, but most of us don't have the ability/equipment to tow ourselves. Also, many of your solutions work fine if you are in and around the same town all the time. One of the reasons I have AAA is that we take a good number of long (2000-3000 miles a piece) road trips, so if we lock ourselves out at the other end of the country, then fetching the spare keys is not really an option. Of course, we could carry a second set of keys, etc. but point is its nice if you can call an 800# if you run out of gas in some rural area. I'll admit that these scenarios are rare, but boy, they tend to happen at the most inopportune times....
Anyway, for us (and especially for my DW who tends to get flustered easily if something goes wrong with her car) it is a very worthwhile peace of mind.

 

[ncbill]

IIRC, most insurance companies still consider the use of roadside assistance coverage as a claim...be sure to check with yours before adding it.

I keep AAA given my much older vehicles...plus the 200 mile tow (higher trim level) gets my vehicle back home from where we vacation at either the mountains or the beach.

 

[travelover]

....... its nice if you can call an 800# if you run out of gas in some rural area......

My Amica road service for $10 a year has a 24/7 800 number to call. Whether AAA, Amica or I call, it is probably to the same guy out in the sticks. AAA does not own their own trucks.

 

[bmcgonig]

My Amica road service for $10 a year has a 24/7 800 number to call. Whether AAA, Amica or I call, it is probably to the same guy out in the sticks. AAA does not own their own trucks.

I guess that’s the question for me. Do I get better/quicker service if I’m in AAA. If not then I’m not sure what’s the point.

There are also a bunch of towing apps for your phone although I’ve never used them.

 

[braumeister]

I guess that’s the question for me. Do I get better/quicker service if I’m in AAA. If not then I’m not sure what’s the point.

My experience has been horrible service from AAA, but excellent with my USAA roadside assistance. Never had Onstar, so I don't know if it's good or not.

 

[MC Rider]

One tow will probably cost more than a 1 year AAA subscription.
And they still do paper maps last I checked. Don't think they do trip tiks anymore.
Not a member and break down? I think the yoyo rule would be in effect.
You're on your own.

 

[MichaelB]

AAA still makes TripTiks. I’m not sure if their mapping system is still proprietary or now just based on Google maps, but the TripTiks are the same.

 

[MC Rider]

AAA still makes TripTiks. I’m not sure if their mapping system is still proprietary or now just based on Google maps, but the TripTiks are the same.

They do? OK then.


I have a couple really old ones where someone used a highlighter to mark off the route on the maps.

 

[MichaelB]

They do? OK then.


I have a couple really old ones where someone used a highlighter to mark off the route on the maps.

I should have added the TripTiks are online, you get a pdf with the same level of detail as before. Not sure if they do physical copies.

 

[rtroxel]

My experience has been horrible service from AAA, but excellent with my USAA roadside assistance. Never had Onstar, so I don't know if it's good or not.

Interesting. I'm a member of USAA but didn't know they had roadside assistance. Is that part of their auto insurance program?

Roy