Roadside assistance pay per use options

[nassa]

I'm planning a trip and spent some time digging into my options for roadside assistance and below I've included details of some of the different services I looked at. I had been a member of AAA for a while and dropped it several years ago as I didn't feel it was a beneficial enough. I rarely use roadside assistance, probably once every 4-5 years, but my car is 15 years old now so that may change.

I want to be covered regardless of what vehicle I'm in, my own, a rental, or borrowing a car from someone. That typically rules out an auto insurance company add-on. Plus, using it through my auto insurance may result in it being counted as a claim and potentially higher premium if used too much.

I'm leaning toward preferring to use a pay per use service rather than a yearly fee for a motor club such as AAA. Here are the options I looked into.

• Allstate offers a pay per use plan here: Allstate Roadside pay per use. Current price for a tow is $159. Other services are a little under $100 each.
• There's an app called Honk available on Android and Apple. Current price for a tow as I type this is $120 + $6 per mile.
• One can also just Google "roadside assistance" when needed and call a highly-rated local tow truck company, which may get you faster service.
• Credit Cards: Although my particular AMEX doesn't provide roadside assistance, I have a Visa and Mastercard that do at pre-negotiated rates so I called both to get prices.
  • Visa "Roadside Dispatch"-- $79.95 for a tow, battery jump, lockout, and fuel delivery (tow includes 5 miles + a small fee for each mile over). Visa uses third-party provider Agero to arrange service. The agent I talked to was fantastic.
  • Mastercard "Road Assist"-- Cost of a tow is determined by where you are and where you want to go. Battery jump and lockout are $95. Fuel delivery is $105 and includes 2 gallons. Mastercard uses a company called Blink to arrange service. The Visa provider was more helpful and knowledgeable and would be my preference. I think using this service would be much like AAA where one has a dedicated phone number to call for service and follow up.

Also, New iPhones (14 or later) come with 2 years of free off-grid satellite connection to roadside assistance. See here: Apple Roadside Assistance.

For those with newer cars, your manufacturer may have included it with your purchase for a period of time like the first two years.

Do you have any other suggestions for roadside assistance with a pay per use model?

 

[COcheesehead]

In all my years of driving I only needed roadside assistance once and that was before the era of cell phones. We bought jumper boxes for both cars and keep those topped off since we can also charge our phones off them if the car breaks down . We have used those on other people’s cars, but not ours yet. I think a jumper box is going to be more useful than roadside assistance costs. Your results may vary.

 

[easysurfer]

I've used roadside assistance I think twice in my lifetime. Once was before I didn't know anything about car batteries and went on a trip with an almost dead battery so ended up calling AAA a few times to get jumped. Another time was when I was driving someone else's car and got stuck in a ditch.

I probably could consolidate (along with AAA, insurance and credit cards) and just get one roadside assistance option but I only get the minimum membership with AAA and that's my roadside assistance security blanket.

 

[IncomeOriented]

You might look at Good Sam roadside assistance for auto. We used them for years when we traveled extensively in motor homes. Lots of tire changes both the RV’s and the car we were towing , rv and car unlocks and a battery replacement (battery died completely-wouldn’t jump). Also a 50 mile motor home tow that saved us almost a $1000. These happened over a 10+ year period.

Last I looked they get $50+ dollars a year for auto. Covers all cars and all drivers. Nobody is perfect. One time we waited about 3 hours for a tire change. Overall they were pretty good.

 

[nassa]

You might look at Good Sam roadside assistance for auto. We used them for years when we traveled extensively in motor homes. Lots of tire changes both the RV’s and the car we were towing , rv and car unlocks and a battery replacement (battery died completely-wouldn’t jump). Also a 50 mile motor home tow that saved us almost a $1000. These happened over a 10+ year period.

Last I looked they get $50+ dollars a year for auto. Covers all cars and all drivers. Nobody is perfect. One time we waited about 3 hours for a tire change. Overall they were pretty good.

Thank you. I will take a look at Good Sam!

 

[Gallaher]

I’d buy roadside assistance if it was $100 a month….not for me, wife and daughter. Piece of mind when they are out alone.

Totally separate topic. I once had a flat in a mall parking lot. Called roadside, it was a company car. Roadside said two hours. I can fix a flat tire, I want to get home. Got the jack out, lifted the ford escape.
Jack would not lift high enough to get the spare on!
When roadside arrived they said that’s common. Since then, I always make sure to test jack lift function at home.

 

[engineernerd]

This is not really useful for OP, but I don't recommend AAA's Plus RV service.

We were driving our Class C motor home towing an empty boat trailer on a very-low-traffic highway right about at dark, when one of the inner tires on our dually rear axle destroyed itself. When we got the service on the phone, the first thing they said was they won't cover a tow of our trailer because there was no boat on it. Ho-kay, we said, but we don't really need a tow, we just need someone to change the tire! Then after some calls back and forth, they said they couldn't find a local tow service - AND they didn't cover tire changes for inner dually tires! Wait, why are you calling it "RV" service?

We ended up calling a mobile repair service in Las Vegas, a three-hour drive away, and they were kind enough to drive to where we were and change the tire for us. Great guys with a can-do attitude, unlike the AAA phone rep!

 

[nassa]

In all my years of driving I only needed roadside assistance once and that was before the era of cell phones. We bought jumper boxes for both cars and keep those topped off since we can also charge our phones off them if the car breaks down . We have used those on other people’s cars, but not ours yet. I think a jumper box is going to be more useful than roadside assistance costs. Your results may vary.

Thanks. I was looking at the lithium jump start devices. I do have cables but that would certainly make things more self-sufficient.

 

[COcheesehead]

Thanks. I was looking at the lithium jump start devices. I do have cables but that would certainly make things more self-sufficient.

Cables only work if you have a good battery to attach them too. The jumper boxes aren’t much larger than a cell phone, have multiple ports for charging other things and usually a light source too.

 

[nassa]

I’d buy roadside assistance if it was $100 a month….not for me, wife and daughter. Piece of mind when they are out alone.

Totally separate topic. I once had a flat in a mall parking lot. Called roadside, it was a company car. Roadside said two hours. I can fix a flat tire, I want to get home. Got the jack out, lifted the ford escape.
Jack would not lift high enough to get the spare on!
When roadside arrived they said that’s common. Since then, I always make sure to test jack lift function at home.

I understand. This is for my wife too and I'd like her to have something reliable to use if I am not with her. That's quite the story about your jack. I will have to check our car jack now as I have never used it and opt for the floor jack I have in the garage.

 

[CO-guy]

We have AAA Premier. I think of it like insurance, which is an additional benefit provided when traveling by car. I've used it for a 100 mile flatbed tow after a wildlife encounter totaled our vehicle. That one incident paid for years of annual fees. Not to mention the ability to get towed all the way home, rather than to the nearest town and then stranded there.

It's worth looking at the additional travel benefits if you drive during vacations. The trip interruption benefit with AAA covers up to $1500 in expenses if your drive is interrupted while away from home. In the event of an accident, for example, that benefit includes flying back home if your vehicle is no longer operable, but will also cover a one-way rental, a hotel for the night, and other reasonable expenses following an accident away from home.

 

[Mark1]

We use to have AAA for many years and tried to use it once in Houston years ago and for some reason (can't remember now) it didn't help us so we dropped it. I personally like COcheesehead's advice, only I would add the following.

Check your records for the last time you put in a new battery, a new serpentine belt, and new coolant hoses and replace them prior to your trip (say 3-4 years for the battery and maybe 7-10 years for the belt/hoses). Besides tires, these the things that strand you on the side of the road with a 15 year old car.

When on dirt road travel out west, I usually make sure we have extra water in the car and our Garmin inReach messenger device with us.

When we lived in Houston many of the wreckers were crooks, so I always carried the phone number of the wrecker service that my repair shop/dealers used such that I would get a fair tow rate if we broke down locally.

 

[badatmath]

Cables only work if you have a good battery to attach them too. The jumper boxes aren’t much larger than a cell phone, have multiple ports for charging other things and usually a light source too.

The problem with jump boxes is they say not to store them in the car in hot temps . . . IDK if they'd catch fire or just wear out quicker. But I only carry mine in winter. I have jumper cables with me.

There was a car at w*rk that spontaneously caught fire in the garage. . . I never heard what caused it.

 

[COcheesehead]

The problem with jump boxes is they say not to store them in the car in hot temps . . . IDK if they'd catch fire or just wear out quicker. But I only carry mine in winter. I have jumper cables with me.

There was a car at w*rk that spontaneously caught fire in the garage. . . I never heard what caused it.

Everything I’ve read says keep them out of direct sunlight and in the case.

 

[badatmath]

Your car may not get to 150+ degrees as often as mine. But I threw out the directions so I don't remember exactly how they put it now.

 

[harllee]

AAA let us down recently. We have been a member of AAA for years. Our battery died at our home, called AAA and they never came and after several hours they said "they could not find any one to come out." We finally called a local garage ourselves, they came out and replaced our battery, of course we had to pay them. They said all the local garages had quit taking AAA calls because they paid so little. I think we will drop AAA when it comes up for renewal, wish there was a better option.

 

[engineernerd]

We have a jump starter with air compressor, a Chinese make, certainly bigger than a cellphone but quite convenient to carry around in a vehicle nonetheless. It's been great. We've jump-started our motor home with it no problem, and it also comes in handy for inflating bicycle tires, hand-truck tires, etc. It can reinflate a car tire but it's definitely working hard. There are lots of these things on amazon now and most have good reviews.

 

[CaptTom]

Good discussion. Something I don't think about often. We have some sort of roadside assistance through our auto insurance, but I have no idea how "good" it is.

So far, I've been able to deal with pretty much anything which comes up. My jumper battery pack saved my skin a couple of years ago. I used it to limp to a garage which could change out my failed alternator, far from home on a Friday afternoon. Calling and waiting for a tow would have had me taking an Uber to a hotel for the weekend until the repair shops opened up again Monday. That would have been very inconvenient, not to mention expensive.

I guess you'd say I'm pretty much self-insured for roadside incidents. Cars are so much more reliable these days. I'm guessing I've saved a ton of money by not using AAA over the years. It's the same strategy I use for those extended warrantees they always want to sell you for appliances and electronics. Chances are good that very few of them will fail within the warrantee period. And even if you occasionally have to replace a new-ish device or appliance, that's still cheaper than buying insurance on all of them.

With cell phones, mobile internet and Uber, things are very different today than they were when AAA was in its heyday.

 

[IncomeOriented]

Here's some thoughts you might consider, and, these are some of the reasons we have always had a roadside plan. Maybe this may give you some things to think about.

1. If wife is stranded without me around, she is not joining to change a tire, jump start the car or anything else. She needs help, and, even if she has to wait for it, she will not, and, should not attempt roadside emergency anything.

2. Similar to others here, when you are stranded and need to change a tire, or jump start, or get your keys out of your locked car, the do-it-yourself approach CAN work, WILL PROBABLY work, but it doesn't ALWAYS work. If your jumping machine, your jack, your lug wrench, your coat hanger, your hand strength, or your body fails, due to age, illness or accident, you are going to need help; even if you have to wait for it.

3. I'm older and I'm not going to change a tire, ever. It's hard work and has its own set of dangers to my very old body. For this reason alone, we always have roadside service plans.

4. We often have had more than one road service plan. For example, we once had Good Sam Roadside, we also had Gieco roadside plan on our car insurance, and we had a one year roadside service from the purchase of a new vehicle (in this case a 40,000 lb motorhome). If stranded we need help and sometimes, a service plan can't find anyone to help you where you are, so you call another one until you get the help you need. Currently we have 2 plans, one roadside on a new Volvo, and one on our Gieco auto insurance. Again, if one doesn't or can't get there, we will call the other.

5. Lastly, roadside services are a form of insurance. You know the routine, pay a small premium for the potential of receiving a larger benefit. Like all insurance, people go for years without a claim, and that's really a good thing for the individual and the insurance company. But when there is a need, it can provide benefits that might be hard to get, or pay for, at the time they are needed. Personally I prefer not to ever need it.

 

[athena53]

I've reluctantly hung onto AAA even though they haven't always come through. I remember one time DH & I got so tired of waiting for them to come and change to the spare tire we dug out the manual and did it ourselves before they got there.

Haven't called them for years but in 2023 I heard a bad scraping under the car as I was driving- turned out the panel under the engine had fallen down. Car had recently been serviced. I had it towed to where it was serviced (cost extra because it was over max "free" mileage) where they said some bolts MIGHT have vibrated loose from regular driving or, ummm, MAYBE they forgot to put all the bolts back on after servicing. Well, at least no charge to fix it. Then last year I was loading the trunk at a hotel and accidentally threw my keys in with the stuff and slammed the trunk shut. Some cars won't lock if the key is inside the car. This one did. Within half an hour a guy arrived and it took him 20 minutes to tunnel i to the inside through a window and unlock it. Interesting to watch.

So, I certainly need something but maybe one of the services above would work better.

 

[CO-guy]

I've reluctantly hung onto AAA even though they haven't always come through. I remember one time DH & I got so tired of waiting for them to come and change to the spare tire we dug out the manual and did it ourselves before they got there.

Haven't called them for years but in 2023 I heard a bad scraping under the car as I was driving- turned out the panel under the engine had fallen down. Car had recently been serviced. I had it towed to where it was serviced (cost extra because it was over max "free" mileage) where they said some bolts MIGHT have vibrated loose from regular driving or, ummm, MAYBE they forgot to put all the bolts back on after servicing. Well, at least no charge to fix it. Then last year I was loading the trunk at a hotel and accidentally threw my keys in with the stuff and slammed the trunk shut. Some cars won't lock if the key is inside the car. This one did. Within half an hour a guy arrived and it took him 20 minutes to tunnel i to the inside through a window and unlock it. Interesting to watch.

So, I certainly need something but maybe one of the services above would work better.

Honestly, I never considered calling AAA for a flat tire and we've changed a few in the past few years. I swapped the donut for a full-sized spare and bought a better jack that can be used on rough unpaved roads, since that's where we've gotten flats. I also carry slime and a compressor. The times in my life when I can remember using AAA have been following accidents where my vehicle has become inoperable. Although, based on feedback from friends, lockouts, running out of gas in the middle of nowhere and getting pulled out of ditches in the winter are more common.

Based on my conversation with a tow truck driver quite a few years ago, it sounded like different roadside assistance programs offer different rates to tow companies. For example AAA Premier offers tow drivers more per tow and per mile compared to AAA Basic. This is sometimes the decider of who to respond to first, or whether to respond at all.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I carry road side assistance on our personal auto policy. They sub it out to an outside contractor. I don't care. I also don't care about the limits that they pay, I just want someone to show up and help with a phone call. I'd pay the entire bill if the just show up to help.

 

[jrendt]

I have AAA with all the bells and whistles. Haven't had to use in the last few years, but there were a few years when my son was younger and owned a series of dodgy older vehicles, that we used all the tows. Once when he was out West he punched a hole in the transmission pan of his Crown Vic and needed a tow of 130 miles to the nearest auto parts store.

 

[AvocadoRV]

Thank you. I will take a look at Good Sam!

+1 on the Good Sam. Saved a ton on towing our motorhome. In addition to towing, they will identify potential service providers that can perform the required service so you don't have to chase that down as well. Very helpful if you are away from home and don't know the area.

 

[aja8888]

There were time when I was doing oilfield projects, I carried two spare tires, a small compressor, two jacks (one small hydraulic, one scissors type), a tire inner tube, 4 way lug wrench, cans of slime stuff. a plug kit, extra cell phone, and a small set of tools.

Most oilfield folks were always well equipped.

Some areas I went to were "pretty remote" and sometimes had no cell coverage.