So far I've always had the kindness of others or my husband or friends help me out of a jam with car trouble but I've been thinking about becoming a AAA Texas member. Are any of you a member or have been? If so, is it worth it?
Thanks for you input.
I have been since 2000 with I was living with my now husband and it has paid for itself over and over again. Just having 1 tow home has paid for it, having the extra discounts at different places when we travel somewhere I love it, it is one thing that we budget for every year.
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J..
answers from
Nashville
on
We are and YES it's worth it.
It gives you peace of mind.
You will feel more relaxed on the road knowing that there will always be someone standing by to help you.
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E.M.
answers from
Los Angeles
on
Even if you don't need the car help the membership pays for itself w/ travel = entertainment discounts. Yes, its worth it!
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K.A.
answers from
San Diego
on
It's worth it's weight in gold! I have had a membership since I began driving. Spun off my parents account so I have been a member since before I was born LOL
We have our car and house insurance from them. The poilicies are wonderful! They can do DMV car registration and other car related DMV things. They can not do drivers licenses though. They have maps and guide books of the US, most of which are free. They also have foreign guide books but I believe those cost a small fee but I can't remember. They can do passport pictures. They have a travel agency that is amazing. They offer shopping discounts at a whole host of places. We used their shopping link off their website to get a discount from Target.com when we bought car seats once and saved a good amount because we were buying the more expensive Sunshine Radians. I've used their discount on glasses and eye exams at Lenscrafters.
Oh yeah, and they can help you with a jump start, running out of gas, locking your keys in the car and other road side assistance.
Take a look at their website to learn everything they offer and you will be surprised.
It is one thing we will never cut out of our budget. It is a lifesaver!
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T.S.
answers from
San Francisco
on
YES!!!
I do not know how to change a tire, get keys out of a locked car, charge a dead battery, etc. Nor do I want to be stuck out of gas (with my kids, God forbid) on some lonesome road.
And I HATE that feeling of calling on a family member or friend, "can you come help me?" It makes me feel like a child :(
That's just my two cents. Oh and you can get awesome free maps and guidebooks for anyplace you want, even if you just travel locally, plus hotel and car rental discounts :)
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M.V.
answers from
Fort Collins
on
YES, my mother put me on her policy for a extensive road trip I was taking with my family and we ended up having to use it 5 days after we got home. Our transmission died when I was 15 miles north of town. The other tow policies usually give you closet station to 4 miles. I looked at my policy they even had a family protection plan to give emergency help when stranded far away.
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T.V.
answers from
San Francisco
on
AFTER READING SOME OF THE OTHER POSTS:
Like many service and emergency organizations AAA records all incoming
service calls, if an response agent EVER told someone they would be waiting for X number of hours because they were NOT a priority, that employee would be fired immediately. As for someone having to wait for several hours, unless it was a remote location, drastic weather conditions or a serious local or national disaster, that would NOT happen.
Yes, been with them for many years! Car, Home and Roadside assistance. If something happens and you are a premier member they will tow your car for 100 miles. There are many more benefits, just go in person and talk to your local agent. Lots of written material avail at their offices and on-line.
Personally, I like to be able to have a local agent and not call some 800 number in God knows where. You won't be sorry with AAA.
Blessings....
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K..
answers from
Phoenix
on
Yes, totally worth it. The yearly fee is the cost of one tow.
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A.B.
answers from
Naples
on
I love AAA. They will tow your car, bring you a battery if your battery died, bring you gas if you run out on the road....trust me I have used all of those services and more. :) PLUS, their insurance is an awesome deal. (You don't have to be a member to get the insurance, but you get a big discount if you are a member. We have our home and car insurance through them and saved $700).
They also send you a nice magazine every month and have sweepstakes every month that you can enter.
I would go for it!
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K.L.
answers from
Erie
on
Check with your car insurance company. Many of them offer a towing option that is much more reasonable than the AAA rate.* If you travel a lot, the hotel savings may be worth it for you. However, I can usually get a great rate at most hotels by checking online or asking the manager directly for their best rate.
* I will admit that I haven't checked with AAA for several years, but I doubt their rates have gone down.
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Y.C.
answers from
Washington DC
on
I think so. We have it. Love it. Use it a couple times a year.
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D.B.
answers from
Charlotte
on
.
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2.O.
answers from
Washington DC
on
Yes, totally worth it! I wouldn't want to have to rely on strangers or anyone else esp. if you find yourself out at night, scary. IF you ever have to call them they always ask "are you safe?". I've carried the AAA Roadside assistance for years and have used it on at least 5 occassions.
I accidentially locked my daughter in the car before (yeah, I know...I thought I had the keys in my hand) fortunately it wasn't a hot day in fact it was actually raining. My daughter was asleep in her carseat so she didn't even know what was going on. Anyway, I called them in a state of panic and they came out ASAP and unlocked my car door for me.
If you think you have a dead battery they will come out and test it for you even if the car is parked in your driveway, they can sell & install a battery right then and there. Just did this for the second time last month :0)
If you're in someone elses car and they have problems you can still call and they'll come out. It doesn't have to be your car, you just have to be there.
I love it & highly recommend it :0)
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S.M.
answers from
Kansas City
on
We've used it for various reasons. We haven't run out of gas or anything like that. But we've had break downs and needed our cars towed to the shop. I'm so glad we have it.
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A.M.
answers from
San Francisco
on
One of the best values around. Yes.
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C.O.
answers from
Washington DC
on
I LOVE AAA!!! Wouldn't think of NOT having it...
Had a blow out last year in my husband's car...I couldn't get the old tire off (I know how to change a tire) and called them - they were there in 20 minutes and didn't cost me anything....well, our yearly fees - but that's what it's paid for...
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L.M.
answers from
New York
on
Absolutely!!!
I've had it for over 25 years. Almost every year it pays for itself in the benefits almost every year.
In our state you can renew your driver's license at their office. It takes 15 minutes, compared to over an hour at DMV.
Last year on the way home from vacation, we blew a tire on the camper.
The camper isn't covered under AAA, but there we were sitting on the side of the interstate, we called them and they sent out a reputable company to help.
I use them to get maps and travel books. It's nice to have the book for your own state to plan day trips, or even find a good restaurant.
We don't go to the movies very often, but the discounted tickets are great. They make a good Christmas gift for teens.
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R.K.
answers from
Appleton
on
It is sooo worth it. AAA covers you in your car or any car you are riding in. Last summer I had a tire blow-out on a narrow bridge during rush hour traffic and road construction. I managed to pulI over to the right shoulder and called AAA and then 911, an officer arrived and stayed behind me with his lights going to slow down traffic. The tow truck driver got there as soon as he could and had to tow me off the bridge or his butt would have been out in the traffic as he changed my tire. The cost of the tow and the tire change would have been $150 if I had not had AAA. As a result I had no cost for the entire thing. My membership is about $55/year.
They also have discounts for hotels, restuarants, and some stores. They have a trip advisor and will help you plan a trip, make your hotel reservations and you get a discount. All for $55/year.
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B.F.
answers from
Toledo
on
So worth it! We have AAA and one tow will cover your fee....if you have cronic issues with your car, go for it!
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A.G.
answers from
Albuquerque
on
We had a membership and when they told us it would be a 6-8hour wait because we werent a priority we promptly asked for a refund and canceled our membership. We now have onstar and they are a million times more worth the cost
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K.L.
answers from
Lafayette
on
yes...for all the reasons others have said PLUS discounts to tourist attractions AND at Payless shoes. Pays fro the membership right there!
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C.C.
answers from
Dallas
on
Definitely worth it! I've been an AAA member for years. Most recently had to use them when I blew out my tire on a parking lot curb and had to get my car towed to the repair shop. And they have tons of other perks, such as discounts and travel agency. We used the travel agency to plan our Disneyland vacation . . . it was great, and there are a few extra perks thrown in for booking through them.
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T.R.
answers from
Dallas
on
I have the roadside assistance program with my car insurance that covers all the same things for $2 a month. Didn't know about AAA coupons etc until now though. Good luck!
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J.W.
answers from
St. Louis
on
At first I thought this was political. Oops
I have never had AAA because my insurance has always had roadside assistance. I know they have trip planners with maps but isn't there an app for that?
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J.
answers from
Dallas
on
So worth it! I've had mine for over 18 years now and just the peace of mind having it helps me. I used all services last year (you receive 4 per year) and also used it last week when I had a flat in this 100+ weather. I also have the plus where you can have it towed up to 100 miles. I've always received my money's worth!
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D.B.
answers from
Dallas
on
Yes! AAA is so much more than just towing. I've had AAA for 17 years and have the Plus membership. In addition to towing up to 100 miles, they will bring gas to me at no extra charge, locksmith services if I lock my keys in car, they can replace battery on the spot (will charge for cost of battery) if it's dead. And the membership benefits are for you, not just your car. That means if you're in someone else's car (driving or not) the benefits still apply (just in case they don't have towing or whatever). And of course the discounts.
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E.C.
answers from
Dallas
on
AAA is awesome. I used it today at the Caverns in San Marcos and saved $6 and saved $60 on our hotel this weekend.
I used it 5 times last year for tows sooo worth it! I also switched my car ins and renters insurance to it.
I was paying $185 for full coverage for Farmers and called around everywhere and all places were within $10 up or down BUT AAA I only pay $82 a mo!!! Soooo much savings!!!!
AAA is definitely worth it. I ask every place I go to if they take the card for a discount. Also i have an app on my iphone for AAA and it tells me where all discounts are. Also i use the app when my car is broken down to report i need a tow.
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N.H.
answers from
Peoria
on
I've been a member since about 2003 or so...first having the Plus membership & upgraded to PlusRV membership (ended up going bk down to the Plus membership due to not having an RV so we didn't really need that coverage) & have used it for roadside assistance which was a great help! as well as for numerous discounts on trips. I do worry when I don't have it. It's also great b/c of the other advantages like discounts at restaurants, hotels, car rentals, tickets for fun things to do, etc. What you can do first before deciding is check w/your car insurance agency...a lot of them nowadays offer roadside assistance now & see what all their service has compared to AAA & compare benefits. Just remember a lot of times your insurance company, if they do offer roadside assistance, they may not offer any other benefits like AAA as well as charging a bit more than what AAA costs. Only one thing I don't like about AAA is that you hafta buy into the more expensive package b/c the least expensive membership only allows for towing your vehicle only 3 miles...that's not helpful. Other than that, I think it's a great service to have. Good luck.
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N.C.
answers from
Dallas
on
We have had it for 14 years and now have the Premire membership. Can't live without it. Great discounts on hotels ect. I have used it twice since May when it renewed.
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S.C.
answers from
Dallas
on
Seems like most, if not all, of the responses are pro-AAA.
I've been a member for a few decades and had no issues with them until this year. I needed to get my car to a repair shop. The battery was dead so I had AAA come jump start it. The guy noticed my gas tank was leaking as I started to drive away and urged me not to drive it. So I parked the car, turned it off and called AAA back. They said they would NOT tow my car to the repair shop until the Dallas fire department had cleared my car as safe to tow. The fire department was not willing to come out because it was at my house - not a traffic accident.
I understand the concern of towing the car with leaking gas, but the gas didn't leak when the car was off. AAA didn't want to even look at it. The minute I said gas leak, they shut down and said I was out of luck unless I could get the fire department to clear it.
I called a repair shop and they sent their towing company contact over to put the car on a flatbed tow truck and take it to the repair place and I was out the towing costs.
As soon as I buy a new car, if roadside assistance is included, I'm cancelling my AAA membership. What if I had been stranded somewhere other than my home? They didn't offer me any alternatives and kept insisting that NO tow truck driver would help me, which obviously wasn't true.
Oh - and the battery jumper guy tried to convince me to sell my car to his buddy at some repair place off of Harry Hines. Seemed a little shady.
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R.P.
answers from
Cleveland
on
yes it is VERY worth having its not expensive, we are AAA ohio gold members ands it 80 for a year its worth it i think
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I.G.
answers from
Seattle
on
ABSOLUTELY! We have had it for years and used it plenty!
My husband has been a member for probably 20 years, he has even worked for AAA for a few years. We've had nothing bu a great experience with them.
Good luck.
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A.L.
answers from
Washington DC
on
YES! Our cars are both older and it gives us great peace of mind. We actually used it on vacation. We borrowed my Dad's minivan, and the battery died. We called AAA and they came with a new battery within an hour and we were so happy we had AAA! Saved us a lot of hassle!
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M.J.
answers from
Sacramento
on
I hated them for insurance but we've kept the roadside assistance plan. Even if you have a reliable car, you just never know when that car battery is going to die or you'll get a flat in the middle of nowhere. We've had to use them several times in these type of situations and have been so glad we had the plan.
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J.L.
answers from
Minneapolis
on
.
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D.D.
answers from
Dallas
on
We have the AAA Plus and LOVE IT! I just renewed for our 2nd year. Included on our policy is my husband, me, and our adult son (until her graduates from college and then he's on his own!). So far it has been well worth the price. Not only does it offer the obvious benefits , but there are travel benefits as well. Discounts on Hotels, Car Rentals. When we traveled to RI last summer we got a FREE Car Seat rental during our stay. That would have been an extra $15 per day!