AAA membership, worth it or not? (car rental, insurance, auto, tire)

[antinimby]

Seems like their membership costs go up every year and the things they do go down. For instance, they used to tow free of charge but now you pay for the towing. Service calls like battery jumps and gas also has their charges as well. So what the point of joining? Free maps and bumper stickers?

[Hemlock140]

Most people don't need maps with navigation in the cars and on the phones. What makes you think they charge members for towing? I suppose it may vary by state, but here even the cheapest ($58/Year) plan includes up to 5 miles of towing. We have the Premier and it's well worth the $129/year for the 200 miles of towing. We used them 3 times in 2017 and that was on a 2017 car still on warranty. We also get 4 free service call/year (lockout, change tire or battery jump) and one-day car rental and $250 toward locksmith services.

[djsuperfly]

I always find that when I have AAA I rarely use it. When I don't have it, I seem to then have a need for it.

To me, it's pretty inexpensive peace of mind.

[Mr_Geek]

It's like insurance. It seems like a ripoff until you need it.

[duster1979]

I'll join if I'm planning a trip and find that the discounts on lodging, car rental, etc. are greater than the membership cost. At that point the roadside assistance is just an extra bonus, albeit one that I've never had to use that I recall.

[Redraven]

In the 60 years or so that I have been driving, I have needed a tow three times that I can remember, two of them due to accidents.
I had a flat tire a couple years ago, and forgot the emergency road service included in my auto insurance. Changed the tire myself.
The DMV services that some brag about are not available in my state.
I have a road atlas, a Garmin Nuvi, and Rand McNally trip finder online. I do not need any of their trip services.
AAA is obviously great for some people, or they couldn't stay in business.
I am over 75, and retired military. I get discounts in many places now.

I don't need AAA, never have.

[pikabike]

I’ve had it for more than 30 yrs. I have used it twice (I think) for lockout, once for DH’s ignition key getting broken in the trunk keyhole, three times for a tow, and many times to get travel guides and maps. AAA also earned us discounts for lodging and other travel-related services.

Adding up those yearly dues and subtracting the costs of the benefits received, did I “win”? No, and I am glad! The purpose of insurance is peace of mind, not making the insurer lose money. I don’t gorge myself at All You Can Eat Buffets, either.

[Kluch]

My parents had it growing up and consequently I had it up until a few years ago. My family use to travel a lot growing up so we used it multiple times, I used it a few times after I graduated college but now I don't travel nearly as much as I used to. I feel like it's a nice perk to have but more useful if you travel around the states (via car) often.

The other thing up against AAA is a lot of insurance companies now offer similar services (like free towing, etc). I know when I changed insurance companies a few years back I saw little advantage to keep my membership.

[atlguy44]

Have the Premier coverage. Gives me peace of mind to know it's there should I need it.

[mclasser]

I had it for almost 20 years. Besides one flat and dead battery, I only put it to full use once. The last couple of years, I upgraded to their premium package which included free 100 mile towing. My son took our old beater car off to college and I wanted to make sure it could be towed home for me to work on if anything went wrong. Lo-and-behold, it broke down one day on a sweltering 100 degree day. The tow driver picked it up at college and drove 75 miles up to my house, dropping it off on the driveway. Worked out very well.

Son finished school and the beater car's back at home, so I canceled AAA. My insurance includes local towing and standard battery jumps & flat tire service anyway.