rhrd

Had Amoco, they stunk (very few member towing services). Now have AAA, so far have been happy, including Amtrak discounts and good towing service.

If you are going very remote, get a portable battery charger (around $100, vs. $40 for good jumper cables and needing another car). They are great!

happytrailstoyou

I wouldn't be without my AAA Membership.

I don't know if anybody mentioned that when you visit a state other than your home state you can go to an AAA office for free local maps. Some states don't have much to offer (Kansas, for instance); however, others have an amazing assortment of maps you wouldn't expect (e.g., California).

Oregon has an excellent map designed to help tourists explore the coast.

It goes on and on.

jtrandolph

I couldn't live without AAA maps and Guide Books for various states/areas.

And I used to lock my keys in my car all the time. (AAA now gives you a plastic key to your car to carry in your wallet and use once.)

I upgraded to a Plus account when I was traveling often to visit my mother during her last illness. One New Year's Day, on the way home, the hoses broke on my car. I limped to a gas station which only had a kid selling cokes manning the place. So I called AAA. Only hoping for a tow to a closed car repair place, and then having to call my husband to come fetch me. The voice on the phone said, "OH you have AAA Plus. We can tow you home for nothing if it is less than 100 miles." Well, it was 95 miles, so the young tow truck driver and I picked up his girlfriend, who brought coffee, and we had a joy ride.

razzledazzle

Well, in CA, you can do MANY DMV
things at your CSAA office-
"* Vehicle registration renewal (get your registration tags on the spot, no need to wait for them in the mail)
* Transfer ownership
* Duplicate registration/title/sticker
* License plate transactions (including personalized plates)
* Change of address"

that alone is worth the price !

R5

TxTravelPro

We rarely use it but still feel it is worthwhile for the peace of mind.
Every teenager (especially girls) should have AAA.
I get the upgraded membership that allows towing up to 100 miles.

Margo_Chester

In addition th the auto & travel "perks" you can also get discount movie tickets at the AAA office and a lot of stores offer AAA members a discount, but you have to know about it from reading the AAA website as the stores usually don't promote it. I use mine at Border's Books all the time!

brewlew

AAA has saved my neck many a time, in many a state. Numerous flat tires, a blown transmission on the interstate in the middle of nowhere in August, keys locked in the car just before it's time for carpool. It's the card I truly wouldn't leave home without.

GeorgeW

My wife and I have used AAA at least ten times in fifteen years of marriage. It has been a very useful service. For instance, my wife was driving at night on the rural Maryland Eastern Shore when the transmission went on the LeSabre. She was eight months pregnant. Happily, AAA came to the rescue quite promptly. AAA is worth the $ 125 or so a year we pay out.

Lori

We've had it for ages, we use it for hotel discounts primarily, but it is also wonderful at Dunn-Edwards Paint (and their paint is high-quality and expensive). We've also used it at Lenscrafter where they give 30% off. I know we have used it at San Diego Zoo for a good discount and they also have discounts for all kinds of amusement parks too.

Right now I'm looking at an ad from Geek Squad, 20% off with AAA card !!! That's worth having it right there if you are not a computer genius yourself.

You can get discounts on cruises, rental cars, restuarants, etc. I think it is a pretty good deal (and it's a great place to get a "real" map for those of us you like having an actual map in hand when we travel).

LvSun

I wouldn't be without it. I have gotten my $$ back in tows (when my Volvo had problems, it never acted up first, would just one day be dead and have to be towed to the shop).
My new car has coverage from the mfg. but I keep my AAA membership for coverage for my son, discounts on hotels, travel info in their magazine, etc.

Doddy

I just booked a hotel in Hawaii and saved $60/night with the AAA discount. That paid my dues for the next couple of years!

hulajake

Besides assistence with a vehicle we have used their triptiks, maps and for vacation planning. Also hotel discounts amusement parks, and a little bit of security while travelling.

Keith

I haven't had need for emergency roadside assistance in at least 15 years. And the last time I did need it, it was covered by my accident insurance. I would have to suddenly have a long series of incidents before the cost would add up to what I have saved by not having AAA.

AARP usually has as good a discount as AAA. Sometimes it isn't quite as good, but sometimes AARP's discount is even better.

With the small amount of travel you do, you would have to have very bad luck to use it enough to justify the expense. But then, that only makes sense - they expect to receive more money from you, than the cost of services provided.

I avoid buying insurance to cover risks that I can afford.

Keith

mowmow

Well my AAA membership came in handy today when my truck refused to start after we came out of Petco (needed a new flap on the cat door before we leave for Egypt). No, not a dead battery. One phone call and soon it was towed to my local repair shop.

Last year one of my tires was badly damaged on the freeway when I ran over a piece of metal that came flying at me from a truck. I know how to change a flat, but it was getting dark, and I was on a narrow shoulder on 101. The tow truck arrived promptly and we were on our way in minutes.

Unless you own a "perfect" car and know the phone number of every tow company in the country, you are better off having some kind of roadside service. And if you're a woman and drive alone after dark, you really should have it.

Some years I haven't used my AAA service, some years we managed to use up all our tows! (teens & college kids have old crappy cars)

At 50-100$ for a tow around here, I think it has all worked out about even. It's worth it to me for the peace of mind.

1JAR

Yes..it has been worthwhile for me.

My first new Honda had no lights on alarm and I killed that battery every day it seemed drivnig to wrk...AAA to the rescue.

My brother ended up with an unreputable long distsance car tranport driver and he dropped his truck off 100 miles from where he was supposed too in demand of a paymt that had already been made. AAA to the rescue.

We went to New Zealand and the NZ AAA gave us maps and motel and travel suggestions--they also gave us a lesson on driving from the right side of the camper van...AAA to the rescue.

Last month on I-5 in rush hour traffic my car had steam (I thought it was smoke) rolling from the hood...I pulled way off the side grabed my cell phone and ran away from the car...called AAA...within minutes the CA Hwy patrol rolled up and said they had a report I was blocking traffic (NEVER) and started to write a ticket!!!! When I said I had called AAA (the operator was so calming) the CHP guy looked at me disbelieveing and right then the AAA towtruck rolled up..AAA to the rescue.

THANK YOU AAA!!!

hulajake

Keith I don't know what your rate would be but as mentioned one time tow could be as much as the plus membership. Plus out of town expenses could cost alot more than if your vehicle brokedown in your hometown.
gjkayak you may find yourself traveling more if you enjoy new scenery at all.

NeoPatrick

While I have AAA, I've not used it for years and years for roadside assistance. Every car I've bought in the past 15 years or so has come with free roadside assistance. I'm surprised by the comments about "new" cars that broke down and AAA to the rescue. Don't all new cars come with roadside assistance -- or have I just been buying the right cars? Obviously I understand the situation if your car is over 4 years old or so.

gluvscats

Not worth it. Nicer tour books at the library or bookstore. If I have to pay for the non US tour books at AAA, I'd rather borrow from the library. I have gotten lower rates not using the AAA discount. Have towing service with my car. I do great on fining good deals for hotels on my own. Did not renew my membership.

sfamylou

I laughed at the last comment about tour books at the library. We have a great library but the books are always four or five years out of date. I'm a big fan of AAA. They have saved me a few times with jump starts, even gas! when I ran a battery down and had no gas to keep it idling to charge it back up...And the discounts are great too. But my biggest, favorite thing is the internet trip tik. We do road trips as a family, and it's so fun to plot the trip using that feature. I just wish you could order the trip tik directly instead of re-inputting the data, but it's really fun to say, How long a drive from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to the Badlands, and then adjust your trip accordingly. Between these boards and that feature, my road trips have been wonderful.

NeoPatrick

What does the AAA triptik do that Mapquest and others don't for free?

I still laugh at the time we went into the AAA office in LA to get infomation on the best way to get to Joshua Tree. The girl in charge of planning these itineraries had no idea who or what Joshua Tree was. When I told her it was a National Park and pointed to it on a California map, she looked at the map a few seconds and then said, "well, it looks to me like this is the shortest route" -- not having a clue about traffic, construction, or anything else.

By the way, our local library seems to have a huge assortment of travel guides and most of them are current or at most just a year old -- they get rid of the older ones. But who uses guide books any more? I find so many sources of information on the internet (including this very forum) far superior to much of anything I get from tour books.