Comments on: What Is AAA, Really?

By: Fern

Fern — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:52:58 +0000

I meant to add that I have AAA membership and car insurance, and have been wondering about what AAA is, too – so I was looking for answers and found your page here.

I will click the box to get follow-up comments via email.

Thanks!

By: Fern

Fern — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:57:13 +0000

Did you ever find out the answer to your question of what is the nature of AAA, cooperative or other?

By the way, coops are not necessarily non-profit. I am a member of a food coop which is counted as for-profit. For any profits, the Board of Directors decides how much to reinvest into the business, use to pay down debt, or send out as patronage refunds or dividend checks to the membership. Such distributions are usually tied to the amount of one’s purchases for the year.

By: JT

JT — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:20:02 +0000

I have a health insurance background. I decided to shop my policy around. I am in New England Region. Being a new AAA member I called AAA for auto quote. The representative John was very nice and helpful but BUYER BEWARE when he told me that my policy would be for 6 months and not 12 months.I was surprised. He told me the reason, the State of Nh is now requiring 6 month policies..TRUTH METER FALSE I contacted the NH Div of Insurance There is NO NH law on this Truth IS AAA registered with the state of NH to only sell 6 month polices. Oh Gosh lie number 2, I was told that the State of NH has a law that the minimum amount of Rental Insurance you can purchase is 30,000 .TRUTH METER FALSE . AAA should know better. Telling consumers lies will get you in the end and it looks overall bad for your business.

By: JT

JT — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:25:40 +0000

I joined AAA 3 years back ..I would say I am more than happy with the membership.Every year it gives me back much more than what I spent for the membership.I addition to that I have the peace of mind that I can get immediate assistance if I encounter any issues with the car…

By: longerDollar

longerDollar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:09:48 +0000

I use the roadside assistance with my insurance provider – they charge $8 per 6 months (costing me $16 / year). The only downside to this is – i can avail it only for the insured car. If you have more than 1 car, you have to buy this on each car making it almost as expensive (or more) as the AAA coverage. Also AAA does provide other services home/auto insurance and their rates are competitive.
I switched to insurance last year, since most of my travel is booked through travel websites which dont let you apply AAA discounts during booking.

By: Dave C.

Dave C. — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:29:41 +0000

I’ve also been wondering if I should forget about AAA and just use the roadside assistance plans with my car insurance. AAA provides a lot of other perks though, that insurers don’t really give, like discounts on travel and such.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:37:42 +0000

It’s generally cheaper to self-insure whenever you can afford to take the risk. That said, if the insurance premium is reasonable and it gives you peace of mind, the intangible benefits may make up for the cost.

By: daddy dub

daddy dub — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:25:28 +0000

The downside to using the roadside assistance option through your car insurance is that it can lead to being “uprated”, aka paying more. Most insurance providers would prefer that you have no claims whatsoever.

By: Wm Tanksley

Wm Tanksley — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:32:29 +0000

I’ve been very happy with my AAA… Except that I’ve used the lockout help more than I’d care to recount , but it’s always been a positive experience.

Add in the occasional restaurant discount — if you normally go to any that happen to offer a AAA discount, it’s often reasonably good — and perhaps some of the other member services, if you use them (I don’t).

Anyone have any experience with the roadside service from other providers (insurance, cell phones, etc)?

-Wm