Breakdown - Is Triple A(AAA) Worth The Money?

Posted on April 24, 2008

As we were driving home from watching some of our nieces and nephews for the weekend, I realized that pushing on the gas pedal of our Nissan Murano was not doing ANYTHING! I quickly pulled over and coasted to a stop. I figured I would try a restart and see if that fixes anything. Nope, the dreaded low battery cranking and then clicking. We were stranded!

Deep breath, stay calm. Call The Happy Boulderette(Mom) and arrange ride. Call AAA to get towed. Entertain The Happy Pebble and The Not So Happy And Hungry Pebble Jr. for about 45 minutes. Luckily we had a spare bottle that we heated with body warmth to keep Jr. content enough. All in all it was actually kind of endearing to see the family huddled together in the front seat making the best of a not so perfect situation.

Both my mom and the tow truck arrived almost he same time. We arrived home without incident and our car ended up at the mechanic. Got the car back today and it turned out to be the drive belt pulley and bracket to the tune of $400 with oil change and tune-up.

So no the real question, is AAA worth it……Yes. The trick in trying to analyze the whether AAA is truly worth the cost is to realize what you are paying for. For those that don’t know what AAA is or what they have to offer, here is the link to the benefits page of Mid-Atlantic AAA. People sign up for the emergency roadside services, and rarely use the discounts or travel planning from what I can tell. The point to remember is that you are buying insurance. Like most insurance the percentages and math say that it is isn’t worth it, but that doesn’t mean the protection, convenience, and psychological aspects don’t make up for it math.

First, if you use the discounts for things like movie theater, hotels, and other related activities, the membership will probably pay for itself pretty quickly. For the most part though, you can get similar or better discounts and planning on the web for free.

Second, the road services value will depend on the kind of car and driving you are doing, so these numbers will vary by family. For us, we have been paying the $150 a year for AAA Plus(150 mile towing package) for 6 years now. Including Sunday’s use I have used it 5 times. Two lock outs in the hectic time leading up to our wedding and three tows, two 5 miles and the other 50 miles. Mathematically the numbers are ugly. $900 paid and only about $350 in services used. I suspect that those numbers will be pretty close to the same for ‘most’ people.

Even though the math doesn’t work out in your favor, most people are still willing to pay for the insurance. They want to know that their wife can easily get out of a jam or that someone will be there relatively quickly with just a phone call when something does happen. Just from talking to people this aspect of the AAA coverage is generally accepted as well worth the money.

So, is it worth? I say yes, as long as you realize that you are paying for piece of mind and not getting a good deal on roadside coverage.

* Note - Some auto insurance policies provide emergency roadside clauses, but I have had to dig for information on my previous policies. I have now learned to call and ask.

» Filed Under Cars

Trackbacks/Pings

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Comments

13 Responses to “Breakdown - Is Triple A(AAA) Worth The Money?”

spillingbuckets (6 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 6:36 am

Totally agree! I’ve used the roadside assistance several times (unfortunately) and always use their trip planning before a big vacation. They have great maps and trip-tik’s. Plus the discounts…

Totally worth it.
Meoip on April 25th, 2008 7:04 am

I vote maybe, it depends on how you use it. I use the discounts like the fuel card at 4% of a gallon, restaurants, museums, medicine and various stores. I get maps (decorated my dorm room in college with them) triptiks, and book travel through them.
If you just use the road side assistance it’s cheaper to go through any number of your insurance companies but if you use there services it’s worth it.
I plan the bonus programs at work and use AAA to help plan the vacations.
Ben @ Trees Full of Money (3 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 9:22 am

Sorry about your mishap

Glad that everything worked out ok, it was also nice to see that recognized the positive side of your bad situation (the family togetherness!).

I agree that mathematically AAA isn’t worth it but it is piece of mind that i don’t mind paying for, especially when I’m away on business!
Sarah on April 25th, 2008 12:54 pm

One thing to keep in mind is that you can join AAA right when you have the emergency.
Sue (11 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 1:04 pm

Interesting spam protection. The plus membership is definitely recommended if you want a long distance tow.
Ed (12 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 3:17 pm

As with any insurance, their product is “Peace of Mind”.
I didn’t know that you could just join when you have the trouble. We have AAA and I use it maybe once a year (when I leave my lights on).

I guess I could save more money by just maintaining the car better, but its tough since I don’t know jack about cars.
Chief Family Officer (2 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 3:52 pm

I totally agree, and am also glad that you are all okay! I also wanted to say that I love all the nicknames (Happy Boulderette made me LOL!).
Eric (1 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 7:52 pm

AAA is worth it and you have to be careful about using a roadside service from your auto insurance. [Warning - might be a Urban Myth] I heard from a friend of a friend that some insurance companies will actually RAISE your insurance premium based on using the roadside service. The explanation was - if you took good care of your car, then it wouldn’t break down. If you are less prone to take care of your car, then it is more likely that you will be in an accident - like with a tire blow out.

Silly, I know - but you have been warned! Now, excuse me while I take that cactus back to Pier 1.
The Happy Rock (163 comments.) on April 25th, 2008 11:56 pm

@Eric - Thanks for the tip about the insurance company. That is one people should ask when they call about roadside coverage on their auto policy.
Tim Diehl on April 27th, 2008 12:27 am

i agree. we’ve beem card carrying members for years. and i’m likewise glad that everything worked out for you all…esp since you were doing all this to watch my kids! you happy rocks all…well, rock!