Money Saving Tip: Check out your Auto Insurance for Roadside Assistance
Hopefully you have not, but I’m sure we have all experienced the dreaded breakdown on the side of the road. It could be from your battery dying or something more sinister (and pricey), but there occasionally comes a time when your trusted (or maybe your not-so-trustworthy) automobile leaves you stranded and you need some help. At times like that, it is certainly a relief to be able to pick up your cell phone and get someone routed out to come give you a hand (or a lift).
For years we’ve been members of AAA and have used the service quite a few times (unfortunately). Luckily, it has not been happening as much lately since we’ve been able to afford, shall we say, more "contemporary" cars! Even so, I have had the batteries die on both of my cars within the past few years and have called them up for a jump-start.
So, a few weeks back when I got a letter from AAA informing me the credit card they used to renew my yearly membership had expired, I almost immediately picked up the phone to call and pay up for another year. As I started to dial the phone, however, a thought crossed my mind of a vague memory from a long time ago…"Didn’t my auto insurance provide roadside assistance?"
I remember declining the roadside assistance when I first got my insurance coverage a few years back. I didn’t need it, of course, since I had a AAA membership. I thought to myself, maybe, just for fun, I should call up my insurance agent and ask him about their coverage (doesn’t everyone think calling insurance agents is jolly good fun?). Besides, my AAA membership costs $99.25 a year and I was secretly hoping that I could save a few bucks.
Well, I did call and asked about the coverage. He told me I didn’t need it if I had AAA because it’s basically the same thing. "But what if I didn’t have AAA?" I asked. Well, he informed me that they basically provided the same roadside services as AAA. In fact, the coverage is slightly better because there is no mileage limit to how much they will tow you if you go to an "approved" location (whatever that is). Even if you go to an "non-approved" location, there is no towing limit and the maximum they will charge for the tow is $50. Plus, like AAA, the coverage goes with you even if you are not in your own car.
This all sounded pretty good, so I waited breathlessly while he went and checked the price…."It will be $5 per car." Just to confirm, "so, you’re saying it’s $10 per year?" It seemed to take him a lot longer to figure this out than I thought it should take an adult to multiple 5 times 2, but after a brief pause came the affirmative response (just to be fair, maybe he had to look up how many cars I had covered or something). "Ok, yeah, let’s do that!" I shot back.
Sure, you don’t get AAA maps or travel agency services (do they still do that? I haven’t used a travel agent in at least a decade), free passport photos, or AAA discounts. But with Google maps and Mapquest (and probably most of you reading this have GPS systems anyway) and digital cameras and such, I think I’ll pocket the $90 savings!
Of course, the wisdom of this decision will not be determined until I have a break down and see if I have any problems with my insurance’s roadside assistance. Depending on how that works out, I may have to rethink the plan. For now, however, I definitely think it’s worth a try.
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17 Responses to “Money Saving Tip: Check out your Auto Insurance for Roadside Assistance”
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You’re right there may be cheaper ways to get a tow when you need it. But roadside assistance is not the only reason to join AAA. I work for AAA’s national office and while your insurance co. may provide some benefits that are similar to AAA, you probably can’t recoup the cost of your insurance simply by using it. For example, can you get a discount on flowers you buy for your spouse on Valentine’s Day? Or the shoes your child needs for basketball? Or clothes? New tires for the car? Any discount on repairs and maintenance? You could get all of that — and easily save enough to pay for your membership — with your AAA card. To see where you can save go to http://www.AAA.com/discount.
@jgrazaini – Thanks for the comment. You raise a good point regarding the other features that a AAA membership provides. If a person uses these features often, then it may be worth it to keep his/her AAA membership. Of course, it depends on how much you typically use the AAA benefits compared to how much you could save by switching.
I too use AAA for RSA, but I have auto insurance through Progressive.
John, thanks for the tip. Check out my weekly DebtFreeAdventure Tip of the Week series here.
Matt the DebtFREEk!
DebtFREEk´s latest blog post…Monday DFA Tip of the Week – 2/16/2009
If you are like most people, you have probably stayed with the same auto insurance company since you first purchased your vehicle. If you haven’t compared your auto insurance rates in awhile, it is time to take out that policy and do some comparison shopping. Even if you are perfectly satisfied with your current insurer, it’s likely you can find a low cost auto insurance company and reduce your current rates by hundreds of dollars a year. If none of them offered better rate than what you current have, you are not going to lose anything! Give it a try.
http://www.bestautoinsurance.org/Auto-Insurance-Quotes.html
Once you have your current policy in hand, you have all the information you need to do a quick Internet comparison search with a low cost auto insurance site or comparative site such as BestAutoInsurance.org
that is how I saved $375 on my Auto Insurance in 4 minutes
John
drivers education…
Get a discount on your auto insurance by attending a two- session AARP Safe Driver class, noon to 4 p. m. June 18- 19 at Providence Health Education Center, 2701 Laurel St. The cost is 10. Call (803) 256- 5955 to sign up….
Thank you for your nice post. It took me a while browsing through your blog and I liked this post particularly, I just subscribed to your RSS Feed and I think I need to add some more to your post here. One thing that I know has become much more efficient and customer friendly is getting online quotes. It is so easy these days. In a few minutes you could have up to 20 quotes from several insurers who have been vetted by the quotes comparison sites. All you need to find are reputable comparison sites who can offer you auto insurance quotes from stable insurers.
It is always good to know what affects the rates we pay on our auto insurance. When getting quotes, know that your quote would be influenced by information such as the applicants age, sex, driving history, the car being insured and sometimes the drivers credit score. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Thank you buddy!! This info is so great!! I will be looking for more like this!
.-= castings danse´s last blog ..Devenir actrice sans prendre la grosse tête =-.
What a post, it’s really good to read, please send me some more relevant article on that topic, also if you can provide any other information then its pleasure to having a great blogger.
Comparing car insurance is an effective way to influence our decision in choosing the insurance plans for our needs. Shop online for car insurance quotes and compare to save more money. Don’t stay with the same company unless they give you discounts or you ask them what are the benefits of staying in the program if you’re not satisfied look for another one.
Wow, sounds like you found a great deal there. I have never used AAA so I wonder if I am signed up for road side assistance with my insurance provider. Note to self: call the insurance company tomorrow
.-= Auto Insurance´s last blog ..Auto Insurance Quotes =-.
Most Auto Insurance policies in South Africa now come with roadside assistance. We call it Car insurance here.
Thanks for idea. This really help a lot to me. Hope all people got there car insurance.
Car insurance is so expensive. Any way of saving is appreciated. Never thought much about AAA. Will consider using now.
Really gaining an insurance policy for your automobile is a must thing today and people who don’t have one must look seriously into taking a policy that suits them best. Thanks for sharing such a nice post with us.
I use AAA too, I didn’t get anywhere near that fantastic price! I’ll have to call them!
With all the floods and storms that we have been seeing the last couple years you need to make sure that your following through with due dilligence and making sure your not getting a vehicle that has been damaged in the flood and then cleaned up by some would be dishonest reseller.
Let’s hope with all the recent weather problems that the AAA are ready!