AAA. Worth the price or not?

I have had AAA on and off for many years. I think I have used them a total of three times. It always seems to me that they are slow to respond. Three hours was typical. Once, after a wreck with three other cars, AAA was so slow to respond that after all of the other cars had been towed, I finally ask the police if they would escort me and my badly damaged 914 a mile and a half back to my drive. They did, and I appreciate the extra service that Orlando Police Department extended to me. I had AAA pick up the car the next day.
These have been my experiences with the club. How about anyone else? Is AAA worth the fee?

Well, we have had it for about 10 years now -- used it once and had decent service.  BUT-- in our case it seems to pay for itself in hotel discounts and such.
Thanks
Scott C

Discounts for AAA members are widely available. Get into the habit to ask for AAA discounts everywhere you go- hotels, museums, whatever. If you do it enough, your net cost could become zip - or less.

I only have the membership that costs me like $50 a year.  Used it once two years ago for an in-town tow for the Land Rover when its fuel pump bit the dust.  That tow probably would have cost me at least $100 so I figure AAA has paid for itself for me for now.  Towing is free for the first 10 miles and since most of our driving is in town I figure it works out pretty well for us so I keep it.  I find the magazine exceedingly annoying though.  Response time was about 20 minutes, in town which is acceptable.

So far I have had the Altima towed once (bad knock sensor) and the Miata towed once (lower ball joint autodestruct) either tow would have been more than the cost of the service. I don't get the slow response time either, I'm guaranteed a half hour or less response time and both times it was just shy of that.

I first got it for the discounts for our Hawaii trip 5 years ago.  Saved serval hundred $ on that trip and am getting ready to do it again in January.
No experience with their road service (knock on wood).

I had a AAA membership for many years.  The very few times I needed their roadside help, they let me down.  The last straw was when my daughter had a flat tire, very late at night.  She called AAA (she was included in my membership) and they told her it would be about 2 hours before they could get help to her.  She then called me and I had her spare on and got her home in less than a hour.  We called AAA the next day and asked if they thought it was acceptable to leave a single woman, stranded alone late at night for 2 hours?  They didn't have a reasonable explanation or even an apology so when the membership expired, it wasn't renewed!

I had been a member for years and used them a few times for towing.  Reasonably quick responses each time.  I let it lapse when our vehicles got upgraded.  Now with my daughter getting a Miata I joined again and got a discount signing her up at the same time.  I like the fact the towing companies are pre screened and that she's covered in whatever car she is in, not just her own.  Also the AAA offices can do the CA DMV stuff.

I'd say AAA is not worth the price.  At least here in AZ, it is not.  I was a member for 33 yrs in three states, but when I moved to AZ in '06 they wanted about $140/yr so I did some shopping around and found GM Motor Club for $70/yr.  GMMC has better benefits like towing more miles and which family members are covered.
GMMC also offers discounts and good coupons, but AAA might get the nod there.
Eddie

Wow! We get AAA for both my wife and myself for $70 a year. I too use it mostly for the discounts, but the piece of mind is nice too.

I've had AAA since I got my DL! Only had to use them a couple of times over the years, but I use it all the time for various discounts! It's worth it to me for that.

I had a sidewall puncture at 11:00 pm 50 miles from home and no spare tire.  My State Farm towing coverage is to the nearest quot;networkquot; garage. Without a directory, who knows where that would have been...50 miles or 2 blocks plus out of pocket for overnight lodging. My AAA Plus membership covered 100 miles free towing....so they hauled me and the car to quot;myquot; repair shop at no charge and I slept in my own bed. The towing charge would have been $212 if I had no coverage. I'm a believer.

What many people don't realize is that AAA isn't just one company.  In many states they are essentially their own company.  They are all affiliated through their headquarters in Orlando, which coordinates things like the Tour Books and maps, etc.  In some cases the headquarters manages the clubs in several states and there is no actual state run company, though many still refer to it that way.
I mention this because clubs charge different dues and are operated differently.  In some cases they own their own tow trucks and drivers, in other states the service is entirely contracted out.
What this boils down to is whether or not AAA is a good deal depends on which state you live in.  I wish I had a list of what is what but I don't.  I know California operates independently even from many headquarters functions.
I've kept my AAA membership, mainly out of habit I guess as I used to work for them, though I've changed my membership through 5 different states now, paying 5 different rates.  My experience with South Dakota, Indiana, and Kentucky were all positive.  Wyoming (operated by the headquarters) was not.  I have no opinion yet on Alabama, except their local office is nice.

I pay $3 a month for roadside assistance through the cellphone company. I've used them a couple of times and they were pretty quick to send someone out.
But I don't get the discounts that AAA members get.
I do have AAA for our auto insurance and the one claim that I had was handled quickly and was painless.

I have AAA because it's required (in NorCal) to get insurance from CSAA. The amount I save (at least $300 and I've compared) is worth the membership, plus the discounts, roadside service and it use to be very good with its DMV services before CA DMV went online.
Also give I have the Miata ('90) as my only car, I have the platinum card with a 200 mile tow range.  I wouldn't drive a 20 year old car 350 miles (SF/LA round trip) unless I had it. So this also makes it worth it.
p.s. I think the local service relates to the tow contractors.  I once had to wait 2 hours on a Friday before a long holiday weekend but otherwise I've never had problems with the tow services. Always good guys.

It's time for me to renew and I just can't find the benifit. That night after the accident when I was the last person left on the road side was a real eye opener as to weather or not I could trust AAA. The wreck was not my fault, three other drivers were and yet their cars were all taken care of first while I sat on the side of the road. This is especially disturbing to me because the AAA headquarters are located just north of Orlando city limits. I have always loved the idea that I could get help when I needed it, but it seems to me they have let me down. I just want to know if my few experiences were representitive of their overall service. Maybe I should have posted in the Southeast section. Their discounts dont mean a much to me, it's the road side service that matters. That's when it counts

not worth it.  I've used them in past years.  Twice I needed towing - each time the contracted tower upcharged me.  One asked for $100 for the miles (about 3 miles over).
After I paid he refused to give me a receipt.  Another one drove me all over town.
I showed him on mapquest that it should have been half the distance.  He held my car hostage - wouldn't unhitch it until I paid.  After that I quit AAA.

Not worth it for a Miata or any other fairly dependable car; a must if you own a Triumph or MG.

Its ridiculous to have a wrecker come out for a flat tire. Change it yourself in 20 min. Today's cars are also impossible to lock your keys in. That leaves running out of gas. Unless you just bought an old 928 I'd skip it.

We've been members for over 30 years.  Though we have only used their road service a few times,  I feel we've gotten our money's  worth.
For us the main value has been their maps and tours books as well as the available discounts.

I've had AAA ever since I started driving, out of 18 years or so, I've never had a bad experience.
A single service call per year for any auto club similar to AAA, whether it be a tow, lock-out, or just gas will usually pay for the membership.
I don't recall exactly, but one year I had 3 tows, including one from Philly to home near Dover, DE. If I paid these out of pocket it would have been well over $500.  I think my membership back then was $90.
It is especially beneficial if you are relatively broke and in an aged car. It can really save your ass from being stranded.
Now that I'm an old man, I have platinum or premier membership whatever the higher one is, free tows are  (1) up to 200-mi. Up to (4) 100-mi. tows
The previous poster that had trouble with the driver driving the long way there and surcharging you, you should have contacted AAA right then and there and then again until it was resolved. That is just plain fraud.
.  Most of their rates are about $20/night less for AAA than the standard rate!  I should join immediately!

I think its a good deal, have the Plus membership (83.00/yr).
100 mile towing.
Will bring gas to your car.
Bail bond service.
I don't carry towing/emergency road service on my car insurance and that helps with the annual fee.
Also great when taking a road trip, they provide maps with lots of info, including construction areas.
Have not had to use the towing cause the Miata has never let me down
---------------------------------------------
1999 white touring - 5mt

I had it when I was taking the train between Philly and DC regularly (seeing someone down there).  It gave a 10% discount on weekend train tickets, plus a 15% student discount -- it added up to more than the annual fee pretty quickly.
-b.

I like it a lot, especially for the towing part.
Driving 2 finicky turbo cars (1976 280z, 1978 280z) we got are moneys worth easily.
Plus it's an easy and cheap way to move a project car home/to the shop/whatever.