The AAA Card Can Save You Money

Shortly after my sixteenth birthday my dad bought me an old, used Ford Escort. That Ford Escort was nothing but trouble. It broke down at the most inopportune times, leaving me stranded on the side of the road on a number of occasions. About a year after buying that old bomb my dad bought me my first AAA membership.

AAA has been my knight in shining armor on more occasions than I care to remember. In fact, they came and picked my husband and I up after my car broke down during one of our first dates. After my Ford Escort finally called it quits, I drove an old Toyota Corolla and an even older Toyota Camry station wagon after that. My current ride, a 14 year old Oldsmobile, is the oldest yet. I think of my AAA card like an insurance policy against breakdowns. If I do breakdown I know I can call someone at anytime, anywhere to come pick me up.

The AAA membership isn’t cheap, but the peace of mind it provides is totally worth the cost. Plus AAA members receive a whole host of benefits. For travel purposes, they offer discounts on dining and hotels and once you know where you’re going you can order maps and tour books for your next trip. AAA also provides discounts to amusement parks, attractions, movie tickets, museums and sporting events. Not to mention a whole host of shopping discounts.

Just today I saved 10% buying shoes at Payless and last week I saved 15% at UPS. You don’t normally have to clip coupons or print advertisements from the AAA website. Most stores simply ask to see your AAA card. 1-800-Flowers, Circuit City, Dell, Lenscrafters, Linens & Things, New York & Company, Payless, Tanger Outlets, and UPS are just a few of the participating merchants.

As long as I continue to drive old cars I’ll keep my AAA membership. I don’t like the idea of being stranded without it.

5 thoughts on “The AAA Card Can Save You Money”

  1. Thanks for helping me make this decision – I’ve been debating about renewing my AAA membership, as my current car is a fairly recent Honda minivan, and it came with tow service. But I forget about all the extra benefits from being a member, you’re right about the discounts. I think I am going to renew, but for me the deciding factor is that AAA does transactions for the DMV. It’s worth the cost of membership to avoid waiting in lines and dealing with angry people.

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  2. I agree wholeheartedly with having a good car breakdown cover. If you have a very reliable vehicle or do not travel much then you could probably get away with it, but otherwise breakdowns can be very expensive.

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  3. I didn’t know AAA helped with DMV transactions. I’ll definitely need to look into that. Thanks for the heads up!

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  4. AAA has saved my bacon a bunch of times, too, and it can even lead to savings on insurance and rentals. All in all, tis a good thing to have!
    Jerry

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  5. Just found your blog and yeah, AAA is GREAT! I have the worst luck with cars. Crazy things happening to it like the alternator going out twice in one year, breaking the coil spring on the car, having the battery post break off in the battery when I stopped for gas. (Still don’t get that one…) I have the AAA with RV on it that allows free towing up to 100 miles away and just the number of times I’ve had to use that makes the membership worth it.

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