AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
User avatar
Nate79
Posts: 9354
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:24 pm
Location: Delaware

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by Nate79 »

We have had Good Sam roadside assistance for years as it is slightly cheaper than others but now considering dropping and using the device on our Amex credit card which is free (Amex premium roadside assistance).
canderson
Posts: 476
Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:12 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by canderson »

I disagree with the statement that AAA contracts out everything. We have had to use AAA three times in 10 years and every t8me they were in a AAA-branded truck and uniform.

We get roadside service through USAA and our Chase Sapphire Reserved card but I highly doubt they would be faster than using AAA so we pay for it.
yohac
Posts: 560
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 1:42 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by yohac »

Finridge wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 3:08 pm I've had AAA for decades, and wondering whether I'm seeing it as a kind of security, and not being as rational as I could.
Me too, only because DW insists on it. We've used them twice in 20+ years. There are at least five other numbers I could call for nationwide roadside assistance. Granted for most all they do is dispatch, and I would have to pay. In my book AAA is throwing money away, but I decided long ago it wasn't the hill I wanted to die on.
mw1739
Posts: 1146
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:44 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by mw1739 »

Nate79 wrote: Thu Nov 22, 2018 8:33 am We have had Good Sam roadside assistance for years as it is slightly cheaper than others but now considering dropping and using the device on our Amex credit card which is free (Amex premium roadside assistance).
I dumped AAA this year in favor of the Amex roadside assistance as well. I think the AAA bill was $180 for my wife and I.
Tdubs
Posts: 1819
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:50 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by Tdubs »

I'm interested to know if anyone has new thoughts on this thread from 2018. I am just about done with AAA. It is clear the AAA repair shop in town is padding the bill. Last year my auto policy came up for renewal and they wanted to charge 50 percent more even though we had no new violations or claims. I switched to Geico. This year, our home policy came up for renewal with a $1,000 increase in the policy (from $1,200 to $2,200). Again, we have never had a claim. Switched again to Geico.

So the only reason to our AAA membership is their towing service. Geico seems like a logical post-AAA towing option. Are there decent alternatives besides Geico?
criticalmass
Posts: 2839
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:58 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by criticalmass »

Tdubs wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:49 am I'm interested to know if anyone has new thoughts on this thread from 2018. I am just about done with AAA. It is clear the AAA repair shop in town is padding the bill. Last year my auto policy came up for renewal and they wanted to charge 50 percent more even though we had no new violations or claims. I switched to Geico. This year, our home policy came up for renewal with a $1,000 increase in the policy (from $1,200 to $2,200). Again, we have never had a claim. Switched again to Geico.

So the only reason to our AAA membership is their towing service. Geico seems like a logical post-AAA towing option. Are there decent alternatives besides Geico?
That is an old thread with a long gap between the previous reply and yours. Have you looked at current threads/replies on this topic?

1) viewtopic.php?f=11&t=335043
2) viewtopic.php?f=11&t=53730
User avatar
beyou
Posts: 6868
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:57 pm
Location: If you can make it there

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by beyou »

carolinaman wrote: Wed May 23, 2018 6:24 am We are long time AAA customers. We have had to use the towing service twice and AAA was very responsive. In one instance, they towed our car over 30 miles. Also, AAA will change tires, jump a dead battery and unlock your car if you locked yourself out. My wife has used them for dead battery (twice) and changing tire when I was not available.

AAA has travel services: maps, travel planning, reservations, discounts, etc. that we find useful, but with the Internet and smart phones, are not as useful as they once were.

I have heard stories about unreliability of these other services. We know AAA is reliable. I see their trucks around town quite often. They have an active presence in our town. I do not trust these other towing services.
Last time my wife called AAA, they estimated 45 min wait. This in an urban area where there are lots of towing operators minutes away. I also got battery service, supposedly at discount but ended up more than anyplace like a Pepboys. Made me think if it was worth keeping.
hkcj
Posts: 149
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2016 1:53 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by hkcj »

My wife just used our GEICO roadside assistance today in order to get a jump start. (The battery died on our new car for some unknown reason... grr.)

It sounds like they aren't reported to CLUE, but as part of the research I discovered that our car includes roadside assistance for the first 3 years. Is there a downside to cancelling our roadside coverage tomorrow? It's only the cost of two coffees a year, but I don't see a reason to pay for two services. On the other hand, we've already gotten our money's worth and my concern is that GEICO will see it as a ding if I cancel a coverage right after I use it.

And yes, we bought a battery jump-starter today :)
bikechuck
Posts: 1466
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:22 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by bikechuck »

dm200 wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 3:32 pm How do access and responsiveness compare? Is one more or less likely to leave you "stranded" when you need assistance?
Jumping in to say that I like AAA for a few reasons.

1) They have on occasion come to my house to test and replace car batteries ... once to my daughter's house while we were visiting in Wisconsin on a 20 below zero day. Their battery prices seem reasonable and it is so convenient to just get incidents like this over and done with.

2) They have changed flat tires for my wife, my daughters and me on occasion at night and on highways

3) I have used them for occasional tows and occasional discounts

GEICO might offer similar coverages/services for a better price. However AAA has always been there for me when I needed them so I will continue using their service.
Tucker50
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:57 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by Tucker50 »

I have AAA gold but have rarely used. I view it as insurance. I have also paid for home owner's insurance that I have never used. That's the thing about insurance it rarely pays off. One reason I haven't used AAA is because I carry a bicycle pump - a trick a friend taught me. I pump the flat tire so I can drive myself to the repair shop.
sandan
Posts: 629
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:48 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by sandan »

bikechuck wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:45 am
dm200 wrote: Tue May 22, 2018 3:32 pm How do access and responsiveness compare? Is one more or less likely to leave you "stranded" when you need assistance?
Jumping in to say that I like AAA for a few reasons.

1) They have on occasion come to my house to test and replace car batteries ... once to my daughter's house while we were visiting in Wisconsin on a 20 below zero day. Their battery prices seem reasonable and it is so convenient to just get incidents like this over and done with.

2) They have changed flat tires for my wife, my daughters and me on occasion at night and on highways

3) I have used them for occasional tows and occasional discounts

GEICO might offer similar coverages/services for a better price. However AAA has always been there for me when I needed them so I will continue using their service.
Agreed. aaa for two people is $70. $62 gift membership + $8 additional member. It's almost a push with Geico.

AAA has always come through for me, even when my membership was expired.

At similar prices, I will always go with the firm that specializes in a particular service. I doubt gieco is going to take a complaint about roadside assistance with much care.
Escapevelocity
Posts: 1145
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 7:32 am

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by Escapevelocity »

Tucker50 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:25 am I have AAA gold but have rarely used. I view it as insurance. I have also paid for home owner's insurance that I have never used. That's the thing about insurance it rarely pays off. One reason I haven't used AAA is because I carry a bicycle pump - a trick a friend taught me. I pump the flat tire so I can drive myself to the repair shop.
I did that recently when my car had a flat in my own driveway. My kids claimed it wouldn't work. Took a little while and some sweat equity, but worked fine. Turned out to be a screw in the tread and got it plugged 3 miles away at the nearest station.

I think AAA makes sense if you drive clunkers otherwise probably not.
User avatar
illumination
Posts: 3160
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:13 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by illumination »

I think AAA is garbage now, I've been a member for a long time. Last time I tried to use them I was stuck in endless phone trees and all I needed was a jump start. Ending calling an Uber and getting the driver to jump it for a nice tip. :)

Adding a policy on to GEICO is really cheap if you worry about that tow charge.

Getting a car towed is just not that expensive, many service places either have their own or work with a company and just don't charge that much. I tend to only like insuring events that are "crippling" financially. If you own an older car and break downs are a more regular occurrence, the math changes.
pshonore
Posts: 8205
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:21 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by pshonore »

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this I believe AAA covers any car in which you or spouse (not sure about kids) are listed the as owner or if you are a passenger in someone elses car. Go somewhere with a neighbor in his or her car, AAA will provide service.
themesrob
Posts: 321
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:58 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by themesrob »

I used the GEICO app several times for roadside assistance. Their app is by far the best I've ever seen for any sort of insurance company (I switched to Liberty Mutual for a brief and unfortunate 12 months chasing rates, and realized after one call for a jump start how much better GEICO was at this sort of thing). The ability to send your location direct to the service provider and track their approach is a godsend if you're stuck on the road somewhere. Considering this option on my policy is just a few dollars a year, I wouldn't even consider AAA as an alternative.
Tucker50
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2017 5:57 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by Tucker50 »

Escapevelocity wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:28 pm
Tucker50 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:25 am I have AAA gold but have rarely used. I view it as insurance. I have also paid for home owner's insurance that I have never used. That's the thing about insurance it rarely pays off. One reason I haven't used AAA is because I carry a bicycle pump - a trick a friend taught me. I pump the flat tire so I can drive myself to the repair shop.
I did that recently when my car had a flat in my own driveway. My kids claimed it wouldn't work. Took a little while and some sweat equity, but worked fine. Turned out to be a screw in the tread and got it plugged 3 miles away at the nearest station.

I think AAA makes sense if you drive clunkers otherwise probably not
I use a $20 electric tire pump from Walmart. I carry in trunk
psteinx
Posts: 5785
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:24 pm

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by psteinx »

Tucker50 wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:44 pmI use a $20 electric tire pump from Walmart. I carry in trunk
Works for a slow leak maybe, but not all leaks are slow.

My son drives a CR-V that suffered a flat tire a few months ago, caused by a ~3" gash (inside tire wall - not easily visible without removing the tire).
blastoff
Posts: 402
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:04 am

Re: AAA vs. GEICO for Roadside Assistance--Help Me Decide!

Post by blastoff »

Tucker50 wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:44 pm
Escapevelocity wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:28 pm
Tucker50 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:25 am I have AAA gold but have rarely used. I view it as insurance. I have also paid for home owner's insurance that I have never used. That's the thing about insurance it rarely pays off. One reason I haven't used AAA is because I carry a bicycle pump - a trick a friend taught me. I pump the flat tire so I can drive myself to the repair shop.
I did that recently when my car had a flat in my own driveway. My kids claimed it wouldn't work. Took a little while and some sweat equity, but worked fine. Turned out to be a screw in the tread and got it plugged 3 miles away at the nearest station.

I think AAA makes sense if you drive clunkers otherwise probably not
I use a $20 electric tire pump from Walmart. I carry in trunk
Same. Regular bicycle pump. No electric.

Unless it's really flat, it's only 30-50 pumps or so. That's a lot lot lot less time than hunting for a station with air. It also works in the middle of nowhere
Post Reply