“At least with AAA, you know what you’re getting (even if it’s not cheap).”
That’s the tradeoff, right? I’m all about saving a buck, but after my “free” insurance tow turned into a $95 surprise, I started seeing AAA’s price as more of an investment in my sanity. Still, I do wish they’d throw in a free coffee while I wait...
Yeah, that “free” tow is never really free, is it? I’ve seen a lot of folks get caught off guard by those hidden fees. Honestly, AAA’s upfront cost stings at first, but at least you know what you’re paying for. Insurance roadside can be hit or miss—sometimes smooth, sometimes a headache. Wouldn’t mind that coffee either... maybe one day they’ll throw us a bone.
Yeah, that “free” tow is never really free, is it? I’ve seen a lot of folks get caught off guard by those hidden fees.
That’s the thing that gets me every time—those little “gotchas” buried in the fine print. I’ve had both AAA and insurance roadside on different cars over the years. With AAA, yeah, you pay up front and it can feel steep if you don’t use it much. But when you do need it, there’s this weird comfort in knowing what you’re getting. No surprise $85 hookup fee because your car was parked at an odd angle or whatever.
With insurance roadside, I actually had a pretty mixed bag. One time, they sent out a tow truck that took almost two hours to show up (middle of winter, naturally), and then the driver tried to tell me my plan only covered five miles instead of ten. Had to argue with my insurance on the phone while shivering on the shoulder. Other times, it’s been smooth as butter—quick jump start, no fuss. It just feels like a coin toss.
The coffee idea made me laugh... I’d settle for just not having to haggle over what’s covered when my car’s dead on the side of the road. To be fair, some insurance companies are getting better about transparency but there’s still a lot of “well technically...” moments.
One thing I will say for AAA—they seem to have their act together with networked service providers. Even when I broke down in the middle of nowhere (literally cornfields), they managed to find someone within an hour. Not sure my insurance would’ve pulled that off.
Guess it depends how much peace of mind is worth to you vs rolling the dice and hoping your insurance roadside isn’t outsourced to some random third party that doesn’t pick up the phone. For me, I keep renewing AAA even though I grumble about the price every year... just feels more dependable when things go sideways.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve had the opposite luck. My insurance roadside (through Geico) has always been super fast—like, 30 minutes or less, even in the middle of nowhere. AAA left me hanging once for almost three hours outside of Flagstaff. Maybe it’s just a regional thing or who’s on call that day, but I wouldn’t write off insurance-based roadside completely. Sometimes it’s just about who’s got the better local hookup.
I keep going back and forth on this, honestly. I’m about to get my first car insurance policy, and the roadside assistance thing is one of those details that’s stressing me out more than it probably should. I’ve heard stories like yours where the insurance company’s roadside is actually faster, but then I’ve also read a bunch of posts where people say their insurance-based help took forever or was super limited in what they’d actually cover. Like, some folks said they got charged extra for towing past a certain number of miles, or the dispatcher just couldn’t find anyone local to come out.
I guess with AAA, at least you know what you’re getting, even if it’s not always lightning fast. They’ve been around forever, and my parents swear by them. But then again, I don’t love the idea of paying for two separate things if my insurance already offers roadside. It just feels like there’s always some catch—like maybe the insurance company’s version is only good if you’re in a city or something.
I’m probably overthinking it, but I just don’t want to be stuck on the side of the road at 2am with no help coming because I picked the wrong option. Maybe it really does come down to where you live and who’s actually available nearby... but how are you supposed to know that before you need it? That’s what gets me. I wish there was a way to test these things out without having to break down first.
Anyway, leaning toward AAA just for peace of mind, but still not totally convinced either way. The whole thing feels like a gamble no matter what.
