Friday, July 25, 2008

Filing and piling

Whew! I'm up paying the stack of bills that's teetered on the counter since we returned. Don't you just love 24-hour banking?

2 services I'm undecided about renewing:

AAA auto club for 2 cars = $88/year (car stalled on remote fishing trip)
Zander Insurance ID theft protection plan = $72/year (after purse stolen)

Would I be tempting fate to drop them now? Has either company proved its worth to you?

85 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep the AAA, drop the other.

Anonymous said...

We are big believers in the value of AAA. We have it on our "fleet" of cars. It has been a valuable asset. Just last year our son who is a college student in Nashville was able to call AAA with his membership and they came and opened the car for a friend of his who had locked his keys in his car on a Friday night out. My son was with him and this saved them from a frustrating and expensive situation. AAA has come to my rescue when I have traveled without my husband more than once. There is a lot of security in knowing that AAA is there for us.

Anonymous said...

I won't comment on the identity theft company because I know nothing about them, but.......

keep the AAA. Just one flat tire in a scary neighborhood after dark is more than enough, in my book, to justify the expense. Over the years the AAA service has baled us out of several tight spots and a couple of downright scary ones. It's hard to pay, I know, but one of those "peace of mind" sort of things in my book.

Anonymous said...

We have AAA and I love it. I've used them a couple times and have been grateful each time. Actually, I know I would have used them even more, except the car I used to drive (pre-baby) had run-flat tires, which means they somehow miraculously don't deflate even when you have a flat (however, you have to go get the entire tire replaced which is insanely expensive for those tires). Anyhow, I mainly love AAA because I don't trust car insurance companies. I know many car insurance companies provide some "rescue" services as well, but I don't trust that they won't raise my rates if they think I'm too much of a bother. Personally, I'd rather pay $80 a year and know my insurance company won't raise my rates by hundreds.

Anonymous said...

We dropped AAA because our insurance company has a roadside service. Its a pain to use. AAA is MUCH MUCH easier to use. with the insurance company you have to pay cash up front and then get reiumbursed. When do you have
$100+ cash (no checks or credit cards) with you? I don't.

Debra said...

We have AAA-If you ever go out at night alone it is reassuring. Totally worth the $$. Also, I have used the discounts for hotels and other things too.

I have been pondering the Zander ID theft insurance and so far have decided against it (Nothing against the company, I have only heard wonderful things about them) although I may change my mind.

Anonymous said...

Costco also carries cheaper auto club. But AAA is great when you need them.
-katmaxx

debbie bailey said...

We've used AAA to the limits! It's been invaluable for our teens as they drive back and forth from college. I guess it depends on how much traveling you do away from home.

I hit a deer two states over while taking a son to ballet camp. It was the middle of nowhere. AAA came and took us to a fabulous body shop and helped us get a rental. We were able to pick up our car on our way back home at the end of the week. That was amazing since our car had suffered so much damage.

Anonymous said...

well, I'd definitely keep AAA. Not that expensive for 2 cars, I need to look into it! And a slightly more expensive but better service for identity protection: www.lifelock.com ($10/month)

Mindy said...

Almost every hotel that we have stayed in over the years has a AAA discount. We have paid for our membership over and over by the savings we have seen. It makes a difference if you have to do alot of traveling.

ashley said...

My husband had AAA when we got married, but we constantly got frustrated with them. They were SOO slow, and we would often find ourselves waiting for HOURS before they came and helped us!

Of course, I would NEVER feel comfortable going without roadside assistance period. :-) We decided to keep the service through our insurance company, and they are much more prompt and helpful. Perhaps that might be a cheaper option than AAA for you?

Carrie J said...

We do not have AAA but service connected to my husband's cell phone. It is $3 per month and use is associated with the phone number not what car he is driving.
I would recommend keeping AAA because of the fact that you are driving older cars and most importantly you will be having 3 little ones with you. The peace of mind is worth it IMO. Things happen with kids that you wouldn't think of. Things like helping Mommy by locking the car doors...with the keys inside the car, or even worse the child inside and they can't figure out how to unlock the door. Don't ask how I know this! LOL.
Thanks for the sweet birthday wish you left on my blog btw. It turned out to be a pretty great day.

Michelle Smiles said...

We dropped AAA this year. I had been a member since getting my drivers license at 16. I got a membership every year for Christmas until I was out of college and started buying it myself. I was on the road a lot as a social worker and taking road trips with friends in my older cars so I used it a good bit. Plus I loved the triptiks.

We talked about it when we moved. We both had brand new cars and cell phones and tend to almost never be somewhere without cell service. The logic made sense so we got rid of it. And we haven't needed it - and triptiks are a thing of the past with internet directions. But to be honest, I miss the piece of mind that came with it - especially with little ones in the car. So I'm on the fence about it.

Anonymous said...

I only know about AAA and I would never be without it. I have not used it too often, but all it takes is one time (in several years!) to justify its cost. I don't know what I would have done had I not had it when I needed it. My budget it extremely tight, but I will figure out a way to pay for this. I think it could potentially save my life if I were out alone at night and broke down. You have small children - keep it!

An Adventurer in the World said...

Every year I begrudgingly sign that AAA check and every year it saves me several times the cost.

We drive older cars. Mine stalled when I was all alone in an unfamiliar town in the rain this year, called AAA, (had to wait an hour! Note to self: Keep projects in the car) but, voila. Something like that seems to happen every year so it has proved its' value!

But we also appreciate their long, flip-over maps for travel planning (called Triptix??), and merchant discounts: (most recently, Lenscrafters).

Re: the identity theft insurance. It sounds like a nightmare so I'd review the policy and see what it ACTUALLY offers, then read some stories about people to whom this has happened. Didn't you have your purse stolen once? Or was that Shannon Rocksinmydryer?

$72/12 = $6 month.

deb meyers

Vintage Girl said...

Another one here for keeping AAA, in Canada here it's CAA and I wouldn't be without it. Flat tire, locking keys in car(paid for itself over and over..lol) anything, it's a wonderful reassurance, and that's a great price too. Happy travelling! Heather

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

We don't have AAA, but my dad does...not sure how that helps us...hmmm. ;)

We have neither. I'd say of the two, keep AAA.

FishMama said...

After our engine blew up over 30 miles from home, AAA became a "must-have." I think we've always kept it upgraded to the Plus version that allows more miles of towing as well. We realized that for our family, it was going to be rare that we broke down within five miles from home. I suppose if you "self-insured" as Dave says, by putting away a certain amount earmarked for towing, then you could get away with it. But, your quote sounds like it would be less than one towing. So, I'd keep it.

As for the ID theft, I'm not sure. We got a free subscription last year when our bank had a breach. I don't know how Zander works, but I still had to call every four months and prompt them to check the credit reports, something I could do myself. Granted, they would have done the chasing down and cleaning up, but I thankfully, we never had to test them out on that service.

Jen said...

We have identity theft protection. We have some friends who had their identity stolen and it was a NIGHTMARE! Totally worth the money for someone else to take care of all that for me. We have never had AAA. I guess that would depend on how "dependable" your cars are.

Sarah M said...

Keep the AAA! We have used it each service they offer every year without fail.
Ask about discounts on #of children, age of "owner" (i.e. you or your husband) and they may even take up to 25% off! They did for me!

Anonymous said...

Another vote for keeping AAA - it is money well-spent, no matter how well-maintained or new your vehicle is. Flat tires can happen anywhere and anytime to anyone, but usually when least convenient - this also goes for locking keys in the car. For me, the travel services are a bonus, as are discounts at local merchants (Payless, for one). The emergency road service is worth every cent.

Kathy said...

I am a widow with a small child, and I definitely will keep my AAA! Just a few months ago I had a flat tire in my driveway. Now, perhaps I should know how to change a tire on an SUV, but I don't, and at 52 am unlikely to learn! I also have no one I could call to come "rescue" me, so AAA is valuable to me. They were here within 40 minutes and I was very grateful. My vote is keep it. Don't know anything about the identity theft insurance, can't vote on that one!

Anonymous said...

I got rid of AAA, but I wish I kept it, just for the discounts I would have received in some instances. I also think its nice to have peace of mind out there on the road.

Anonymous said...

If you do any shopping at Target's website, you can get 10% off for being a AAA member. That can help make up for some of the cost of the membership. I like AAA for piece of mind, the discount is bonus.

Amy said...

We just re-joined AAA after having dropped it for a few years. We figure it this way: one tow in our area runs $75-100, and both of our cars are getting up in years. Also, the weekend after I joined, we traveled for a wedding and saved $20 a night on the hotel, which has already made up for half of the cost of membership. So, yes, I'd say the AAA is worth it IMHO.

Anonymous said...

I dropped AAA after I discovered that for about 6.00 every 6 months, my car insurance provided the same service, (locksmith, gas, towing, jump starting), but with UNLIMITED mileage on towing. Check out your insurance policy. Plus we can find the same discounts on entertainment in the paper and in entertainment books. Google maps gives good directions, too.
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Keep both. If you ever have to work through an identity theft issue you will be glad you have the insurance. Zander is a good company. Do more research before you decide to drop the identity theft insurance.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hey, Meredith, thanks for stopping by!

I haven't had AAA in a long time, but I'd say if you're going to drop one, keep AAA & drop the other too. I know they really can come to the rescue at times.

Rhoda

Janette said...

10% off at Target w/ AAA! I did not know that.
Keep the AAA. I use mine rarely, but when I do I am glad I have it. Worst experience- running into a scary neighborhood store to get directions and locking my keys in the car. It took them five minutes to get to me. I guess they knew the area as well!

Kath Mattus said...

I have the roadside assistance through our cell phone, but have considered going with AAA. The reason?...AAA has a level of service that will provide towing free up to 100 miles. If you live in the country aka "boondocks" "timbucktoo and beyond" like us...lol or if you travel farther than 5 miles from home on a regular basis... it will pay for itself.

We were headed into Nashville and my truck broke down. I needed a tow back home (approx 40 miles). With our towing coverage, I still paid $125. Right there was more than AAA costs for a whole year!

I say go with AAA. I believe I've convinced myself also :~)

Blessings,
Kath

martha said...

I think you've just convinced me of the value of AAA.
I had no idea it was so reasonable. The annual fee would be less than one towing. Thanks for the information.

Tracey said...

AAA seems like a great value....but I'd drop the other.

Anonymous said...

I've actually been considering getting AAA again after being without it for quite awhile. Our cars are getting older and a bit less reliable. And the times we've had AAA in the past, it's been priceless! I have several AAA stories!! So I'd say keep it.

I don't know much about the ID protection, so advice there.

Malia

Kay Brooks said...

We get free roadside assistance as a perk of every oil change we get with our mechanic. We're using older cars and it has come in very handy. The perk only last 3 months--about the time I need to go back in for another oil change.

When the Davidson County Election Commission exposed our SSN's I locked down our accounts by filing credit freezes with each of the credit bureaus. I didn't trust the sweetheart deal Metro worked out with Debix and knew that if I purchased insurance it was going to be an annual concern at renewal time. It took 3 1/2 hours of my time to do this but it's done.

Anonymous said...

I'm an insurance agent that handles all the claims in our agency. I've seen and heard alot. I wouldn't ever go without any type of road service, whether through my auto policy or another source. Luckily for me, its only an additional $4 a year on my auto insurance. Personally, I would keep the AAA. It's just like any type of insurance, you might never have to use it. But, if something does happen, it's always such a relief that you kept the coverage you needed. Unfortunately, I can't afford AAA at this time in my life as a single mom, but wish I could. Their discounts are great extra to have for so many services.

I recommend contacting the insurance agency where you have your homeowners insurance. They might be able to add id recovery coverage onto your policy for a minimal cost. I know the companies that I am licensed with offer it at a minimal yearly charge. In fact, one is just $20 a year.

Valerie

carol said...

Yet another vote towards keeping the AAA. We have all of our insurance through AAA (car,house,life) the savings we get from that MORE than pays for the membership each year. We have 3 older vehicles and one 19 YO male driver. He's going to be commuting back and forth to college starting here in a month and even though he has a cell phone (we all do, actually), I still won't give up the AAA. I also love all the hotel and other discounts you get. We visited an air museum this summer and got 10% off our giftshop purchases, ok so it was only .5 off some .50 postcards,but still....LOL!

Anonymous said...

We have Zander ID theft protection also. I am not entirely pleased with them because I never received documentation or proof of protection after I mailed the check to them nearly a year ago. Our credit union recently mailed us a letter about their ID protection plan that looks comparable but about 35% cheaper. I will look into it further when the other expires. Maybe your local bank or credit union offers it also and it could be cheaper. I think the protection is worthwhile.
Nancy

Anonymous said...

I think this is the concensus, but keep the AAA!!! I have NEVER regretted it, we've called them for jumpstarts, locked out of the car, towing, etc. Worth the peace of mind for me!!!

Plus we appreciate the discounts, many places offer AAA discounts.

Huge AAA fan here! :)

Anonymous said...

AAA has proven vaulable enough for us to keep it. We haven't had that particular identity theft company, but we eventuall dropped it.

Barbara

beanjeepin said...

AAA is great for discounts. And we figure 2-3 years expense is worth it for ONE tow so we keep it. We have the plus since we live in the boonies (tows are far!) and often travel with a trailer. I am alone in the car with 5 young children frequently and while my husband and parents of the 3 kids I watch could be there in about as much time as it takes the AAA person to come, it's so worth it to me to know I can have all KINDS of help to me ASAP in a situation like that. In fact I didn't pay for it last year - the mom of two of the kids I watch did just for her own peace of mind.

Michelle said...

The AAA is worth the money. Just having a vehicle towed once pays for it. Triptiks are nice as well as the travel books/maps/brochures you can get. We use the books to help plan day trips/field trips.

We drive older vehicles and with littles, having AAA has been more than worth the cost.

Anonymous said...

AAA is the gold standard for insurance. We may struggle with other bills but we keep AAA going no matter what. They have saved our trips and our sanity more times than I can remember. It is terrifying when your car stops working, you are miles from home and alone. If you add a car full of kids to that mix you will be so happy to see that tow truck drive comes chugging up. We have never, ever had a problem with AAA and we have had their insurance for over 40 years.

Renee said...

I've had AAA for years and would have to have no other choice before I'd drop it. I've had to be towed a couple of times, and one jump start, and just knowing that it was available was a relief. Any one of those would have cost more than my membership that year.

The travel discounts are also nice, and I get my insurance through them (although I think that's not exclusively available to members).

I've never had the identity theft thing, but I'm actually tempted by it. A few years ago I had a rash of fraudulent charges and it took hours and hours and hours for over six months to get it all cleared up, and I dread the thought that I might ever have to deal with something like that again.

Of the two though, I'd still go with AAA, no question.

Cecelia said...

Definitely keep the AAA, I used my parents' plan so many times while in college that I don't think I will ever drop my own plan now that I have it.

Anonymous said...

AAA is like insurance - you hope you never need it but if you do, you're glad to have it. I don't think I'll ever drop my membership.

On the other hand, ID theft protection is something you can usually do yourself. If DIY is too much trouble, then maybe it's worth paying for.

Check to see if you have "double" coverage with either service though. Some car insurance policies include road side assistance. And some credit cards and banking packages include ID theft assistance. If you have a relationship with a large financial company, they might help you there as well.

Anonymous said...

Please, Please, keep AAA!!! Just onw towing or locking your keys in your car and it will pay for itself. About two years age, I hit a deer in the spring, and my husband hit a deer in the fall. The towing alone more than paid it.
Ruth, PA

Darla said...

We've never had either and havem never needed either, but I am now considering AAA.

Kim said...

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Love your blog!

Anonymous said...

AAA is by the person, not the car. The card is good on any car, even on a friend's if you are with them and have the card on your person. I particularly like the tour guides and maps, the hotel discounts, and the low prices on things like luggage. I also use my discount at the UPS store.

Anonymous said...

I would actually keep neither. One way to build true wealth is to self-insure whenever possible. These companies make large profits by playing the odds--that's the way insurance works. Yes, there are years when you would come out ahead, but overall, you're going to pay a lot more than you ever use. It's like the lottery--someone may buy their first ticket and win a million dollars, but on average, people lose money.
You can also personally freeze your credit so no one can take out credit in your name--why pay $72 for something that shouldn't take more than an hour of your time? Take the $160 you would save from turning these down, and keep the cash on you. Put the cash in another compartment in your wallet and forget it's there (until an emergency.) You can get help even faster than AAA if you're willing to pay cash for the help.

Heather said...

We have State Farm insurance and get free road side service from them. We just switched to them from another company and saved a bundle by calling and getting quotes from other companies and was able to drop our AAA and get better coverage. Because of our driving record our rates will never increase no matter the amount of tickets, wrecks or roadside services calls we use. Hope this helps.

Blondie said...

My two cents worth: keep the AAA, lose the other.

majellamom said...

My 2 cents:

We have neither.

I would consider AAA if we lived further away from family or if we traveled more. Fortunately, hubby has about 150 relatives in the regions where we spend most of our time, and I am sure I could get help with car problems if necessary. Our cars are both 11 years old, and we have never needed a tow (we have needed to be pulled out of snow drifts by my FIL with his tractor, however).

So, if you don't have a family network, or live somewhere with scary neighborhoods you might break down in, or if your cars aren't the most reliable, I would keep AAA.

As for Zander Insurance Identity Theft - I know that Dave Ramsey loves Zander Insurance...I was not so impressed with them when we attempted to get life insurance quotes from them. They told me I was uninsurable (due to my weight) nevermind that I had life insurance at the time, and managed to get exactly what I wanted from the Knights of Columbus after we checked Zander). I know that the theory behind the identity theft insurance is that it will save you a bunch of time if anything bad were to happen.

So, my thought is...I am a housewife. My job is to make our house run smoothly. Yes, I take care of the kids, and yes, I homeschool...but if my identity is stolen, I can MAKE the time to deal with the banks, social security, etc...it may involve me wandering around on hold on our cordless phone all day long, but I could make it work. So if the ID theft insurance were for ME, I wouldn't get it. Fortunately, my hubby works split shifts, so it would probably take him longer/be a bigger hassle if his ID were stolen, but it wouldn't be impossible for him to take care of.

You are basically paying them to make phone calls for you IF your ID is ever stolen. That's not worth $72 a year to me...

Anonymous said...

I don't know who your auto insurer is , but if by chance it is USAA you can get roadside assistance from them for a very small fee (my new renewal lists $3.83/6 months per vehicle for "towing and labor".) I recently used it when my battery died in the commissary parking lot - it took about 45 minutes for roadside assistance to get to me. Not only did she jump-start my car, she followed me to the gas station, waited for me to fuel up (with the engine turned off, of course), and gave me another jump to send me on my way. When does your ID theft coverage expire? It's only been about 7 months since your purse was stolen, right? Maybe if you let it lapse, Zander will contact you with a better offer.

Susan in San Antonio

Kelly said...

Speaking as a former employee, drop the AAA. But hold onto that road service number. We did send trucks out to people that were not members. You just had to pay the driver. All of them, in Ohio, took credit cards at the truck. Besides- you usually have to pay anyways. Except in extreme weather emergencies- which as a mom to small kids u are not out in- the time difference for member and non member was the same. As for trip tiks- well they are on the AAA website now, for free! I used one on my v/k this summer and it was great!

Anonymous said...

We decided not to renew our AAA membership this year. Every time we've needed it, we had to wait hours for a tow truck. In Nashville, my brother-in-law who is a cop told us if you call the city's roadside assistance after a break down, they have to respond in 30 minutes. If we traveled out of town more, we might want AAA, but I've found our insurance provided roadside assistance to be just as good and it has never made our rates go up.

Anonymous said...

My mom locked her keys in the car on my wedding day - this was 15 years ago, but AAA was excessively dragging on helping because it was a late Saturday night and she was out of state. That sounds unreasonable to me now, maybe I am remembering it wrong, but it would be worth checking on the limits of their help.

Martha A. said...

I think it depends on what type cars you drive. Do you drive an older car that is likely to break down? Then keep the auto club. I think Costco is cheap though, like $50 a year, but I am not sure and it covers the whole family. Anyhow, one towing cost can be over $100, so if it is at all likely you may use it once in a year you saved money.
My mom used a car club so much one time, they dropped her!

Tubo Family said...

Great discussion here, lots of food for thought.

Anonymous said...

We debated getting AAA, but decided instead to keep a list of local towing companies in the glove compartment. We do travel quite a lot, but we figured we could always call a family member and have them google a towing company for wherever we broke down.

We needed to call for help with a flat recently and the cost of having the tow truck come to change a flat was $43.

Jenny's Vegcafe said...

Keep the AAA. I've never had a problem when I've needed service and I've been so glad to have it when I've needed it.
When we had ten year old plus cars we dropped our insurance to the bare minimum to pay for the our AAA.
I know nothing about the other service.

Julie Clark said...

Ha! I thought only "old people" used AAA! Looks like I was wrong! (Unless you have a bunch of 80 year olds reading your blog!)

We have some kind of reimbursement through our insurance plan (we pay for a tow truck, they reimburse us) and I just have never been able to justify buying AAA when we already have a similar service.

We have theft identity protection free for a year on the backs of the taxpayers (because some ding dong in Nashville gov't left his laptop out WITH THE PSASSWORD ON A STICKY NOTE) and our SSN's were compromised. Otherwise, we would not have that.

Harper said...

I don't have any opinion about either company. However, I would be inclined to drop the ID theft protection. First of all, you can get two credit reports for free every year. Secondly, as long as your credit isn't pulled very frequently it won't hurt your credit to pay to check it on occasion (twenty-five-ish a pop). Thirdly, most major credit cards provide credit score monitoring as part of their service if you use online account access. So it's pretty easy to monitor the security of your ID on your own.

Nicola said...

AAA has saved us a number of times. despite having reliable hondas. keep it. drop the other.

MommyLydia said...

Don't you insure the person, not the car with AAA?

We chose to do AAA this year for me and not him. Husband wants me covered if something happens while I'm out with the baby but figures he can handle himself if necessary.

I'd drop the identity theft protection unless you really feel you are getting value for it.

Kelli said...

I have had AAA for a long time, though I did avoid renewing for as long as possible last year. This earned me an incentive to renew (I think it was a free month or two) and I found out that you can renew/sign up and use the service the same day! So, you could wait until you need it and then renew. If you wait too long, though, you will lose the renewal rate and will have to pay the current rate (which might be more than your renewal if you have been with them a while). Earlier this year I called to renew because I locked my keys in the car...right after I paid my renewal fee, I said, "Will you please transfer me to roadside assistance? I've locked my keys in the car!" The customer service rep didn't skip a beat--she was just as pleasant as when she was taking my credit card info!

Jane said...

I enjoy my AAA for the discounts-payless shoes is one that I can think of of the bat and the maps. Stop by the office sometime when you are in the area and stock up on a bunch of maps for Andrew. (Then when he's tired of it, use it for wrapping paper.)

anita said...

I love my AAA. Never had it until last year and it's paid for itself twice over already!

Jenny said...

AAA fans here, too! My brother once was traveling cross country and his vehicle burned to the ground. AAA paid for a rental vehicle and hotels as part of the "trip interruption" policy. Pretty good deal.

An Adventurer in the World said...

meredith, the photo is lovely. It doesn't look very 21st century, though...

dm

kathy said...

Keep the AAA! I mean, I guess it actually depends on how old/reliable your car is, but just in case you need a tow, AAA is so much more reliable than random Joe. We got stranded 1.5 miles from home on the highway, called a company in Nashville, waited 45 minutes, then called them back, and they told us that their own truck had broken down. Fine, it happens, but you could have called us!

Get rid of the identity theft protection! You know the commercial for lifelock where the dude gives out his SSN? He's had his identity stolen at least three times, from what I hear. They do stuff you can do yourself, with just a little legwork of your own.

Lizz @ Yes, and So is My Heart said...

We don't have either, but after reading the comments, I'm definitely tempted to get AAA.

Carolyne said...

After raising kids with a husband frequently out of town, any road-side assist program is a must for a mother with small children. As a firm believer in self-sufficiency and frugality to the core, sometimes being "armed" is cheaper in the long run.

Em. said...

I also vote for keeping the AAA. We adore ours. It has saved us more times than I can honestly count. Absolutely worth the $80ish.

Apostle to Suburbia said...

We have used AAA many, many times when we had older cars that were prone to break downs and needed towing. Or when we went through a phase of constantly locking keys in the car.

BUT we have now let it lapse. Why? One, we don't use any of their other services (trip planning, discounts)--we don't travel much.

Two, any time we actually need it, we can call and renew our membership over the phone with a debit/credit card and voila, service.

We haven't needed to call AAA in over two years, so to me, that's several hundred dollars saved.

Noodle said...

I am all about AAA. We've only had it for a year, but it's a solid keeper.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog! Please stop by again. I have spent a little while here and enjoyed my visit!

I have not used either of the services that you are looking at, but I have heard wonderful things from the AAA users that I do know. It is a service we have discussed having for ourselves.

Kim said...

I'd keep the AAA or get something comparable. I don't know about the other.

zakkalife said...

For me it's like paying for peace of mind which you can't put a value on.

I use AAA but not the identity theft service

Anonymous said...

Keep the auto club - when you have kids and a flat tire, they are your knight in shining armor! It's happened to me three times in the last few years, each time needing towing, which would have cost more than $88 for even one tow!

:) Love your blog, and congrats on the future addition!

Anonymous said...

Have to agree with the majority. There is nothing like the relief when you can pull out that AAA card when you are traveling and have no cash for the tow truck. Most years it more than pays for itself between flats, locked doors and other situations.

Sandy said...

We've never had AAA because our auto ins. carries roadside coverage. It's proven to work just fine.

You and I think alike. I'm always thinking - what can I drop? I dropped our weekend paper today! No more! I'm going to use my computer to scout out the yard sales. And save 10.99 a month :)

How are you feeling? I spent the weekend w/my friend who is having twins in 5 weeks. My cousin is in hosp. w/triplets! :) Sandy

Heather Anne said...

'Would I be tempting fate to drop them now?'

Synonyms 1. karma, kismet; chance, luck. Fate, destiny, doom refer to the idea of a fortune, usually adverse, that is predetermined and inescapable. The three words are frequently interchangeable. Fate stresses the irrationality and impersonal character of events.

Just a loving reminder Meredith - you serve a present and involved God! His very character is order, all of His plans are good beyond measure. He leaves nothing in this world to chance. He will give you wisdom in this decision, and He will guide your steps.

You are very open about your faith in your writing, so I'll share a verse to encourage your heart:

Psalm 91:1-2
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Kristen said...

If you have a cellular service, check and see if they offer Roadside Assistance. We use Cingular (AT&T) and they offer RA for an additional $2 per month. I have used them for flat tires, dead battery, keys locked in car, etc. They always come through! We canceled our AAA after the first year of RA.

Kristen B.
baker7202@comcast.net

Anonymous said...

AAA saved us twice in one week. It didn't do a thing for the $1,150 repair bill. I'd keep the AAA and drop the other.