Is the price of AAA membership worth it? That all depends on the member. For those whose main concern is roadside assistance, a AAA card is a form of insurance. Chances are you won’t need it, but it’s nice to know it’s there in case you do. Over the years I’ve called AAA to tow my car to a garage, recharge a dead battery, and help me unlock a door when I locked my keys in the car. Each incident by itself made the annual cost of membership well worth it.
But when AAA membership really becomes cost effective is when the member is one who does a lot of travelling, particularly overseas. With AAA membership comes discounts on car rentals, hotels, vacation packages, even movie tickets. AAA also functions as a travel agent that will find the best deals available to card-carrying members. (I also love all the free maps I can get whenever I visit one of their offices.) But, for me, the biggest of all incentives is the international driver’s license. Every summer, I travel to Japan and need to drive. Getting an international driver’s license can be costly and time consuming. But with a AAA card, all you have to do is go to a AAA office, show a valid U.S. license, and pay a $10 fee for the photo. That’s it. It’s never taken me more than 20 minutes.
So is the price of AAA worth it? You could ask the same about the price of joining a gym. The answer to both is going to be: How much do you use it?