The American Automobile Association, better known as Triple A or AAA, was founded in 1902. Today, it has grown to be a vast network of motor clubs with over 57 million members in the United States and Canada.
Back-Up On Hand: AAA Emergency Roadside Assistance
AAA club primarily provide emergency road services to member users. These services extend to towing, winching, lockouts, change of tire, automotive first aid, battery replacement, and more. Private local towing operators contracted to the AAA club provide assistance. AAA sells roadside assistance for a variety of motor vehicles, including motorcycles.
Triple A members have grown used to Roadside Assistance. For example, if visiting for 90 days or less, you are entitled to BASIC Emergency Roadside Assistance to include:
- - Vehicle towing for at least three miles in any direction from point of disablement, or back to the responding facility, free of charge
- - Top up fuel delivery to a member’s disabled vehicle (pump price charged)
- - Vehicle recovery using a winch if required to extricate your vehicle’
- - Flatbed service charges covered if the flatbed is required due to accident damage or if it is the contractor’s primary service vehicle
- - Mobile battery service, or temporary adjustments to enable jump starting
- - Flat tire service, including changing a flat tire when a usable spare is present
- - Key service after lockout
These services are more than reassuring when traveling far from home. Apart from an accident with injuries, there is nothing more stressful than experiencing a breakdown and not knowing what to do. The longer affected motorists are left unattended, the greater the risk of the situation worsening.
AAA Logo from Wiki (Fair to share)
AAA Car Rental Benefits
Many people think of AAA as simply a club that provides roadside assistance, but there are actually many AAA membership benefits that can save you time and money. For instance, AAA has existing partnerships with popular hotels and car rental companies that extend discounts to its members.
If you’re an AAA member, you can avail of membership discounts from Hertz, Thrifty, and Dollar.
Hertz
Hertz and AAA operate a car rental partnership, where club members receive discounts, special rates, and other benefits on Hertz car rental deals. This can be a significant savings, as Hertz is one of the largest rental companies in the world. The discounts vary depending on the type of vehicle you rent, but can be as much as 20% off the base rate. According to their membership level, AAA clients may find car rental insurance in place via their standard AAA Auto policy.
Dollar
Similar to Hertz, Dollar car rental also provides discounts and perks to AAA members. These include a discount of up to 10% on the base price of vehicles, a similar discount on prepaid fuel, and unlimited mileage on most rentals. Members also get one car or booster seat and an additional AAA driver for free.
Thrifty
As a member of the American Automobile Association, you are entitled to discounts on car rentals from Thrifty. These benefits are similar to Hertz and Dollar: a discount of up to 8% on the base price of vehicles, free car or booster seat and additional AAA drivers, 10% prepaid fuel discount, and unlimited mileage on most rentals.
AAA Car Rental Insurance
Aside from roadside assistance and car rental discounts, AAA also offers auto insurance to their members. Insurance coverage may include collision, liability, uninsured motorist, medical, and rental car reimbursement when your own car is in the shop for repairs.
AAA car insurance also typically covers rental car insurance up to the limits of your personal car insurance. This means that your AAA auto insurance will cover for rental cars up the your same coverage limits or approximately the same value as the car you own. So you may not have sufficient coverage if you drive an older model at home and then choose to rent a newer luxury car.
In addition, your AAA damage or liability cover may have restrictions and limitations. For instance, its coverage may not include renting a car for business purposes.
You should also be aware that AAA insurance consists of a number of state-specific providers. So the coverage and rates you get for insurance will vary not only according to your provider’s location but also their specific underwriting processes. For example, if you’re insured in Chicago, your AAA insurance provider might not cover the cost of personal damage if you’re driving a rental car in another state.
Check AAA Car Rental Insurance Before Leaving Home
If you have an existing personal auto insurance policy with AAA, it’s always a great idea to review your policy and ask AAA for your coverage limits before you book a rental car.
Always check that your auto policy is current and fully updated. Owning a full-coverage auto policy may cover rental cars in the US, subject to the deductible. Before collecting your rental auto, examine your policy and declaration pages, and be sure you are familiar with the level of protection you have in place. If you’re unsure about being fully covered, you can always decide to purchase supplemental damage and liability cover from the rental company, your existing provider, or from a third-party car rental insurance company like Bonzah. Make sure you’re informed about your car rental insurance options before doing so.
Win / Win Situation
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