By Markus Z. Watkins (Automotive Technician and The CarKeeper CEO)
We've all experienced (or know someone close to us who has experienced) the overwhelming feeling of dread when your car won't start or you come out of work to a flat tire. Some of us call a friend. Some of us deal with it on our own, right there. But some of us need a little extra helping hand when dealing with inoperable vehicles. That's where the concept of Roadside Assistance companies come in. In this brief blog post, we will quickly discuss who to call when your car won't start next time.
Roadside Assistance Companies to consider...
AAA (American Automobile Association) also known as CAA in Canada
By far, AAA is the most well-known of them all. AAA roadside assistance is available 24/7 and they offer a large group of services. With a membership, towing is free (within a certain predetermined mile radius). They also offer travel insurance on a variety of things and to be quite honest, they have an impressively large list of discounts and perks available to members, including car parts and movie tickets!
Check out their full benefits here at their website.
Good Sam
Good Sam is a must-have for the RV enthusiast. With their unlimited towing policy on all of their plans, they sweeten the deal with a cheaper price than AAA. While we know there are other things that Good Sam doesn't offer that AAA does, Good Sam is a cheaper potential option for those looking to get roadside assistance coverage.
Check out their full benefits here at their website.
The Others...
+ The popular AARP seniors company includes roadside assistance in some of their plans.
+ National General is owned by Allstate. While they seem to focused on insurance mainly, they offer a wide variety of options that appear to be excellent perks.
+ Others who appear to be credible are Geico and Motor1, though we are not familiar with their services.
Some Unlikely Sources of roadside assistance to consider...
Your Credit Card Company Some credit card companies offer roadside assistance, depending on the company and tier you select. It's often worth checking into these options before wasting extra money on a new program from other sources.
Your Cell Phone Company Verizon and AT&T offer roadside assistance with some of their plans. No doubt, it costs extra on top of your cellphone bill, but nonetheless it seems to be worth looking into before buying it from another company.
Your New/Certified Pre-Owned Car's Warranty Some factory or dealer warranties include roadside assistance up to a certain mileage or date after purchase. Be sure to check your warranty paperwork and fine-print for inclusions, stipulations and such.
In Conclusion:
Roadside Assistance, while not required to have, is a great perk and can come in handy in a pinch - and you might have it already and not know! The times we think we won't need it, there is more-often-than-not a reason that pops up to carry some form of roadside assistance. If you have a comment or we didn't list your preferred company, let us know in the comments which company and why you like them!
Have you read these posts from The Carkeeper?
Comments