Ever asked yourself what’s the difference between the AA and the free roadside assistance on your car insurance policy?
Well, I found myself asking this exact question, so I decided to do a little investigation of my own.
But before we go there, I want you to imagine this situation…
Your wife was attending a business conference in the Free State. Everyone else had decided to leave the next morning, but she wanted to leave immediately after the conference ended.
At 10H30 that evening you receive a call:
“Honey, I’m stuck on the side of the road. I don’t know what to do, the car’s dead.”
“Is there petrol in it?” you ask.
“Yes. But when I turn the key there’s nothing. What must I do? I’m really scared.”
How would you feel if it was you on this end of the line?
Quite honestly, a 1, 000 thoughts would run through my mind…
- This is the woman I love. I’d die for her.
- She’s the mother of my kids,
- What if she gets held up?
- And lastly, there’s not a thing I can do to help her right now.
But actually, there is something you can do
Tear open your car and home insurance policy. Phone the emergency hot number, and press “0” for emergencies (Well, that’s how mine works, anyway!). Then tell them to go fetch your wife…or yourself if it’s you stuck on the side of the road and you’re mechanically challenged.
According to my policy, what these guys will do is tow my car to the nearest garage for safekeeping. They will also assist with things like:
- Flat tyres
- Flat batteries,
- Keys locked in the car, and lastly
- No fuel
If you’re very far from home they’ll either put you up overnight in a hotel or provide you with another means of transport.
This is all ‘free’ on most car insurance policies (check…yours might not be), but you are limited in the number of claims you can make every year. I’m allowed to claim twice a year, so be careful if you’re in the habit of running out of juice. Claim more than that and then it’s for your own bill. What also worries me is when the policy mentions reimbursing at ‘reasonable cost.’ Who gets to decide that?
But what if you don’t have insurance at all? Or if your car insurance policy doesn’t offer benefits like roadside assistance?
That’s where the AA comes in (They also offer car insurance, by the way).
Currently, they offer 4 plans based on affordability but in this blog post we are going to cover their flagship product which is called “AA Advantage Plus”
Let’s have a closer look at the benefits of the product.
Membership Option: AA Advantage Plus
- Unlimited call outs per 12 months
- Unlimited jump starts to your vehicle
- Unlimited flat tyre changes to your vehicle
- Unlimited vehicle unlocks
- Unlimited battery tests
- Mobile battery sales
- Unlimited call outs for electrical/mechanical breakdown
- Unlimited accidental / attempted theft call outs
- Fuel to reach fueling stations
Extra benefits
- Overnight accommodation is covered
- Alternative transport is covered
- Long distance tow is covered
That’s a pretty neat list of benefits, but below is even more value for your premium spend.
- AA Mayday emergency medical rescue
- Medical emergency advice line
- Message relay service
- Motor-related legal advice line
- Technical advice line
- Referral to AA Quality Assured Repairers
- Free AA Member maps
- Access to AA travel services and products
- Access to road and toll information
- Discounts on AA publications
What does it cost to become a member?
R189 per month, that’s it! If you consider the value they are offering and the fact that you might not have the greatest roadside assistance benefits on your existing car insurance policy, to begin with, we think it’s excellent value for money.
The day you are stuck on the side of the road with nobody to help, is the day you will look back at the R189 per month you spent on a product like this and say it was worth every cent.
In future blog posts, we are going to roll out in the next few months, we will be unpacking these benefits individually, so make sure you stay tuned.
Can we help you with anything? Leave your details below and we will be in touch.
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