Should You Cancel AAA Membership?

As you probably already know, your AAA membership covers roadside assistance like towing, battery boosts, flat tire changes, lock-outs, emergency gas delivery, and more if you get stuck on the side of the road. If you’ve never had to call AAA for any of these services, it’s easy to feel like you don’t need your AAA membership. In this article, we’ll answer these questions: What is unique about AAA? Are there any AAA benefits besides roadside assistance? Can you use AAA without a membership? And, what happens to your membership if you cancel AAA?

What makes AAA Roadside Assistance different?

Your AAA membership can be used for roadside assistance in almost any vehicle because it covers you, not your car. You don’t even have to be the driver. You just need to be present at the time the car breaks down. This is unique to AAA—if you try to use your car warranty or auto insurance for roadside assistance, you’ll most likely find that it only covers the specified vehicle and may be limited by other factors like car mileage, the age of your vehicle, and more.

AAA membership benefits off the road

As a AAA member, you’re entitled to thousands of discounts—in fact, AAA members who take advantage of those discounts save an average of $170 annually,* which could more than offset the cost of your membership. Some of these discounts include:

• Tickets to movies, sporting events, theme parks, and more
• Restaurants and retailers
• Cruises, guided tours, and other vacation packages
• Luggage and other travel accessories
• Car rentals
• Phone plans
• Auto repair

You can also use AAA for travel planning, get personalized insurance, and more at AAA.com or in a AAA store.

Can you use AAA without a membership?

Since AAA follows the person, not the car, there must be a AAA member present at the time of breakdown to get roadside assistance.

If you don’t have an active AAA membership, you can join and get service immediately—but it’ll cost you more than it would have if you were already an active member. According to AAA’s Member Benefit Guide, new members who request roadside assistance on the same calendar day they join are subject to a same-day service fee. This also applies to former members who renew beyond their grace period (60+ days after the membership expires).

What happens if you cancel AAA membership?

The AAA cancellation policy (in the Member Benefits Guide) states that new members can cancel at any time within the first 3 months of joining. If you decide to cancel after your first 3 months, your membership will remain active until your expiration date, but you won’t be billed for renewal.

Members who do not renew their memberships remain in a grace period for 60 days after expiration. During the first 30 days of the grace period, you could still request roadside assistance. After 30 days, you must renew to use roadside assistance, but you would retain your original join date and renewal date.

On or after 60 days beyond expiration, you must renew your membership to use roadside assistance. You would also be required to pay a same-day service fee for roadside assistance requested the same day as renewal. You would receive a new join date and renewal date and, if you have an upgraded membership (like Plus or Premier), those upgraded services would be subject to a 7-day waiting period.

Is AAA worth it?

It’s up to you to decide if AAA benefits are worthwhile, but remember—if you’re already a member, you can use all your existing benefits right away in almost any vehicle without paying extra fees, worrying about waiting periods, or any additional inconveniences when you’re stuck on the side of the road.

For more information about AAA membership benefits or how to cancel AAA membership, visit AAA.com/Benefits or call Member Services at 866-MEMBERS (866-636-2377).

Disclaimer

*2022 AAA U.S. Market Track National Surveys.