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[Lagondanet]

Just got my AA renewal notice. Member for 26 years. Gold Membership includes wife & most other things.
Last year £388. Renewal £507.
A quick look at their website shows new member price for same cover as £159.
I phoned them and they immediately knocked off £200. (new quote £294.36)

As a comparison RAC shows £159 too.

Anyone care to share some good alternatives/suggestions/recommendations for such cover?
Thanks.

(ps. Since stopping work @ end of September I have started looking at my bills  )

[Mr Skrunts]

I paid £225 last 2 years.

I have the whole kit apart from cover abroad inc the Garage repair cover on my Elite.

Had to challenge them though as the renewal cost came in at £300+

[Viral_Jim]

Jeebus!!

We have it as part of gold/platinum/thingy bank account. £18pcm with NatWest, but we also get 2x mobile phones be cover and worldwide travel.

Over the time we've had it, I've had occasion to use every part of the package at least once and it's always worked as advertised.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Just got my AA renewal notice. Member for 26 years. Gold Membership includes wife & most other things.
Last year £388. Renewal £507.
A quick look at their website shows new member price for same cover as £159.
I phoned them and they immediately knocked off £200. (new quote £294.36)

As a comparison RAC shows £159 too.

Anyone care to share some good alternatives/suggestions/recommendations for such cover?
Thanks.




(ps. Since stopping work @ end of September I have started looking at my bills  )

Yep...this is the thing.

The AA, and others, are aware there is a sizeable number of 'lazy bastards' within the population who simply 'can't be arsed'

[Lagondanet]

Should I cancel AA and go with RAC as a new member?

[Doctor Gollum]

£20 pm for AA cover to the level I would require, currently have reasonable cover via a bank account so not strictly necessary, but considering older cars, so AA cover would be belts and braces

[Doctor Gollum]

Should I cancel AA and go with RAC as a new member?

If happy with the AA, sign up as a new member

[Lagondanet]

Should I cancel AA and go with RAC as a new member?

If happy with the AA, sign up as a new member

That is my current thinking.

[Viral_Jim]

It's also worth reading policies in detail, I remember one firm quoted me on my (then) 16yo Ford Escort but the policy wording had an age limit on the car of 15yrs 

[Sir Tigger KC]

I was with rescuemycar.com for years at about £18 a year, had to call them out a few times and got a very good service!    Downsides are that you pay a £40 excess every time you call them out and they have a 16 year age limit.    For a younger car I wouldn't hesitate to sign up with them again.   

Paying hundreds to the likes of AA or RAC for breakdown cover is ridiculous IMO and akin to staying with British Gas for your utilities and paying their rip off prices, just because it's British Gas! 

I currently have an all singing all dancing any car/personal cover policy with Auto Aid which cost about £40-50, but I havn't had to call them out yet so I can't comment on their service. 

Don't forget to check the comparison and cashback sites as there are often good deals to be had there. 

[Doctor Gollum]

And there's the rub, until you need them, you simply don't know...

Personally I would pay the money for piece of mind rather than saving a few quid just in case

[TheBoy]

Should I cancel AA and go with RAC as a new member?

If happy with the AA, sign up as a new member

That is explicitly precluded.  But with a decent bit of discussion with the "I want to leave" department, 9 times out of 10 you can get them to renew at that price.

[Sir Tigger KC]

And there's the rub, until you need them, you simply don't know...

Personally I would pay the money for piece of mind rather than saving a few quid just in case

I have never been with the AA, but was with the RAC for a while and their service was crap!    Certainly didn't live up to their 'reputation'..... 

I wouldn't sign up with them again if you shoved a sharp stick where the sun dosn't shine!      Price is no guarantee of quality in this market in my opinion and experience. 

[Nick W]

And there's the rub, until you need them, you simply don't know...

Personally I would pay the money for piece of mind rather than saving a few quid just in case

Agreed.
Having done a lot of work for the cheaper firms(Auto Aid, Auto Rescue and Rescue My Car being some of them), they would have to pay me to use their 'services'. They all manage to get a company to attend, but lose quickly interest if you actually need anything done


I've been with the AA for 30 years but if I was going to choose, National Breakdown would be top of my list.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Im with autoaid. They've been very good when I ve used them. Don't have to pay anything, apart from £48 once a year. No age limit on cars, as they've recovered my 28 year old Merc twice.

[Kevin Wood]

Just got my AA renewal notice. Member for 26 years. Gold Membership includes wife & most other things.
Last year £388. Renewal £507.

I should hope it includes the kitchen sink too for that price! What's her cooking like?

[ronnyd]

Really pays to be a loyal customer these days doesn,t it. 

[Andy B]

Really pays to be a loyal customer these days doesn,t it. 

Not quite the same but along the same lines ..... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45324752

[Andy B]

I use Mayday ie Green Flag via the Caravan Club. All singing, all dancing cover costs me £130 per year which gives personal cover for me & SWMBO ie in any car we're in as driver or passenger and also covers any fault on my caravan which a lot of recovery services don't.

[Bigron]

A few years back I used the "double-journey" aspect of Green Flag's Mayday cover when I had a holiday booked in Cornwall but suffered a core plug failure on my Carlton. They took me to the holiday site and I got the core plug dealt with, then after a few days, I had overheating problems. so at the end of my holiday they recovered me home: they counted it as one task. Pretty good, I thought. 

Ron.

[dave the builder]

I got Auto aid cover after peoples recommendations on here 
covers you for what ever car your in and also the wife
I'd only really need it to get recovered following something major .

some people call out AA RAC to swap a tyre or flat battery 

pretty damming report on RAC on watchdog last night

[BazaJT]

If you really want to stay with AA and get new member discount would it not be possible to swerve round any issues by cancelling yours and getting swmbo to join and cover you? I've been with the AA since 1984[roadside and recovery]with it being through my bank account for a good number of years now.On the few occasions I've called them out they've been excellent.

[johnnydog]

I've been with the RAC for as long as I've had breakdown cover - probably 15 years at least. On the few occasions any of my family have called them out they have been very good. On the last occasion, the alternator on the Omega died on the A50 whilst I was towing a trailer, and the RAC attended promptly with another battery to get me off the dual carriageway, but then left the recovery to Mansfield Recovery (who were poor) who attended on behalf of the RAC. Dispite me telling them, and no doubt the roadside RAC man would have done, that I had a trailer on the back, a young lad turned up who wasn't qualified to tow, so I had to wait for another recovery truck to arrive. Mansfield then took ages to return, and told lie after lie about initially being on their way, then about being stuck in traffic, then needing to get a different vehicle - a bit like taxi firms who say "Five minutes, mate" which turns out to be 30minutes if you're lucky. The driver that did turn up in the end was ok. When asked where the traffic problems were, he replied," Dunno mate - only just started".
But, the RAC have been good, although not all of their sub-contractors have been quite as efficient.

[Lagondanet]

Thanks all.
I have had good service from the AA over the years so will probably stay with them if I can extract a bit more discount.