Do You Have AAA Yet?

Are you a AAA member? Since starting Making Cents of It, I have posted numerous times about the benefits of an AAA membership. Besides helping you out with your car, AAA can also help you save money when shopping and traveling. Many stores and malls over discounts for AAA members. You can also save money on hotels, rental cars, and more just for showing your AAA card.

I can't be sure if this current promotion is available everywhere but in my area you can currently get a free upgrade to the "plus" membership for your first year. Some of the upgraded features include farther tow (100 miles instead of 3) and larger discounts for certain features of the membership. Prices differ depending on where you live but the AAA website will automatically detect your region and send you to the correct page.

Limited time offer. Available on new Primary Membership only; * Free upgrade to AAA Plus is for the first year only. Standard rates apply to upgrade Associate Membership(s). Upon renewal, standard rates apply for Primary and Associate Membership(s).

Don't forget that all AAA members are eligible for free identity protection through ProtectMyID. This is a $15 monthly value and after everything that happened last month at Target I'm glad to know that I have this protection. I know it works because after I had called one of my credit cards about something, that same day I received an email from ProtectMyID telling me that there was a change to the limit for one of my accounts.

Free Identity Protection for AAA Members

I've talked about why I encourage everyone to join AAA, but now there's another great benefit for all members of the auto club. Free basic credit monitoring with no catch. For a monthly fee you can add premium features such as theft insurance.

Enrolling in Identity Theft Monitoring is a critical step to help protect your identity. ProtectMyID® Essential, offered free to AAA members and associate members age 18 and older, provides Identity Theft Monitoring through daily monitoring of your Experian® credit report.

Always Save Your Receipts

Almost exactly three years ago, my car wouldn't start and it turned out to be an issue with the battery. I'm very lucky I saved my receipt in the glove compartment because today when I left work I found my car stalled in the parking lot. As I waited for AAA, I thought back to when this happened. Then I thought about the fact that I remember the guy trying to upsell me on the battery but I took the cheaper one thinking that I would probably be buying a new car before the six years were up.

I pulled out the receipt and saw June 2010 so I called Pepboys and asked. The battery had a 24/72 warranty on it. This means that if it goes within 24 months it would be replaced for free but if it had 72 months it would be discounted for a replacement. After AAA jumped the battery, I drove to Pepboys and am now sitting in their waiting room while they replace my battery at a fraction of the cost.

The point of this post is to always save receipts until after the warranty expires. I purchased the battery in a different state so it wouldn't be in this store's computer. Thanks to the receipt I was able to prove the date I purchased the last battery.

I would also like to give a shout out to Kenny from AAA in Philadelphia because I was so upset sitting in a car that wouldn't start but he not only showed up quickly, he was funny and friendly as he jumped the battery and tested a few other things that might have caused the problem. If you don't already have an AAA membership it's one of my favorite money saving tips. Even if you don't drive, the AAA membership will save you money when traveling and shopping. If you do drive, they will help you 24/7 if you get stranded on the road (or parking lot).

Sober Ride Programs for New Years Eve

This year, select AAA locations will be participating in a program called Tipsy Tow. If you are too drunk to drive home, AAA will tow your car and give you a lift home for free.

An official article from AAA states that it is not a national program but more regions are participating this year compared to previous holiday seasons.

*Please note availability is subject to change without notice

Programs Available for Christmas and New Year’s Eve

• The Auto Club Group (Statewide in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Program is called “Tow-to-Go”)
• AAA Arizona (statewide)
• AAA New Jersey Automobile Club (Morris, Essex and Union counties)
• AAA South Dakota (Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Mitchell and Yankton
• AAA Oklahoma (Metro Tulsa, Metro Oklahoma City, Shawnee, Bartlesville, Enid, Muskogee, Tahlequah and Lawton)
• AAA Northern California (in all club territories)
• AAA Nevada ( Statewide)
• AAA Utah (Statewide)
• AAA Tidewater (Greater Hampton Roads area : Cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Yorktown and Williamsburg, VA) – program runs through January 1
• AAA Northwest Ohio ( available in Lucas, Fulton, Wood, Henry, Williams, Defiance, Paulding and Ottawa counties)
• AAA  MountainWest (Helena, East Helena, Montana City, Belgrade, Bozeman, Billings and Missoula and Anchorage, Alaska)

Program available for New Year’s Eve Only

• Automobile Club of Southern California (in all club territories)
• AAA Texas (statewide)
• AAA New Mexico (statewide)
• AAA Hawaii
• AAA Alabama – (Program is called Tow-For-Life)
• AAA Allied Group
• (Connecticut -Hartford, Tolland, Middlesex, New London, and Windham) Program is called ArriveSafe and drives motorists vehicles home
• Ohio (Cincinnati only) Program is called Care Cab 768-FREE (3733) (AAA has no call center involvement)
•  Kansas (Shawnee County -Topeka area only) Care Cab 785-357-4444 (AAA has no call center involvement)

Additionally, AAA has prepared a list of sober ride programs across the nation. Not all of these programs are free so make sure you check.

Remember: The safest choice is to have a designated driver selected prior to going out but these programs are there to help if you need it. Please do not drive drunk.

Tipsy Tow Offers Drunk Drivers a Free Ride Home

From 6pm on December 31, 2011 until 6am January 1, 2012, AAA will provide you and your car a free tow home. In a promotion called Tipsy Tow, AAA wants to keep drunk drivers off the road this New Years. Just call 1-800-222-4357 (800-AAA-HELP) and they will give you a free tow up to 10 miles.

To make this program work, AAA is offering the free tow to any drunk car owner so you do not need to be a AAA member. I can't find a direct link on AAA's website, but after seeing a friend post it on Facebook I did a Google search of "AAA Tipsy Tow" and there are tons of links.

I will try to contact AAA tomorrow to confirm this program and I will get back to you before New Year's Eve.

Update: After continued searches I found the following press release about Tipsy Tow from AAA. It is individual areas that are organizing this life saving program.

AAA goes on to link to the DUI Justice Link which lists different programs by state. Check it out before you head out to see what programs are available for you.

Remember: The safest choice is to have a designated driver selected prior to going out but these programs are there to help if you need it. Please do not drive drunk.