[Finance] AA membership renewal - anything cheaper out there?

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Dear hive mind,

Before I send Mrs T on a price comparison safari....

"You have been with us a number of years. You may be able to get the breakdown cover you want at a better price if you shop around."

Are they taking the piss or what? Do they crank up the price more if you're a loyal customer? Or just getting old?

Last year the amount was the same but was discounted £75. That has now been removed. Is this because I'll be 65 shortly?

Roadside Assistance £127.83​

National Recovery £120.17​

At Home £114.77​

Onward Travel £0.00​

Total renewal cost: £362.77​

 

[Icy Gull]

Dear hive mind,

Before I send Mrs T on a price comparison safari....

"You have been with us a number of years. You may be able to get the breakdown cover you want at a better price if you shop around."

Are they taking the piss or what? Do they crank up the price more if you're a loyal customer? Or just getting old?

Last year the amount was the same but was discounted £75. That has now been removed. Is this because I'll be 65 shortly?

Roadside Assistance £127.83​

National Recovery £120.17​

At Home £114.77​

Onward Travel £0.00​

Total renewal cost: £362.77​

They are taking the piss. I have been with them for years ( make that decades) I have to phone up and have a right whinge EVERY time I get a renewal. Have a look and see what introductory offers they have, almost certainly much cheaper. I have pretty well the same cover on me in any car I happen to be in for £148. It does just cover me though, will be more if it’s both of you I’m sure. I am also older than you so it’s not an age thing.

 

[Goldstone1976]

The Boss and I have GEM - much (much, much) cheaper than that. Reputed to be very good service; I guess I'll see if I ever need it.

 

[studio150]

Dear hive mind,

Before I send Mrs T on a price comparison safari....

"You have been with us a number of years. You may be able to get the breakdown cover you want at a better price if you shop around."

Are they taking the piss or what? Do they crank up the price more if you're a loyal customer? Or just getting old?

Last year the amount was the same but was discounted £75. That has now been removed. Is this because I'll be 65 shortly?

Roadside Assistance £127.83​

National Recovery £120.17​

At Home £114.77​

Onward Travel £0.00​

Total renewal cost: £362.77​

I seem to recall that for one of our home games you had a problem where your wife was left in car with flat tyres with the AA saying she wasn't covered or something like this. I assume that they may have increased your premiums due to having to use their service, the age of the vehicles may be where their rates increase, but £362 does seem a tad high.

A quick 5 minute job to check the likes of RAC and Green Flag to give you an insight into competitiveness of your existing renewal price.


I know motor insurers have to effectively offer the same price to both new and renewal customers now, but not sure if this was implemented for breakdown insurance.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

A lot piss being extracted from your bank account.

I just renewed 10 minutes ago with Green Flag for a ten year old Aygo - they quoted me £78 for Recovery Plus renewal. On their site as a new customer it was £58. Renewed for £57 - same as this year. Never had an issue with them when I called them out

Breakdown Cover - 24/7 Assistance & Recovery - Green Flag

Expert breakdown cover, 24/7 help, all over the country. Get roadside assistance and national recovery for your car, motorbike, or electric vehicle.

www.greenflag.com

 

[SeagullsoverLondon]

You have to pay to renew your Alcoholics Anonymous membership these days? I thought they let people join for free!
Seriously, there are much better deals out there.
I usually get a "deal" when renewing my car insurance, there's often one or two that throw in at least basic Road Assist for a minimal fee from one or other of RAC, AA or Green Flag

 

[beorhthelm]

see what your insurer will do, you may find your double covered already and paying a bit more will bump up the service.

or simply cross the road to RAC, go back an forth they're pretty much the same.

 

[scooter1]

We’re with Auto Aid. They cover you as opposed to the vehicle, so my 50 year old Vespa is covered as is the 5 year old family car. I think we pay around £50 a year, for me and the missus, and our 4 vehicles

 

[Bozza]

That sounds outrageous - I'm not sure we've ever paid more than about £150 for a high service package from RAC.

That said, we now have it via the Barclays Travel Pack Plus (did we speak about this in relation to travel insurance a little while ago?)

The RAC cover is: Roadside and at-home rescue with national recovery, onward travel and cover in the UK and Europe

It's £18 per month (so £216pa), but that includes worldwide family travel insurance and airport lounge access. Possibly a few other minor bits too. Overall, it a fair bit cheaper than buying the components separately.

 

[Weststander]

Rated the best by drivers and incredibly cheap.

https://www.startrescue.co.uk/

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I seem to recall that for one of our home games you had a problem where your wife was left in car with flat tyres with the AA saying she wasn't covered or something like this. I assume that they may have increased your premiums due to having to use their service, the age of the vehicles may be where their rates increase, but £362 does seem a tad high.

A quick 5 minute job to check the likes of RAC and Green Flag to give you an insight into competitiveness of your existing renewal price.


I know motor insurers have to effectively offer the same price to both new and renewal customers now, but not sure if this was implemented for breakdown insurance.

That's correct (Mrs T's abandonment).

Green flag have just quoted me £69 for the same cover.

I left AA (home and car insurance) some years ago after they doubled my home insurance after I too up an offer of 'free' subsidance assessment after a crack in a wall, and the surveyer said 'no subsidance'. The claimed that if there is a check for subsidance this is recorded as subsidance. What the actual f***?

 

[HantsSeagull]

Green Flag - £114 for all those things you want plus European breakdown cover too.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

That sounds outrageous - I'm not sure we've ever paid more than about £150 for a high service package from RAC.

That said, we now have it via the Barclays Travel Pack Plus (did we speak about this in relation to travel insurance a little while ago?)

The RAC cover is: Roadside and at-home rescue with national recovery, onward travel and cover in the UK and Europe

It's £18 per month (so £216pa), but that includes worldwide family travel insurance and airport lounge access. Possibly a few other minor bits too. Overall, it a fair bit cheaper than buying the components separately.

Thanks

I keep forgetting that these people cheat you. I was blithely paying £1100 home insurance more than 10 years ago and realized something was up when they tried to up it another £200. I must have saved more than £6000 in the ensuing years. Initially via.....the AA.

I find all this stuff incredibly stressful. I can't imaging how people with even softer heads than mine are being soaked.

 

[Weststander]

Thanks

I keep forgetting that these people cheat you. I was blithely paying £1100 home insurance more than 10 years ago and realized something was up when they tried to up it another £200. I must have saved more than £6000 in the ensuing years. Initially via.....the AA.

I find all this stuff incredibly stressful. I can't imaging how people with even softer heads than mine are being soaked.

And fkn dull. A bore shopping around annually, having to going through 100’s of questions with the prospective new insurer.

I can why people have inertia and get seriously ripped off by staying.

 

[Elbow750]

Another shout for Green Flag , always competitively priced. My Fiat Panda's battery died on a Sunday morning a few months ago, they came within the hour, jump started me, followed me home and returned 2 hours later and fitted a brand new battery for £103, which I thought was a very good price.

Top service.

 

[spence]

Just brought RAC cover 10 minutes ago.

£82.50 for home start

Topcashback right now doing a very limited offer. 60% off for new customers
Plus an extra £2 bonus off which ends tonight

£51.50

Fee paid

£31

 

[METALMICKY]

Dear hive mind,

Before I send Mrs T on a price comparison safari....

"You have been with us a number of years. You may be able to get the breakdown cover you want at a better price if you shop around."

Are they taking the piss or what? Do they crank up the price more if you're a loyal customer? Or just getting old?

Last year the amount was the same but was discounted £75. That has now been removed. Is this because I'll be 65 shortly?

Roadside Assistance £127.83​

National Recovery £120.17​

At Home £114.77​

Onward Travel £0.00​

Total renewal cost: £362.77​

Calm down relax! For the last 5 years come renewal they send an initial ridiculous high quote. It's a chance they take on people being too rich for their own good or being too meek to haggle.

Just phone up and be polite and mention that you've had a much cheaper quotes and you may need to take your business elsewhere. Every time they then come back with a sensible offer. For the last 5 years I've paid about on average only about £10 more than the previous.

For exactly the same coverage you have mentioned for me and my wife in any car I paid about £170. I've always stuck with the AA as when needed they've been great. Be wary of Green Flag who will quote you cheaper but there is a catch. The guys who come out to you are franchised local garages. You might get a decent one but it's a gamble.

 

[trueblue]

We’ve also been using Autoaid for years and their prices are in a different ball park to the big companies living on brand recognition. They use local garages to either get the car going or tow it to your chosen place for repair. Think we had 3 breakdowns due to a dodgy battery on one car, plus a bigger issue on the M23 and they got the job done efficiently enough every time. The snag used to be that you had to stump up for the initial bill and they then refunded it, but I think they even cover the whole lot from the off now like AA/RAC. For a long time, was Martin Lewis’s top pick based on price and customer experience - may still be.

 

[trueblue]

Oops… double posted this somehow…