Membership vs paying per callCosts $59 more
A year: paying per call $46, membership $105, at 0.5 calls a year Membership does not payAt these inputs, the membership costs about $59 a year more than paying for each call. It would take about 1.15 calls a year to break even, about one every 10.5 months, and you entered 0.5. If you rarely break down, paying per call is cheaper.
An insurer add-on at $20 a year would cost about $21 a year at these inputs, $84 less than the membership.
Cheapest at these inputs: the insurer add-on, about $21 a year.
About one breakdown call every 10.5 months pays for the membership.
Paying for each call$46
An average call costs about $92, at 0.5 calls a year. Membership$105
Fees $105 plus $0 for calls it does not cover. Insurer add-on (cheapest)$21
Price $20 plus $1 for calls it does not cover. Membership edge a year-$59
Plus means the membership is ahead of paying per call. Membership break-even1.15 calls a year
About one every 10.5 months. Insurer add-on break-even0.22 calls a year
About one every 4.5 years. Cost a year at 0 to 4 calls
Each line is what you would spend in a year, fees included, at that many calls. The dashed vertical line is the number you entered.
Cost a year at 0 to 4 breakdown calls for each option, and which is cheapest| Calls a year | Paying per call | Membership | Insurer add-on | Cheapest |
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Month by month and over the years
At these inputs, over 5 years the membership ends up $296 behind paying for each call, with the same number of calls every year.
Average cost a month, in year 1 and in the last year| A month, on average | Year 1 | Last year |
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Flat-price check (prices do not rise): same as above, because the yearly price rise is 0.
Each year, what paying per call costs, what the membership costs, and the difference| Year | Paying per call | Membership | Membership edge | Total so far |
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What changes the answer most
Each number is raised and lowered by a quarter, one at a time. The two that move the membership's edge the most are shown.
Membership duesUp to $26 a year
A quarter higher: -$26 a year. A quarter lower: +$26 a year. How often you callUp to $11 a year
A quarter higher: +$11 a year. A quarter lower: -$11 a year. These are changes to the membership's edge over paying for each call, with every other number as you entered it.
How this estimates
One call with no plan. A tow costs the hook-up fee plus the price per mile times the miles. A jump start, flat tire, lockout and fuel delivery each have one price. The average call is those prices weighted by how often each kind of call happens.
One call with a plan. The plan pays for the tow up to its free miles. Past that you pay the per-mile price, though a real club may charge a different rate. It covers jump starts, flat tires and fuel delivery in full, and pays a lockout up to its limit. A new battery or tire costs the same with or without a plan, so parts are left out. So is the fuel itself.
A year. With no plan, the year costs the calls a year times the average call. With a plan, the year costs its fee (dues plus any join fee, less discounts you would really use) plus the average call for any calls the plan does not take. A plan takes only its free calls a year. Extra calls cost the no-plan price.
Break-even. The calls a year at which a plan costs the same as paying per call: the fee divided by what the plan saves on one call. If the plan stops helping after its free calls and still cannot cover its fee, there is no break-even. When you say other coverage pays part of every bill, every cost is cut to the part you pay.
Over the years. The same calls each year. Dues, the add-on price and service prices rise by the yearly rise you enter, which starts at 0. The join fee counts in year 1 only. The flat-price line repeats the total with no rise.
One bad night with a tow can cost more than a year of dues. This page shows the average, not the worst case. No current national count of how often drivers need help was found, so enter your own history if you can.
What this leaves out
- Added household members, Premier's one 200-mile tow, RV and motorcycle plans, and a second car. For an added member, enter that price as the dues and run it again.
- Hotel, travel and shopping perks, except as the dollar amount you enter. Count only what you would buy anyway.
- Joining after a breakdown. AAA Mountain West says a non-member can get help by phone by joining at its Classic level and paying a $75 fee, and its page is unclear whether that comes on top of the dues. Ask the club. This page does not add it.
- A credit card that charges a fee per call (about $60 to $80 in a 2015 comparison). Leave the already-covered box off and put the fee in the price fields.
Not verified
No AAA national price list was found, so the membership defaults are one New York club's list and prices differ by club. No other New York club's prices were found. No current national breakdown rate was found. No official source gives prices for a jump start, flat tire, lockout or fuel delivery. No screen reader has been run on this page.
Sources and date checked
Defaults were checked on 2026-10-17. Each one is in the table below with its source. Prices vary by AAA club, check yours.
This is a planning estimate, not financial, insurance or legal advice. Plans and prices change, so confirm them with your club or insurer. This page has no referral links and is not affiliated with AAA.
Benchmark sources and dates
Starting assumptions are example benchmarks, not binding quotes. Change any input to match your own bills or offers.
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|
| Membership dues (Plus) | $105 a year | AAA Western and Central New York, membership terms | 2026-10-17 |
| One-time join fee | $0 (enter 20 for a first-year join) | AAA Western and Central New York, membership terms | 2026-10-17 |
| Free tow distance | Plus 100 miles (Basic 5, Premier 100) | AAA Western and Central New York, membership terms | 2026-10-17 |
| Lockout amount the club pays | Plus $100 (Basic $50, Premier $100) | AAA Western and Central New York, membership terms | 2026-10-17 |
| Free calls a year | 4 | AAA Western and Central New York, membership terms | 2026-10-17 |
| Plan terms in other clubs | Not a default | AAA Mountain West Group, roadside page | 2026-10-17 |
| Plan terms in other clubs | Not a default | Club Alliance, "Is AAA worth it?" | 2026-10-17 |
| Plan prices in Indiana | Not a default | Hoosier AAA, compare plans | 2026-10-17 |
| Tow price: hook-up fee | $75 | Policygenius, how much towing costs | 2026-10-17 |
| Tow price: per mile | $4 a mile | Policygenius, how much towing costs | 2026-10-17 |
| Miles per tow | 10 miles | SuperMoney, cost to tow a car | 2026-10-17 |
| Jump start, flat tire and lockout price | $75 each | ValuePenguin, roadside assistance comparison | 2026-10-17 |
| Fuel delivery fee | $60 | Gerald, last-minute roadside help costs | 2026-10-17 |
| Card pay-per-use fee (note only) | Not a default | ValuePenguin, roadside assistance comparison | 2026-10-17 |
| Breakdown calls a year | 0.5 (0.35 newer car, 0.7 car 10 or more years old) | WJLA, AAA warns of higher breakdown risk as car age hits record | 2026-10-17 |
| Why no yearly chance is derived | Not a default | AAA Newsroom, breakdowns at record high | 2026-10-17 |
| Tow share of calls | 44% | WJLA, AAA warns of higher breakdown risk as car age hits record | 2026-10-17 |
| Battery share of calls | 27% | WJLA, AAA warns of higher breakdown risk as car age hits record | 2026-10-17 |
| Flat tire, lockout and fuel shares | 12%, 10%, 7% | AAA Newsroom, breakdowns at record high | 2026-10-17 |
| Insurer add-on price | $20 a year | ValuePenguin, roadside assistance comparison | 2026-10-17 |
| Insurer add-on price (other ranges) | Not a default | Finder, car insurance roadside assistance | 2026-10-17 |
| Insurer tow miles, lockout amount and calls | 15 miles, $50, 4 calls | ValuePenguin, roadside assistance comparison | 2026-10-17 |
| Roadside help from a warranty, lease or card | Off | Not a sourced input | 2026-10-17 |
| Club discounts you would really use | $0 a year | AAA Newsroom | 2026-10-17 |
| Years to look ahead, yearly price rise | 5 years, 0 percent | Not a sourced input | 2026-10-17 |