AAA membership explained: emergency roadside support, exclusive travel offers, and retail discounts

AAA membership is a subscription service available to the general public. Not only does AAA membership provide emergency roadside assistance, membership may also entitle you to travel discounts, insurance deals, and reductions at both rental car companies and thousands of hotels and restaurants across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. However, because AAA services are operated by various clubs and corporations, it is important to do research to determine for whom exact savings are available, before becoming a member, if possible.

AAA is primarily known for emergency roadside services available to travelers who become stranded due to various vehicular problems. If a driver contacts AAA while stuck on the highway, a nearby AAA contract service will help jump-start a dead battery, fix a flat tire, unlock a car, bring fuel if the tank is empty, or tow the vehicle to a safe location within a certain mileage radius. Members are provided with various membership levels to choose from. Basic memberships are significantly less expensive than higher tiers, which offer additional savings and roadside benefits. Basic and more advanced memberships typically cover various local and national travel services within certain mileage ranges. Higher-tier memberships may include nonemergency services, such as a limited number of free or discounted tows for prearranged vehicular repair work, which can save customers significant time and mileage during the car repair process (Bennett et al., 2023; Johnson et al., 2024; Nguyen et al., 2023).

AAA also provides booklet guides and maps designed to help travelers locate hotels, restaurants, and attractions. These printed materials can usually be picked up at AAA offices at no extra cost to members. Additional travel-related benefits associated with AAA services include free maps, lodging guides, travel brochures, discounts on passports, and other paperwork and identification necessary for international travel (Singh et al., 2024; Wallace et al., 2025).