Who Needs AAA If You Have A Black Card
An infrequently talked about benefit of having a Centurion card is the roadside assistance. Black cardmembers, and platinum ones too, receive roadside assistance service if you run out of gas, break down, etc. This program comes with a $50 credit for service, so if you need a tow, the first $50 of the tow will be covered. AAA’s program, only the first 3 miles are covered, and each mile is charged at $3/mile. Meaning, the Centurion benefit is about 5x more free towing coverage.
Another benefit of AAA is the rental car benefits. However, with the Centurion card, members receive Hertz status as #1 Gold Club, a Midsize to Premium upgrade, and guaranteed availability from reservation line. In addition to Hertz, Centurion members also receive status as Avis President’s Club, which includes a 2 class upgrade, and guaranteed availability as well.
If you’re saying “well AAA also has discounts at other places like Payless Shoes (10% off)”, I say wouldn’t you rather have a $1000 gift card to Mikimoto.
So there you have it, if you pay the $5k initiation and the $2.5K annual fee, you can save about $60/yr by not getting AAA.
On a side note, I recently did an interview with a producer from a national news network , and she told an interesting roadside assistance story. In gathering information for her television piece, she was told by an individual about someone who got stuck in traffic near and was about to miss their flight. So they called their Centurion concierge and arranged for a helicopter to pick them up on the side of the road and take them to the airport. Can AAA do that?
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Comments
Yep you’re right, plus and rv plus cover towing up to 100 miles, and premier covers towing up to 200 miles.
Hey admin or another black card holder -
can you write off the annual and initiation fee’s as business expenses on your tax return? do you guys do that?
I’m sure anything paid to the credit card company for business is tax deductible just like any other credit card bill.
What’s the big deal here? When I am stuck in traffic I always just call for my own helicopter, it’s one less call that way.
As a towing company owner, I can tell you that a $50 limit is nothing … many times that will not even cover getting a tow truck to you in a rural area (where I am), let alone provide any service, or tow you anywhere. Seems to me like a lame benefit for an exclusive card …
It’s one benefit I don’t really have an opinion on. Fine that its there, but I won’t be using it ever. If im traveling by vehicle, I’ll be fine for a good 50 miles or so if something goes wrong with a tire. If it’s something worse, I have BMW assist.
actually, AAA Plus is quite a deal. i believe it’s about $75/year and includes either 4 or 5 calls. the towing includes the hookup and 100 miles for free! it has saved my ass plenty times. it has many other benefits as well that the standard does not.