AMA Membership - Worth it?

[nj2Type-S]

how many of you guys have AMA memberships? i'm thinking of singing my wife up for a membership just for our peace of mind. i'm sure plenty of you here can relate lol.

for those who are members, do you typically get your money's worth? $80/year is not significant, but i'd like to know if their additional benefits make it worth it as well.

do you get discounts if you switch to their home and car insurance, and what are your experiences dealing with their insurance department?

thanks! :thumbsup:

[FraserB]

The lowest level membership is worthless, you only get 5KM of towing, then they start charging. The $120 membership has 160KM allowance per tow and a lot of the service charges that apply to the basic membership are waived.

That being said, AMA has lost money on me the last 4 years I have had it. Has probably saved me over $2000 in tow fess and it will take them a few claim free years to recoup the cost. I consider it cheap insurance to have if you ever need it.

[got_mike33]

I have it and it is great piece of mind. I have never had to use it, but if I was ever stuck somewhere with my keys locked out of my car, a flat tire, or dead battery they aren't more than a phone call away.

I find that I get lots of use out of the member benefits as well. Member only registries is the greatest part, I find I just have to walk into an AMA most of the time and there is no wait.

Also the benefits in the way of movie tickets, and ski passes definitely make it worth it as well (usually save $10-$20 at the hills and no waiting in line once you get there).

I don't know about the insurance discounts though as I am with MM.

Think of it as a $80 bump to your insurance for the year, it's fairly cheap if you look at it that way.

[a social dsease]

I bought an AMA membership after my car broke down way out on the Smith-Dorrien in Kananaskis costing me $500 in towing fees to get it home. Had I had AMA the cost would have been $0.

In the three years I've had AMA I've used it twice, once for a tow (only a few kms) and once when I ran out of gas :banghead:

For me it's worth it for the peace of mind and the knowledge that if anything happens it will be taken care of quickly, easily, and for free.

[variance]

does anyone know if costco roadside is any good? Its $80 per year and gives 250km of free towing.

http://www.costco.ca/Elite-Premier-Roadside-Service-Family-pack.product.100090683.html

[Mibz]

I had AMA for, uh, 10 years? Used it three times. Twice on the same night, haha. I ended up cancelling a couple years ago because it just wasn't worth it.

[xnvy]

I have it for peace of mind. Especially on long road trips it's nice. Had to use it when the van ran out of fuel.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[oilerfan4lyfe]

Originally posted by variance
does anyone know if costco roadside is any good? Its $80 per year and gives 250km of free towing.

http://www.costco.ca/Elite-Premier-Roadside-Service-Family-pack.product.100090683.html

If you go on redflagdeals there was a big thread about Costco roadside assistance. I think in the end people found it to be a very good value since it was $80 per household instead of per membership.

I have AMA and it's served me well. I've had to call a few times while in the States for a boost and the company they use there showed in about 10 minutes.

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
I have TD Auto Club as a perk on my credit card... I've called on them once, I had gotten stuck on a snowy hill outside of Kamloops on summ.... actually it doesn't matter what kind of tires for this story. They sent a truck out... but it was a blizzard and never made it to get me, haha.

I've never had a chance to try it out otherwise, but I think they will just come and tow or boost me if needed. Plus it is free, so... there is that too.

:poosie:

i have a TD first class infinite visa. i didn't know about thos feature! i had to get my car towed a few months ago, when it was really cold and my car wouldn't start. i wonder if i can still claim this.

thanks for the response, guys. looking into it, i'll sign my wife up for the $120/year membership. that $80/year membership is pretty useless lol.

[Mar]

I can't remember if it's AMA but I think that's the one that gives you a discount on Banff park passes as well. Saves us $20 or something every year.

The auto insurance is crap though, I called Contemporary Coachworks to do some insurance repairs on my car and they asked if I was with AMA. I told them I wasn't and they said it was good because AMA has a maximum hourly rate they'll pay and Contemporary Coachworks charges more than that.

[Brent.ff]

Bump.. renewal season..

whos doing it, or who's dropped off out of it?

[eglove]

Dropped mine. Didn’t use it once the last year. Not worth the price imo.

[Mitsu3000gt]

At least one person in my family has had a membership for pretty much as long as the service has been offered, and we have collectively never used it once. The partner 'deals' are pretty bad too IMHO.

[ExtraSlow]

It's a form of insurance, and like all insurance, on average, it's not a good deal. However, it can make sense for some use cases based on your habits and risk tolerance.

[tonytiger55]

I have a old vehicle, I don't have close family or anyone nearby to fall back on. So it makes sense to do so.

I used it twice. Once when I did not have it (I used a friends) and another time my car was stuck in my parkade and needed it towed to my mechanic. AMA guy was awesome. He showed me that I did not need a tow, I just needed to go to Canadian Tire and buy a new battery connector for $7.
I get my moneys worth in the sense that its gets bloody cold here, defo for peace of mind.

[Brent.ff]

wife drives like 200 k a day..prob a good investment.. so many yearly subscriptions

[arcticcat522]

I've had it for 13 years and dropped it this year. Used it maybe 1 time per year for someone. Rarely myself. It was convenient to just know a number to call with any vehicle related issue.

[Tik-Tok]

I've only got it because of my trailer, and annual trips through BC with it. I don't know the cost of towing both a truck and a RV trailer from the Coquihalla, or highway 3#, but I imagine it would be around 4 years worth of AMA payments.

[botox]

Maybe I'm just lucky but I've only had 3 tows in the last 25 years and two of them was just me being stupid and could of been avoided so really just needed 1 tow for a breakdown so I don't think it's worth it (knock on wood). Depends on your scenario (driver, car age, driving distance, etc...) but if you just want piece of mind, $120/year isn't bad so go for it.

[mzdspd]

Bump.. renewal season..

whos doing it, or who's dropped off out of it?

Just get a ctire triangle world elite card.. It is free with the credit card.

[Sentry]

Worth it if you daily drive project cars like I do lol. Shit happens, fuel pumps fail, tires explode, etc. etc.

[Kloubek]

I purchased it twice. Never used it first time, second time I bought a membership while stranded on the side of the road with a blown fuel pump and got towed that night. Yes - apparently this works.

Knowing now I can use it right away, I will only buy it if I need a tow... which tends to be rare. That basically saves me having to pay annually for a service I most likely won't use.

[16hypen3sp]

My mommy pays for mine! Seriously, she renews it every year in Dec. for Christmas gift.

I have used it a few times. Latest use was last Sept. when I had to get the 701 to the shop for a blown clutch slave cylinder.

I also use the discounts at restaurants all the time.

[G-ZUS]

Have it, mostly use it when buying non-running beaters and need to get them home, or parts cars.

[killramos]

Can’t say I have ever used any of the forms of roadside assistance I have ever had.

[lasimmon]

I purchased it twice. Never used it first time, second time I bought a membership while stranded on the side of the road with a blown fuel pump and got towed that night. Yes - apparently this works.

Knowing now I can use it right away, I will only buy it if I need a tow... which tends to be rare. That basically saves me having to pay annually for a service I most likely won't use.

Doesn't really work anymore. They have some rules in place now that limits this.

[ExtraSlow]

Doesn't really work anymore. They have some rules in place now that limits this.
Yeah, I think they've had a system to prevent this for a while. Like a 24h waiting period or something?

I have the mack-daddy AMA +RV membership because I was driving beater trucks to remote areas and a single tow home could be a four figure bill. However, I'm considering dropping it because my travel plans are much more mild this year.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Just get a ctire triangle world elite card.. It is free with the credit card.

Holy shit, you're right! And that card has no fee! Will be switching from lame regular Canadian Tire Triangle card post haste!

[Tik-Tok]

They allow it now, but charge an extra $75 if you use it within 24 hours of signing up.

[beyond_ban]

They allow it now, but charge an extra $75 if you use it within 24 hours of signing up.

My vehicle broke down without AMA around 4 years ago, and even with the $75 charge factored in it was worth it to sign up. I signed up online, and then proceeded to call for my service. I know this is totally anecdotal, but for some reason i was never charged the $75 fee. Only three real possibilities i can think of: 1. Blind luck 2. Online and phone services are not perfectly synced 3. I was a former AMA member, and when i re-signed up it still showed my original join date. 3 makes the most sense IMO, and aligns with Kloubek's method.

[Brent.ff]

How much does a tow average?

[blueToy]

We've had AMA for decades now. Used them to tow probably 4-5 times , but also used them for help in pulling a friends' broken trailer, my nephews broken down lifted Ford from Banff to Calgary, three times to help with flats or blown tires ( once, in the rain at night, on the shoulder of a freeway just outside of Seattle Wa. ), a bunch of times for boosting, plus we get our travel insurance with them as well as all the maps and info you need. Have we come out ahead money wise? Most likely no, but I like it for the wife if I'm away and she's having a issue with her car ( the industry has so many shady independents ). So far, all the folks we've met have been super professional and helpful.

[tirebob]

How much does a tow average?

I have the upgraded plus account as I live 100km out of the city and am always on farm roads and if broken down they will tow up to 160km without any extra charges and I have had to use it so it does pay. A long tow like that gets pretty pricey otherwise. How muxh exactly I am not sure but I would think at least a few hundred bucks.

[AndyL]

100$ hook and 3$/km would be normal retail ballpark.

Some are still saying 1.50/2$ per km but then make it up on the backside with an 08 era fuel surcharge.