AAA
AAA – The American Automobile Association – is one of the oldest auto insurance companies. Its beginnings are unique. Instead of forming for the express purpose of selling car insurance, it was born of a group of auto enthusiast clubs.
In 1902, the automobile was just coming into use. There were 17 million horses, but only 23,000 cars. The owners of these cars had formed over 50 clubs. In that same year, 9 of those clubs joined to become the American Automobile Association. Their first priority wasn’t insurance. It was road improvement. The roads of the time were best suited for horses, and it took some convincing to get the government to make them truly car-worthy.
Since then, AAA has expanded to having over 80 auto clubs under their banner, and they offer many services to motorists in every state. The phrase “call Triple-A!” is familiar in many households due to its roadside help service. Insurance is the other big service they offer. They also have travel agent service, and offer free maps and tour guidebooks to members. One quirk about AAA Auto Insurance is that all their customers become “members” of the Association. In real-world terms, this membership is pretty much a formality, since it comes with a purchase of one of their insurance policies, but customers do have the right to vote on who gets on the board, should they choose to exercise it. Customers, or “members,” get a free subscription to their magazine, too. The name of the magazine, as well as its content, varies by state.
When it comes to insurance, AAA offers many varieties. They have auto insurance, of course. They also offer boat insurance. Home, renter’s, and life insurance are other offerings. They even have some limited health insurance plans.
Like many car insurers, they have some discounts policyholders can get. These include a discount for seatbelt use, a multi-vehicle rate, a discount for buying more than one type of policy through them, and a discount for using certain types of anti-theft measures for your car. They have also set up group deals for certain banks, credit unions, employers, and other organizations.
AAA is not always the cheapest insurer around. However, its wide range of supporting services like travel planning can make it quite worthwhile to be a customer/member of this organization despite its non-rock-bottom prices.
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