When taking your RV out on a road trip, having a roadside assistance plan is a smart idea. Good Sam Roadside Assistance and AAA are two well-known companies that offer roadside services for RV travelers. Knowing the differences in policies will help you make a more informed decision.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance is designed with RVers in mind. Some of its benefits include unlimited towing mileage, no restrictions on emergency roadside calls, and all family members included at no extra charge.
AAA membership offers roadside services for RVs, too, but only as an add-on to their Plus and Premier membership levels. AAA members may enjoy more discounts with 3rd party vendors, but they have more restrictions on their actual roadside services.
If you want to learn more specifics about each company's programs, continue reading. We'll break down the major points to help you decide on the best RV roadside assistance plan.
This post has been updated to reflect current costs and information from Good Sam and AAA.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance for RVs
With Good Sam, there are three levels for roadside assistance: the Standard, Platinum, or Platinum Complete plan. While the platinum plan offers members more discounts on car rentals and hotels, the benefits listed below are for all levels of membership.
Benefits Of Good Sam
1. Unlimited towing, no mileage restrictions
RV travelers often venture into remote or rural areas. In case of a breakdown, the closest repair facility could be far away. Good Sam offers a significant benefit here with its unlimited towing feature.
However, it's important to note that Good Sam tows to the nearest repair facility, and the choice of the facility is at their discretion. This could potentially lead an RVer to a remote or undesired location, which might not be convenient.
While unlimited towing is a reassurance, the restriction on the choice of repair facility is a crucial point to understand when comparing roadside assistance services.
Cost for Additional Towing - Good Sam:
Good Sam's default towing service takes your RV to the nearest professional repair facility at no extra charge. However, if you prefer to be towed to a different location of your choosing, additional fees may apply.
It's advisable to check with Good Sam directly for the exact cost structure for this service, ensuring you are well informed about potential extra charges depending on your preferred towing destination.
2. All family members included in your plan
You can add all of your family members to your roadside assistance plan. No matter who is driving the RV at the time services are needed, they are covered without extra charge.
3. No limit to the number of times you can use their service
This is a big difference between the AAA and Good Sam roadside assistance plans. With the Good Sam plan, you won't be sitting there wondering if you should use one of your limited number of calls on the current situation. All roadside services are covered, even if they exceed four calls in a year.
4. Other services provided at no extra charge
In addition to towing, other services Good Sam Roadside provides include free fuel and fluid delivery, battery jump starts, tire changes, and locksmith services. If needed, a qualified technician will come to your location and assist with any of these services at no extra charge (applies to the Platinum and Platinum Complete packages).
Speaking of batteries, you may find this article interesting: How Long Will An RV Battery Last (Inc. When Dry Camping)?
5. Trip interruption services provided
Good Sam's Standard plan offers trip interruption benefits that usually only belong to premier-level memberships. Their trip-interruption services cover up to $1,200 in food, lodging, or other expenses incurred if an accident happens more than 100 miles from home.
How much does the Good Sam plan cost for RVers?
For the coverage that Good Sam Roadside offers RVers, the cost is reasonable. At the time of writing this article, their website listed $64.95 as the yearly cost for their Standard plan, a $79.95 annual fee for the Platinum plan, and a $119.95 yearly cost for the Platinum Complete plan.
AAA - Triple-A Roadside Assistance for RVs
As we mentioned earlier, AAA is, first and foremost, an automobile club. They have established a great reputation with their membership program, which includes roadside assistance. When you want to cover an RV, however, it gets a little more complicated.
RV coverage is an add-on option.
Depending on which state you live in, RV coverage is only available as an add-on to AAA's Plus or Premier level memberships. You cannot get roadside service for an RV with the Classic level membership.
Benefits of AAA
Members are covered in any vehicle.
One benefit AAA members enjoy is being able to call for roadside assistance even if they aren't in their own vehicle. This is a great benefit if you are traveling with friends or are not using your own vehicle on a regular basis.
However, most people who want roadside coverage for an RV trip are going to be driving their own vehicle. Therefore, this benefit doesn't feel as significant in most situations for an RV traveler.
Membership discounts at many locations
Over 100,000 locations offer discounts to AAA members. These discounts include rental cars, theme parks, hotels, movie tickets, concert venues, and some RV parks. Some of these discounts may come in handy as an RV traveler, but others (hotel, rental car) may not be used as often.
Additional member services are available at your local AAA office with membership. These include passport photo service, free travel planning, and DMV services.
A full range of services is provided
Like Good Sam Roadside Assistance, AAA offers towing, battery jump starts, tire changes, fuel and fluid delivery, locksmith service, and trip interruption expenses.
Limitations of AAA
Upon reading the details of AAA's Plus RV and Premium RV plans, the main drawback is that most of the services have limits. Anything over their stated limit is going to cost the customer extra.
Towing
Towing services are essential when on the road, and AAA provides a degree of flexibility by allowing members to decide where their RV will be towed. Under the AAA Plus RV plan, towing up to 100 miles is covered at no extra cost.
For those with the AAA Premier RV plan, the coverage extends up to 200 miles. This flexibility can be reassuring, especially if you have a preferred repair facility in mind.
However, it's important to note that any mileage beyond these specified limits will incur additional charges, which will be paid out of pocket by the member. This policy allows for some personal choice while also setting clear limits on the coverage provided.
Locksmith
AAA roadside service includes up to $100 (Plus RV) or $150 (Premier RV) in locksmith expenses.
Winching service
If your vehicle becomes stuck and needs to be pulled out, winching services will be provided for up to 2 drivers and 2 service vehicles (included for both Plus and Premier plans).
Number of emergency calls allowed
All AAA membership plans allow for a total of 4 emergency roadside calls per year. Any additional calls within a calendar year will incur additional charges.
How much does it cost?
Varies by state
This is another area where AAA gets complicated. The rates for roadside assistance seem to vary by state. Even on the website, you must enter your zip code before you can see pricing options.
For example, with a Southern California zip code, you get quoted $86/year for the Plus level membership and $114/year for the Premier level. With a DFW, Texas zip code, you get quoted $91/year for the Plus level membership and $117/year for the Premier level. Then, with a Tamba Bay area, Florida zip code, you get quoted $104/year for the Plus level membership and $131/year for the Premier level.
RV coverage is an add-on to premium-level membership
As mentioned earlier, RV coverage is an enhanced feature that can only be added to a Plus level or Premier level membership for an additional fee. So first calculate the cost of your Plus or Premier membership, then add on the fee for having an RV.
Associates cost extra to add to the plan.
Adding "associates" (family members) to your membership requires an extra fee per person.
Our final analysis
As an RV traveler, it seems that Good Sam Roadside Assistance is the better choice. Their assistance program offers all of the same roadside services AAA does but with fewer restrictions and fewer hidden costs than AAA.
Good Sam's Roadside Assistance offers more peace of mind to RVers. No matter where you are, you can rest assured that someone will come to you. If towing services are needed, you also don't need to worry about how far away the closest mechanic is located.
Best of all, whenever you need roadside services, you can call. There's no need to wonder if the current situation is going to "waste" one of your four annual calls.
Other roadside assistance plans
Although this article focused on the two major players in RV roadside assistance, there are a few other options out there. If you want to research the subject further, we'll list them here:
Coach-Net
Coach-Net is another company that was started to serve RVers. You can visit their website to obtain a quote for their roadside assistance plans.
Allstate
Allstate is another well-known insurance company that offers memberships for RVs. If you already own insurance through Allstate, this may be an option you want to check into
Motor Club of America
Motor Club of America (MCA) claims to be the largest roadside assistance service company in the US and Canada. Through their website, you can contact an agent who can give you a quote on their membership plans for RV coverage.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this information was helpful in navigating the advantages and disadvantages of RV roadside assistance with Good Sam and AAA. Even though we recommend Good Sam as the preferred choice, we hope you will find the plan that will give you the most peace of mind so you can enjoy your travels!
Before you go, be sure to check out these other posts that may be of interest to you:
33 Best RV Furniture Online Stores That You Need To Know About
12 Best RVs For Full-Time Family Living [By RV type]
I am thoroughly impressed at your unbiased and thorough explanation of the differences between AAA and Sam’s Club. This article has been very helpful for me as a new RVer and soon to be full time. Thank you very much for writing this review!
Glad you found this helpful, Christopher! Thank you for leaving us this nice comment!
One other difference that there seems to be is that AAA will only chang your mounted spare when you have a flat, I saw nothing on their website about bringing a tire if you have a big class A that doesn’t have a spare. Good Sam does bring replacement tires.
My biggest problem with good Sam is only family members, son’s or daughters over the age I 26 have to have their own membership, even tho they are using your vechicke and camper for mabey just one trip a year.
Interesting point, Jimmy. Thanks for bringing this up!
Thank you so much for this article! I’ve been having difficulty bouncing from site to site trying to compare the different memberships and YO!!!! It is very confusing!!! This article has taken a lot of confusion out of this process! Thank you!
Kelli, we are so glad that we could help. Keep stopping by for new posts.
I was looking for the AAA Plus RV price – not quoted here. How much is the extra fee?
Al, thanks for stopping by! You would have to contact AAA specifically for that information.
$35 for AAA Plus RV. Not sure if that is $35 for each person on our plan (4 of us). We are in NY
I believe we pay $139.00 p/yr in WI plus an Dd on fee for my wife. This is for the AAA RV Premium package,
Great site. This is very helpful and is going to make a big difference in my decision to change coverage.
Thanks for the kind words, George! We’re so glad to hear that you found this post useful in helping you decide between coverage plans. Please continue to stop by for more helpful information!
We have had a Good Sam Roadside Assistance policy since 2014. Three weeks after we bought our first ever camper, (and the policy), the transmission in our pickup totally failed. We were fifteen miles from the nearest town. We called them and they sent two trucks. One to pull our camper to a safe storage facility and one to tow our truck to the dealership. This was February, snow on the ground. Total cost to us was $00.00
It was a great feeling to have this taken care of and no cost for all the towing involved. I would endorse the GSRA policy. My opinion, but from real-life experience.
Thanks for stopping by, Dennis. Wow, it sounds like Good Sam really took care of you and your family! We appreciate you taking the time to let everyone know about your positive experience.
We have a 43 foot 5th wheel and AAA RV plus. Our Ford F150 transmission failed outside of Greensborough NC. We are from California….AAA sent a cool looking semi tow truck that towed the F150 with the 5th wheel attached. It stopped by a KOA nearby and dropped the 5th wheel then towed the F150 on to the dealership. We camped for a week while the tranny was replaced and then continued on our way only for the transmission to fail a week later on the border of Colorado. AAA sent another semi tow truck and towed the pair to ATS diesel where we were headed to have the transmission the Ford dealer installed checked. The NC Ford dealership installed the transmission wrong and we camped in the parking lot of ATS diesel for another week.
AAA RV Plus towed us to our repair place of choice and that is worth the trade off of cost and limited number of tows. When i read GSRS’s terms, they tow to the nearest repair location. I don’t know about everyone, but I’ve been to RV repair shops that appear to be backyard traps. It concerns me that i don’t have approval of the “nearest” shop for repairs. But that is my 2 cents.
You towed a 43′ 5th wheel with an F150? and now you’re giving your two cents? LOL
The biggest reason I have AAA Plus RV, is they will tow me anywhere I want to go within 100 miles for free, if I want to be towed to my home or if I have a repair shop that I prefer, there is no extra charge.
With Good Sam they will only tow you to the closest repair shop, so if that is 5 miles and you want to be towed to your home instead, then you have to pay for all towed miles over 5 miles, the up side to good Sam is if the closest shop is 300 miles away, then they will tow you all the way, but I’m sure they will find one closer, and you do not have any say in what shop they take you to.
I will keep my AAA, and I think it is much better for about the same price. Most of the time, I want to be able to pick where I get towed to, I prefer to work on my own vehicle most of the time.
Thanks for the comment, William! It’s always great to hear firsthand experience.
Good Sam’s is very very misleading. It is not unlimited miles for rv pickup. It is to the closet safe place. Our Fifth wheel they actually told us it was only free to the Wal-Mart parking lot because it was the closet safe spot. It cost us an additional $125 to pull it 20miles. And it took hours for them to pick it up
Thanks for sharing your experience with our readers, Adam.
I drove my Subaru from my home in Covina ca.to a Subaru dealership in La Puente ca.
To have the rear axle serviced. The dealership repaired the axle and I drove it home.
The next morning I found the center axle nut laying on the driveway, the axle shaft had broken off making the car inoperable so I couldn’t drive it to the dealership for warranty work. I called Good Sam towing that I had at the time. They came to my home but told me they would only tow the car to the nearest repair shop even though I showed the driver the invoice from the dealership. I got on the phone with Good Sam and explained the situation but they did not care and did not tow the car to the dealership. I had to rectify the problem with the dealership on my own. I switched to AAA and have no regrets.
Hi, Carlos. Thanks for sharing your experience with Good Sam and AAA.
Do you know if either plan is restricted to the towed vehicle? In other words does it have to be an RV or can it be a utility trailer?
AAa 50 yr member will try good Sam aaa about as unreliable as my 06 Ford diesel cutting rv services more every yr my Bigfoot camper is a real winner though waiting 4 hrs in town to CONTACT AAA COST MORE TMORE THAN ITS WORTH ADDIMG TO MANY RESTRICTIONS TO RV TOWING
There is one critical difference you have not mentioned, which in our case is a deal breaker for Good Sam. Although it is true that towing calls are unlimited for Good Sam, note that it says “to the nearest repair facility”. And if you ask them, they will say the nearest repair facility of their choosing. Who wants that?
So for example (and i live DFW area), let’s say i take off on a trip, and have an incident near Hillsboro (about 70 miles south). They might tow you to someplace in Itasca or Milford, or some other small town in the vicinity. No closer to home. For us, that is not helpful. I don’t want to drop my trailer in the middle of nowhere.
I don’t like the 4-tow limit from AAA either, but they will haul you anywhere you want. If you want Good Sam to tow back to your home, you will get charged $9/mile.
We were in the process of evaluating the Good Sam roadside assistance package to decide if we wanted to move from AAA. I did like a lot of the stuff Good Sam included, but as I said, for us, this item was a deal breaker.