Companies rolling out roadside assistance deals -- Page 2

Cell phone as road service?
Wireless carriers are getting into the emergency-road-service game, too.

Verizon Wireless offers a service very similar to AAA's, but cheaper. For $2.99 a month, if you are the driver or a passenger of a car, you can get towing, a locksmith, gas, a jump start and flat-tire replacement. At less than $36 a year, it's cheaper than AAA's cheapest plan.

Other wireless providers offer similar deals.

"I have roadside service through Sprint PCS on my cell phone for three dollars a month," says Sarah Dickerson of Iowa City, Iowa. "Even if I have a dead battery at home, they come out and jump me, or tow me if I need it. I've been happy with them."

And if you only want the service for, say, the month of August while you drive across the country, it's a bigger bargain. Verizon, unlike AAA, lets you start and stop by the month.

Free from the car dealer?
If you have a new or almost-new car, road service may come with the vehicle. Retired Air Force Col. Laura Smith, who lives in Georgia, gets free road assistance from her Saab dealer and she's pleased with it.

Smith has had the service for four years on her 1999 car, which she bought when the dealer was trying to unload that year's models.

"I bought my Saab on the Internet from Virginia," she says. "I went to Tampa and picked it up, whereby they put me up in a hotel for one night. I saved $3,000 at the end of the season. Then I brought it back on the auto train."

She can still use the free road service, even though she lives in a different state.

Insurer-provided service
Some insurers will let you tack on road service for a low fee that's usually much lower than AAA.

"I have USAA's roadside assistance, which is optional with my auto insurance," says Elizabeth Haines, a writer in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"The way it works is, if I have a roadside emergency, I call a toll-free number and the operator contacts a towing service to come to my aid," she says.

"The tow truck driver is authorized to tow me either to my home or to an approved mechanic within a certain mile radius," Haines says. "I don't have to pay a thing to the towing company; I just sign a receipt and they handle the rest."

The USAA service has been convenient, Haines says, and cheap.

"I've had to use the roadside assistance program two or three times in the past 10 years and have been very pleased with it," she says. "Usually, I've been able to have them tow my car home, where my husband has repaired it.

"I really appreciate the fact I don't have to pay for the towing myself and then be reimbursed by the insurance company," says Haines.

The cost, once again, is lower than AAA's.

"We pay about $30 to $40 a year to have the coverage on both of our vehicles," Haines says.

Service for bicyclists
If you have a car, but ride a bike frequently, the best deal may be a company that covers bike breakdowns, too.

Better World Club says it's the only club that provides both bike and car coverage.

For just a bike, you'll pay $39.95 for an annual basic membership, and for both bike and car, it comes to $64.95. A premium bike-and-car membership runs $94.95 for one driver.

Better World coverage includes four service calls per year.

If all the help you really need is for your bike, a local bike-only service may be best. In Santa Cruz, Calif., Pedaler's Express will come tow you and your bike for a price that varies with the distance. It generally ranges from $5 to $40 per incident, and incident-only help may be your cheapest option.

No road service at all?
Linda Heal, a graduate student at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, does her own emergency repairs. She changes her own tires, and when her truck was going bad, she drove around with a bike in the back. It saved her from paying AAA to help her out.

Heal says most roadside problems can be handled by the driver. She doesn't plan to pay for road service anytime soon, and she says doing things herself has helped her keep overall car costs down.