# CAA vs. President’s Choice Roadside Assistance (PCRA)



## tJ3l33s

My CAA (Plus) membership is up for renewal. I’m debating whether we still need the Plus package. If we downgrade to Basic, then PCRA becomes a possible alternative.

What have your experiences been with PCRA?

Thanks for your insights.
/Peter


----------



## Arcaneind

*Are either one really worth it?*

I have never had any roadside assistance except that which came with a new car warranty. I have always been of the opinion that insurance for having a tow truck come get you doesn't make economic sense.

I've maintained my cars and had one car towed in twenty years.


----------



## Agape

If you do have a problem, you can always call CAA without a membership and then purchase it on the spot. That way if you don't use it that year, you don't pay for it.

Not sure of the price difference though.


----------



## canabiz

I also question the need for CAA membership (or with similar organizations)...cars are built much better these days, i think the chances of it breaking down along the way are pretty slim and i understand how some folks want to have the peace of mind (especially if you leave the keys inside etc)

I am not a handyman by any means but push comes to shove, I can change a flat tire...mind you doing it in -25 Celsius is not a fun game but I digress. 

When we travel, we rent cars so this has rarely been an issue for us.


----------



## Sampson

I absolutely disagree that this service is unnecessary.

I was driving a 10 year old subaru, which was designed somewhat poorly and had a particularly thin OEM head gasket. Failures were common and I was saved several times by my CAA membership. I serviced the card regularly and properly - this was simply an issue of a 'slightly' defective car. You never know what will happen to your car. YMMV

Certainly its a form of insurance - and the value of it will always depend on whether you use it or not.

There are also additional benefits like reduced national park passes etc.


----------



## shaynepathum

I myself questioned the usefulness of CAA (Plus) membership over the years but it has come in handy several times in the past though. Once was after an accident on the highway that required towing about 40 KMs. Once when the car did not start and it required a boost. Twice when keys were left in the car (once with the engine running . So I guess what I am trying to get at is that the membership does come in handy but probably not every year. The argument that CAA is only useful if the car breaks down is rather weak. We will keep renewing it for years to come. For us, the retail discounts CAA offers is not an incentive to get the membership. Chances are you will will not know that membership offers a discount or even if you did, you will forget to claim it. But the question of the OP asking if PCRA is better than CAA is something I cannot answer.


----------



## Agape

Does anyone know if there is any cost savings between renewing or only getting the membership if you need it?

I.e. Don't renew, but if you have a problem then you would call CAA and then pay for a years membership at that point.


----------



## Sampson

Agape,

there is a 'activation' fee if your account has been dormant for greater than X months.

I've recently bought a new car, so I don't have CAA anymore. In the past, I've had some periods on and extended periods off. Just depended on whether I had long trips planned.

Other reasons may not be mechanical. It nasty storms, people drive into ditches all the time around these parts.

To the OP, if you have a Costco membership, they also offer a roadside assistance program that's cheaper than CAA's. I think the bottom line are the additional perks and whether you need them. Maximum towing distance is also a major consideration.


----------



## Arcaneind

Sampson said:


> I absolutely disagree that this service is unnecessary.
> 
> I was driving a 10 year old subaru, which was designed somewhat poorly and had a particularly thin OEM head gasket. Failures were common and I was saved several times by my CAA membership. I serviced the card regularly and properly - this was simply an issue of a 'slightly' defective car.


I can understand buying CAA in this case, but I think you would have to agree that it was only you defective car that validates this theory (I know a guy that had constant head gasket problems with his old Subaru too). If you car is more reliable, it falls apart or at least it doesn't make sense to buy CAA until you discover you have a lemon.



shaynepathum said:


> Once was after an accident on the highway that required towing about 40 KMs.


Your normal insurance should have covered this.

Overall, I think you must really, really want the free maps and other bonus to make it work. I guess I just don't value them enough.


----------



## taz_miz_zaz

I and my wife both have new(ish) vehicles and I have kept my CAA membership around the whole time since new. I was aware of the new auto Roadside Assistance but I found that overall my experience with CAA is way better.

I rarely use the Roadside Assistance but I do use CAA for their many other "free" services.

- Their registry agents are actually friendly and helpful (something I have yet to find elsewhere)
- Pay with Credit Card at the registry! Awesome! I don't carry cash and purposely keep my checking account as close to empty as possible so my credit card is the way to go.
- I buy cheap movie tickets at CAA, $9 instead of $12.50, I get to go to more movies now
- Their travel services are excellent, anytime I'm thinking about a trip I call and get useful advice
- Maps, gotta love getting a fresh new city map each year, especially in a growing and changing city

I think the best thing ever is the fact that I walk in and get service within a few minutes, very rarely do I have to wait in line. I have yet to find an unfriendly person there, though maybe I'm just lucky. I save enough each year in CAA savings and aggravation that its worth double the membership cost.

This is starting to sound like a paid advertisement so I guess I’ll just finish by saying that for myself its be very much worth the money, but if all you are really looking for is Roadside Assistance I would suspect that you could find it cheaper elsewhere. Normally my policy is to pay as little as possible for a service I’m almost never going to use and if required fight through crappy service, but I’ve started using the CAA features so much I’m willing to pay a little more to have a pleasant experience.


----------



## johnchow101

*Wasted over thousands with CAA*



shaynepathum said:


> I myself questioned the usefulness of CAA (Plus) membership over the years but it has come in handy several times in the past though.
> 
> I have CAA Plus membership for a loong looong time. In yr 2000, I called them for a towing my car 30km distance over 10 years ago.
> 
> I had them to boost battery on my driveway twice with a week or two in Winter of 2008. The Technicians gave good battery reading report both times. Third time, I decided to get a friend give me a boost & replaced the battery from Walmart Energizer. Problem solved. Have I relied on CAA & blame on cold weather, I would have run the 5 calls in another week!!
> 
> I made a service call this Sunday @ 3:10pm for boost/battery check (Quite a surprise that the battery was only 30months old to fail!). After tired of waiting for CAA to arrive , I sent out my kids to piano class on Taxi. Then I decided to checkout the battery myself & founded corroded battery connection. I cleaned it up with a blade/sand paper & reconnected the battery. Problem solved. However, decided not to cancel the CAA call to get a reading on battery. It took 1 hour & 35 minutes to arrive @ my drive way. The technician who arrive appologized. He mentioned that he had to come from downtown calls & there are fewer technicains out on Sunday. It wasn't even the -1 degree C that day. If this was a subzero, I would have waited another hour or two!!
> 
> Collecting membership & printing nice brochures are one thing, but providing the emergency service as promised is another.
> 
> I DO REGRET wasting money on CAA membership all these years.
> 
> Also, their Car Insurance quote with membership discount is a lot more than what I could find elsewhere.
> 
> I filled a complain about their service & their representative return call next day with simple appology & said he would offer 10% discount toward membership. He keep on saying that if they couldn't get service in time noone else will!! I told him that the membership should be free for the following year to see & believe their serivce anymore.
> 
> It takes an incident to loose a customer. They don't realize that they get paid by membership dues. Once I leave I will NEVER go back. My kids won't anything to do with CAA in future either.
> 
> I could have called my neighbour for a boost or even if am on the road, I could have flagged someone for help if I am on the road, or called a familiar tow service. We passed the stone age of public telephone booth.... I could Still I will end up with thousand dollars in my pocket than having CAA over the years.


----------



## carverman

*CAA vs PCRA*

I reached the point last summer, where I had to make a decision whether to go with PCRA (slightly cheaper) or CAA. In the end, I decided to go with CAA because MORE tow truck operators/garages seem to be associated with CAA. 
Being practically disabled, I would have a hard time changing a flat tire on my truck as the tires are very heavy, not to mention doing this on the side of the road of a busy highway by yourself can be dangerous, especially at night. 

I had brake failure (seized caliper on the highway) and fortunately the nearest town was within a kilometer when it siezed, however I managed to drive it (with the engine straining), into the nearest garage to have the caliper replaced again.

I didn't have any roadside assistance up until then, but having and unexpected brake failure after changing out both brake calipers 12 months earlier, convinced me that having some kind of road side assistance would be a good idea at this point as the other caliper that was installed at the same time, is still on the vehicle. Whether it will fail sooner than expected remains to be seen, but I'm glad now that I have CAA plus to tow me up to 200km if need be and that would get me home in most cases. 

Another reason would be having a mechanical failure or flat tire in the evening in the winter at minus temperatures.


----------



## m3s

I was on a long trip last summer with someone who had CAA membership. He was trying to use a Garmin to find an office to get maps or whatever brochures they hand out

I found the new office location for him on my phone. By the end of the trip he realized I could get more up to date info faster on the phone

I carry booster cables in my trunk. I use them more to help random people. If I need a tow truck I'll call one. I've called a tow truck twice in 10 years and I drive old used cars with 250k+ kms


----------



## brad

I think the way to figure this out is to tally up what you spend on an annual membership in CAA over five years, and then figure out what the average cost of one or two tows over those five years would be if you had to pay for them out of your own pocket, plus try to put a price on the convenience factor of calling one number (CAA) versus calling around to find the nearest tow service.

It's true that if you have a smartphone and a data plan, or a GPS, you'd be able to find a tow service pretty painlessly. A dedicated GPS is much cheaper in the long run than a smartphone with data plan; a decent GPS with lifetime traffic and lifetime map updates might set you back $250 total, whereas a smartphone with data plan could easily cost you that much every four months or less.

I've been driving since 1980 and I think I've had to have my car towed a total of six times in all that time. Even if you assume $200 per tow, or $1200 total, I imagine that ends up considerably cheaper than 30 years' worth of membership fees to CAA (it bugs me that they don't post membership prices on their website but ask you to call them instead; that's an automatic no-sale for me).


----------



## Oldroe

The 1st reason I have CAA is my wife has a problem she is calling CAA. Everything is traceable and reliable people show up.

I also have RV Plus because I've towed boats and trailers all over Canada and US. Most stuff I can fix it's just a lot more fun having it towed home and letting my mechanic deal with it.

It's worth every penny to me.


----------



## HaroldCrump

CAA has been worth every penny for me.
I haven't used the services a lot...I've had the membership for 8 years now and have called them maybe 4 or 5 times.
But each time, it's been worth it because of the circumstances - stuck in the middle of nowhere, snowed in, flat tire or dead battery late at night, from what I recall.
I've never used PCRA so can't compare, but I would like to carry some reliable roadside assistance service at all times.

For those that drive a lot for work or personal purposes, have young children, etc. the $65 or so a year are well spent, IMHO.


----------



## Sampson

CAA or any other autoclub membership is just a form or insurance. Just because I haven't needed my disability or life insurance, it doesn't mean that paying the premiums is a 'waste' of money.

As brad points out, when it gets used, it can pay off quite significantly.


----------



## brad

Actually if CAA is only $65/year then it does sound like a good deal. Over 30 years this works out to less than $2,000, and if you assume $200 per tow this would pay for 10 tows over 30 years, plus the other more minor benefits and conveniences others have mentioned here. It's probably cheaper than extending your vehicle manufacturer's roadside assistance plan (e.g., for Toyota it's about $85/year).


----------



## HaroldCrump

I pay $65 for standard coverage including taxes.
Used to be $62 but went up about 2 years ago.
Whenever I have used them, I've liked the quick response, the frequent status updates and the general professionalism.
The maps, travel guides and other resources that they provide are a bonus.


----------



## Oldroe

And you know who to call.


----------



## w0nger

i was a member for a couple years... one winter i tried calling them cause i was stuck in a snow drift and it was -25 out... they told me it'd be a 4 hour wait... seriously... what a joke. I've since cancelled my membership 2 years ago.

On a good note, ever since getting my TD Gold Elite Visa, it comes with the TD Deluxe Auto Club... free road side assistance since you get the VISA car free with the select service account.


----------



## HaroldCrump

w0nger said:


> On a good note, ever since getting my TD Gold Elite Visa, it comes with the TD Deluxe Auto Club... free road side assistance since you get the VISA car free with the select service account.


And what did TD say when you called them after being _stuck in a snow drift and it was -25 out_?


----------



## MoneyGal

I have CAA membership and don't regret it. 

I drive an old, infrequently-driven vehicle (a 1999 Suzuki Esteem station wagon), and when I *do* drive, it is often to the family cottage near Bancroft. 

The last time I called CAA they towed me, my husband and our two small kids and two CATS all the way back to our house from Bancroft. 

The peace of mind associated with knowing that a truck would arrive and get us all home in one piece was totally worth the CAA (Plus) membership (not to mention that would have been a multi-hundred-dollar tow). 

For me, the membership provides a form of "peace of mind" insurance. WAY cheaper than upgrading our car, which my husband maintains and is in great working condition. 

My husband's uncle is a tow truck driver (nowhere near Bancroft) and I have some small insights into the tow truck business. I am very happy to deal with CAA as the intermediary for tows.

Editing to say that I don't have any insight into whether CAA is better than/worse than President's Choice...sorry I can't be of more help!


----------



## carverman

HaroldCrump said:


> I pay $65 for standard coverage including taxes.
> Used to be $62 but went up about 2 years ago.
> Whenever I have used them, I've liked the quick response, the frequent status updates and the general professionalism.
> The maps, travel guides and other resources that they provide are a bonus.


I've only started with CAA last year and because of the unexpected
brake caliper seizure. Up until then, I took my chances and with
a little luck didn't need any service calls on the road. Up until last year,
I was able to jack up the truck and install the heavy wheel in case of a 
flat, but now I'm not able to. Driving a 12 year old vehicle, things can
go wrong even if it's maintained..so it's a good insurance to have, even
if you average out the cost of a tow call..$200 to $250 over the number of
years that you didn't need a tow. ..and at least you will get a response
if you are stuck on the side of the road in the middle of the night and
your vehicle can't move. 

Yes, I carry booster cables in my truck and change my battery when it
starts sluggishly, but certain things are unpredictable...as I found out.
At least now..I just have one number to call (CAA) and I don't have to
worry about recording numbers of garages that may be open 24hrs a
day..and there aren't too many of them on the highway.


----------



## carverman

w0nger said:


> i was a member for a couple years... one winter i tried calling them cause i was stuck in a snow drift and it was -25 out... they told me it'd be a 4 hour wait... seriously... what a joke. I've since cancelled my membership 2 years ago.


Well that is unusual, but in snowstorms/cold snaps, it can take longer
for the tow truck to arrive. Now you mention that you were stuck in a snowdrift
at -25 ..what did you do? Stay in your vehicle or try to venture out and get
help? Some guy in that last snowstorm between London and Sarnia,
left his vehicle and they found him frozen in a field. Not a pleasant thought,
but those were circumstances that even CAA couldn't handle as it took the
army and snow machines to get everyone to safety.


----------



## Plugging Along

We've had CAA for years, and have been happy with it. We have found they always confirmed we were in a safe place, and if there were any children. The times where we had no other shelterr, there where young kids, or we were in a high traffic area they got extremely quickly (under 1 hour). The other times where the car died somewhere and we could wait it out, they may have taken a little longer. 

I can't speak for the other plans, but we have been happy with CAA.


----------



## BETTYVEE

*not quite*



Agape said:


> If you do have a problem, you can always call CAA without a membership and then purchase it on the spot. That way if you don't use it that year, you don't pay for it.
> 
> Not sure of the price difference though.


That doesn't work, I tried. The day I was stranded in the middle of a busy intersection and I called them I was told that there is a seven day hold from when you activate until you can actually use the service.

I was lucky though because I remembered they sent me a "temporary emergency road side assistance" several months before to try and convince me to renew and even though it expired they agreed to honour it.

I compared both CAA and Canadian Tires Road side assistance and for what its worth CAA gave more bang for its buck (towing mileage, service calls..etc)


----------



## carverman

BETTYVEE said:


> I compared both CAA and Canadian Tires Road side assistance and for what its worth CAA gave more bang for its buck (towing mileage, service calls..etc)


It's true that CAA does offer other services for being a member, travel insurance, hotel bookings, 
trip tiks, bail/legal if travelling in US, and numerous other services, but
it's also good to do a comparison with their competition to see what
value you get for being a member.

CAA reg: $78.50 per year and towing up to 5Km, plus other CAA membership services

CAA Plus: $128.50 a year + taxes. 
You are allowed a max of 4 service calls and tows up to 200km.
Free road side gas call (you pay for the gas delivered though), free battery replacement (if vehicle battery
can no longer be boosted), and flat tire service


CTC Gold...$99.95 + taxes..5 service calls per year, up to 250km
towing and free unlimited towing if to a CTC garage (store) + 1 free
lube and filter ($30 value) ..cost $70 + taxes


CTC Roadside service on Request:
$1.99 a month or $23.88 a year (+ taxes I presume)..each service call
is only $44.95 + taxes..so the cost is about $70 as well.
(No mention of free gas, or free batteries)..but it is presumed that if your car still won't
start (starter, engine or battery issue), the dispatched service truck will tow you to the
nearest CTC garage for further investigation.


PC Roadside Assistance: $69.97 + taxes for one vehicle . Available only if you have the
PC Mastercard. 
local towing up to 40km, If vehicle is disabled 250km or more, the vehicle return service
up to 350km and upto $350 per person for expenses (accomodation, meals and car rental
or commercial transportation back), free fuel deliver (you pay for fuel), boosts, flat tire service,
travel insurance/hotel info..etc. Service call re-inbursement if local tow truck needs to be called)..
I presume here that the PC roadside assistance truck is not available in the area where your
vehicle has broken down.

Note: it is mentioned that vehicles with trailers are NOT covered, not sure if this means just the
trailer or vehicle + trailer. If you tow a trailer (even a utility/motorcycle/snow mobile trailer),
you might want this clarified before joining the plan.


----------



## hystat

http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/roadside-assistance-comparison.htm


----------



## carverman

hystat said:


> http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/roadside-assistance-comparison.htm


That is a good comparison with comments from users of various roadside
assistance services.
I guess it boils down to whether you want the peace of mind by paying
for roadside assistance insurance that perhaps you may never use..
but...
consider this scenario if you don't have some sort of roadside assistance insurance..

Its a sunday night..not all garages are open.

You are driving along a highway where there are few houses in between.
Aside from running out of gas , or leaving the lights on and draining
the battery..let's say your engine develops a noise or condition that
makes it undriveable or shuts down, or you have to pull over to change a
tire.

Its dark, it's the midddle of winter and your flashlight batteries are dead.
You don't carry a phone book of the local garages in the area of breakdown
and even if you happen to know, they are closed until monday morning.

You call the roadside assistance number on your cellphone...you call CAA 
or one of the other roadside assistance services to respond. You don't
have to get out to open the hood to even try to see what the problem is
or fight with garage torqued wheel nuts try to get them off...

I think that is one time where it is worth the membership fee.


----------



## Sixth_Circle

I'm also in the process of wondering whether to renew or cancel our CAA. Currently, our membership cost (me + wife, 1 vehicle) totals $120 for the Basic Plan. This gives us up to 5 km towing and all the other bells and whistles, most of which we never use or need. 

The PC plan would cost $69.97 and offers up to 40 km towing, along with the standard gas, tire change, expense reimbursements, etc. The service is assigned to the vehicle, not the individual like with the CAA plan, which I think is nothing more than a blatant price restructuring designed to gouge. Most drivers have families and loved ones they would like to cover, and CAA knows this. Sorry, but it is our _vehicle_ that requires towing, gas, etc, not me or my wife.

Can't see making the difference in fees back using the extra discounts from CAA. And only 5 km towing? That'll get you to the end of the street. Seems all we really need is the PC offering, so guess I'm making a phone call in a few mins.


----------



## HaroldCrump

Sixth_Circle said:


> The service is assigned to the vehicle, not the individual like with the CAA plan, which I think is nothing more than a blatant price restructuring designed to gouge. Most drivers have families and loved ones they would like to cover, and CAA knows this. Sorry, but it is our _vehicle_ that requires towing, gas, etc, not me or my wife.


I disagree that the CAA price structure is gouging.
I am not defending CAA (no vested interest), but you can look at it both ways.
Attaching the policy to the individual ensures that you are covered even when you are not driving your own car.

I've had 2 instances where I was driving a rental car and ended up calling CAA instead of the rental company's roadside assistance.
In one case, the rental company's help was going to take a lot longer than CAA.
In another case (locked out), the rental company was going to charge $69 for unlocking while it was free with CAA.
In a third instance, I was with a friend in his car caught in a snow storm outside of Montreal and called CAA.

In all the above cases, PC's service would have been useless.

Conversely, households with both partners working often have two cars.
In that case, CAA and PC work out the same.
In fact, CAA might be a little cheaper since they often have discounts and promotions running for family plans.

If you are convinced that PC meets your needs better than CAA, of course go with PC - that's the beauty of choice and competition.
But think through all the aspects of the coverage before declaring that CAA is gouging its members.


----------



## Sixth_Circle

Understood, but statistically speaking, most people are driving their own vehicles when they require service. Being a passenger in a vehicle requiring service is, again, something that would be statistically rare for us so the odds don't justify the extra cost. 

In almost 25 years of driving, I have never once been in a vehicle requiring service where my CAA card would have been helpful. But that's just me, and I understand that circumstances are not the same for all people. Some members have gone several years without ever placing a call, others call once or twice or more per year.

For our situation, a couple with one vehicle and renting or operating a third-party vehicle only rarely (and even rarer than that, a third-party vehicle requiring any servicing), I think PC offers the better deal. I also think the actuaries at CAA also punched the numbers to determine the most profitable membership structure. Whether or not it is fair or a gouge is up to the individual consumer and their needs.

Basically, we want our shared vehicle covered under a single plan, and not have to pay twice for the same benefits as we currently do under CAA. And for the cost, 5 km worth of towing is an insult when the others are offering 4 to 8 times that for a comparable or cheaper rate. A few free maps and a couple bucks off movie tickets ain't gonna cut it.


----------



## Addy

We are considering getting roadside assistance via CAA but it appears TD may be our best bet since we have a premium cc with them (TD Travel Infinite VISA) so we would only pay $39/yr for the "Deluxe" TD Auto Club Membership. I have to confirm the price of $39/yr, but if that is indeed the case, it sounds attractive.

Has anyone here used the TD service in the States? How was the service?


----------



## carverman

HaroldCrump said:


> In all the above cases, PC's service would have been useless.


I use PC for all my banking and very satisfied with their no fee service..
however...when I was considering joining either CAA or PC..I decided to
go with CAA..the reason is that there are more affliated CAA tow trucks
than probably with PC. This is important when you have a breakdown
between major cities on the highway. I'm sure that PC would re-imburse
you if a situation happened where they had no contracted tow truck in
around the area of breakdown..but it would be frustrating as you would
have to call a local tow or service truck to come out to you and that might
take some time. 

I went with CAA..one number to call..anytime 24/7 and it's their problem
to dispatch a tow truck to me.


----------

