To RAC or Not to RAC

I usually get requotes for insurances every year or two , nothing saved fro loyalty these days. I have let my RAC breakdown insurance bobble on for 7 years though . To reward me they have made me up to a SILVER member , I was so proud For this long service honour they increased my payment by 24% to £204 ! Shopping round I found GEM Motor Assist , which is highly rated , at £110 . This is for two people ,2 cars , home start and relay.
I will be calling RAC next week , who will reduce their cost but has anyone used GEM ?

 

We are fortunate here in that 'recovery assistance' is part and parcel of all car insurance policies. Car insurance covers the vehicle not a named person so anyone can drive it ... obviously if they are a legally licensed driver! We have older cars, the 'newest' being a 2006 Renault Megane estate and that's about 250 Euros a year for insurance inclusive.

Not helpful for the UK I admit ....

 

I've used a number of recovery companies over the years, tending to stick to the independent, lower priced ones who use a network of local breakdown companies and times for breakdown typically varied from anywhere from an hour upwards.

Last year I saw a special offer on RAC so went with them instead. I found that having their own breakdown recovery vehicles was a big improvement. Had cause to use them a couple of times on my old car (now replaced) and they were very quick (30-45 minutes) and the service was great.

 

I've been a member of the RAC since 2000 and used them several times and been pleased.
This year I've been given a Black Card as a loyalty (inertia) bonus giving 15% discount on purchases from the RAC. Cost is £82.00 this is for 1 car 1 person Roadside Rescue and Recovery, key return, Legal and Accident care.

 

If you have cover that gets the car back to your home area no matter what I think that it is well worth it nowadays. Large fleet (plus affiliate companies as well) means that response time is good.

 

Is that a yes for the big two then @longk ? AA and RAC .

 

I hate to say this but yes it is.

 

If I join the RAC as a new member it is £129 two people any car with recovery and home start. As a long standing silver member it is £204 , you can't make it up can you !

 

Hi @HarryS, we have a Barclays current account, with that we have paid for Addittion active, it's £15 per month, we get full RAC Breakdown cover, phone insurance, gadget insurance, travel insurance, card insurance & lots of other bits & bibs which I can't remember! Lloyds also do a similar thing, I was just wondering if you took out the same policy if it would save you money & also give you both the breakdown cover you need & other insurances which you might be paying additional premiums for? Just a thought. We have used the breakdown cover & I have to say the RAC were fantastic xx

 

I have looked at premium accounts on my current account Beckie . I think the problem is once you take a "Gold" account you cannot return to free banking , I may be wrong.
But I do have a current account at Barclays which was required when I took my mortgage out with them . Now I only have 8 months to run on the mortgage , so I can cancel it anytime after this.
I will have a look at this

 

After being an AA member for many years I packed it in because they was offering whole families cover for just a few quid a year more than I was paying.

I'm not keen on the insurances that have so called free add ons, nothing is free, so I want a basic insurance to which I can add my own preferences such as legal cover etc.

I get one years AA cover when I have my car serviced, ok, its not free, but that's why I dont want it thrown in on my car insurance.
I've been with "more than" for the last few years, last year I got a new quote from one of the compare websites, and it was cheaper than my renewal.
This year the renewal was cheaper than the new quote.

Insurance is probably one of the best legal "rip offs" that there is going in my opinion, because they know we have to have it.

 

I bet you've even got the yellow badge bolted to your front bumper.

 

Phoned the RAC today , they dropped the annual charge from £204 t0 £134 ! You have to watch them , not a thing for loyalty these days . Check prices every year.