How each one works
A membership charges a yearly fee. In return it covers a number of calls, usually including some towing, and often adds extras such as discounts. You've paid before anything goes wrong.
Pay per use works the other way. You pay when you call, for the job you ask for. TRA is priced this way: a published service price, plus a $19 dispatch fee charged once per job.
Doing the math
Take the yearly fee and divide it by what a single call would cost you. The answer is how many calls a year it takes for the membership to pay for itself. For reference, a jump start is $49–$75, a flat tire change is from $75, and a lockout is from $50, each plus the $19 dispatch fee.
If you've called for help once in the last three years, a yearly fee is a lot to pay for the chance. If the car is older, the commute is long or you drive for work, the odds change. Count only what the membership gives you that you'd really use, such as towing, and leave out the rest.
What a membership can include that we don't
Towing is the big one. Many memberships include some towing, up to a set distance. TRA doesn't tow. If the likeliest way your car lets you down is a failure that needs a tow, a plan with towing may be what you want, and you can still call us for jump starts, spare changes and lockouts. The two aren't exclusive.
Who tends to come out ahead
Pay per use tends to suit a driver with a newer, reliable car who rarely calls for help, and who already has some coverage through an insurance policy, a card or the manufacturer. A membership tends to suit a driver whose car is older, whose commute is long on I-35 or I-30, or who wants a tow built in. It's a rough guide, not a rule.
Two drivers in one household can land in different places. The one with the twelve-year-old car on the daily drive across the metroplex and the one with a new car and a short trip to work don't face the same odds, and the plan that suits one may be wasted on the other.
Read the terms before you pay
Whichever plan you look at, check these before signing:
- How many calls a year are covered, and what a call that goes over costs.
- The towing limit in miles, and what happens past it.
- Whether it covers you in any car, or only one vehicle.
- Any waiting period before the coverage starts.
- Whether you already have roadside help through your insurer, your car's warranty or a credit card. Paying twice for the same cover is an easy way to waste money.
Common questions
It can be, since older cars call for help more often, and it's more likely to need a tow. Work through the math in this guide with your own numbers.
Yes. If a job isn't covered by your plan, or you've used up your calls for the year, you can still call a pay-per-use service.
Ask any provider for the total before they dispatch. With TRA, the service price and the dispatch fee are both published, and the fee is charged once per job.