OK, so I got my AAA renewal invoice last week and it's due by April 1st (this is not an April Fool's Day joke). There's an insert with the bill (from Sprint) that says, "Your membership renewals are on us." Smaller print says,"Switch to Sprint and your AAA membership renewals are covered for you and your family." So me being frugal and always looking for an angle, I call the number on the insert (1-800-754-6907) and I'll tell ya why. It's very deceptively worded. "New Sprint Customers must register all AAA membership numbers within 30 days of activation." I already HAVE Sprint, and the insert says SWITCH to Sprint. Well, it turns out that even if you are already an existing Sprint customer (which I am), you can still get them to foot the bill! I read the damn thing with a magnifying glass after I hung up and finally found the wording that it also applies to existing customers, they just try to hide it. Go to AAA.com/sprint and register all the AAA membership numbers/card holders in your household and they will pay your renewal fee EVERY YEAR. We have a AAA Plus Plan which means you can get towed up to a hundred miles away from your home, while the Basic Plan covers up to ten miles away. Sprint only picks up the Basic Plan fees, but still, I'll be saving $82 a year and will only have to pay $60! Hey, money is money! The only catch is that if you have a 'Sprint Works' plan with Sprint this perk will replace that. 'Sprint Works' is if you're a teacher or military, a couple of other things, I think. Also, if you belong to a Credit Union, you save 10% off your bill. You have to find out which credit unions are on their list, but mine is. I have unlimited EVERYTHING with two lines and only pay $105.53 a month (all taxes and fees included). Of course I'd go up about $30 a month if I upgraded my phone, but homey don't play that game. It's fun being a cheap bastard! Sprint's coverage is suspect at times but the only reason I have them is that we used to have Nextel. Nextel cell plans were terrible, but it was the ONLY cell carrier where we could get reception in our home. Nextel bought out Sprint and Best Buy swore up and down that their coverage map was showing that we did in fact have coverage now. "I don't know . . . " "Yes, look!" "OK." So we switch, go home, turn on the phones and SURPRISE! NOTHING! Because the coverage map was inaccurate, we get a cell phone signal booster free of charge every month. How does the little birdie go? CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! Also, if you are an existing customer and do decide to upgrade, ask them to waive the activation fee ($30+). They'll say no. Threaten to leave. They'll most likely waive it. It's not like I did that five years ago and had it work or anything. ; ) I hope I saved someone some money today!
