AA Advantage Terms & Conditions

Please do take the necessary time to read our terms and conditions carefully and familiarise yourself therewith. If anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to phone our Customer Care department. As our valued customer, we’ll be happy to guide and advise you.

Definitions

The following listed terms will hold the related meanings:

AA

The Automobile Association of South Africa.

Member

The individual principal Member in whose name the AA Membership is maintained.

We/us/our

Related to the AA.

You/your

Related to the Member.

Spouse

A Member, eligible for a discounted subscription, living at the same address as his/her spouse or partner who is a principal Member.

Membership Year

The 12-month period covered by the Member’s subscription.

Subscription

The annual payment required to remain a Member of the AA.

Membership card

The card issued by the AA to the Member, reflecting the Membership number.

Vehicle

A motorcar, caravan, trailer, 4x4 or light commercial vehicle (LCV), with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of less than 3,5 tons, which can be legally used on South African public roads. This does not include taxis.

Urban

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

Rural

Any area that is not urban as per the definition above.

Breakdown

An occasion when your vehicle cannot be driven as a result of an electrical or mechanical failure, a flat tyre or out of fuel situation.

Accident

Damage to body panels or the undercarriage, wheels or suspension because of a collision with another vehicle, a pothole or an object. If mechanical failure caused the accident, we consider the incident an accident.

Insurable risk

Vehicles requiring towing for an accident, attempted theft or vandalism as well as recovered stolen vehicles. These are not classified as breakdowns.

Towing provider

The AA tow truck or AA contractor.

Round trip

The distance from the nearest towing provider’s yard, to the scene of the breakdown, to the drop off point and back to the depot or towing provider’s yard.

Terms and Conditions

Emergency Rescue Services

You must phone our call centre for assistance. Calls are recorded for your protection and for training purposes. Payment for any service is not guaranteed unless prior authorisation has been obtained from our 24-hour call centre on 083 843 22.

Road Services

Roadside assistance is limited to minor or temporary repairs to get the vehicle on the road again and doesn’t replace the need for permanent repairs and regular servicing.

Callouts

Road service callouts are as follows:
  • AA Advantage Members get 5 callouts a year
  • We will charge any additional callouts at exclusive Member rates. Unused callouts at the end of a subscription year don’t accumulate into the next subscription year.
  • You will have to provide us with the correct location of your vehicle and enough information on anything being towed. Incorrect or incomplete information may cause a delay in the provision of service and additional costs.
  • In the event of a callout, you must remain with the vehicle and be able to produce your Membership card and proof of identification when the service vehicle arrives.
  • Where any breakdown case needs the use of more than one of our resources, such as a road patrol, battery patrol or tow truck, we will count these as a single callout.
  • Once we have provided a tow for a breakdown, we consider any subsequent tow for the same breakdown a separate callout. This includes towing a vehicle that was towed after hours to your home, a storage area or other place of repair or safety and then needs further towing due to the same breakdown event.
  • If you cancel the assistance after we have dispatched the service vehicle, this will still count as a callout.
  • If you call on more than one occasion for the same problem, each request will count as a callout.
  • If you are not at the vehicle when we arrive and we cannot provide service, one callout will be taken off your callout entitlement. If the vehicle is unattended when the tow truck arrives, the tow truck may leave the scene.
  • Rural Areas – in all the above instances, you may have to cover service provider costs and request a refund (see section on refunds on page 18). Should this be a long distance tow (greater than 40 km) both trips’ additional km travelled cost will be for your account.

Areas we cover

We provide services in South Africa.

Should the breakdown occur in Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana or Namibia, we will arrange for the vehicle to be towed to the nearest place of safety or repair, subject to the availability of a suitable service provider. You will need to pay the towing provider for the towing and request a refund of up to R 500.

Roadside security is available to Members who specifically subscribe to the service and only in certain urban areas in South Africa, subject to the availability of our service provider. Please refer to AA Stand By You Terms and Conditions.

We also provide emergency medical assistance in medically justifiable cases, if you require emergency medical transportation whilst travelling to Lesotho or Swaziland through AA Mayday.

Response times

We provide roadside assistance as soon as possible in response to your request. We do not guarantee response times, which vary depending on location, traffic, road conditions, weather conditions and the demand for assistance at the time of your request.

Road patrol services

Road patrol and battery services are available in urban areas only.

Keys locked in vehicle

If keys are locked in the vehicle we will arrange for a road patrol, battery patrol or locksmith to attend. Where the services of a locksmith are needed to open the car or boot, you will be entitled to claim reimbursement of labour costs up to an amount of R 283 (incl VAT). Where we pay the locksmith directly, any additional labour costs or kilometres charged for by the locksmith will be for your account. We will not refund locksmith charges for the repair/replacement of locks, ignition switches or cutting of keys.

If the ignition is damaged as part of an attempted theft, the accident towing benefits, not the locksmith benefits, will apply.

Flat tyre change

We will attempt to repair or change your tyre on-site. Where necessary, we will tow the vehicle in line with your Membership product entitlements. We are not responsible for damage should your tyres or rims be damaged because the tyres are flat.

Emergency fuel

If your vehicle runs out of fuel, we will supply up to 5 litres of fuel to reach a filling station. If necessary, we will provide towing to the nearest filling station within your towing entitlement.

Battery service

If your vehicle’s battery cannot be jump-started, our battery patrols can sell and fit a new battery on the spot. The mobile battery replacement service is subject to availability. All batteries come with a national 12-month battery guarantee.

Towing

If your vehicle breaks down and cannot be repaired on the spot, we will tow your vehicle to the nearest place of safety or repair free within a 40 km round trip. Storage beyond the first night will be for your cost.

In instances where an AA tow truck is not available one of our contractors may be used.

In exceptional circumstances, where specialised recovery or salvage equipment is needed, the cost of equipment and labour will be for your expense. We are not responsible for damages caused to the vehicle.

Excess kilometres

If a tow for your vehicle is in excess of the 40 km round trip distance, for which you are eligible, you will need to pay the tow provider or our contractor for the excess distance. The excess distance will be charged at our preferential AA per kilometre towing rate.

Additional transportation.

We can assist you in arranging additional transport at your cost for passengers who cannot be accommodated in the tow truck.

Refund for towing charges

In rural areas, if you are required to pay towing charges in full directly to our contractor, we will refund only that portion of the charges, which you paid to the contractor, up to the amount calculated by:

  • Calculating the round trip distance
  • Multiplying this distance by our preferential per kilometre towing rates
  • Plus VAT

We will cover up to a maximum of R 500 per tow (incl VAT).

Claims must go with our contractor’s receipted invoice, and sent to: AA Claims, PO Box 30168, Kyalami 1685. On the other hand, you can hand in the tow assistance invoice and tow receipt at the nearest AA Autoshop or AA Travel Experience store.

The following are not covered:
  • Labour charges, overtime charges, cellular phone charges, callout fees, toll fees, weekend levies, parking fees, storage charges, hitching/salvage/recovery fees, collection and conveyance of spare parts, the cost of spare parts and other related expenses.
  • Repair charges.
  • Charges for further towing of the vehicle for purposes of repairs if you do not accept the quotation of the repair centre nearest to the point of breakdown.
  • Towing charges incurred outside the borders of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana.
  • If the vehicle is loaded, we are not responsible for the load. We may require you to remove the load before rendering any service.
  • Payment or refunds for assistance by private persons.

Emergency medical rescue service - AA Mayday

According to the terms and conditions of our external service provider, which are available online at www.aa.co.za.

Roadside security – AA Stand By You

AA Stand By You roadside security service is included in AA Advantage PLUS Membership at no additional subscription cost.

The service is subject to availability and the terms and conditions of our external service provider, which are available on www.aa.co.za.

AA Mobility Programme

  1. Your access to the AA Mobility programme is free.
  2. If you wish to access the AA Mobility programme on the AA website you will need to register online. You will need to complete a simple form asking for confirmation of Membership number (found on the front of your AA Membership card) plus a password, which you will choose.
  3. When using the AA Mobility programme for discounts, special offers and other promotions, they cannot be used in conjunction with any other existing promotion or special offer.
  4. You may need to record special rate reference numbers (for example for our larger hotel venues) and print the confirmation voucher in order to access the full discount benefit.
  5. If your transaction is at a physical retail outlet, remember to show your AA Membership card and a form of identification when redeeming your benefits.
  6. The call centre will require your Membership number as confirmation.
  7. We reserve the right to restrict availability of the benefits offered by either the AA or our external partners from time to time, and we will be entitled to limit the quality and/or quantity of such benefits within our discretion, based on reasonable decisions made under the current circumstances.
  8. Terms and conditions of the various partners apply.

General

  1. AA Membership

    AA Membership and benefits are non-refundable, non-transferable and personal to you. Membership entitlements do not cover incidents that happened before you joined us.

    We reserve the right to deny services to any Member who, in the AA’s opinion is or has been abusive, threatening or violent toward any AA staff member or who attempts to receive service by deception, with no requirement to refund.

  2. Resolving disputes

    We accept no liability for loss or damage to the vehicle or any of its components or accessories or contents while it is unattended, or while in its custody or under the control of any service provider or repairer. We will assist you in every way possible, including telephonic legal advice, to resolve disputes with our contractors where loss or damage may have occurred while the vehicle was in their care.

    We carefully select our service providers for value added services, but cannot guarantee quality of service. These service providers are not our agents or employees - we cannot be held responsible for their actions or omissions, or for any damage caused by their performance or failure to perform.

    Where there is a need for clarification of terms and conditions or relating to your entitlements, our interpretation will be final.

  3. Right to amend benefits, terms and conditions

    We are constantly striving to provide new and improved services to you. We reserve the right to amend benefits, including changing third party service providers. Terms and conditions and Membership benefits may be amended from time to time without written notice.

  4. Up to date subscription

    Your subscription must be up to date for you to be eligible to use your Membership.

  5. Cancellation of Membership

    Should you wish to cancel your Membership, please notify us in writing.

  6. Debit Orders

    If you are paying by monthly debit order, your Membership year still runs for 12 months. If you wish to cancel your Membership, please notify us two months before the annual renewal date to enable us to stop the debit order in time. We automatically process rejected debit orders again on the next debit order date (1st, 15th and 25th day of the month).

  7. Your privacy rights

    We hold your personal information securely and will not disclose it to any other person or organisation unless authorised by you.

    You have the right to access and correct the information at any time.

    You agree to abide by our rules. Information will be used for administrative purposes, and to provide you with information relating to products and services from time to time. Where you are a Spouse Member, we may offer products and services to both of you in the household jointly or singly.

    For this purpose, we include ourselves and any division, subsidiary, third party under contract or joint venture companies including AA Autobay, AA Finance and AA Insurance.

Errors and omissions accepted.