The terms and conditions of AA Membership set out below are correct at the time of going to print and do not affect your statutory rights. The terms and conditions may change during the life of the current AA Handbook and/or the period of your AA Membership cover. Please ensure to read all the terms and conditions carefully.

1. All Personal members must pay the appropriate subscription on the due date and are bound by the AA’s rules. Once you have joined the AA, cover begins 24 hours after joining.

2. The AA rescue assistance service, which includes all the services detailed in these terms and conditions, are available to you when you are stranded as a result of the vehicle in which you are travelling suffering a breakdown or accident in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland or Great Britain. AA membership does not provide cover for non-essential repairs such as replacing interior light bulbs or inconvenient faults such as a faulty radio. Nor must AA membership services be used in place of regular servicing.

3. The AA rescue assistance service is available to members when they are travelling in or on one of the following motor vehicles; cars, vans, minibuses, motorcycles – all of which are subject to a maximum weight limit of 3,500kg (3.5 tonnes) gross vehicle weight. Assistance is also be given in relation to any caravan or trailer being towed at the time of the breakdown or accident, provided the gross weight of the caravan or trailer does not exceed 3,500kg. There are additional length and width restrictions which apply to all levels of service provided – see paragraph 19 under Rescue Plus heading.

4. Always carry your membership card – it is your key to AA service. AA Personal Membership means that you are the member, not the car; this means you are covered in any car you drive or are a passenger in. You will need to quote your membership number when you phone the AA for assistance. When the patrol or agent arrives to help they will ask you to show your membership card. If you cannot produce a valid card the AA reserves the right to refuse service. You may, at the AA’s discretion, be asked to complete and sign an indemnity for the cost of any service provided. Alternatively you may, again at the AA’s discretion, be asked to pay a membership subscription (which may include an additional contribution) at the time service is given. You will be able to reclaim the amount paid from the AA if you can later prove that you were entitled to the service at the relevant time.

5. The AA reserves the right to refuse vehicle assistance unless you are present at the scene of the breakdown or accident where the vehicle is located.

6. The AA reserves the right to refuse service where it has been requested to deal with the same or similar fault or cause of breakdown to the same vehicle within the preceding 28 days. It is your responsibility to ensure that emergency repairs carried out by the AA are, where appropriate, followed as soon as possible by a permanent repair.

7. The AA may, at its sole discretion, suspend or expel a member or restrict in whole or in part the services and benefits to which he or she is entitled, or impose conditions under which such services will be made available. Action may be taken in the following circumstances:

a.) Excessive use (See Fair Play Policy – section 34)
b.) If a member behaves in a threatening or abusive manner towards AA staff or agents.
c.) If a member has falsely represented that they are entitled to services that they are not entitled to.
d.) If a member has assisted another person in accessing AA services to which they are not entitled.
e.) If a member’s request for service is deemed by the AA to be unreasonable or impracticable.

8.1 Service from AA patrols is subject to availability and may be supplemented by AA appointed agents.

8.2 AA patrols are not in a position, and should not be expected, to comment on the general safety or roadworthiness of a vehicle after a breakdown or accident or an emergency repair. In addition, completion of an emergency repair cannot be taken to signify or in any way guarantee the general roadworthiness of the vehicle concerned. However, the AA reserves the right to refuse service where, in the opinion of the patrol or garage agent, the vehicle concerned was, immediately before the breakdown or accident, dangerous or unroadworthy, or where the giving of service would involve or give rise to any potential breach of the law (including but not restricted to any breach of road traffic regulations or health and safety provisions).

9.1 Normally, an agent appointed by the AA will charge the AA direct for any service it has provided on the AA’s behalf. However, if repairs cannot be carried out either by a patrol or AA appointed agent on the highway or (provided Home Start Assistance is available to you) at your home address and the vehicle has to be recovered to a garage, you must meet any subsequent repair costs.

9.2 It is important that you contact the AA if you require assistance – if you first contact a garage, whether an AA appointed agent or not, you will have to settle their bill and the AA will be under no obligation to reimburse you. Furthermore, in these circumstances, you cannot avail of membership entitlements including Rescue Plus.

9.3 The AA will only accept responsibility for the actions of an agent where the agent is acting on the AA’s instructions and is providing assistance to which you are entitled under AA membership.