So people are going out to change your flat for free? Just out of the goodness of their heart? Sorry, they're getting paid to do a job.
The company is making a flat fee off a negotiated rate they have contracted with AAA - its not coming directly from the membership fee you've prepaid. And the tow truck driver him or herself, unless they own the company, is making some lower hourly rate. They are getting paid to do a
service, and in many cases, tipping for a service is warranted. If I'm giving a curbside porter $5 to lift my suitcase, I'm giving the man who got on the ground in the snow on the side of the highway a couple bucks to change my tire. If you don't feel its warranted, totally fine - seriously, no snark. Like I said, having worked for AAA, I know that tipping these drivers is ambiguous. Its not as clear cut as tipping a waitress would be.
Um everytime I've had AAA out they have required to see my AAA card (on a good weather day you're going to see my bumperstick which is the only one I have, my husband has the smaller window decal). Now the one time I locked my keys in my car my AAA card was in my wallet which was in my car but I was immediately able to show it to the driver after he opened my car.
I'm not calling the tow truck company I'm calling AAA who then dispatches (usually gives an hour time frame) someone to me. If the tow truck driver is unaware that I'm a AAA member at that point that would not be my responsibility.
And respectfully you're not going to convince me that I should be tipping nor am I going to feel bad in this case because "They're still doing a service for you, and likely getting you out of an unexpected bind to boot." It's got nothing to "people aren't thinking about that when they were just thrown a curveball with a flat or a breakdown."
On the contracted thing part I was speaking about my area. It's completely random to me if I get a AAA vehicle or a contracted out vehicle when I'm calling AAA.
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. Any tow truck that AAA sends out to you, even independent contractors hired by AAA, should
always ask to see your AAA card. The tow truck driver wouldn't even know to come to you unless AAA dispatched them, so I'm not sure why he or she wouldn't know you're an AAA member?
Your membership fee is paying for AAA to liaise with their network of drivers and dispatch one to you when needed. Their network of drivers are required to hold a certain standard of service so they continue to receive these calls from AAA. So you're paying to receive these tow truck services, but also to receive a tow truck company that is reputable and will respond within a reasonable amount of time. Unless the driver is the owner of the company that has the contract, the driver is still making his or her normal rate.
And I wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad about tipping or not - I couldn't care less whether you tip, and as I've mentioned a few times, a lot of people don't tip these drivers which is fine. I'm not sure they even expect it since its not done consistently. I'm just explaining the perspective of why some people, myself included, feel its warranted. But no judgment/snark if you don't think its warranted, its totally a personal preference.