Some of us become members of some sort of emergency road service club or program in order to have a backup help and support team available for whenever something goes wrong with our automobile. Apart from the convenience of getting someone to help us when our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, it is reassuring to know that all or part of the cost of towing and other emergency car services are also taken care of. However, you might find yourself in for a rude shock when you find yourself receiving a hefty bill for a number of emergency services that you thought were taken care of by your membership fee.

A large number of related and unrelated companies have jumped into the emergency road service bandwagon in order to expand their already existing businesses. Mobile phone companies, car dealers, insurance companies, credit card issuers and oil stations are all providing healthy competition to the erstwhile emergency auto assistance companies that specialized in just this one area.

As a result of this competition, the deals and programs are getting cheaper, and you might find getting an emergency road service program membership for a monthly fee of a couple of dollars or gratis, but the catch is that most of these services will not even pay your towing charges. So it is a good idea to check out all the terms and conditions of any road service before becoming a member, check what the providers will pay for and what you will be expected to pay and sign up only if you are totally satisfied with the terms and conditions.