Good morn,

 

My 2013 Superb estate will be 3 years old in the autumn, and so unfortunately the Skoda Assist cover will come to an end. I don't need to maintain a new car these days, so I'll run this car on (and I like it), hence I'll need to buy some breakdown cover.

 

I wonder whether readers have any recommendations between RAC, AA, Green Flag ... It might be helpful if the deal covered me for my Triumph bike and a 20 year old Saab convertible I run as well (I'm the only driver on all 3), so I don't have to buy them separately.

 

Alan

There are loads of threads on breakdown cover. I would do a search. People have different views and experiences.

 

Remember Cashback sites, such as quidco, are your friend.

I have gone with 'Green Flag' this year, only as they were the cheapest and I have never had to call anyone out yet after a number of years with the AA.

 

You could try 'Auto Aid'. Very cheap, but you pay the breakdown company they send, and then you claim the recovery costs back from Auto Aid.

They have very good reviews last time I looked.

I was with Autoaid, never had to use them though in around 5 years. I do believe they cover you (or spouse) for the car you are driving, so if you have more than one great :clap: do check the terms though, can't quite remember the finer detail.

I renewed with Skoda assist when mine ran out last year. For what is the equivalent of the RAC or AA top level cover I got it for £80 for the year. I could have had it for £140-odd for two years but at the time I wasn't sure if I was keeping the car for two years.

From memory the £80 price was around half the cost of the same cover with RAC / AA.

I renewed with Skoda assist when mine ran out last year. For what is the equivalent of the RAC or AA top level cover I got it for £80 for the year. I could have had it for £140-odd for two years but at the time I wasn't sure if I was keeping the car for two years.

From memory the £80 price was around half the cost of the same cover with RAC / AA.

That is interesting about renewing with Skoda Assist, does someone write to make the offer just before it runs out? The only disadvantage seems to be itwould only be for the Skoda, so I'd still have to buy cover for the Saab and Triumph. Otherwise AA do some basic cover at £50 for all 3 vehicles, which sounds okay.

Alan

I just called them up a couple of weeks before it expired.

I've cancelled my RAC membership and gone to the AA. Mainly because I see more of their vans about, and whenever I've called the RAC out of hours, they've just sent me an utter numpty of a contractor.

I have been with Autoaid in the past  great price (£42.35) for a couple but doesn't cover Europe - never called them out

 

GEM are very good as well

 

I now use a joint account Nationwide Flex + account to cover two cars (one each)  including in Europe (no car age limit!) for £10 month - my son tested this on Christmas Eve when he borrowed the car and left the lights on for many hours, break down got to him within 30mins and jump started him

 

I also get good travel(including pre-existing conditions) and mobile phone insurance as part of this. It covered my sons phone when he smashed the screen at University recentley

Edited 16 April, 201610 yr by bigjohn

That is interesting about renewing with Skoda Assist, does someone write to make the offer just before it runs out?

I've just received a letter informing me that my Skoda Assist runs out on 30th May. They offer to extend assistance for 1 year for £89 or 2 years for £145

I have been with Autoaid in the past  great price (£42.35) for a couple but doesn't cover Europe - never called them out

 

GEM are very good as well

 

I now use a joint account Nationwide Flex + account to cover two cars (one each)  including in Europe (no car age limit!) for £10 month - my son tested this on Christmas Eve when he borrowed the car and left the lights on for many hours, break down got to him within 30mins and jump started him

 

I also get good travel(including pre-existing conditions) and mobile phone insurance as part of this. It covered my sons phone when he smashed the screen at University recentley

That is a good idea, I have the Nationwide Flex account and I suppose it may be worth upping it to the Flex + version just to get the breakdown cover. Many thanks, I'll look into it.

Alan 

I've just received a letter informing me that my Skoda Assist runs out on 30th May. They offer to extend assistance for 1 year for £89 or 2 years for £145

Many thanks, I think mine will run out in September.

I've just received a letter informing me that my Skoda Assist runs out on 30th May. They offer to extend assistance for 1 year for £89 or 2 years for £145

Yep pretty much what I got offered last June. Hoping they are still that sort of price this year too.

I've just checked out bigjohn's idea about using the Nationwide BS's cover. This might make sense as it costs £120 to run the account for a year minus £75 interest gained, so £45/year. That is for any number of vehicles, so my Skoda, the old Saab convertible I use in the summer and my Triumph would all be covered. There are a few other benefits like cell phone and travel insurance (although I already get that free with the Flex account anyway).

 

I'd probably rather stay with Skoda Assist because it is so convenient, we'll see what is available in August.

 

Alan 

I've just checked out bigjohn's idea about using the Nationwide BS's cover. This might make sense as it costs £120 to run the account for a year minus £75 interest gained, so £45/year. That is for any number of vehicles, so my Skoda, the old Saab convertible I use in the summer and my Triumph would all be covered. There are a few other benefits like cell phone and travel insurance (although I already get that free with the Flex account anyway).

 

I'd probably rather stay with Skoda Assist because it is so convenient, we'll see what is available in August.

 

Alan 

 

I'm not sure it's for any number of your own vehicles , you don't have to register car registrations but I thought if it was a single account it covered one "owned"  car, a joint account one each. Account holders always covered in other cars even as a passenger

 

From Nationwide site:-

 

Key features

• UK and European breakdown assistance for account holder(s) in any vehicle, registered in the UK, that they are travelling in

• Cover for anyone driving a UK registered vehicle registered to the account holder and which is being used with his/her permission. Where the account is in joint names then up to 2 vehicles can be covered

• Assistance provided at home and at the roadside with national recovery and onward travel

• No call out limit

• No excess to pay

 

Travel Insurance also useful: though-

 

Key features

• Worldwide cover for your family including: winter sports trips, golf, wedding and business all included as standard

• Cover for travel disruption caused by weather, ash clouds or airline/travel company failure

• Cancellation cover is included for up to £5,000 per insured person

• Cover for additional expenses, including food, if transport is delayed by 4 hours or more

• Lost or stolen baggage, costs associated with obtaining key travel documents (e.g. passports) and cash is covered (limits apply)

• Cover for up to 31 days per trip

Edited 19 April, 201610 yr by bigjohn

If you have enough Tesco club card points the RAC deal on there is very good. I have at home, rescue, recovery for about £50 odd for joint membership, but there are other options too. I do it every year as there's no hike in cost the following year if you have to call them out.

I've just checked out bigjohn's idea about using the Nationwide BS's cover. This might make sense as it costs £120 to run the account for a year minus £75 interest gained, so £45/year. That is for any number of vehicles, so my Skoda, the old Saab convertible I use in the summer and my Triumph would all be covered. There are a few other benefits like cell phone and travel insurance (although I already get that free with the Flex account anyway).

I'd probably rather stay with Skoda Assist because it is so convenient, we'll see what is available in August.

Alan

I upgraded to Flex Plus for the mobile phone insurance - when my Skoda Assist expired in September last year the bonus was there was no need to purchase further breakdown cover. When you add in the travel insurance and free ATM withdrawals abroad it's superb VFM (it costs me £10 a month and pays £5 a month in interest net of tax).

I'm not sure it's for any number of your own vehicles , you don't have to register car registrations but I thought if it was a single account it covered one "owned"  car, a joint account one each. Account holders always covered in other cars even as a passenger

 

From Nationwide site:-

 

Key features

• UK and European breakdown assistance for account holder(s) in any vehicle, registered in the UK, that they are travelling in

• Cover for anyone driving a UK registered vehicle registered to the account holder and which is being used with his/her permission. Where the account is in joint names then up to 2 vehicles can be covered

• Assistance provided at home and at the roadside with national recovery and onward travel

• No call out limit

• No excess to pay

 

Travel Insurance also useful: though-

 

Key features

• Worldwide cover for your family including: winter sports trips, golf, wedding and business all included as standard

• Cover for travel disruption caused by weather, ash clouds or airline/travel company failure

• Cancellation cover is included for up to £5,000 per insured person

• Cover for additional expenses, including food, if transport is delayed by 4 hours or more

• Lost or stolen baggage, costs associated with obtaining key travel documents (e.g. passports) and cash is covered (limits apply)

• Cover for up to 31 days per trip

I see your point bigjohn. Because I would not have to register a car/bike beforehand it is hard to see how the recovery company would know, but I would not want to break the letter or the spirit of the law. I think I'd have to give them a call.

Alan

I upgraded to Flex Plus for the mobile phone insurance - when my Skoda Assist expired in September last year the bonus was there was no need to purchase further breakdown cover. When you add in the travel insurance and free ATM withdrawals abroad it's superb VFM (it costs me £10 a month and pays £5 a month in interest net of tax).

It sounds like a good deal from Nationwide BS anyway. Many thanks.

Alan

That is interesting about renewing with Skoda Assist, does someone write to make the offer just before it runs out?

Alan

I got a renewal letter yesterday (19th April) to renew.  Expiry date is 6 June.  Offer is something like £85 for 1yr or £145 for 2yrs.

Yet to do the sums but my wife is with Britannia.  I seem to remember that they work by covering the policy holder for any car and you add specific cars that are then covered for any driver.  So with her as the policy holder and her Yaris and my Roomster on the policy we are both covered for both cars.  Another advantage is that they give extra discount for members of CSMA (Civil Service Motoring Association).

She has had to call them out a couple of times for flat batteries - they seem to be pretty efficient.  I will probably go with that.

Just to follow up on this from my own point.... I have let my Skoda Assist auto-renew tomorrow as it has stayed at the £89 for 12 months.

I still have until October until my Skoda assist policy runs out, so I'm not in a rush, but looking around for the best solution.

 

Nationwide BS just sent me the details of its Flex Plus account (I think someone mentioned it previously), I already have a Flex account, so changing would be easy. The wording seems to imply it covers any vehicle belonging to me, or that I'm driving. It would seem that it would cover my Superb Estate, my 1976 Saab 900 convertible (summer use only) and my 900cc Triumph bike. At the moment I have separate cover for each (the Saab and Triumph come with the insurance, but I could buy cheaper insurance if I didn't need the cover). Unless I've misunderstood the Flex Plus offer, this would seem to be a very good deal (in effect it costs £45/year,as the account is £120/year but the interest is worth £75).

 

Does anyone have any direct experience of getting breakdown cover via their Flex Plus account with Nationwide?

 

Best wishes,

 

Alan

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by Othen

Does anyone have any direct experience of getting breakdown cover via their Flex Plus account with Nationwide?

 

 

 

As mentioned further up this thread I now use a joint account Nationwide Flex + account to cover two cars (Mine + my wife's)  including in Europe (no car age limit!) for £10 month - my son tested this on Christmas Eve when he borrowed the car and left the lights on for many hours, break down got to him within 30mins and jump started him. With Nationwide you are covered from when you open the account.

 

The mobuile phone insurance worked OK as well - my student son cracked the screen on his phone and this was fixed without fuss. It covers you if the phone is stolen but you need the IMEI number shown somewhere (receipt, bill etc..) as proof of purchase/ownership

 

Worldwide travel health insurance asks three questions:-

1) Any cancer/heart problems in the past year (this has caused problems for us before with other companies re cancer 10 years ago)

2) Any in-patient hospital care in the last year

3) What medication are you on

I've never claimed on this yet

 

Very cheap for using cashpoint withdrawals abroad - You are only charged the business rate of the day (no currency exchange "float" and no fee). I go to Europe a lot and this saves me a lot of money a year.

 

You get some additional electrical goods warranty as well although I already have this with my Nationwide credit card for free

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by bigjohn

FLUX are not in my good books at present due to them (and associates) behaving ore like sharks than insurers, but they do offer non members Flux rescue at circa 70 per year- Home/breakdown and rescue.

Thank you BigJohn, that is really helpful.

It does look like the Nationwide deal will make most sense, for about £50/year (I'd forgotten about paying a bit of tax on the interest) I can cover all three vehicles (I'm the only driver, so that is the only requirement). I've never bothered with cell phone cover previously, but I suppose it would be useful for me and for my son. I suppose the travel insurance might come in handy, but I've rather lost the wanderlust.

Best wishes,

Alan 

Edited 7 July, 20169 yr by Othen