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Member News And Benefits
Show Your Card & Save Special shopping days September is a good time to be a AAA Colorado member, especially if you know about the following "member appreciation shopping days" values available when you show your AAA membership card:
Each month, many AAA Colorado members receive first word of AAA news and special offers by e-mail. Called eUpdate, the short, concise document includes information and tips on AAA services, benefits and events, as well as special offers from the Show Your Card & Save program and great travel deals from AAA Travel. If you'd like to receive the eUpdate, go to www.aaa.com and sign up. And don't worry about giving AAA Colorado your email address—AAA Colorado does not sell its email addresses to any businesses or organizations. Now available—money market, CD and IRA Accounts AAA Colorado and MBNA America Bank recently expanded their relationship to include a member- deposits program offering certificates of deposit (CDs), money market deposit accounts and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). AAA Colorado members are now able to receive special interest rates that have consistently ranked among the highest in the nation. Accounts are FDIC-insured up to $100,000 per depositor. Members can open a CD with a guaranteed rate and terms from six to 60 months. Deposits begin earning interest on the same business day the funds are received. You can have interest reinvested back into the account, or have it transferred into your savings, checking or money market account. The MBNA money market account provides you with a high return on FDIC insurance, up to $100,000 per depositor. You can make up to six withdrawals per statement cycle, three of them by check. Interest on both products is compounded daily and applied monthly. Individual Retirement Accounts are also available. Established in 1982, MBNA America Bank is a federally insured national bank with its international headquarters in Wilmington, Del. MBNA has a three-star rating (out of a possible three stars) as of Jan. 3, 2002, from VERIBANC, Inc., a national recognized independent rating service. AAA members can get more information or open an account with as little as $2,500 by calling MBNA America at 800-526-7120 (please mention priority code JAO5F), or by visiting www.aaa.com. Did You Know? In today's hectic, internet-savvy world, we're all looking for bargains-especially when it comes to that trip of a lifetime. But the quick, impersonal website that offered so many wonderful pricing options during the planning stages of your adventure is usually nowhere to be found if something goes wrong during your trip. Just as you can rely on AAA Colorado when something goes wrong with your automobile, you can also rely on AAA Colorado Travel professionals to be there if you need them during your trip. In fact, they are also available at the trip planning stage to match your needs, desires and wishes with the realities of any trip-no matter if it's to a corner of Colorado or the far reaches of Timbuktu. Each of the 15 AAA Colorado offices statewide has AAA Travel professionals available to help plan your trip down to the smallest detail. Additionally, they are able to offer some of the finest travel packages around-many of which are featured in each issue of EnCompass magazine (pages 37 through 41 in this issue). For those who prefer an Internet connection, AAA Colorado has numerous travel options available at www.aaa.com. What makes AAA's website different from other travel websites is that real, live human beings are standing by to back up any trip booked through AAA. AAA Car Care Month Free maintenance and safety inspection during October Protect your automotive investment and your personal safety—get a maintenance and safety inspection during AAA Car Care Month. During October, most of AAA Colorado's Approved Auto Repair facilities will be offering free or discounted inspections to members. Make an appointment to have AAA-approved professionals check your tires, fluid levels, windshield wipers, batteries, lights, belts, and hoses. For information about AAA Car Care Month click on www.aaa.com. Online bonus bargains at Barnes & Noble One of the world's largest online booksellers, Barnes & Noble, is now a AAA Show Your Card & Save partner, offering AAA members bonus savings on books, CDs, DVDs, videos, software and more. While Barnes & Noble offers its online customers discounts up to 40 percent off, it is now offering AAA members an additional 5 percent off. To get your bonus savings, shop the AAA/Barnes & Noble online store at www.aaa.com/barnesandnoble and at checkout, enter the first six digits of your valid AAA membership card. The additional AAA member savings will be applied to your entire order, including sale items. This offer is not available at Barnes & Noble retail stores. Informative TripTiks just improved Internet TripTik now provides information on colleges, major sports venues and cruise ports in its Points of Interest area. This additional information may provide useful to cruisers, students leaving for college soon, or sport enthusiasts heading to a special sporting event. For an internet TripTik go to www.aaa.com. New AAA online auto shopping service To help consumers make new car decisions, AAA launched in June AAA AutoMaker on www.aaa.com. Designed to help buyers find the right car for their needs and lifestyle, AAA AutoMaker allows users to search for vehicles by choosing the features that are most attractive to them, and to view a side-by-side comparison of the vehicles that interest them. "When shopping for a car, some people may feel pressured to make a quick decision or to grab the first deal that sounds good," said John Nielsen, director, AAA Approved Auto Repair. "But if you know exactly what you want before you go shopping, you are more likely to look at only those vehicles that best meet your needs and desires. That is where AutoMaker comes in-to help you make important decisions before you leave home." AAA AutoMaker takes users through a logical, step-by-step process to first determine the features they want and need in a vehicle, and then to narrow the list of appropriate vehicles to a manageable few that they can then test drive. Whether you have no idea what type of car you want, or know exactly what suits your needs, AutoMaker helps you create a profile of the perfect vehicle. With a few clicks of a mouse, users choose the vehicle type such as sedan or SUV, then the price range, gas mileage, number of passengers and doors, crash- test ratings, engine type, transmission and other features. AAA AutoMaker then lists the vehicles that match the user's criteria in order with those having the most specified features first. These vehicles can then be compared side-by-side, with additional features available in a separate list. "The final step is to build your vehicle and this is where the Web site allows consumers to get more creative, choosing various color combinations and options," said Nielsen. As users build their vehicle, a calculator with both the invoice and the retail prices adds up the total on the screen allowing users to see how their choices affect the price and to better understand what a fair purchase price would be. Consumers can find AAA AutoMaker on www.aaa.com in the automotive area of the website. In addition, complete reviews on more than 200 new vehicles can be found in AAA Auto Guide: 2003 New Cars and Trucks. More information on making good decisions when buying a car can be found in Buying or Leasing a Car, by Jim MacPherson. Both books can be purchased on www.aaa.com, in AAA club offices or at retail bookstores. Additionally, AAA members can purchase an automobile with none of the hassles associated with car dealers when you buy through AAA Colorado AutoSource; call 303-753-8800 or 877-244-9790, visit www.aaa.com, or stop in a AAA Colorado office. Receive a valuable coupon book by supporting the Colorado Education Project AAA Colorado is one of many sponsors of the 2003/2004 "E" book, a 184-page community coupon book that includes valuable offers from leading area merchants, including free goods and services. The "E" book has more than $100 in free, no-purchase-necessary items and only costs $10. Seven dollars of each book sold goes to the Colorado Education Project, a community organization that produces fund-raising products exclusively for area schools in need of money for academic programs and activities. Areas covered include Denver, Boulder and surrounding counties. In just two years, the "E" Book has raised more than $420,000 for area schools. To buy an "E" book, visit any of eight AAA Colorado metro offices-Boulder, Denver, Denver Metro East, Denver Metro West, Denver Metro North, Denver Metro South, Denver Metro Southwest and Park Meadows. Tips for Driving Safely Today's driving environment is more dangerous than ever You may think you're a good driver but when is the last time you thought about how to react to specific situations? Today's driving environment of more aggressive motorists, greater traffic volumes, and bigger and faster automobiles demands that your driving skills keep pace. Read the Road The average person spends 73 minutes a day behind the wheel. That may not seem like a lot, but the decisions and actions you make in that scant hour-and-a-quarter are often critical. So, it's imperative to sharpen your driving skills to minimize the risks you face. For example, "The Smith System," named for a former Ford driving instructor, calls for drivers to routinely look at the road directly in front, scan far ahead, check roadside conditions and traffic to the rear, then repeat the sequence again and again. Although created 50 years ago, it endures as a useful tool for today's driver. A more evolved technique is the AAA Driver Improvement Program, which was developed more than 30 years ago and is continually updated to meet changing driving demands. The core principles of the program are managing time, space and visibility:
Anticipation is a powerful tool. While you can't predict the future, by being prepared and ready to act, you can make the most of a bad situation:
Fifty-eight percent of U.S. respondents to a recent poll sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts said they frequently encounter reckless, aggressive drivers. Sadly, these incidents have dire, even deadly, consequences. Aggressive driving occurs when a driver operates a vehicle in a pushy or bold manner. Exceeding the speed limits, following too close, failing to obey traffic controls and making improper turns and maneuvers are all indications that a driver is displaying aggression while driving. Road rage is when a driver uses a vehicle or other weapon to threaten or cause harm to another as a result of a traffic incident. Road rage is an escalation of emotions generally ignited by aggressive driving behaviors. Drivers who participate in aggressive driving are more likely to allow their emotions to gain control and participate in road rage. Use the following tips to keep your cool in traffic:
-John Collins For a wealth of driving tips and safety information, go to www.aaa.com, click on Automotive Services, then click on Safety Information under the heading, Driver Safety and Education. The AAA credit card brings travel bargains AAA Travel and several cruise lines and tour operators are offering AAA members a variety of incentives when they use their AAA credit card to book travel between now and Sept. 30. Some of these incentives include: To take advantage of these and other AAA travel incentives, members must book through a AAA Travel Agency and pay with a AAA credit card. Driving to help Colorado Wildlife You can race for a cure or walk for hunger…how about driving for wildlife? The environmentally friendly license plate pictured above can only be purchased if you are a member of the Raptor Education Foundation (REF). Since its founding in 1980, REF has used its collection of non-releasable raptors to provide its environmental literacy programs for more than 750,000 students in schools all across the United States. Those who sign up for a six-month or longer membership receive a registered voucher. Presenting the voucher to the division of motor vehicles-with payment of a $25 fee-gets the bearer a new set of eagle-resplendent plates. For AAA Colorado members, REF is going one step further, offering a $15 discount off its $65, six-month membership fee and $20 off its $100, one-year membership fee. For more information call 303-680-8500, go to www.usaref.org, or see an REF raptors presentation, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, at Denver's Taste of Colorado festival in Civic Center Park. Free wireless phone available with AAA program A new program offered to AAA members provides a free wireless phone for those who sign up for the "Whenever, Wherever Get More" rate plan. Beginning at $29.99 per month, the program offers a variety of calling plans and eliminates long distance and digital roaming charges. Additionally, in the event of an emergency, users need only press "3" to connect AAA Roadside Assistance. For more information, or to sign up, call 888-793-4AAA and use the special offer code of AAA006MAFSO03. New AAA National Show Your Card & Save Partner Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., has become the newest AAA National Show Your Card & Save lodging program partner. Starwood is comprised of six hotel brands: Westin, Sheraton, FourPoints by Sheraton, St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W brands. AAA members will now enjoy the best available rate of the day at the time of booking, and special advance purchase discounts of up to 50 percent off rack rates at participating Starwood properties around the world. Additionally, Starwood will extend benefits to AAA members through its Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program, including complimentary preferred room upgrades upon arrival and 4 p.m. late checkout, based on availability. During each stay, AAA members will earn Starpoints on all eligible hotel charges that can be used for free hotel stays, free flights and more. AAA members also will earn a 1,000 bonus Starpoints for the first three stays through June 1, 2004. For more information click on www.aaa.com, visit your local AAA Colorado office, or call Starwood's exclusive AAA toll-free number, 866-782-7737. |
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