When you think of AAA, the first two things that come to mind are probably roadside vehicle assistance and maps/travel products and services. This is the foundation on which AAA was built, and in our Digital 2.0 world, the company is making huge strides to provide customers with more convenient accessibility. Their latest endeavor: AAA Mobile.

Verizon Wireless and AAA have just announced a partnership that will allow two very appealing features for subscribers:

• Vehicle problems? No problem. With the press of a button, your GPS enabled phone will send your location to AAA and you’ll be put in direct contact with a representative for the quickest and easiest service possible.
• Travel much? You’ll have instant access to directions, audio/visual maps, points of interest, hotels, restaurants and member savings for over 100,000 locations across the United States.

Not too shabby. If you’re a frequent traveler, this could pose as a pretty handy option. But, it will cost you $9.99/month via the Verizon Wireless Get It Now Store. When you think about it, this seems like a mobile alternative to On-Star… but with less features.

On-Star’s signature serivce, their Safe & Sound Plan which offers features such as automatic contact of Emergency Services upon airbag deployment, dosts a minimum of $19.95/month without all the bells and whistles. The AAA Mobile service costs half that, but does the service do enough to warrant spending $120 a year?

When it comes down to it, the service is yet another fee to tack on to your monthly cell phone bill. So, if you’re not a big time traveler, this probably isn’t your best option. And if you are a big time traveler, are there better alternatives?

Either way, we like this announcement because in the least it offers “potential”. Interaction with VZNavigator would be a nice start but at the time of this article, we’re unsure whether or not the two will work hand in hand. Why not offer a “traveler’s package” of which AAA Mobile is one part, allowing Traveler’s to take advantage of any/all Travel features for a discounted rate. Because when you add together ALL the services and options possibly available with a phone like the LG Voyager… you might need to refinance your mortgage to do everything you could possibly desire.