Cheap AA membership

• Method 1: Vehicle only cover for £35, plus £20 M&S vouchers
  
  

  Sign up to the AA at the moment and it'll give you £20 M&S vouchers, for any policy you take out. The basic roadside policy is just £35, so you can effectively get cover for £15, provided you use the vouchers for something you'd have bought anyway.

  This only covers the one car though, rather than a person, and the car must be under 10 years old. You still get the vouchers with bigger policies, but the relative discount is diminished. Get this via the £20 M&S vouchers promo or by call 0800 294 7817 and quote 1081.
  
  If you click through online and don't see the "£20 M&S voucher" on the page, it's probably because you've visited the AA site before and the old page is stored in your computer's cache. The AA knows about this problem and says if this occurs, people should call the phone number instead.
  
  The offer's open to new customers and those who cancelled over six weeks ago. If you've an AA policy and are coming to renewal, you won't be eligible for this deal, but it's great for your haggling arsenal. Many who've told the AA they're unhappy with the renewal price and are considering trying elsewhere have been given heavy discounts ... throw this deal in the conversation and it should help.

• Method 2: AA vehicle only cover for £12 after cashback.

If you don't shop at M&S, the AA policy can also be had cheaply if you buy it online, but via a cashback site. These are special websites that list retailers/product providers and get paid if you click through them. Importantly, they then give some or all of this cash to you. If you're new, please read the Best Cashback Sites guide before continuing. Right now you can get cashback from both the AA and RAC.

While there shouldn't be a problem with these deals, the payout on cashback sites is never guaranteed, as if there's a dispute with the retailer and the cashback site doesn't get paid, you don't either.

Currently Quidco is the only cashback site listing the AA, and it pays £17 when you sign up. So, take the £29 basic roadside package above and you'll get it for an effective £12 after the cashback comes through. If you're new to quidco though the saving isn't quite so good, since it takes the first £5 you earn each year as a membership fee.

Cheap RAC membership

• Method 1: Pay 1/4 price by using Tesco Clubcard deals
  
  Tesco shoppers can swap their points for Clubcard Deals vouchers, worth four times the vouchers' normal in-store value. One of the deals available is RAC cover; the basic cover costs £14 worth of points, but there are a whole other range of deals too.
  
  If you've got Clubcard deals saved up, this is a great system. For more, read the Cheap Breakdown Cover guide.
  
  
• Method 2: RAC cover for £12 via a cashback site (was £11, updated 12pm 29 Oct)
  
  Sign up for RAC breakdown cover via a cashback site and you can get up to £21 cashback for doing so. You could also opt for higher cover, and get the same (or increased cashback at higher levels), though then it's a lower effective discount.

• Topcashback: Now pays £21. Link: Topcashback
  
  
• Cashback Kings: Pays £21. Link: Cashback Kings
  
  
• Wepromiseto: Pays £21 but if you're new it takes the first £5 you earn each year. Link: Wepromiseto
  
  
• Quidco: Pays £21, but if you're new it takes the first £5 you earn each year. Link: Quidco