USAA offers a variety of different services by sponsors. For example: discount car rentals. USAA members get a good discount on car rentals from several agencies, so one would think of it as a good value. However, our perception of high value can get in the way of clear judgment. For example, It would be approximately $400 for a 5-day car rental near Newark Airport in New Jersey with the USAA discount. This is a sizeable chunk of money. However, a nearby car rental agency called Rent A Wreck (an ominous-sounding name, but they refurbish slightly older cars and rent them for cheap) rents cars for the same period of time for $150. So, a different deal ends up being a better value, even though the USAA deal was much more of a mental attraction ("a deal? just for me? what a great value!).
The moral to the story in my opinion is not to cloud your mind with advertising from any company, and always keep your mind clear when looking at such offers. It may just be that you're not being sold on the value so much as the mental ego-boost of knowing you're in an exclusive club of savers.
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