We’re here to help
Do you need help with your membership? We have lots of useful resources to support you.
The cost of living and your finances
The cost of living is leading to many of us struggling with our finances.
If you’ve suffered a bereavement
Please accept our condolences for your loss. Here’s how to cancel breakdown cover.
Power of attorney
A power of attorney (PoA) is a legal document that lets a person make decisions about property and finances on someone else’s behalf.
Relay UK
Relay UK is a free service to help those who have hearing loss, or are speech impaired, to communicate over the phone.
What to do if your car breaks down
A car breakdown can be a frightening and frustrating experience.
The cost of living and your finances
The cost of living is leading to many of us struggling with our finances. Whether you need budgeting basics, smart ways to save, or tools to help you take control of your cash, we’ve got advice for you.
How to save money as a driver
Head over to our Saving Money page to find helpful guides on how to reduce the cost of fuel, insurance, car maintenance and more.
Membership costs
If you’re struggling with the cost of your breakdown cover, please contact us and we can review the options available to you. Our dedicated team will run through your driving needs and establish the best cover to suit you. They can also discuss the different payment options available to suit your circumstances.
Please give us a call on 0330 159 0740.
Lines open weekdays 8am–7pm, weekends and bank holidays 9am–5pm.
Use the Fuel Finder in the myRAC app
Fuel Finder: what is it? How can it help you save money?
We use data from the UK Government, Road Fuel Price Open Data Scheme – to find the cheapest fuel near you. This includes all fuel types and prices from major brands across the UK.
Everyone gets ten free fuel searches a day.
Prices are updated throughout the day when new data is available – every day of the year, including weekends and bank holidays.
Download iOS app.
Download Android app.
Extra help and guidance
MoneyHelper
Get free, impartial information and tools on how to manage your money. Visit https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en
Step Change
Get expert advice and fee-free debt management. Visit https://www.stepchange.org/
National Debtline
Free help and advice on dealing with your debt. Visit https://nationaldebtline.org/
Government support
Check the government site for the latest advice and support. Visit https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living
Turn2us
Use the charity’s benefits calculator to help find out what you may be entitled to. Visit https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/
Citizens Advice
Free, confidential and impartial advice on money and debt, work, benefits and more. Visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
If you’ve suffered a bereavement
Please accept our condolences for your loss. Hopefully the information below is helpful at this difficult time.
Let us know
Once you’ve notified us, we’ll make the process of closing the membership as smooth as possible.
How to notify us
However you choose to contact us, you’ll need the person’s name, address and date of birth to notify us of their death. We’ll also need to capture your contact details.
Online – https://racportal.icasework.com/resource?id=IE71000768&db=rac
Phone – just call us on 0330 159 0740
Lines open weekdays 8am–7pm, weekends and bank holidays 9am–5pm.
What happens next
If the member’s bank account is still active, we’ll process any refund due directly into their account.
If their account is closed, a refund cheque can be processed in the member’s name and sent to their address. The executor can bank a cheque in the member’s name and is able to request a redirect of mail with Royal Mail directly.
Useful links for further information and guidance
• The Bereavement Advice Centre supports and advises people on what they need to do after a death – call free on 0800 634 9494
• GOV.UK explains how to register a death and has a step-by-step practical guide to bereavement
• The Samaritans provides confidential, non-judgemental support all day, every day, on 116 123
Power of attorney
A power of attorney (PoA) is a legal document that lets a person make decisions about property and finances on someone else’s behalf. The process of setting it up can be complicated, and it’s often needed at a difficult time.
What is power of attorney?
A PoA is a legal document that gives someone (the ‘attorney’, in legal documentation) the authority to make decisions about property and finances on behalf of someone else (the ‘donor’). In some cases, what the attorney can and can’t do will depend on the donor’s ability to make decisions about their finances.
If you want to register a PoA with us, it needs to relate to financial affairs.
For all types of power of attorney
- The donor and attorney must be aged 18 or over
- They both need to have mental capacity at the time the PoA is signed
- A PoA only lasts as long as the donor is alive
- A PoA isn’t like a joint bank account – an attorney can only help manage a donor’s account in the way they want them to. They won’t have any legal claim to any money.
Temporary support
General power of attorney (GPA), sometimes known as an ordinary power of attorney, is suitable to give someone the ability to help manage another person’s finances for a short amount of time – for example, if they go into hospital or travel overseas.
Long-term support
Lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a longer-term solution, if somebody needs help managing their finances on a permanent basis. It can be applied for on the government’s website gov.uk, using paper forms or by seeking independent legal advice.
Who can be an attorney?
As attorneys will be making decisions for another person, they should choose people they trust, such as family members, close friends or a professional (such as a solicitor).
When deciding who to appoint, we recommend reading about an attorney’s responsibilities.
What can attorneys do?
They can manage the donor’s affairs. With us that includes making changes to their RAC membership.
Register a PoA with us
You can send us a copy of the PoA document to [email protected]. Once we have everything we need, we will update the policy holder’s membership with their PoA details.
Relay
Relay UK is a free service to help those who have hearing loss, or are speech impaired, to communicate over the phone. It has replaced the Next Generation Text and the old Text Relay service. It uses a live relay assistant to help you communicate.
A little bit of history
People have been using the UK's national relay service since 1991, when it was known as TypeTalk.
Back then, it was only available to textphone users (because that was the only technology available).
In 2012, Ofcom decided that UK users needed an improved relay service. One that would allow for more natural conversations on a wide range of devices that weren't around when the first relay service started:
- Smartphones
- Computers
- Tablets
So, in 2014 BT launched the Next Generation Text service - now called Relay UK. They run this on behalf of all UK landline and mobile phone providers
Need help calling someone?
1. Call 0870 240 9598 from your phone (calls to this number cost 1p a minute plus your phone company's access charge).
2. Within the Relay UK app, 'Join' the call when prompted and you'll see the message "Relay UK Please type the number you want to call."
3. Enter the number of the person you want to call using the app's numeric keypad. At this point you're not connected to a Relay Assistant so make sure you type rather than speak.
4. You'll then see "Relay UK waiting for a free relay assistant" and shortly after, "Connected to Text Relay please wait."
5. The Relay Assistant will then ask you the name of the person you want to call and try to connect you.
If you're using a textphone, steps are similar to above, but you'll be entering information onto the textphone screen instead.
You can use Relay Assist for help calling UK numbers, but they can’t connect you to international, premium rate or mobile numbers via this service.
For more information visit their website https://www.relayuk.bt.com/about-relay-uk.html