what's onward travel rac

The RAC are always pioneers of breakdown cover trying new services and weathers gaps in the market and where they can further assist you with breakdown recovery and smoothing out the day making the whole process is pain free as possible there will build a service. Onward travel is one these such instances although has been around for quite a while it is one of the more new aspects of RAC breakdown cover.

You may be unfamiliar onward travel as it’s not one of the core membership features such as roadside assistance, home start and RAC national recovery . It’s a slightly additional feature but it’s extremely useful if you’re the type of person who want to be prepared for every situation.

Onward travel is a title may suggest (the RAC always trying to help with them in their services) is a way few to carry on travelling if you car can’t be repaired. So without onward travel if your vehicle can’t be repaired you have to make your own travel arrangements or have your vehicle taken back home and not get to the destination you originally wanted to. With onward travel you will be given the costs for hire car travel accommodation or Hotel accommodation of an I/O covered by the RAC. You can have hte whole family benefit from RAC Onward trouble for a cheaper premium than taking it out for all the members individually by haveing one RAC family breakdown cover policy

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Onward Travel - Breakdown Cover Explained

We know that breakdown cover can be a dreary subject at the best of times, but here at CBC, we want to attempt to make it that little bit easier to understand. We’ve put together a whole host of articles explaining breakdown cover in a way that’s easy to understand in the hope that customers everywhere can be that bit better informed about the wonderful world of breakdown cover.

This one’s all about onward travel options, so settle in, grab a brew and prepare to be enlightened.

What is Onward Travel?

Onward travel is a benefit in your breakdown policy that allows you to be transported to a location of your choosing; this can be either your final destination, temporary accommodation such as a hotel or back to your home, generally this is done on a reimbursement basis. So you’ll pay the cost of the travel and your policy will pay you back the money after your claim.

It’s important to note that this specific benefit only applies when you are a certain distance from your home address, so you need to check your policy cover for the exact distance.

How Does it Work?

When you make a claim on your breakdown policy and your car has to be recovered to a garage and repairs aren’t easy or quick, if you have onward travel included in your policy, you may be offered the option of onward travel if your car can’t be fixed by the end of the working day.

It’s at this point that you’ll have a few options:

Public Transport

You can take buses, coaches, trains or equivalents to your desired location and be reimbursed the cost (up to a certain amount of money) of that journey. If public transport isn’t readily available, you may also take a taxi.

If you’d rather hire a car to continue your journey, then the onward travel cover in your policy will reimburse the cost (up to a certain amount) of hiring a car to get you to where you want to go.

On some policies the cost of returning and collect your vehicle when repaired is covered too.

• Alternative Accommodation

Whilst not technically, onward travel, alternative accommodation does fall into the category of onward travel. Your policy will cover the cost of reaching a nearby hotel and the price of a room per passenger up to a certain amount. Always check your policy to find out the exact amounts that you’ll be covered for.

Is Onward Travel Included in Every Breakdown Policy?

Onward travel is not always available in every breakdown policy. Just because you have breakdown cover, never assume you’re covered for onward travel too.

It’s really important you look through your policy carefully (including the policy wording) before you purchase, so you know exactly what you’re getting for your money and what you’ll be covered for in the event you require onward travel.

Is there a Difference Between Onward Travel in UK and EU policies?

In truth, onward travel operates almost exactly the same, wherever you are. One major difference though between the UK and European policies is that more often than not the cost of onward travel is higher in Europe, simply because it’s likely you’ll have further to go. So, you’ll usually find that you’re afforded a higher reimbursement amount if you require onward travel in Europe than you would in the UK.

Check the policy wording of your breakdown cover before you buy to find out exactly how much you’ll be covered for.

Find Out More About Breakdown Cover

Want to learn more about breakdown cover and the different types of policy benefits you could be entitled to? We’ve put together a load of pages to help educate our customers and people looking for great breakdown cover, but who may not understand the ins and outs of insurance, take a look at some of our other “Breakdown Cover Explained” pages:

• Roadside Assistance
• Roadside Recovery
• Misfuelling Cover
• Puncture Cover
• Flat Battery Cover
• Motorway Fees

I Have More Questions…

No problem! Take a look at our FAQs page .

Still not satisfied? Head to our contact us page , type in your query and our customer service team will be in touch.

CBC is a trading name of Eversure Limited, Bury House, 1 Bury Street, Guildford, Surrey GU2 4AW. Registered in England and Wales no. 6751893. Eversure Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Your Motability Scheme vehicle is covered by RAC Motability Assist for breakdown assistance for the whole of your lease.

This breakdown cover is only for your Scheme vehicle and does not include any other vehicle you travel in.

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What to do if you break down

What rac motability assist cover includes, what rac motability assist cover does not include.

If your Scheme vehicle breaks down or will not start, you can report your breakdown online (opens in a new window) . You’ll only need to enter a few details. You'll get a confirmation call and text, plus regular updates on your patrol's arrival.

Or you can download the myRAC app (opens in a new window) . It's the easiest way to report your breakdown. Even if you’re not sure where you are, report it using the app and the RAC will know exactly where to find you. It has other helpful features too, like a route planner, vehicle maintenance reminders, news and advice.  

RAC will start finding a local patrol for you straight away. You'll get a confirmation call and text, plus regular updates on your patrol's arrival.

Or you can call RAC Motability Assist on 0800 73 111 73 .

They'll try to get someone out to you within 45 minutes, but this can vary at busy times.

If you're on the road or a standard motorway:

• Try to get your vehicle on the hard shoulder or close to the kerbside, away from the traffic, especially if you cannot leave it
• Switch off the engine and put your hazard warning lights on
• If you can, make sure every passenger leaves the car and moves to a safe place away from the road
• Leave all animals in the vehicle
• If you cannot use a mobile phone, use emergency telephones on the motorway and make your free emergency call (UK:  0800 73 111 73 , Republic of Ireland:  1800 535 005 )
• You'll need to give your name, vehicle registration, exact location and details of your breakdown. And let them know if you or your passengers use a wheelchair, need urgent medical attention or have other needs

If you're on a smart motorway:

• If the hard shoulder is being used as an active motorway lane, call 999, then call RAC Motability Assist
• If the hard shoulder is not being used as an active motorway lane, try to get your vehicle to the kerbside of the hard shoulder, or into an Emergency Refuge Area, then call RAC Motability Assist

RAC Motability Assist's helpline and roadside assistance are available all day, every day of the year. Their staff are trained to deal with mobility concerns.

If you're out and about and your vehicle cannot be repaired at the roadside, RAC Motability Assist will take it to the nearest repairer.

They'll come to wherever you've broken down, whether you're near or far from home.

Onward travel

RAC Motability Assist will do one of these to help you get to where you're going:

• Take up to eight people to a single location
• Give you a replacement vehicle
• Arrange overnight accommodation or onward travel costs up to £100 per person or £300 per party, whichever is the lower amount

Replacement vehicles

If they decide your vehicle is not fit to drive, you can use a vehicle RAC Motability Assist give you for up to 48 hours. Then we'll contact you to discuss your options, if your vehicle is still not fixed.

Replacement vehicles are subject to availability and the terms of the rental firm and your contract with us. These include:

• Only drivers on your Certificate of Motor Insurance are insured to drive a replacement vehicle
• A fuel deposit. We’ll refund this as long as you return the vehicle to the hire company with a full tank of fuel. This is usually £1 and paid by card, but it can vary
• Any fines or charges you get during the replacement vehicle period, like congestion charges and parking fines, are your responsibility to pay

Learn when you can get a replacement vehicle

Driving outside of the UK and Europe

You can travel outside of the UK in Europe, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and you'll be covered by RAC Motability Assist.

If you're travelling within Europe, you need to ask the RAC for a VE103 first. Just call 0800 731 3310 and they'll offer you European breakdown cover.

See more about taking your vehicle abroad

Caravans and trailers

If you want to use your Scheme vehicle to tow a caravan, you can, but you’ll need to arrange separate insurance and breakdown cover for this. You can get this with most providers.

If you do not have separate cover and you break down while you’re towing a caravan or trailer, here’s what will happen .

The cover we give you is breakdown-related, not insurance-related, so it does not cover any contents inside your caravan or trailer.

Related FAQs

What is Proof of Onward Travel? My Horror Story & How to Avoid Disaster

Last Updated: April 13, 2021

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Proof of onward travel is one of the most important yet under-discussed parts of trip planning and preparation. In this article, I’ll talk about what proof of onward travel is, how to prove it, and my personal experience *almost* getting denied boarding due to a lack of it.

Have you ever been barred from boarding a plane?

As in, ticket in hand, luggage in tow, Pinterest boards filled… but denied entry at the very last second?

The answer for me is almost. A very very close almost.

And because that sense of panic (and profuse sweating) is something I’d never wish on anybody, I’m here today with a mildly serious post about a travel mistake many of you might make, and what you can do to prevent it.

TL;DR – If the phrase “proof of onward travel” means nothing to you, you need to keep reading.

If you want a full recount of my experience ‘lawyering’ my way onto a flight to Germany , you can scroll to the bottom of the post, but for now – here are the important nuggets of info you need to know.

Save this guide to Proof of Onward Travel for later!

You’ll be very glad you did.

What is proof of onward travel?

Proof of onward travel (often referred to as proof of returning travel or proof of outgoing travel) is basically proof that you will be leaving the country you’re temporarily travelling to. In other words, you won’t be overstaying illegally.

Why do airlines and immigration authorities require proof of onward travel?

Simply put: many countries want proof that you won’t be staying longer than you’re allowed.

For the most part, it is a safeguard against illegal immigration, but we travelers are required to provide proof of onward travel too if we’re asked to.

For most of us, this proof usually comes in the form of a return ticket (i.e. yes, I’m going home on this day!) but for digital nomads, spontaneous backpackers, and one way ticketers, it’s not as easy to prove that you will, in fact, GTFO.

So, while one way tickets sound awfully romantic (the possibilities! The self actualization!), sadly, these indulgent fantasies couldn’t carry any LESS weight to border police and airline employees.

Can you imagine entering a new country with a one way ticket, and just being like “Yeah don’t worry… I’m not here to stay illegally. It’s just an Eat Pray Love sorta situation.”

You’d probably be home in time for supper.

NOTE: In most cases, proof of onward travel can either be proof of return travel (e.g. a ticket showing you are going home) or proof of outgoing travel (e.g. you are leaving that destination for another). Usually, they don’t care if you are going home after – their main priority is ensuring you will leave that specific destination before you legal allowance runs out.

Which Countries Require Proof of Onward Travel?

You’re not going to like this answer…

While not all countries have a legal requirement that you provide proof of an onward ticket, you should ensure you have some kind of proof of onward travel no matter where you’re travelling.

Long story short: even if it’s not a legal requirement, airlines are increasingly checking passengers for proof of onward travel before boarding or even at check-in. This is because many countries now put the onus on airlines to perform these checks, otherwise they may have to bear the cost of flying you back.

Practically speaking, this means many airlines will just check you have a return or onward ticket, even if they’re not legally obligated by the destination’s laws to do so.

Some budget airlines in Europe like RyanAir, Wizz Air and easyJet even regularly perform “visa checks” at check in for those with non-EU passports.

Most annoyingly however, proof of onward travel is very randomly enforced, which is why you might have never encountered it as an issue before. In fact, I have friends who (out of hundreds of flights), have only been asked once or twice for an onward ticket.

The likelihood you’ll be checked isn’t high, but trust me – once it happens to you (as it did me), you’ll be scared straight into having the right documents every time… just in case.

I’ve tried to locate an accurate list of countries with a legal requirement for proof of onward travel, but most websites seem to regurgitate the same country names without official sources to back them up.

The UK for example is often cited as a county where proof of onward travel is mandatory, but if you look on the official Gov.uk site here , they phrase it differently.

Rather than saying onward travel is mandatory, they instead say you must prove your status as a “genuine visitor” through one of several methods, one of which is evidence you’ll leave the UK (i.e. an onward travel ticket) OR evidence that “you’re able to pay for your return or onward journey and any other costs relating to your visit”.

See how it’s not that black and white?

Practically, I can tell you 9/10 times when I’ve spoken to UK passport officials, they’ve asked me how long I plan to stay, and asked for proof of the duration of my stay. Without an onward ticket, I would have likely created a lot more problems for myself.

So, really, research the entry requirements for your destination, but try to ensure you have some kind of proof of onward travel no matter what if you want to be on the safe side. At the end of the day, your travel fate is up to either the airline employee or passport control officer speaking to you, so it’s often better to be safe than sorry.

If you’re curious about which countries explicitly state they require an onward ticket though, here are a few that I’ve found (with links to the official sources where I got the info from):

• Costa Rica: The official Visit Costa Rica website states here that “All non-resident travelers must possess a return ticket or a ticket as proof of when they intend to exit the country, commonly referred to as an outbound exit or onward ticket”
• Indonesia: According to their official immigration law here , under Article 42, it says “Visa application is refused in the event that… the applicant does not have a return ticket or onward ticket to continue their travel to another country”
• New Zealand: As stated in this official government FAQ , those entering New Zealand without a visa “must have valid onward travel arrangements” (with the exception of Australian citizens or permanent residence holders)
• The Philippines: As stated on the official Republic of the Philippines Bureau of Immigration website here , they state that a “return ticket” is part of travel requirements for entry
• USA: While I’ve had trouble locating the exact law requiring proof of onward travel in the USA, as stated on the official Travel.State.Gov website here , “Citizens of VWP countries *  who reside in Mexico, Canada, or a nearby island are generally exempted from the requirement to show onward travel to another country *  when entering the United States” which implies that other countries in the Visa Waiver Program must show proof of onward travel

Let me know in the comments if you can find more countries explicitly stating their requirements for onward tickets (preferably from government sources. I’d love to add to this list!

When will I be asked for proof of onward travel?

Sometimes, they’ll ask for it at Passport Control before you’re allowed into a country (I’ve seen a sobbing girl get refused at the Ireland border for not having it!).

Other times, you’ll be asked for it before you get on the plane (like in my case) or even just when you check in. This is becoming increasingly common because often airlines will have to bear the cost of flying you back if they allow you to board without the right documentation.

Regardless, there isn’t a universal time when you will be asked, and how picky they’ll be will also depend on the employee you’re dealing with.

But hey, it’s all good, friend. Now that you know this complication exists, here’s how you can make sure you never get withheld from boarding your plane!

Options for Providing onward travel Proof

How do you provide proof of an onward ticket? What if you want to travel with no fixed plans or go on a one-way ticket somewhere for an indefinite amount of time?

There are several ways you can provide proof of onward travel, along with workarounds that allow you to maintain flexibility. Here are some options for you re: providing proof of an onward flight/travel.

Option 1: Buy a return or onward ticket in advance

Sorry Spontaneous Sally, but the best way to make sure you don’t run into trouble is to simply have your onward travel sorted.

And beyond just booking it, make sure you have solid PROOF too.

A paper copy of a bus, train or plane ticket would probably be easiest to have and show off, but make sure you have digital copies on your phone too (screenshots, people!) just in case.

If ‘go with the flow’ travel is more your thing, here are some other options:

Option 2: Buy a refundable ticket

There are several airlines that refund tickets within a specified time frame, so you can easily purchase a ticket and then refund it right after.

Be careful with this method though: be sure to read the fine print and Google individual airline policies before you buy.

Some companies might only refund you credit, rather than actual money. Others might have strict rules about when refunds apply or have a stiff cancellation fee.

If you’re not keen to spend loads on a plane ticket (even temporarily), you can look into other transport options like buses.

My friends in Europe, Flixbus offers very cheap rates and they charge only a 1 euro cancellation fee, at which point you get the rest of the money as Flixbus credit.

Not too bad, considering tickets will be less than 60 euros most of the time, which is way cheaper than a plane ticket.

NOTE: While a bus ticket should be sufficient, it really depends on the employee you deal with… For some, a plane ticket might seem more “legitimate”, so keep that in mind!

Option 3: Buy a cheap ticket and plan not to use it

In parts of the world where traveling between countries is cheap, you could always just buy the cheapest ticket you can find, with no intention of using it.

This will likely be your best bet if you’re crunched for time (i.e. about to board the plane).

If you are travelling in Europe, you might want to read my guide to the cheapest ways to travel in Europe for a briefer on the cheapest tickets you can book.

Generally speaking though, if you need cheap proof of onward travel in Europe, there are a lot of low cost airlines like RyanAir and Wizz Air you can look into, or even just bus companies like Flixbus.

Option 4: “Rent” a plane ticket

Lastly, I will say that another final option for providing proof of onward travel is “renting” a plane ticket through a service. Many sites exist for this purpose.

I personally have not used any myself, and have heard enough horror stories of scams to feel good about… NOT recommending any I haven’t used personally.

I really do think any of the options mentioned above are a better option than relying on a service to do it for you.

But, if you’ve used any of these onward ticket rental services, please let me know in the comments as I’d love to hear about your experience.

NOT an Option: Faking Proof of Onward Travel

Okay, so there is plenty of shady advice out there on the Internet telling you how you can ‘fake’ proof by amending emails or even using online ticket generators.

Guys, please use your common sense.

Do you REALLY want to provide fake documents to government officials just to save (in the case of FlyOnward) 10 bucks? It’s not worth it, and is genuinely illegal. Please do not ever do this for the sake of saving a few bucks.

My ‘proof of onward travel’ disaster story

With all that practical information out of the way, here’s how I was almost denied entry on my flight to Germany.

Fresh off a flight from Vancouver to Montreal, I had my passport in hand, a carry-on full of snacks and an all-too-excited grin at the prospect of living in Europe again for a few months.

Everything had been smooth sailing up until this point – my flight landed early and I even had time to buy a bag of delicious MTL bagels.

I was only one flight away from being back in Germany and I swear I could already smell the pretzels.

My carb-loaded buzz was short lived. Instead of a chirpy check of the passport and a syrupy “have a nice flight!”, I was greeted with a stern airline employee who looked me up and down, then demanded to know when I would come back.

I had prepared for this, I thought. With a psychotically large smile, I whipped out the return ticket confirmation on my phone, citing a June return for my university grad ceremony. “ I can haz Germany now? ” I thought through my ‘calm’ smile.

The short answer was no.

“That’s more than 90 days. I can’t let you on the plane,” he said almost as if it was a non-negotiable fact.

Oh dannnnnnnnng.

It was in that moment that I snapped out of my dreamy daze and kicked into lawyer mode.

I knew that I only had 90 days to spend in the Schengen Zone, but it had been my plan all along to simply travel outside of that zone for a few weeks to ensure I never maxed my allowance.

I cleared my throat, and spewed out a (likely less eloquent) version of the following: “I’m aware that as a Canadian citizen I get only 90 days of free travel in the Schengen zone. My plan is to travel around the Balkans for a month to ensure that I don’t exceed those 90 days.”

I had done my homework, or so I thought.

“Well do you have proof you’re leaving the Schengen Zone?”

A million thoughts flooded through my mind as the passenger queue grew behind me.

I hadn’t planned any of my Balkans itinerary because Type A me decided to embrace spontaneity for once.

I told him that no, I hadn’t purchased any tickets yet, but I had a rough plan and if I needed to, I would buy a plane ticket on the spot right there.

He then proceeded to quiz me on my plans.

It seemed like he as all too eager to somehow “catch me”, because as soon as I mentioned Croatia, he exclaimed with a snooty tone “well, Croatia IS in the Schengen Zone.”

Haaaa, I knew right then that he was wrong.

I had read the rules a million times.

Exasperated (but still sassy), I told him to Google it. And he did, as curious passengers stood by like they were watching an intense boxing match.

After a few taps of the phone, the redness in his face said it all.

I was right. I out-Schengen’d the airline guy. A win for obsessive Googlers all over the world!

“Okay, I’ll let you on the plane under one condition… that you UNDERSTAND that you only have 90 days in the Schengen Zone, and overstaying may result in a fine or a ban from the area,” I nodded, sassy again.

I might have flipped my hair a bit, but that could just be my overactive imagination at work.

And so I got on the plane.

Shaking, but on-board, ready to drink a lot of airplane wine. Funnily enough, I was so paranoid I ended up buying a bus ticket to Croatia in case the Munich border police asked me similar questions.

They didn’t ask me a single thing, just smiled, stamped my passport and waved me off on my merry way.

SO, learn from my mistakes! Take this as a cautionary tale that you are not immune to random checks, even if it has never happened to you before. Especially these days, countries are getting more strict and careful about people coming and staying illegally… so at least have a plan on what to do if this situation arises.

Any More Questions About Proof of Onward Travel?

I hope you found this guide to onward travel proof helpful! Now, tell me – have you ever had any “proof of onward travel” horror stories? Let me know in the comments!

My Go-To Travel Favourites:

🧳 Eagle Creek: My favourite packing cubes

💳 Wise: For FREE travel friendly credit cards

🍯 Airalo: My go-to eSIM

🏨 Booking.com: For searching hotels

📷 Sony A7IV: My (amazing) camera

✈️ Google Flights : For finding flight deals

🌎 WorldNomads: For travel insurance

🎉 GetYourGuide: For booking activities

19 thoughts on “What is Proof of Onward Travel? My Horror Story & How to Avoid Disaster”

Okay, I did NOT know about this. Never encountered this problem, but probably because I’ve never bought one-way tickets. Nice to keep in mind for the future.

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog https://charmainenyw.com

This is one of those things that people don’t find out about until it’s too late haha! Glad you’re aware of it now, Charmaine 🙂

Great advice and poor you with your story! I’ve found that German border patrol officers are the friendliest ever!!! Every time I travel in and out of Germany, their most common question is why I have a German last name (Wagner) but not a German passport! haha…total discrimination, but you don’t fit the profile of someone who is likely to overstay your Schengen visa 😉 They definitely profile for it in Germany! I’ve only ever gotten my passport stamped…no questions asked!

They definitely do profile for SURE! I think I confuse them with my passport because I’ve been in/out of Europe a lot in the past 3 years, so the stamps are mega confusing. Add in a German student visa (from last year) and they’re stumped most of the time haha. I’m SO paranoid about visa things these days, I always get nervous even when I’ve done nothing wrong haha. Better safe than sorry I guess? Thanks for reading, jordan!! 🙂

Thank you for sharing your experience! This is SO important to know. The UK is really strict about this too.

Yes!! The first time I went to London, it was on an overnight bus from Paris (#brokestudentlife) and I crossed the border in the middle of the night, half asleep. I was petrified because they asked so many more questions than the other places I’d been to. Now I know it’s always good to have everything confirmed, printed and available haha. I’m such a nerd I sometimes even practice my little spiel about who I am, where I’m going, etc. while I’m in line.

I love how you did your research and knew he was incorrect about Croatia! It shows it’s always good to be prepared. Imagine if you didn’t! This was an interesting read. I had no idea that Germany was so strict to get in to.

Haha I felt so smug after!! And yeah, it honestly depends on individual guards/employees though. In my experience, German border police have always been very easy-going and not as picky as this. It pays to be prepared no matter what though!

Oh Christina! I swear you are the funniest Though of course this could very well not be that funny! I learned about prove of onward travel on my trip to Maldives; the lady a true the counter definitely looked like she’d send me home if I hadn’t got anything Luckily I did!

Hehe thanks Nam! I feel like this is definitely one of those things you don’t know about until you get asked for it! That’s why I want everyone to know it at least exists! And SO good to hear you didn’t get turned away at the Maldives haha… that would have been terrible!

Honestly, this has never been an issue when I’ve travelled. Thank you SO MUCH for bringing this to my attention. I usually have printed itineraries from booking my flights, and they include the return date and flight number, but I will make 100% I have those on me when I travel now! It appears quite a few people haven’t heard of this/had it happen, so good job for letting us all know about this!

thanks for reading, Kayleigh!! Yeah it’s definitely one of those things you don’t hear about until it’s too late haha. Glad you found this useful 😀

I have never been denied entry into a country but I did have to provide a rambling explanation coming from Paris to the UK with my friend who has a German passport and a return plane ticket and I only had a one-way plane ticket and an American passport with a recent UK border stamp. Long story short I gave a very detailed explanation of her student status in Paris my American holiday time frame and tried not to pass out from fear. The guy asked a lot of questions and wanted exact dates and locations for proof of onward travel, so have that information ready and not stowed away in your carry-on.

oh my gosh that sounds so scary!! Really good tip to have everything handy. It always helps to be overprepared 🙂 I still carry my silly spreadsheet around and it always makes them laugh haha.

i think I was asked once by an airline when I went to Peru from Chile. I simply told them I had 12000 in the bank and they let me through. Afterwards I have never been asked for proof when I intend to leave. If I was to travel to Europe I would probably travel to Albania. Rent an apartment there and use Albania as my base of operations. When I want to go to Poland than I would simply tell them I will return to Albania afterwards. I figure that as I am a caucasian male who is dressed in dress clothing and I have a US passport that I am not likely to be asked alot of question as they figure I am likely rich and not interested in illegally immigrating to their nation.

These requirements are a mess! I travel often in SE Asia and places like Indonesia require it all the time :/ There are a few onward ticket generators, such as fakeflighttickets.com, flyonward.com, returnflightonwardtravel.com Have you guys tried any of these? Are they worth it?

I use https://keyflight.io , it was enough for a border control and for travel visa (but i paid for it)

I had a similar experience flying into Italy, but the U.S. airline let me board with only a one-way ticket. In hindsight, I had wished they had stopped me in New York. Once in Rome, I spent 3 hours in their “holding room” trying to explain to them I would buy a return ticket within my allotted 3-month visa, I just didn’t know where I was flying out of yet. My misfortune I had traveled to Italy at a time they were having a row with Indian (yes, other countries have rows with other countries, it just doesn’t make the US news). I am of Indian extraction. My father is American-born Indian and my mother is from New Delhi. I finally got a custom agent to understand that the US is a melting pot and some of us have funny last names and darker skin. This sunk in, he nodded, and said that they would consider letting me in. This was progress. Soon after a fellow American traveler was brought into the same office because he couldn’t find his passport in all his luggage. We talked, and he suggested I buy a fully refundable one-way ticket back to the US via my smartphone. What a genius! I did do and within minutes I had proof of return. This pleased the Italian customs and off I went.

We had a terrible experience with the border patrol in Germany. We were coming back to US with a 1.5 hours layover in Munich, after a cruise a few years back. We visited many ports and had all those stamps in our passport. Munich border patrol (still in secure area of the airport, changing a plane) checked all the stamps and did not let us through. We were not told what the problem was. We showed our itinerary to the agent but got nowhere. We did not know that one of the stamps, Zeebrugge (Belgien) was stamped with a future date by customs agent at the cruise terminal. It turned out that we were stamped with a future month. German board patrol agent took us away to a lockdown area. I were kept there for a long time and worried that we miss our flight. We were kept in the dark all this time and were not even allowed to use the restroom. It was rude and inhumane behaviour. It took a long for another agent to call Zeebrudgge customs to verify the information. Finally, we were allowed of this lockdown area to catch our flight. We were running with our carry-ons with the speed we did not know was possible for us. They gave us a paper which had a correct date for Zeebrugge – that is how we found out what was the delay about. I would always think about Germany border patrol as sadistic. BWY, we were already senior citizens that year.

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The AA vs RAC – comparing these 2 popular breakdown cover brands to see which is best

If you’re looking for breakdown cover then there are lots of companies out there to consider, but 2 brands have emerged as the biggest and most trusted names in this space - the AA and the RAC.

We thought it would be useful to compare the AA and RAC to see which is better for breakdown cover. We’ll be looking at a number of factors including price and quality of service. Let’s get into it:

What do the companies say are the main differences?

Typically when we do our comparison guides, we have to conduct lots of our own research to see what the key differences are between the 2 brands that we’re comparing. But what’s really interesting about the AA and RAC is that both companies have a page on their websites which make comparisons between the offerings of the 2 companies, so we thought it would be interesting to look at what the AA thinks makes them better than RAC, and vice versa.

We noticed that the comparison page on the RAC website which compares RAC to the AA makes some very different claims which contradict some of what we read on the AA website. For example, RAC claims that both the AA and RAC have a "large fleet of uniformed patrols and vans", but on the AA website, it gives specifics in terms of numbers, with the AA website claiming that the AA has 2500 patrols, whereas RAC only has 1600. This is quite a significant difference as it means that the AA has almost twice as many patrols out there at any one time, meaning it should generally be quicker for AA customers to be reached by a support team versus an RAC customer to be reached by an RAC support team.

RAC also claims that they'll fix 4 out 5 breakdowns on the side of the road, with repairs carried out in less than 30 minutes on average. But the funny thing is that the AA claims exactly the same - 4 out of 5 repairs at the side of the road under 30 minutes on average - elsewhere on the AA website, despite RAC not listing that in its table.

There are a couple of points in the AA comparison which we think are a little misleading - for example, the AA states that its service includes a tow to the nearest garage, and states that this is the same as what RAC provides. But RAC actually goes a step further than the AA and provides a 20 mile taxi from the garage so you can get home, something the AA doesn't provide.

What do we find are the main differences between the AA and RAC?

Although we'd say that most of the differences between the 2 companies in terms of the services provided are quite insignificant, we'd definitely say that there are a couple of differences which are worth noting. For example, the AA has been voted as the Which? recommended breakdown services provider every year since 2018, whereas RAC has never had a Which? award.

When it comes to electric vehicles, there is very little to separate the AA and RAC. The AA claims that all of its patrols have received training in electric vehicles, but doesn't really specify how well trained they are and what issues they could realistically deal with at the roadside. Whereas RAC does specify that not only are all of its patrols trained to deal with electric vehicles, but the company also has a number of other tools and extras to effectively deal with EVs. For example, if your battery is flat then the RAC EV vans can immediately give you a 10-mile charge so you can reach the nearest garage or get home. The RAC also states that its patrols are "highly trained" when it comes to EVs, whereas the AA states just that the patrols are trained. RAC also claims that its the number 1 breakdown cover company when it comes to electric vehicles due to the company having more rescue vans equipped with 3.5kw+ Electric car charging capability compared to the AA and Green Flag.

What is the difference in price between the AA and RAC?

There are different tiers of memberships for both the AA and RAC, so it can be a little bit complicated to compare the services on price, but we'll try our best.

The Basic plan from RAC is £6.95 per month, whereas the AA starts at £12 per month, although sales are often held which brings the AA price down to just £6 per month. Both of the starter plans from RAC and the AA include roadside assistance, but it's the number of callouts which is really worth paying attention to - the RAC basic plan only includes 5 callouts per year, whereas you get unlimited call-outs with the AA basic plan, as long as it's not for a recurring problem with your vehicle. Both the AA and RAC will come out 24/7, which is great to see.

It's also interesting to note that the Basic plan from both companies states that if they can't provide roadside assistance then they'll take you to the nearest garage, but the RAC will only do this if you're within 10 miles of a garage, whereas it seems that there is no limit with the AA.

The next step up from the most basic plan costs £11.50 per month with RAC and £17 per month with the AA. At this price, you still only get 5 callouts per year from RAC, despite paying almost twice as much per month as you do with the Basic plan. The AA offers unlimited callouts again, which is impressive. At this 2nd tier, both companies offer a National Recovery option, which means that instead of just towing you to the nearest garage, both the AA and RAC will tow you and your passengers to any garage or destination in the UK. An important point here is that the AA specifies that they will tow up to 7 passengers, whereas RAC will actually tow you and up to 8 passengers, so it could be argued that the 2nd tier membership with RAC is actually better value than the 2nd tier membership from the AA.

The most expensive plan with RAC costs £16.50 per month, whereas the most expensive plan with the AA is £21. We'd say this is probably the price point where you start to notice the biggest differences between the 2 offerings - for starters, at this price point you get everything that we've already covered from both RAC and the AA. On top of this, you get 'At Home' assistance from both companies too - this is where you'll get assistance even if you're at home or within ¼ mile of your home. The main difference between the 2 companies at this level of membership is that the AA offers something called 'Onward Travel'. This is a really impressive benefit which means that If you break down and need repairs that completely stop your journey, the AA will help you arrange and pay for something like a taxi, a hire car, or even an overnight stay somewhere. You'll be given 3 options to choose from if you need to use the Onward Travel feature - 72 hours' car hire, an overnight stay in a hotel, or money towards public transport. Onward Travel covers you and up to 7 passengers, so everyone will get sorted.

It's also worth noting that both the AA and RAC cover electric and hybrid vehicles at no extra cost and that the prices we've shown might be higher at renewal - these prices are for new customers only.

What do third-party reviews say?

We love to refer to third-party reviews when doing our comparison posts, and we're delighted to see that both the AA and RAC are using Trustpilot, our most trusted third-party review platform. RAC is currently sitting with a rating of 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot , whereas the AA is sitting with a rating of 4.1 out of 5 . So although both companies have very similar ratings, the AA is rated marginally better. However, it's also worth noting that RAC has almost twice as many reviews on Trustpilot compared to the AA.

Overall, reviewers seem pretty happy with both the AA and RAC, with reviews on both Trustpilot profiles full of very happy customers. People seem especially happy with the quality of service from both companies in terms of the patrols which are providing roadside assistance. However, one thing we did notice on the RAC profile is that some reviewers were not happy with how long it took for the assistance vehicles to turn up, with some customers claiming that it took as long as 24 hours which seems very long to wait.

Anything else to mention?

Aside from breakdown cover, it's also worth mentioning that with the AA you get a number of additional membership benefits that you won't get with RAC - for example, your AA membership can get you discounts at nice restaurants and on lots of travel, including flights overseas. You get some benefits with RAC breakdown cover such as free coffees and discounts on gym memberships, but generally, the extras seem to be better with the AA.

Final thoughts - which is better for breakdown cover, the AA or RAC?

So in conclusion, we'd say that the AA is a better option than RAC when it comes to overall breakdown cover for most types of cars. The AA has almost twice as many patrols as RAC, and it's also a cheaper service if you sign up during a sale. On top of this, your AA membership gets you some really nice extras that you don't get with RAC.

However, if you have an electric vehicle then you might actually be better off going with RAC, as the company seems much better prepared for providing roadside assistance for EVs compared to the AA.

Let us know what you think of these 2 breakdown cover brands and if you have any other thoughts on our comparison!

Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.

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