The single most common mistake on the member desk is not choosing the wrong car. It is choosing a mileage band from memory. People think about their commute and forget the airport runs, the two trips to see family in Savannah, and the month the other car was in the shop.
The thirty second version
Open your current car's service history or your insurance renewal, find an odometer reading from roughly twelve months ago, and subtract it from today's reading. That is your annual mileage. Not the number you would like it to be, and not the number you had before you moved to Alpharetta.
Why the bands are priced the way they are
A mileage band is not a fee. It is a residual adjustment. A car returned with 22,500 miles on it is worth more at auction than the same car with 45,000 miles, so the 7,500 band carries a residual about one percentage point of MSRP higher than the 10,000 band, and the 15,000 band carries one about two points lower. That difference flows straight into depreciation, which is the biggest line in your payment.
On a $32,150 car that works out to roughly a $9 a month saving for dropping to 7,500 miles and roughly an $18 a month cost for moving up to 15,000. Those are small numbers next to $0.25 a mile. Three thousand miles of overage is $750 at the end of the term, which is about $21 a month spread across 36 months, so upgrading the band almost always wins if you are genuinely going to drive the miles.
When the low band is right
- You live inside the Perimeter, work inside the Perimeter, and take MARTA to the airport.
- This is a second car that mostly does school runs and a supermarket trip.
- You have a realistic odometer number under 8,000 miles for last year, checked rather than remembered.
When to move up mid-subscription
You can change band at any point and the new rate applies from the next invoice. The useful moment to check is month four: multiply your current mileage by three and see where the year lands. If the projection is more than about 1,500 miles over your band, moving up is cheaper than paying the overage, and it stops the end of the subscription becoming a surprise.
Nothing is charged for coming in under your band. We do not refund unused miles either, which is exactly why nobody should buy a band they do not need.
Band pricing and overage rates shown on this site are samples. Ask the desk for the current rate sheet.
