Not having a current range or not having ACA an the cheap meters can also be good, as it means you are not temped to use is with mains current.
Amen! Get yourself an AC clamp.
So I also recommend that is is far better to use a clamp meter.
The nice fact is that the clamp can be also used with a digital scope (with the banana to BNC adaptor) and actually see the current waveform.
In the scope, you can display simultaneously peak, RMS, average, and many other measurements that are impossible to make with a simple meter.
Besides, many AC appliances will draw an inrush current which is several times its rated current. That inrush could only last a semicycle like an electronic load without inrush limiting, or could last several seconds like a motor starting under heavy load. Inrush current cause all sorts of problems, and the scope will faithfully capture it.
An added bonus is if the clamp is the hall effect type, you'll also be able to read DC current safely.