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Car trouble rarely happens at a convenient time. Whether it’s a flat tire, a dead battery, an empty fuel tank, or keys locked inside the car, having access to roadside assistance can help resolve a frustrating situation.
Several credit cards include roadside assistance as a cardholder benefit. In some cases, that simply means access to a dispatch hotline that connects you with a tow truck or locksmith for a fee. But a smaller group of cards goes further by covering the actual service cost.
Here are the credit cards that still offer complimentary roadside assistance and what’s actually covered.
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The Best Credit Cards for Roadside Assistance
Many rewards credit cards list roadside assistance as a benefit, but most credit cards simply provide a 24/7 dispatch service where you pay for the services you use. Additionally, a handful of card issuers will cover the service itself.
For example, if you lock your keys in your car, you can call the dispatch service and ask the customer service agent to find a locksmith. The dispatch service connects you with the locksmith free of charge, but you’ll pay the locksmith for the services provided.
The list of rewards cards we’ve put together below all provide complimentary roadside assistance. You call the dispatch center, and they organize the service technician. Provided it’s an issue covered by your card’s policy, the tow operator, mechanic, or locksmith will show up to help you at no cost, up to a maximum of $50 per incident.
Related: 22 Credit Card Benefits Every Traveler Should Know About
Chase Roadside Assistance
If you want complimentary roadside assistance, you need a credit card issued by Chase. Unlike other card issuers, Chase covers the cost of roadside assistance — at least up to $50.
Other limitations: You can only claim one service event for the same cause during any consecutive seven-day period. And you can access this complimentary roadside assistance up to four times per year.
Personal cards providing free roadside assistance include:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees)
- United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
- United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
- The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card (no longer open to new applicants)
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Business cards that offer free roadside assistance:
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
- United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees)
- United Club℠ Business Card
- Earn up to 110,000 bonus miles and 2,000 PQP after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $150 Annual Fee.
- NEW! 8x total miles on eligible United flights.
- 2x miles on all other eligible United® purchases. 2x miles on dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
- 1x mile on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
- Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card.
- Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $200 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
- NEW! Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles. Premier members save even more.
- Member FDIC
- 2x on United® purchases*
- 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
- 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
- 1x on all other purchases
While all the cards above charge an annual fee, note that the United Explorer Card and the United Business Card offer the same full-service roadside assistance as you'll find on premium credit cards, but charge much lower annual fees.
It's worth mentioning that several other Chase cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), offer roadside assistance on a pay-per-use basis. However, we haven't included those cards on our list because the free service options are clearly better.
What does Chase Roadside Assistance cover?
Here's what's covered under Chase's roadside assistance policy:
- Towing: If your car breaks down and needs to be towed, the representative will arrange transport to the nearest repair facility.
- Tire change: If you have a flat tire, they'll install your inflated spare.
- Battery assistance: If your vehicle doesn’t start due to a dead or weak battery, someone can come and jump-start the battery or tow your electric vehicle to the nearest charging station.
- Lockout service: If you accidentally lock yourself out of your vehicle, a qualified locksmith will be sent to help. Note that you'll pay the cost of any replacement keys required.
- Fuel delivery: If you run out of gas, someone can deliver an emergency supply to you. The cost of up to two gallons of fuel is covered.
- Standard winching: As long as your vehicle is within 100 feet of a paved road or highway, standard winching assistance is available.
Chase Roadside Assistance eligibility requirements
Any vehicle with wheels that weighs 10,000 pounds or less is covered under this program. Luckily, most consumer vehicles fall below this threshold, so odds are you're covered. Assistance isn't available in off-road areas or for over-one-ton-capacity trailers, campers, or vehicles-in-tow. Although rental vehicles are covered, you must call the rental agency before calling the roadside assistance provider.
The roadside assistance number depends on your card, so check your benefits guide and save the number in your phone so it's easily accessible when you need help. Keep in mind that you will be responsible for any charges exceeding $50.
Roadside Assistance From Other Credit Card Providers
Wells Fargo, Capital One, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank offer roadside assistance on a pay-per-use basis with some of their credit cards, meaning all that's free is your phone call and being connected with someone who can provide help. You'll receive a bill once the tow truck or mechanic shows up.
With Visa cards, for example, you'll pay $79.95 each time you obtain roadside assistance service. Other cards use a pre-negotiated fee that isn't publicly available. Considering you can use Google to find a tow truck or mechanic yourself, the ability to call a help center isn't much of a benefit.
Some issuers don't offer this benefit at all. In September 2019, Citi removed many of its travel and purchase protections across numerous credit cards. Sadly, roadside assistance was removed as a benefit for most cards and hasn't returned. A few months later, American Express eliminated Roadside Assistance benefits in January 2020.
Related: The Master Guide to Credit Card Insurance Benefits
Final Thoughts
Complimentary roadside assistance is one of the hidden benefits of credit cards — a perk many cardholders may not realize they can use multiple times per year. Unlike other perks on your card, there's no enrollment requirement or specific monthly activity required to keep the roadside assistance benefit active. You receive the benefit free of charge by holding one of the cards on the list.
If you’re looking for free roadside coverage without paying a premium rewards card's annual fee, it’s hard to beat the United Explorer Card, which offers complimentary roadside assistance and the lowest annual fee on the list. However, the Sapphire Reserve beats out virtually every other card on the market if you want the most comprehensive travel and purchase protections available.
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees
- 3X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United®*
- 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel
- 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
$695Rates & Fees
- Earn 5 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases*
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
