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Ever been stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire? Locked your keys in your car? Run out of fuel? Having access to roadside assistance when you have mechanical issues can be a lifesaver.
No matter which state you’re traveling in, one quick call can put you in touch with a roadside assistance dispatch center which will keep you on the phone while organizing the help you need. And the best part? If you hold one of the credit cards listed below, you can use this service up to four times a year free of charge!
Rewards Cards That Offer Complimentary Roadside Assistance
There are plenty of rewards cards offering roadside assistance as one of the listed benefits, but just a handful of those cards offer the service free of charge. Most provide a 24/7 dispatch service, but you pay for the services you use. For example, if you lock your keys in your car, you can call the dispatch service and ask the customer service rep to find a locksmith. The dispatch service organizes the locksmith free of charge, but you’ll pay the locksmith for the service provided.
The list of rewards cards we’ve put together below all offer complimentary roadside assistance. You call the dispatch center, they organize the service technician, and provided it’s an issue covered by your card’s policy, the tow operator, mechanic or locksmith will attend the incident at no cost to you. You can access this complimentary roadside assistance up to 4 times per year, although you cannot use the benefits offered through Chase cards more than once in a 7-day period for the same issue.
American Express Premium Roadside Assistance
American Express cards offering free roadside assistance include:
- American Express® Gold Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- The Business Platinum® Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card
Amex will cover you for:
- Towing up to 10 miles (towing is to the nearest authorized facility. You can request hauling to a different facility, but if the towing exceeds 10 miles you’ll be charged $3 for each additional mile)
- Winching
- Jump starts
- Flat tire change when you have a workable spare
- Lockout service when key is in vehicle (lockout service may be unavailable for vehicles with transponder keys)
- Delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel
To be eligible for free roadside assistance, services must be arranged through Amex Premium Roadside Assistance (call 1-855-431-1156 or the number on the back of your card). The cardmember must be present at the time the vehicle is attended, and you must be in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Coverage is for non-commercial, road-going vehicles used for private transportation and doesn’t cover rental cars, motorcycles, taxicabs, unlicensed vehicles, tractors and trucks over 10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight.
Chase Roadside Assistance
Unlike the Amex policy, which only restricts the nature of events covered, Chase limits each service event to the value of $50, and you can only claim one service event for the same cause during any consecutive 7-day period. Chase cards providing free roadside assistance include:
- United℠ Explorer Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- United MileagePlus® Club Card
- The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card
- United℠ Explorer Business Card
- United MileagePlus® Club Business Card
While all the cards above charge an annual fee, note that Chase provides complimentary roadside assistance on the United Explorer Card and the United Business Card. This is the same full-service roadside assistance that is ordinarily offered on premium cards costing hundreds of dollars per year. Both cards waive the annual fee for the first year, and charge just $95 per year to hold for the long term.
Chase Roadside Assistance will cover you for:
- Battery Boost if your vehicle won’t start due to a dead or weak battery
- Flat Tire Service if you have a flat tire, they'll install your inflated spare
- Fuel Delivery if you run out of gas, an emergency supply will be delivered to you. The cost of fuel is covered for up to 2 gallons.
- 24 Hour Towing Assistance in the event of a vehicle breakdown that requires a tow. The representative will arrange to transport the vehicle to the nearest repair facility or location of the motorist’s choice. Services will be covered up to $50 for each event
- 24 Hour Lockout Assistance should you accidentally lock yourself out of your vehicle; a qualified locksmith will be dispatched to remedy the situation, up to $50 value for each event. (Replacement key costs are the responsibility of the Cardholder.)
To be eligible for the coverage you must be driving a vehicle you own or lease, or a car furnished to you by the owner (no rentals), and services must be arranged through Cross Country Motor Club at 1-866-860-7978. The policy only covers private on-road transportation, with trucks limited to a carrying capacity of up to 2,000 pounds, and no commercial vehicles. Coverage is valid only when traveling in the U.S. and Canada.
Citi Roadside Assistance Dispatch Service
Citi doesn’t place a monetary restriction on its roadside assistance outside of the tow-distance policy, and only one card in the Citi lineup offers the service at no additional cost.
Citi will cover you for:
- Towing and winching (you will be responsible for expenses associated with towing beyond 10 miles)
- Jump starts
- Flat tire changes (when a spare is available)
- Lock-out service (when the key is in the vehicle)
- Delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel
To take advantage of the Citi coverage, you need to stay with the vehicle and ensure it's a regularly traveled road (no off-road tracks) with access for a tow or support vehicle. Citi won’t cover you if the vehicle is a motorcycle, RV, or commercial, or if it’s a camper, in-tow, or a trailer with a capacity greater than one ton. Call 1-866-506-5222 for assistance and have your Citi card available when talking to the operator.
Final Thoughts
Complimentary roadside assistance is one of the hidden benefits of credit cards that many cardholders may not realize they can claim. There is no need to buy anything or make a specific purchase with your card to qualify for free roadside assistance. You receive the benefit free of charge merely for being a cardholder of any of the rewards cards listed above. If you’re looking for free roadside coverage without paying a premium card annual fee, it’s hard to go past the United Explorer Card, which offers complimentary roadside assistance with the lowest annual fee on the list!
Ever used the roadside assistance offered with your credit card? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I honestly did not know that these cards provided roadside assistance. I have paid for at AAA membership for years and have used it. I will now have to reassess to see if it is worthwhile keeping that membership. On the other hand, I do take a vantage of the AAA discounts so it might be a wash.
Thanks for the summary. I had no idea cards offered these types of benefits.
I even didn’t know about it!!! thank you
I had no idea. Thanks.
So good to know!
This is a great benefit to have and shouldn’t have to cost much money. I hope that the banks decide to add this benefit to more cards.
I love CSR. It is the best card for traveling.
Our Sapphire Reserve is definitely making up for it’s annual fee with one tow and one flat tire this year.
Good perk to know about, thanks!
Thanks for the information. Now only to remember to use the right card!
I like perks… but to be honest.. I have AAA and it is always a hassle to use it…
So, what do you do if your car breaks down?
This will be of immense help. Thank you.
I didn’t realize these cards have roadside assistance. To be honest I’ve always used AAA and have been satisfied.
A lot of these cards have services and perks most people never utilize. Good to see articles like this to help remind people
I have a paid AAA membership for my wife and me. I have the CSR and my wife has the United Mileage Plus Explorer. Not sure if I should renew the AAA?
Time to look at what you actually get from AAA now, isn’t it?
This is also so great for when you’ve rented a car in travels and need assistance!
Be sure to check the coverage to make sure it covers your rental prior to renting.
That 50 dollar limit makes me anxious with Chase, which is the only one I have. Luckily hasn’t been an issue yet, and it’s better than nothing!
After the AAA left us stranded overnight in the car without any help for 12 hours, I will definitely look at the option of having a card that covers the road assistance. Thanks for finding this.
Extremely useful post – thanks! I really had no idea this coverage was so comprehensive. I am going to print this and put a copy in each car.
Thanks Howie!
Never knew about this benefit!
Great to know but $50 for each event with the CSR, isn’t much, when companies charge a lot for just showing up let alone the addition of a tire change or jump.
What’s the typical cost of the services? Since Chase has the $50 limit, I’m wondering if one of the other cards would be better to have.
I had a tire changed for less than $50. So it worked for that. Just call the number on the back of the card.
@Lee Ann says: “Now only to remember to use the right card!”
Yes, it almost requires a cheat sheet to know which one to pull out in which situation these days! 🙂
Really did not know about it, great idea..Thanks for the heads up.
I didn’t know ANY card offered roadside assistance.
Perhaps it is worth it to ditch my AAA memership
Handy niche, thanks for the compilation
Roadside assistance should be the last thing to value when looking at a new card. Purchase protection and extended warranty features are much more valuable. Free iPhone insurance that covers accidents and losses with no deductible vs something I already get with my CAA membership? No thanks.
Your car insurance offer this, why do you need it in a card?
Are you sure? Mine charges extra.
Makes me wonder why anyone pays for AAA.
I had no idea this was even a possible perk!
I don’t drive, but do you know if you can get this benefit if you are stuck in (or outside) someone else’s car?
It depends on the specific card you have. I’d recommend you look through the various guides of benefits for your particular card to confirm the exact coverage you’ll receive https://awardwallet.com/blog/master-list-credit-card-benefits-guides/. In general, however, you’re covered as long as you’re with the car when service is required.
I’ve learned both from personal experience, over the years, and vicariously to carry both a primary and a backup roadside assistance plan.
Some worthwhile options to consider, in addition to the aforementioned roadside assistance plans offered by credit card issuers, are roadside assistance plans offered by some auto insurers, by some vehicle manufacturers (e.g., ToyotaCare), by AARP, and by some mobile phone service providers. For example, a Sprint PCS perq is free AAA basic membership (customers can pay the difference if they want higher level AAA plans).
Good reference post to bookmark when you need it.
I had forgotten about this! Argh I could have just used that! Oh well, next time. So we would call that number you listed?
Is it on the back or through calling Chase too? I will forget it and of course lose any paper I’ve written it down on.
You can always call the number on the back of your card.
Great information, I did not know this. I have a few of those cards so I am good to go.
Did not know this info before. Nice to know. Got ambushed by big US Corp “H”. Next trip if Time permits local dealer or body shop
Thanks for this. I didn’t even know these cards had roadside assistance!
This is incorrect or I have been lied to. I have a United Explorer MileagePlus card and just got off the phone with them and they said it is NOT free and that there is a 69.95 charge every time, which is NOT a benefit at all. Definitely will keep this in mind and bring this up when I CHANGE credit card companies.
Sorry about your experience. I’d suggest you review the guide to benefits of your card. Your experience does not match up what we’ve seen and experienced personally.
BMO World Elite Mastercard also offers roadside assistance – free – up to 4 times per year. It comes with a $150 annual fee (though it is waived the first year).