Get Free or Discounted Roadside Assistance with these Credit Cards (2021)
Easy Access to Valuable Travel Benefits
Several credit cards offer at least some Roadside Assistance benefits.
Coverage is usually limited to the US and Canada, and usually won’t cover vehicles other than typical passenger cars (and sometimes rental cars). You can use these benefits even when you are not driving your own car.
- Free Roadside Assistance from Chase. Some premium, and some not-so-premium, Chase credit cards offer FREE roadside assistance: the Sapphire Reserve Card, United Explorer Credit Card, United Explorer Business Card, United Club Credit Card, and the discontinued Ritz Carlton Credit Card.
- Reduced-fee Assistance. All Visa Signature cards offer a roadside assistance benefit, at a pre-negotiated rate of $70 per call (towing up to 5 miles). This is usually a lower price than if you had to pay directly. Some Mastercards, and all Diner’s Club cards, have a similar program, but the rates are different for different services.
- Roadside Assistance Hotlines. Many other cards provide Roadside Assistance hotlines. You can call the customer service number on the back of the car and they will connect you to a nearby service provider. But they haven’t pre-negotiated the price you'll need to pay.
Service includes towing, lockout assistance, installation of an inflated spare tire, jump starts and extra gas. Reimbursement is limited to the first $50 (and up to 2 gallons of gas). Coverage is only available when you are "away from home". The Ritz Carlton and United Explorer cards specifically require you to be at least 50 miles away.
If you would normally leave your card at home, make sure to carry around some record of the card number, so that you have it, if you need to call in (855-860-7978) for assistance.
