Credit Cards with Roadside Assistance to Have in 2024

Accidents on the road are stressful. If you’ve ever had a flat tire, run out of gas, or been stuck with a dead car battery, there’s a chance you've called AAA or a towing company to help you out. Many people don’t realize that the credit card in their pocket may include roadside assistance or get you access to help for a flat fee.

In addition to roadside assistance perks, it’s important to consider factors like annual fees, rewards, and interest rates. Also, consider the different offerings from each card related to roadside dispatch. Here are the best cards with roadside assistance for 2024.

4 credit cards with roadside assistance to have in 2024

Best for luxury travel: card_name

The card_name has among the best roadside assistance benefits of any card around. It includes towing, lockout services (without key replacements), jump-starting, standard winching, and fuel delivery of up to two gallons. Benefits are limited to $50 per incident up to four times per year. Nearly all Chase cards have some form of roadside assistance as well.

The best benefits from this card happen when you’re jet setting your way around the world. The card includes a $300 annual statement credit for travel purchases, airport lounge access, a credit to cover your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership, an impressive list of travel and purchase protections, and one of the best travel rewards points programs around.

With this card, you earn three points per dollar on dining purchases, three points per dollar on travel, and one point per dollar everywhere else. When you book dining and travel through Chase, you can earn much more. For purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards site, you’ll earn five points per dollar on flights, ten points per dollar on hotels and car rentals, and a whopping 10 points per dollar on Chase Dining.

Best for cash back: Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

Capital One offers roadside assistance on many cards through Visa or Mastercard. Savor Rewards gets its roadside assistance coverage through Mastercard. There’s a flat fee per use, and the cardholder pays for any additional charges. Roadside assistance services include towing and winching, jump-starts, fuel delivery, tire changes, and lockout service.

This card starts out new users with a $300 cash bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months. You get 4% back on dining, entertainment, and select streaming services, 3% back at grocery stores, and one percent on purchases everywhere else. For a limited time, you’ll get 10% back for purchases at Uber and Uber Eats, plus a complementary Uber One membership. Hotels and rentals cards booked through Capital One Travel earn 5% back, and tickets through Capital One entertainment earn 8%.

Other benefits include helpful travel and purchase protections and insurance. The card requires a $95 annual fee, but most people will easily earn that back and more in cash back rewards when using the card regularly.

Best for no annual Fee: card_name

card_name includes roadside assistance for a flat fee per service call. Each call includes up to five miles of towing, tire changing, jump starting, lockout service, up to five gallons of fuel delivered (not the cost of fuel), and winching up to 100 feet. You’re not covered when offroading, on private roads, or in certain heavy vehicles.

On days when your car is working, you’ll earn 3% back on restaurants and dining (including some delivery services) and 3% back at drugstores. Travel purchases at the Chase Ultimate Rewards site earn 5% back. You get 1.5% cash back on all other purchases with no limits, and there’s no annual fee.

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The card also includes a handful of useful travel and purchase benefits, such as purchase protection for 120 on new items and an additional one year of your manufacturer’s extended warranty coverage (limits apply). It also includes auto rental and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. That’s a huge value for a card with no annual fee.

Best for long intro APR period: U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card  

U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card holders get roadside assistance through Visa. For a flat fee of $69.95, you’ll get up to five miles of towing, tire changing, jump starting, lockout service, fuel delivery, or standard winching. Additional service may incur additional charges.

While it doesn’t feature any cash back or travel rewards, the card includes a lengthy 0% introductory APR period. This feature makes the card standout as a good choice for balance transfers and large purchases with a longer period interest-free.

It’s a simple card that’s useful in helping you get out of credit card debt from other cards. In addition to roadside assistance, another noteworthy benefit is cell phone insurance. If you pay your phone bill on the card every month, you’re covered for up to $600 per incident if your phone is stolen or damaged.

Roadside assistance with the Chase Sapphire Reserve

As mentioned above, Chase cards offer roadside assistance through Visa or Mastercard. And the card_name is one of just a few cards from Chase that doesn’t charge a flat rate for roadside service. Because of the Sapphire Reserve’s high annual fee, cardholders receive more benefits, including up to $50 towards roadside services four times per calendar year. 

The covered services include all the standards: towing, lockouts, jump-starts, tire changes, and gas deliveries. 

Roadside dispatch is provided by all Visa credit cards

Visa credit cards all include a roadside dispatch service regardless of your issuer. If you find yourself stranded on the side of the road, you can call a phone number and get someone to tow your car, help you with a lockout, deliver gas, winch you out of a ditch, or assist with other covered situations. With most cards, you have to pay a flat fee per service call, but as long as the problem is covered in the list of services below, you shouldn’t have to pay anything additional. This list may look familiar from the cards above.

Standard towing up to 5 miles included.Tire changing (must have good, inflated spare tire).Jump starting.Lockout service (no key replacement).Fuel delivery up to 5 gallons (plus the cost of fuel).Standard winching.

Look at the benefits guide for your credit card to learn more and to see if the fee you’ll have to pay is listed. If not, ask whoever answers your call how much the service will cost.

Roadside benefits provided by other credit cards 

Some cards from American Express and Citi used to include roadside assistance, but the features have been discontinued. Many Mastercard branded cards include roadside assistance, and certain issuers do a good job of covering many or all cardholders.

Capital One and Chase both feature many cards with roadside assistance, making them a good starting point if you want this benefit.

Read through the benefits guide or call the number on your credit card to get more information on what services your current credit card includes. In general, if your credit card offers roadside dispatch and has a low or no annual fee, you should expect to pay a flat fee for every service call and pay for any additional or uncovered services yourself.

Credit card roadside assistance vs. AAA

AAA is an automobile club that can provide similar benefits as a credit card’s roadside assistance. Members can join different tiers, which give them various coverage levels. Services extend beyond what a typical credit card’s roadside dispatch will get you. Higher-tier AAA members can receive significant reimbursements for home or locksmith fees, 200 miles of towing, and larger fuel deliveries.

The convenience of roadside assistance through your credit card can’t be overstated. It can also save you money, as a AAA membership comes with an annual fee. If you don’t have roadside assistance through your credit card and are traveling, you can also consider buying travel insurance, which sometimes comes with roadside dispatch services.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Do Amex cards have roadside assistance? 

American Express dropped roadside assistance from its cards, and it’s no longer available. The premium card_name and card_name do not include roadside assistance benefits, among other Amex cards.

What is a AAA alternative? 

Alternatives to AAA include memberships with other motor clubs, roadside assistance coverage from an insurance company, or if you’re traveling, travel insurance. Having some form of roadside assistance available to you is a good idea since you never know when an accident might happen.

Can I buy roadside assistance separately?

Yes, purchasing a single service is possible after an accident. If roadside assistance is available to you through your credit card, check what fee you’ll have to pay, if any, before seeking separate roadside assistance.

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