Best Credit Cards With Roadside Assistance of 2024

When you're stranded on the side of a road with a dead battery or flat tire, your credit card may be able to help. Many consumer and business credit cards have roadside assistance benefits that can help you arrange the services you need. But this perk isn't available with all cards and the cost of the service varies.

CNBC Select reviewed many of the most popular credit cards to find the top credit cards with roadside assistance for various needs. (See our methodology for information on how we choose the top credit cards with roadside assistance).

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Rewards

Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Annual fee

Intro APR

Regular APR

Balance transfer fee

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed

Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.

$300 annual travel credit for travel purchasesGlobal Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every four yearsPriority Pass™ Select lounge access at 1,000+ VIP lounges in over 500 cities worldwidePoints are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Ultimate Rewards®Special benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort CollectionComplimentary year of Lyft Pink membershipHigh annual fee, but it can be offset by taking advantage of all the card’s perksNo introductory APR

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Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,469Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $3,346

Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus

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Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Rewards

Earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business

Welcome bonus

Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee

Intro APR

0% for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases; N/A for balance transfers

Regular APR

Balance transfer fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed

No annual feeFree employee cardsSimple cash-back programSpecial financing offer for purchases3% fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

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Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Rewards

Enjoy 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Welcome bonus

Special Offer: Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Use your card for all your purchases and at the end of your first year, Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned! There is no limit to how much you can earn. Every dollar in cash back rewards you earn is a dollar Chase will match.

Annual fee

Intro APR

0% for the first 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers

Regular APR

Balance transfer fee

Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Foreign transaction fee

3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars

Credit needed

Read our Chase Freedom Unlimited® review.

No annual feeRewards can be transferred to a Chase Ultimate Rewards cardGenerous welcome bonus3% fee charged on foreign transactions

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Who's this for? The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a $0 annual fee and earns at least 1.5% cash back on every purchase, making it an excellent choice for anyone who doesn't want to overthink their credit card strategy.

Roadside assistance benefits: Freedom Unlimited cardholders have access to a 24/7 pay-per-use roadside assistance service through Visa. For a pre-negotiated fee, you can get:

Fuel delivery (up to five gallons)Tire change (must have a replacement tire)Standard winchingStandard towing (up to five miles, you pay for additional miles)Jump-startLockout service

Call 1-800-847-2869 when you need to use your roadside assistance benefit.

Other standout benefits: New card members can take advantage of 0% APR for purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months (then a variable 20.49%-29.24% applies; a balance transfer fee of the greater of 3% of the amount transferred or $5 applies to transfers made within the first 60 days of account opening).

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Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card

Rewards

Welcome bonus

Annual fee

Intro APR

N/A for purchases and balance transfers

Regular APR

Balance transfer fee

$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed

Read our Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card review.

No annual fee$49, $99 or $200 refundable depositNo fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.High variable APRNo rewards program

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Who's this for? As a secured credit card, the Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card (see rates and fees) is ideal for anyone with weak credit or a thin credit history who might not get approved for a traditional, unsecured credit card.

Roadside assistance benefits: The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card offers roadside assistance as part of its World Mastercard suite of benefits.

The Master RoadAssist® Roadside Service perk covers travel in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. You'll be charged a pre-negotiated fee for services such as jump-starting, towing, tire change and fuel delivery.

These emergency services aren't available in off-road areas and for certain vehicles, such as campers. When you need roadside assistance, call 1-888-531-4227.

Other standout benefits: This card requires a $49, $99 or $200 upfront refundable deposit based on your creditworthiness, but regardless of which deposit amount you qualify for, you'll still receive the same $200 credit limit.

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The top-tier protections and luxury benefits offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve go far beyond roadside assistance, making this a go-to option if you value peace of mind and comfort.

Rewards

10X total points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®*10X points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 20255X total points per dollar on flights purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®*3X points per dollar on other travel*3X points per dollar on dining1X points per dollar on all other purchases

*After the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$550

Notable perks

Each year, Chase Sapphire Reserve card members get up to $300 in travel credits, helping you earn back about half of the annual fee. And once every four years, card members can be reimbursed for a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee (worth up to $100). Other perks include access to Sapphire airport lounges and a Priority Pass Select membership (valued at $469), unlocking access to more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide.

Cardholders also have access to other useful travel and purchase protections, including:

Trip delay reimbursementTrip cancellation/interruption insurancePrimary rental car collision coverageLost luggage reimbursementEmergency evacuation and transportation insurancePurchase protectionReturn protectionExtended warranty coverage

With the Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to Chase's 14 airline and hotel partners. If you prefer to use Chase points to pay for the travel you book through the Chase travel portal, your points are worth 50% more (1.5 cents each).

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The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is an especially rewarding small business card, especially when you take into account its $0 annual fee and generous welcome bonus.

Rewards

5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 20251.5% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn a $900 cash-back bonus after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

The Ink Business Unlimited allows you to add employee cards for no additional cost. This card has a handful of other benefits, including:

Purchase protectionExtended warrantyPrimary rental car theft and damage insuranceTravel and emergency assistance services

Plus, if you have a Chase card that enables transfers, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, the rewards you earn with the Ink Business Unlimited can be pooled onto that card, giving you more redemption options.

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The Chase Freedom Unlimited stands out because of its potentially valuable welcome bonus and generous cash-back rates.

Rewards

5% back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®5% back on Lyft rides through March 20253% back at drugstores3% back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services)1.5% back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on all purchases on up to $20,000 in the first year. With this bonus, you can earn up to $300 in bonus cash.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

For a $0 annual fee card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited has a good amount of built-in protections. Cardholders get:

Rental car collision coverage (secondary)Extended warranty protectionPurchase protectionTravel and emergency assistance servicesTrip cancellation and interruption insurance

Cardholders also enjoy discounts and special perks with partners like Lyft, Instacart and Gopuff.

The rewards you earn with the card are more valuable when paired with another Ultimate Rewards® card, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, as you'll be able to transfer your points to Chase's partner travel programs, such as United, Southwest and Hyatt.

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The cost of a AAA membership (American Automobile Association) varies depending on where you live, and the roadside assistance benefits depend on what level of membership you pay for. The fee you're likely to pay when you use your credit card roadside assistance is often comparable to the cost of an annual Classic AAA membership for two drivers. However, a AAA card gets you access to discounts on hotels, rental cars, travel, entertainment and more.

If you don't plan on taking advantage of the other benefits available to AAA members, you may be better off saving the cost of a membership and relying solely on your credit card's roadside assistance. When you want additional protection for a long road trip, you always have the option of purchasing travel insurance with roadside service benefits.

FAQs

Does credit card roadside assistance apply for rental cars?

Credit card roadside assistance benefits generally extend to rental cards. However, whenever you have an issue with a rental car, you'll usually want to reach out to the car rental company first.

Do Discover credit cards have roadside assistance?

Discover credit cards do not offer roadside assistance services.

Do American Express cards have roadside assistance?

When your car breaks down, you may have access to help through your credit card. Not every card has roadside assistance benefits and the services provided by most cards come with a fee. So before you need to tow your car it's a good idea to read your credit card's benefits guide and decide whether other roadside services, such as AAA, are a better fit for you.

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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards for roadside assistance.

To determine which credit cards are best for roadside assistance, CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards available to U.S. consumers. We compared each card on a range of features in addition to the card's roadside assistance benefit, including the annual fee, rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is to redeem points.

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*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

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