How the Chase Sapphire Reserve Helped Fix My Car

Until last spring, my Nissan Leaf was the most reliable car I had ever owned. But about 20 miles from home, my dashboard flashed nearly every possible error message and power was down to zero.

Luckily, I was able to pull over safely to the side of the highway. Instead of calling a tow truck and paying an exorbitant fee, I was able to call the number on the back of my Chase Sapphire Reserve® and have my car towed to the nearest dealership.

What is roadside assistance?

Roadside assistance is a card benefit that will dispatch, and in some cases pay for, certain minor services. Eligible services include towing, tire changes, battery jumps, fuel delivery, standard winching and unlocking, but key replacement is not included.

How did the Chase Sapphire Reserve help?

After calling the number on the back of my card, I reached a representative immediately.

The agent found a tow truck that was available and sent me a text link to a site that gave me the driver’s information and an estimated arrival time. Not wanting to wait too long, I reached out to the driver, told him exactly where the vehicle was and that I wanted it towed to the nearest dealership. I then called a tow truck service to take me home.

Since the dealership was only a few miles away, there was no charge for towing. Chase will cover the towing as long as it is less than 5 miles away.

Besides the Nissan Leaf’s battery going bad, the roadside assistance service was helpful when my wife hit a crater rather than a pothole while entering the mall.

The crater left him with two flat tires, but Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance again had the vehicle towed to the nearest tire shop. Another time, our minivan started smoking heavily and the check engine light came on. Once again, Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance came to the rescue because we later learned that the vehicle had an oil leak caused by a known defect.

Is there a fee for Roadside Assistance?

Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance service is different from the roadside assistance services offered by many other credit card companies.

Dispatch services only send help, but you have to pay all the fees. However, Chase Sapphire roadside assistance offers a single number you can call to dispatch help and also pays for covered services.

Every time I had a vehicle problem, I received the service for free. If the vehicle needed to be towed long distance or if I received another service that was not covered, I would be responsible for paying. This benefit is limited to $50 per incident, up to four times per year.

Other credit cards that offer curbside delivery

It may be difficult to find another card that offers free roadside assistance, but many cards offer roadside dispatch for a fee.

These include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Freedom Flex®*. All Visa cards offer curbside dispatch for a flat fee of $79.95 per call. Master RoadAssist Curbside Service is also available on select Mastercards.

*All information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex has been independently collected by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.