A credit card that offers roadside assistance can save you a lot of stress on a cold winter morning and a couple of hundred bucks every year.
Life happens, and your car can quit on you unexpectedly, especially in Canadian provinces where frequent extreme weather conditions are the norm.
While you can easily just pay for CAA or Costco roadside assistance, the best credit cards in Canada offering roadside assistance services can be just as adequate, and even better, many of them are FREE.
The popular roadside assistance programs offered by these credit cards include:
- Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance
- Deluxe TD Auto Club Membership
- Home Trust Roadside Assistance, and
- BMO Roadside Assistance
For the best credit cards offering free car rental insurance, click here.
Credit Cards Offering Free Roadside Assistance
This list includes no-fee and paid credit cards that offer complimentary roadside assistance in Canada in addition to other benefits and perks.
Some of the more common services we have come to expect from a roadside assistance program are 24/7:
- Towing services
- Accidental lockout
- Fuel delivery
- Flat tire change
- Battery boost
- Extrication and winching
Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance
Triangle World Elite Mastercard
The Triangle World Elite Mastercard is a part of Canadian Tire’s Triangle Rewards program and offers a free roadside assistance plan. This Gold-level plan comes with 24/7 towing, fuel delivery, flat tire change, battery boost, lockout, and extrication services.
Cardholders get up to 5 services per year plus unlimited tows to any Canadian Tire Auto within a 250 km radius in Canada or the U.S. They also provide up to $300 in trip accident assistance.
You can pay for Canadian Tire roadside assistance directly if you don’t want to apply for a credit card. In that case, the Gold Plan has a $99.95 annual fee.
Annual card fee: $0
Interest rate: 19.99% for purchases, 22.99% for cash advances
Other benefits: 3% in Canadian Tire (CT) Money per 1$ spent on groceries (up to $12,000 per year, excludes Costco and Walmart), 4% at CT stores, and up to 7 cents per litre of gas purchased at Gas+ stations, extended warranty, purchase protection and car rental insurance.
Noteworthy: You can register the service to you (and any vehicle you are in) or to one specific vehicle. A minimum personal income of $80,000 or $150,000 household income is required to be eligible for the card.
You can read this Triangle World Elite Mastercard review.
Deluxe TD Auto Club Membership
TD CashBack Visa Infinite
The provides complimentary access to a Deluxe TD Auto Club membership.
This roadside assistance offers dead battery boosting, tire change, gas delivery (5L free), lockout services, breakdown towing, and winching services within 200 km in Canada and the Continental U.S.
In addition to these perks, TD Auto Club will provide cash reimbursements of up to $250 per call if you are unable to contact them or they are unable to assist. If there isn’t a qualified roadside service facility near you, TD will mail you a $50 cheque that you can use when you fill up your tank next.
TD Auto Club offers travel accident and stolen vehicle emergency services with the following cash benefits when applicable (i.e. not covered by your car insurance provider):
- Accident towing: up to $200
- Emergency transportation/rental car: up to $200
- Emergency accommodation and meals: up to $200
- Return to location of repair site: up to $200
- Personal necessities: up to $50
No matter what car you’re driving, the TD Auto Club membership covers you as long as you’re in the US or Canada.
Members of the TD Auto Club also get a personalized Trip Planning Service that helps you plan trips in Canada and the Continental United States.
Annual card fee: $120
Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 22.99% for cash advances
Other benefits: This card offers 3% cash back on groceries, gas and recurring bill payments (up to $15,000 annually); 1% cash back on everything else; travel medical insurance, car rental insurance, delayed and lost baggage, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Noteworthy: You will need a personal income of at least $60,000 or a household income of $100,000 to be eligible for this card. Supplementary cards cost $50 per year for the first additional cardholder.
BMO Roadside Assistance Program
BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard
The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard offers roadside assistance via a free membership in the Dominion Automobile Association.
This basic coverage is worth $69 per year and provides 24/7 coverage for battery boost, emergency gas delivery, flat tire change, lockout services, winching, and towing within a 10km radius in Canada and Mainland U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Puerto Rico) – up to 4 service calls per year.
Annual card fee: $120; waived in the first year.
Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 23.99% for cash advances
Other benefits: Earn 5% on groceries (up to $500 monthly); 4% on transit (up to $300 monthly); 3% on gas (up to $300 monthly), 2% on recurring bills (up to $500 monthly), and 1% on everything else (with no limits); travel medical protection, complimentary Mastercard Airport Experiences, rental car insurance, flight delay, travel accident, purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Noteworthy: You need a minimum annual personal income of $80,000 or a household income of at least $150,000 to be eligible.
Read my detailed review of the BMO CashBack World Elite.
Read our detailed review of the BMO CashBack World Elite.
How To Choose a Credit Card For Free Roadside Assistance
When choosing a credit card with roadside assistance, look at the services and value you’ll be getting out of the roadside assistance program. Consider how many free calls or services are included and what those services are.
If you plan to be driving through various provinces and states, you may want to look for a roadside assistance program that covers a wide radius, like the TD Auto Club membership.
If you aren’t able to receive help, will you be reimbursed? For example, the TD Auto Club membership covers you for up to $200 for travel accident and stolen vehicle emergency services not covered by your insurance provider.
Lastly, choose a credit card based on the everyday benefits.
If you shop at Canadian Tire-branded stores often, you can earn CT Money with the Triangle World Elite Mastercard. If you prefer cash back rewards, you may choose the BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard or the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card.
How To Apply For A Credit Card With Roadside Assistance
Applying for a credit card with roadside assistance is the same process as applying for a credit card without this benefit.
To apply for any of these credit cards, you’ll need to be the age of majority in your province or territory, have a good to excellent credit score, and meet the income requirements. These credit cards have a personal minimum income requirement of $60,000 to $80,000.
You can apply directly on the credit card company’s website, call them, or visit a branch in person.
Pros of Credit Cards With Free Roadside Assistance
Credit cards that include roadside assistance can be more cost-effective than buying a membership to the roadside assistance program on their own, which can cost almost $100 per year.
These credit cards also include travel and car rental collision/damage insurance benefits.
All 3 cards on this list offer great rewards, such as cash back or earning up to 4% CT Money on all purchases.
Lastly, these credit cards offer peace of mind, as you know you’ll be covered in the event of an emergency.
Cons of Credit Cards With Free Roadside Assistance
Credit cards with roadside assistance have a high minimum income requirement of $60,000 to $80,000 personal or $100,000 to $150,000 combined annual household income.
Some of these credit cards have an annual fee, and all of them require a good to excellent credit score.
Also, some auto memberships included with these credit cards have limitations, such as the maximum distance they will tow your car and a cap on the number of calls you can make.
Credit Card Roadside Assistance vs CAA
CAA offers a membership for 24/7 roadside assistance plus other benefits. There are 3 tiers to this membership: Basic, Plus, and Premier. See below for the features included in each membership plan.
Basic: $75/year
- 4 service calls
- 10km towing distance per call
- Free emergency fuel delivery, but fuel costs extra
- CAA Bike Assist
- Car and bike coverage
- Mobile battery service
- Member pricing for CAA Premium Battery purchase
Plus: $119/year
- 4 service calls
- 200km towing distance per call
- Free emergency fuel and delivery
- CAA Bike Assist
- Car, motorcycle, and bike coverage
- Mobile battery service
- Member pricing for CAA Premium Battery purchase
Premier: $149/year
- 5 service calls
- 320km towing distance for the first call, 200km towing distance for other calls
- Free emergency fuel and delivery
- CAA Bike Assist
- Car, motorcycle, and bike coverage
- Mobile battery service
- Member pricing for CAA Premium Battery purchase + 20 CAA Dollars
All membership plans include 24/7 emergency roadside assistance, a battery boost or replacement, flat tire and lockout services, travel benefits and discounts, member discounts, and expert advice on everything automobile-related.
In addition, all membership tiers include general practitioner consults with Maple and road trip accident insurance.
CAA membership plans generally include a few more benefits than credit card roadside assistance memberships, but each tier is different. If you only need basic services like gas delivery, lockout and winching services, or breakdown services, credit card roadside assistance programs will work just fine for you.
On the other hand, if you want benefits like bike and motorcycle coverage, road trip accident insurance, and member discounts, a CAA membership might be worth signing up for.
Best Credit Cards For Gas Purchases
Alongside credit cards with free roadside assistance, you may want to consider getting a credit card that rewards you for purchasing gas.
The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard earns you 3% cash back on gas (up to $300 per statement period), and the Triangle World Elite Mastercard earns you 5 to 7 cents per litre in CT Money.
Besides those, here are 3 other great credit cards for earning rewards on gas purchases:
American Express Gold Rewards Card
The American Express Gold Rewards Card earns you Membership Rewards points on all purchases, as follows:
- 2x the points on gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases in Canada
- 2x the points on travel, including flights, car rentals, hotels, and cruises
- 1x the points on everything else
- 1 additional point for every $1 spent on car rental and hotel bookings on Amex Travel Online
There are no spending limits for the 2x points categories, which includes gas.
Membership Rewards points can be redeemed on travel bookings, gift cards, merchandise, or statement credits.
Annual card fee: $250
Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 21.99% for cash advances
Other benefits: Receive a $100 annual travel credit, get 4 complimentary airport lounge visits, a $50 NEXUS rebate, comprehensive travel insurance, buyer’s assurance and purchase protection plans.
Learn more about the card in this detailed review.
Tangerine World Mastercard
With the Tangerine World Mastercard, you get unlimited 2% cash back in up to 3 categories of your choice, including gas purchases.
On everything outside of those categories, you get 0.5% cash back.
This Mastercard has no annual fee and features a 1.95% promotional balance transfer rate for 6 months.
You need a minimum of $60,000 personal or $100,000 household annual income to apply.
Annual card fee: $0
Interest rate: 19.95% for purchases and cash advances
Other benefits: Boingo Wi-Fi for Mastercard, on-demand and subscription services, Mastercard Travel PAss by DragonPass, mobile device insurance, rental car collision/loss damage insurance, purchase assurance, and extended warranty.
Learn more about the card in this detailed review.
American Express Cobalt Card
You can earn up to 5x Membership Rewards points with the American Express Cobalt Card. the earn rate is as follows:
- 5x the points on food and drink purchases (up to $30,000 annually)
- 3x the points on streaming subscriptions
- 2x the points on travel and transit
- 1x the points on everything else
- 1 additional point on car rental and hotel bookings through Amex Travel Online
There is no spending limit for the travel and transit category, meaning you will earn unlimited points on gas purchases, which can be redeemed for statement credits and more.
Annual card fee: $155.88 ($12.99 paid monthly)
Interest rate: 20.99% for purchases, 21.99% for cash advances
Other benefits: Mobile device insurance, a $100 USD hotel credit, travel insurance, buyer’s assurance and purchase protection plans, American Express Experiences and events.
Learn more about the card in this detailed review.
Free Roadside Assistance Plans in Canada
Below is a quick summary of roadside assistance services offered by the credit cards listed above.
| Features | Triangle World Elite Mastercard | TD Cash Back Visa Infinite | BMO Cash Back World Elite Mastercard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $120 | $120 |
| Locations | Canada & U.S. | Canada & U.S. | Canada & U.S. |
| Number of service calls | 5 + unlimited tows to any Canadian Tire service centres within 250km | Unlimited | 4 |
| Flat tire change | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lockout service | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fuel delivery | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Winching | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery boost | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Towing distance | 250 km | 200 km | 10 km |
| Coverage | Vehicle or Cardholder | Cardholder | Cardholder |
Which Roadside Assistance Plan is For You?
It depends. If you do not want an extra credit card in your wallet, you can simply pay for CAA roadside assistance.
For a no-fee card, the Triangle World Elite Mastercard offers great value.
For a premium credit card, the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite offers a comprehensive roadside assistance plan that is hard to beat.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of 2021, Costco discontinued their roadside assistance program.
The Home Trust Preferred Visa no longer offers free roadside assistance.
No, American Express does not have roadside assistance. In 2020, they dropped the program from all of their cards.
Towing insurance is generally included in roadside assistance programs. The 3 credit cards on this list have towing included.
Yes, CAA provides coverage across Canada and the United States to over 6 million members.
Related posts
Home Trust will be discontinuing their roadside assistance program in March 2021. I called to confirm this when I was not able to see this feature on their Home Trust Preferred Visa page.