Article updated on Sep 05, 2024
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Written by Jason Steele Credit card expert and founder of CardCon As a freelance personal finance writer since 2008, Jason has contributed to over 100 outlets including Forbes, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News, Money.com and NerdWallet. As an industry leader, Jason has spoken at dozens of conferences and is the founder and producer of CardCon, an annual conference for credit card media. Jason also consults with individuals and small business owners to create customized plans to help them earn and spend travel rewards. He can be reached via his website, JasonSteele.com and on LinkedIn.
Edited by Evan Zimmer has been writing about finance for years. After graduating with a journalism degree from SUNY Oswego, he wrote credit card content for Credit Card Insider (now Money Tips) before moving to ZDNET Finance to cover credit card, banking and blockchain news. He currently works with CNET Money to bring readers the most accurate and up-to-date financial information. Otherwise, you can find him reading, rock climbing, snowboarding and enjoying the outdoors.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
Reviews ethics statement
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
Reviews ethics statementWhy You Can Trust CNET Money
CNET Money’s mission is to help you maximize your financial potential. Our recommendations are based on our editors’ independent research and analysis, and we continuously update our content to reflect current partner offers. How we rate credit cards
Henrik Weis/Getty Images
Until last spring, my Nissan Leaf was the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. But I was about 20 miles from home when just about every possible error message flashed on my dash and the power dwindled to nothing.
Thankfully, I was able to safely pull over to the side of the highway. Instead of calling around for a tow truck and paying an exorbitant rate, I was able to call the number on the back of my Chase Sapphire Reserve® and quickly 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, jump starts, fuel delivery, standard winching and lockout, not including key replacement.
How the Chase Sapphire Reserve helped
CNET’S PICK
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
4.2/5
Rating Breakdown 4.2 Welcome Bonus 4.0 Rewards Program 5.0 Value for Money 3.8 Benefits 4.0 Fees and APR 3.5 How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
4.2/5
Rating Breakdown 4.2 Welcome Bonus 4.0 Rewards Program 5.0 Value for Money 3.8 Benefits 4.0 Fees and APR 3.5 How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Intro Offer
60,000 bonus points 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 Travel℠.
Rewards Rate
1x – 10x Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠.; Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠.; Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.; Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Rec. Credit
800 – 850 Excellent Recommended Credit: Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
APR
22.49% – 29.49% Variable
Rating Breakdown 4.2
Welcome Bonus 4.0
Rewards Program 5.0
Value for Money 3.8
Benefits 4.0
Fees and APR 3.5
How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards
We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Card Details
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A Intro Purchase APR
- N/A Regular APR
- 22.49% – 29.49% Variable Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
Rewards Rates
10x
Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠.
5x
Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠.
3x
Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.
1x
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Rating Breakdown 4.2
Welcome Bonus 4.0
Rewards Program 5.0
Value for Money 3.8
Benefits 4.0
Fees and APR 3.5
How We Rate Rewards / Travel Cards
We rate credit cards using our Rewards / Travel methodology for cards tailored to earning rewards. We focus on each card’s reward potential, the value you get compared to the card’s cost, the benefits and the card’s rates and fees. Credit card issuers have no say or influence in our ratings. How we rate credit cards
Card Details
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- N/A Intro Purchase APR
- N/A Regular APR
- 22.49% – 29.49% Variable Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
Rewards Rates
10x
Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠.
5x
Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Travel℠.
3x
Earn 3x points on other travel and dining.
1x
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
After calling the number on the back of my card, I quickly reached a representative.
The representative found an available tow truck and sent me a text link to a site that gave me the driver’s information and expected arrival time. Not wanting to wait around too long, I reached out to the driver, told him exactly where the vehicle was, and that I wanted it towed to the nearest dealer. I then called a ride service to take me home.
Since the dealer was just a few miles away, there was no charge for the towing. Chase will cover the tow so long as it’s under 5 miles.
In addition to the Nissan Leaf’s battery failure, roadside assistance helped when my wife was running an errand and hit more of a crater than a pothole when entering a shopping center.
The crater left her with two flat tires, but again the Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance service had the car towed to the nearest tire shop. Another time, our minivan started emitting thick smoke, and the check engine light came on. Once again, the Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance benefit came to the rescue, as we later learned the car had an oil leak caused by a known defect.
Does Roadside Assistance cost anything?
The Sapphire Reserve roadside assistance benefit differs from the roadside dispatch services offered by many other credit card issuers.
Dispatch services only send assistance, but you must pay for any charges. However, the Chase Sapphire roadside assistance service offers a single number to call to send help, and will also pay for covered services.
In each case of car trouble, I received the service at no charge. If I needed the car to be towed a long distance or received some other type of service that wasn’t covered, I would have been responsible for payment. This benefit is limited to $50 per occurrence, up to four times per year.
Other credit cards that offer roadside dispatch
It would be hard to find another card that offers complimentary roadside assistance, but many cards offer roadside dispatch services that charge a fee.
These include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Freedom Flex®*. All Visa cards offer roadside dispatch for a flat fee of $79.95 per call. Master RoadAssist Roadside Service is also offered on select Mastercards.
*All information about the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
Written by
Jason Steele
Credit card expert and founder of CardCon
As a freelance personal finance writer since 2008, Jason has contributed to over 100 outlets including Forbes, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News, Money.com and NerdWallet. As an industry leader, Jason has spoken at dozens of conferences and is the founder and producer of CardCon, an annual conference for credit card media. Jason also consults with individuals and small business owners to create customized plans to help them earn and spend travel rewards. He can be reached via his website, JasonSteele.com and on LinkedIn.