Roadside Assistance: Free or Affordable Options

Last Updated: July 31, 2023 |
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When your car breaks down in the middle of the road, you need to find roadside assistance to resume your journey as soon as possible. However, roadside assistance can be quite expensive, depending upon your chosen company. In addition to this, if you have to tow your car to the nearby mechanic shop, it can further add to the overall expenses of getting your car fixed.

This is why you need to understand free or affordable roadside assistance options. These options can come in handy and save money simultaneously. Here are some of the topmost affordable roadside assistance options that you can use during a roadside emergency.

Your Cellphone Carrier

Everyone owns a smartphone nowadays. This means that everyone has a cell phone company that provides a variety of services. Did you know that your cell phone company can also help you with roadside assistance?

Almost none of us ever take the time out to take a detailed look at the cell phone contract. You will find a roadside assistance option in your cell phone contract. It comes at an additional cost. However, it is still cheaper than a typical roadside assistance company. You will have to pay a small monthly fee to enjoy monthly roadside assistance services at exceptionally low prices.

Verizon currently offers a monthly roadside assistance option at only $3 per month. Sprint offers a roadside rescue plan for only $4 per month. Similarly, AT&T also offers this coverage for only $2.99 per month. If you want something more comprehensive and powerful, T-Mobile offers a comprehensive emergency plan starting at $120 per month. This plan also covers detailed diagnostics and maintenance reminders.

Auto Warranty

You can also enjoy affordable roadside assistance with an auto warranty. If you buy a brand-new car or a used car from a dealer or the company, they often include a roadside rescue plan in the contract. Moreover, car manufacturers also offer roadside rescue plans in their basic contract. The contract also includes several other options for battery warranty, drivetrain warranty, and a basic warranty. Here is a list of topmost manufacturers that offer roadside assistance for a cheap subscription fee:

There are several conditions for individual coverage plans from different manufacturers. Among the most common factors that influence roadside assistance’s overall subscription cost are your car’s model and the number of miles on your car. Therefore, some companies may not offer a coverage plan for a roadside emergency if your car is older than five years or has driven more than 30,000 miles. These conditions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Smartphone Applications

Smartphone applications also offer roadside assistance if you understand how to use them to your benefit. Nowadays, there is a smartphone application for everything. You can control your entire home or turn on your TV with the help of a smartphone application.

Similarly, you can also control your CCTV cameras or drive your car with a smartphone application. So, it makes sense that your smartphone application also offers roadside assistance when you need it. Here are the topmost applications that offer comprehensive coverage plans for roadside emergencies.

Honk Roadside Assistance App

Honk is among the best applications for roadside assistance. One of the amazing features of this smartphone application is that you do not have to face any hidden charges for a membership fee. Therefore, this application will only charge you when you actually use the services or need roadside assistance.

You should know that this application offers a layout and feature design similar to Uber and other rideshare applications. You can turn on your application, find a nearby towing or roadside service provider, share your location with them, and wait for the drivers to show up at your location.

The application will automatically find the best service providers in your area. In addition to this, you can also enjoy a fast response time and thousands of service vehicles at any time of the day. Moreover, the basic towing or roadside assistance service begins at $49. This is comparatively cheaper than paying monthly fees to an actual roadside assistance company.

When you consider eliminating hidden fees or membership charges, Honk does a pretty good job at offering comprehensive roadside emergency plans. You can pay with your debit card or credit card right from your application.

Blink Roadside Assistance App

Blink is yet another powerful roadside assistance app that you must have on your cell phone. Once again, you do not have to pay any membership charges or hidden fees to use this application when you need it. It works on a similar action plan as Uber and Lyft. According to the website, Blink has helped over 80 million users. Here are some of the topmost services included in their rescue plan:

Credit Card Provider

Did you know your credit card provider also offers an option for roadside emergency services? Some people only use their credit cards for amazing perks, such as travel benefits, promotional codes, and discounts. However, credit card companies also offer roadside assistance for an additional fee.

You will have to read the individual contracts for different credit card companies to understand how their coverage plans work. In general, credit card companies only help connect you with the right service provider. Moreover, these companies also have certain limitations regarding the number of times you can use roadside emergency services.

Auto Insurance Provider

Auto insurance providers cover a wide array of things when it comes to taking care of your vehicle. Roadside assistance services are also a part of their contracts. This is why you should inquire about roadside assistance services and different packages available for your specific needs. The chances are that your auto insurance provider offers a comprehensive roadside emergency coverage plan that is comparatively cheaper than an auto club.

Several factors influence the overall cost of your coverage plan. These factors may include your current location, your car’s model, the number of miles on your car, and the manufacturer. Here are the topmost insurance providers that offer affordable roadside assistance services at your disposal.

Allstate Roadside Assistance

Who doesn’t know about Allstate? Did you know that Allstate also offers roadside plans starting at $7 per month? This is an excellent option considering that you will have to pay hundreds of dollars if you go with an auto club.

In addition to this, you can also enjoy insurance services along with your roadside plan. Allstate offers a pay-per-use plan and a membership option. Here are the topmost perks of using Allstate for roadside emergencies:

Progressive Roadside Assistance

Progressive also offers amazing auto insurance plans and roadside assistance services at your fingertips. Similarly, Progressive also offers cheaper options as compared to other options in the market. Here are some of the most common assistance features included in Progressive roadside services:

Geico Roadside Assistance

Who doesn’t remember the Geico Gecko from those amazing commercials in the 90s? Well, Geico also offers some of the best auto insurance plans and affordable roadside assistance services at your fingertips. Geico has always been an advocate for affordable services for customers. Therefore, if you decide to take advantage of Geico’s roadside assistance services, you can get started for as low as $14 per year.

This is remarkable considering that you will have to pay hundreds of dollars for other options. However, your overall cost will also increase as you start including more options in your basic roadside emergency package. Still, Geico covers all the basic facilities associated with roadside emergency coverage plans. This means that you can enjoy the following perks with Geico:

Membership Benefits

We are not talking about a specific membership plan here. Some people get to enjoy different membership plans depending upon their current age, profession, or company. Moreover, some people also purchase membership plans for different clubs and societies. You should know that most of these clubs and membership plans offer comprehensive roadside assistance plans at your disposal.

People rarely read the terms of a contract in detail, which is why they are unaware of a membership plan’s true potential. These membership plans are designed to help you live your best life. Here are the topmost companies that offer roadside emergency services along with a basic contract or membership plan.

AARP

AARP caters to the specific requirements of people above the age of 50. Therefore, if you are more than 50 years of age, you must be familiar with AARP. If you have a membership plan with this organization, you should know that they also offer discounted roadside services to all their members.

Moreover, AARP also offers roadside services in partnership with the Allstate insurance provider. So, your requirements will be fulfilled by the top service providers in the area. There are two basic plans available for members; platinum elite and roadside advantage. Here are the most common facilities covered in both of these options:

Union Plus Motor Club

Union Plus Motor Club is yet another non-profit organization that offers amazing membership plans for customers. This organization focuses solely upon middle-class families. If you read their contracts in detail, you will find a 24-hour roadside assistance package at exceptionally low prices.

The basic roadside assistance plan begins at only $69 per year. Moreover, this plan can also cover your entire family. It includes the following options:

If you want to get a better plan with Union Plus Motor Club, you can upgrade your membership and enjoy advanced emergency coverage. The advanced emergency coverage offers the following parks at your disposal:

Choosing Roadside Assistance

While this list doesn’t include every optionable, these are among the most affordable options for emergency roadside assistance services. You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars every month to auto clubs. You can easily download a smartphone application or get a membership plan that offers multiple perks alongside a comprehensive roadside assistance package. You can research the options mentioned above and choose the one that suits your requirements.