One of the benefits of the Platinum card® from American Express is free American Express roadside assistance. I (my wife) signed up for a Platinum card® from American Express as part of a recent credit card signup, and I’ve added myself as an authorized user.
We signed up for the Ameriprise version of the Platinum card® from American Express (when the signup bonus was increased from its usual “nothing” to 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards. The Ameriprise Platinum card allows up to 3 authorized users for no additional fees, whereas typically with the Platinum card from American Express, it costs $175.
Using your free American Express roadside assistance
If you have the Platinum card® from American Express, one of the advertised benefits is free Premium American Express Roadside Assistance. Here are the official American Express Platinum Roadside Assistance terms
So your American Express roadside assistance covers:
- Towing up to 10 miles and winching
- Jump starts
- Flat tire change (if you have the spare)
- Lockout service if the key is in the vehicle
- Delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel (for if you run out of gas)
(you can also see the start of the terms for the American Express Priority Pass Platinum card benefit, which is another one of the awesome benefits of the Platinum card from American Express)
My experience using the American Express roadside assistance
You can use the American Express roadside assistance benefit 4 times in a calendar year, so when my car wouldn’t start recently, I figured this was a perfect time to use my American Express roadside assistance benefit. To use American Express roadside assistance, just call 1-800-333-AMEX. You’ll need your Platinum card from American Express number (or I’d imagine it’s likely they can look you up). Once you’re authorized, the Amex agent will contact a 3rd party (such as a locksmith, tow truck driver, etc). Very similar to AAA if you’ve used their roadside assistance services.
In my case, when the tow truck driver came, he was able to get my car started, but then it died again. We thought about just getting my car started and then driving it to the repair shop, but since towing is also covered under American Express roadside assistance, I decided to just have him tow my car to the shop (where the repairs ended up costing like $900 which sucked but hey at least I made some of my minimum spend!) 😀
As I mentioned, the American Express roadside assistance benefit is good for both the primary cardholder as well as any authorized cardholders. The American Express roadside assistance official terms do mention that the cardholder should be there with the vehicle, though in practice, I have not found that to be true (the tow truck driver or locksmith generally don’t care nor ask for any identification, but YMMV).
Have you ever used the American Express roadside assistance?
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I used this service today because my daughter had to get her car towed (2 flat tires on the drivers side). It was so simple and much less hasstle than AAA, the first 10 miles were free and $3 a mile after that (AAA basic is 3 miles free then $4 per mile). I love my Hilton Aspire card, it has paid for itself so many times already.