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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

american-express-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.

a car on a tow truck

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?


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