How to Get Free Roadside Assistance: Ditch CAA & Sign Up for These Credit Cards

Folks, it is with great pleasure and regret that I must inform you that we live in Canada.

That means we get feet of snow, freezing subzero temperatures, and lots of ice. Yes, even British Columbia – though perhaps their drivers are more inclined to have issues arise from forgetting to fuel their cards.

All these issues make roadside assistance practically a necessity. But did you know that you can get excellent help without paying for a membership?

Join us as we hop into the best Canadian credit cards for free roadside assistance.

What is Roadside Assistance?

Roadside assistance is a service provided by a company to help motorists. The largest and most famous of these is the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), associated with the American Automobile Association in the United States (AAA). To add extra confusion, the CAA’s Alberta affiliate is known as the Alberta Motor Association (AMA).

Each of these companies maintains a fleet of vehicles, usually tow trucks, and operators trained in basic mechanical troubleshooting. Have a dead battery? They can charge it. Battery won’t start or blew a tire? They can tow you to a repair shop in the vicinity. Ran out of gas? They can get you enough to get to the next service station.

Roadside Assistance Options in Canada

Needless to say, these roadside assistance options aren’t free. Like any business, operators want to make money, so they usually charge members fees.

CAA/AAA/AMA members do enjoy benefits other than access to motor services. For example, membership is one of the most common ways to access a small 5-10% discount on hotel stays, but at the cost of an annual fee.

Canadian Tire offers an equivalent product starting at $74.99 a year.

Usually, the more you pay, the better the service you’re entitled to, such as more service calls or tows to a more extended range. Here in Alberta, AMA also works as a registry agency for renewing driver’s licenses, registrations, conducting auto sales, and so on.

Finally, there’s a company you may not have heard of: the Dominion Automobile Association (DAA). This organization was founded in 1948 but now operates as a B2B service: you can’t buy a membership with them, but they do manage the roadside logistics for many of the credit cards on this list.

One thing that should be noted: the roadside benefits on each card listed below provide towing up to a maximum distance. However, should you need to go further, additional fees may apply. 

Canadian Credit Cards with Free Roadside Assistance Benefits

Four Canadian cards currently offer free roadside assistance as a benefit. Three of them hand this benefit to the DAA, whereas Canadian Tire runs its own. We created this table to help you do a side-by-side comparison.

Credit Card	Annual Fee	Minimum Income	Program (Operated By)	Service Calls	Towing	Fuel Included?
Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard	$0	$80,000 personal or $150,000 household	Roadside Assistance Gold Plan (Canadian Tire)	5 per 12 months, plus unlimited tows to a Canadian Tire Auto Service Centre	Up to 200 km, to any destination you choose	$5 of fuel
TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card	$139	$60,000 personal or $100,000 household	Deluxe TD Auto Club (DAA)	Unlimited	Nearest service centre within 5 km; up to 200 km if none closer	5 litres
BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard	$139	$80,000 personal or $150,000 household	BMO Roadside Assistance Program, Basic Coverage (DAA)	4 per year, per cardholder	Nearest repair facility within 10 km	No, you pay for the fuel
BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard	$150	$80,000 personal or $150,000 household	BMO Roadside Assistance Program, Basic Coverage (DAA)	4 per year, per cardholder	Nearest repair facility within 10 km	No, you pay for the fuel
CIBC Adapta Mastercard	$0	$15,000 household	CIBC Auto Club (DAA)	3 per rolling 12 months	Nearest repair facility within 5 km; up to 15 km if none closer	No, you pay for the fuel

Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard

Getting a World Elite for no annual fee is awesome, though its income requirements of $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income still remain. Still, we’ve sung the praises of the Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard many times because of its 4% back in Canadian Tire Money at Canadian Tire banners, 3% on groceries (up to $12,000 per calendar year, excluding Costco and Walmart), 5¢ to 7¢ per litre at Gas+ and Petro-Canada, and 1% on everything else.

The roadside benefit comes from Canadian Tire’s in-house Roadside Assistance Gold Plan. This includes five service calls per 12-month period, each with a tow of up to 200 km to any destination you choose in Canada or the US. Tows to a Canadian Tire Auto Service Centre don’t count against the five, though may God have mercy on your soul should you dare service your car there. 

Fuel delivery, if needed, includes $5 of gas, and service calls can also include battery boosts, lockouts, flat tire changes, and winching. The primary cardholder has to activate the plan online, but be advised that coverage starts 24 hours later. Motorcycles and RVs are excluded.

Note that Canadian Tire will explicitly tow you from the site of an accident and, depending on severity, reimburse you up to $200 on meals and hotels if you’re stranded more than 100km from home.

We at Frugal Flyer can attest to the quality of the service provided by the plan because it uses sub-contracted professional towing companies that we have found to be much faster than competing products in adverse winter conditions.

TD Cashback Visa Infinite Card

The $139 annual fee on the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card can be rebated with a TD All-Inclusive Banking Plan, though its $60,000 personal or $100,000 household income requirement cannot. 

The card earns 3% cash back on groceries, gas and EV charging, transit, recurring bills, and streaming. Each category is capped at $15,000 per category per year (we wish you luck on charging $15,000 to streaming, though the NHL is making that prospect much easier), and 1% on everything else.

The “Deluxe TD Auto Club” bundled with the card is run by DAA and needs no activation. It covers the primary cardholder, their spouse, and unmarried kids under 22 at home, in any car, with unlimited service calls. Towing is to the nearest service centre within 5 km, or up to 200 km if there’s nothing closer. Gas delivery includes up to five litres. Battery boosts, flat tire changes, lockouts, and winching are covered, and motorcycles and RVs under 3,600 kg qualify.

Note that towing from accidents is provided, but only on a reimbursement basis: up to $200 to a shop if your insurer doesn’t cover it. This requires a police report, though you can go back to the site of the crash for up to $200 and $50 in incidentals if it’s a long way away.

BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard

The BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard ostensibly comes with a $139 annual fee, though it’s typically waived in year one as part of the welcome offer. Like all World Elite Mastercards, it has an $80,000 personal or $150,000 household income requirement. 

In terms of earn rates, it earns 5% on groceries (up to $500 per statement period), 4% on transit (up to $300), 3% on gas and EV charging (up to $300), 2% on recurring bills (up to $500), and 1% on everything else.

BMO’s Roadside Assistance Program (Basic Coverage) is run by DAA, embedded with no activation, and valued by BMO at $75 a year. It provides four service calls per year, per cardholder, in any passenger vehicle you own, borrow, or rent. Towing is to the nearest repair facility within 10 km, and beyond this, fees apply. Battery boost, flat tire change, lockout, and an hour of winching are covered. While fuel can be delivered, you’ll need to pay for it, and the coverage excludes RVs and motorcycles.

For accidents, you cannot use this service if your vehicle is in unroadworthy condition. In such a case, you’ll need to go to your insurer.

BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard

The BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard is the newest card on this list, launched this past June when AIR MILES was relaunched as Blue Rewards. The card comes with a $150 annual fee, though it’s usually waived in the first year as part of the welcome bonus. The typical World Elite minimum income requirements of $80,000 or $150,000 personal or household income apply.

This product earns 10 Blue Points per dollar at participating Blue Rewards partners (on up to $25,000 per calendar year), 2 points per dollar on groceries, gas, EV charging, wholesale clubs and alcohol (to $500 per category per statement cycle), and 1 point on everything else.

Points are redeemed at a flat rate of 1,500 Blue Points for $10 (or .67 cents per point) in credit at Blue Points partners or on select gift cards, or at a rate of 1,500 Blue Points per $9.50 (or .63 cents per point) on travel booked via the Blue Rewards travel portal powered by Expedia.

The roadside benefit is the same BMO Roadside Assistance Program bundled with the Cashback World Elite.

The service is run by the DAA and provides an identical four service calls per year, per cardholder, for towns up to 10 kilometers. Battery boost, flat tire change, lockout, and an hour of winching are covered. Fuel can be delivered, but you’ll pay for it, and RVs and motorcycles are excluded.

As with its CashBack sibling, you cannot use this service if your vehicle is in unroadworthy condition. Accidents are your insurer’s problem.

CIBC Adapta Mastercard

The CIBC Adapta Mastercard is the only other true no-fee card on this list, and requires only $15,000 in income. By default, it is therefore the best option for Canadians on a lower income. 

The card earns 1.5 Adapta points per dollar on your top three spending categories each month (capped at 40,000 bonus points a year) and 1 point on everything else. Points are worth 0.83 cents toward CIBC products or on CIBC’s Expedia-powered travel portal, or 0.67 cents as a statement credit. 

This card does have a World version that has slightly better insurance, but that product requires $50,000 personal or $80,000 household annual income. Mechanically, it doesn’t make a big difference.

The “CIBC Auto Club” bundled with this product is run by DAA and activates within three business days of your first purchase. It covers the primary cardholder only, in any car: three service calls per 12 months, with towing to the nearest repair facility within 5 km (15 km if nothing closer). Battery jump starts, flat tire changes, lockouts, and winching are covered, up to $100 per call. Fuel is delivered, but you pay for it. Do note: towing from accidents isn’t covered.

Editor’s Pick: Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard

If you can qualify for the income and lending requirements, the Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard really can’t be topped by any other product on the market.

It’s hard to imagine a product that gives roadside towing up to 200km, including from major accidents, for the price of free. Now, Canadian Tire is expecting you to shop at their stores, so feel free to do so without guilt and earn 4% back in Canadian Tire Money. Just don’t carry a balance on the card, as interest is always the silent killer.

In terms of a product that helps the customer, this product is the gold standard, and its roadside assistance is the Gold tier for a reason.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we hope that we’ve helped you understand which Canadian credit cards offer the best roadside assistance for free. While there are some exclusions, particularly around accidents, it’s our goal to get you to travel more and pay less, even on the open roads.

Until next time, don’t leave the Dominion Auto Association waiting.