Does Costco Offer Roadside Assistance?
Last Updated on July 7, 2022
Costco offers many benefits to members, and some members may qualify for roadside assistance.
Costco does not provide complimentary roadside assistance to all members. However, you may have roadside assistance if you have the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi or if you have auto insurance through Costco.
Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about Costco’s roadside assistance and how it works.
Table of Contents:
- Costco Does Not Directly Offer Roadside Assistance to Members
- Costco Roadside Assistance Plans and Membership Tiers
- How to Access Costco Roadside Assistance
- How Does Costco’s Credit Card Roadside Assistance Work?
- How Does Costco’s Auto Insurance Roadside Assistance Coverage Work?
Costco Does Not Directly Offer Roadside Assistance to Members
If you are a Costco member, then you do not automatically have roadside assistance.
Although Costco members receive automatic access to other perks, they do not receive access to roadside assistance.
However, you can qualify for Costco roadside assistance using the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi or by buying auto insurance through Costco.
Costco Roadside Assistance Plans and Membership Tiers
Regardless of your membership tier, you cannot access roadside assistance as an automatic membership perk.
Costco currently offers three main types of membership, including:
- Executive Membership ($120 Per Year)
- Business Membership ($60 Per Year)
- Gold Star Membership ($60 Per Year)
Regardless of which membership tier you have, however, you do not have complimentary roadside assistance. Although some sources online report free roadside assistance for executive members, that is no longer the case.
The only way to buy Costco roadside assistance is to carry the Costco credit card or buy auto insurance through Costco.
How to Access Costco Roadside Assistance
Costco offers credit cards and auto insurance. If you have a Costco credit card (like the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi), or if you have Costco auto insurance (provided by American Family Insurance), then you may have access to roadside assistance.
Costco Credit Card Roadside Assistance: Many Costco members have a Costco credit card. The card provides additional cashback perks when shopping at Costco. Like many credit cards, the Costco credit card also comes with complimentary roadside assistance.
Costco Car Insurance Roadside Assistance: Costco members qualify for special auto insurance rates. As a Costco member, you can access special discounts through Costco Insurance Agency, Inc., which partners with American Family Insurance for auto insurance. If you have Costco car insurance, then you may be able to add Connect roadside assistance coverage to your policy (or, you may already have it).
How Does Costco’s Credit Card Roadside Assistance Work?
Costco’s main credit card is called the Costco Anywhere Visa Card. It’s powered by Citi.
As a Costco Anywhere Visa Card holder, you have complimentary roadside assistance just for being a cardholder.
Your roadside assistance policy includes 24/7 access to a range of services, including:
- Towing
- Winching and extractions
- Jump starts
- Flat-tire changes
- Lockout service
- Delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel
You can call 1 (866) 918-4670 at any time to request roadside assistance.
This roadside assistance policy is similar to the policies offered by other Visa cards. Visa offers complimentary roadside assistance on virtually all of its cards.
Visa’s roadside assistance typically covers towing, tire changes, jumpstarts, locksmith services, fuel delivery, and winching. As long as you’re a Visa customer and hold some type of Visa credit card, you qualify for complimentary roadside assistance.
This roadside assistance may or may not be complimentary, depending on the terms of your card. Some Visa customers pay a fixed fee of $69.95 per service call through the Visa Roadside Dispatch. Other Costco members report paying $0 for any covered services (including the services listed above), and then pay a fixed rate for uncovered services.
Another perk of Costco’s credit card roadside assistance is that it follows the cardholder – not the vehicle. You should be able to request roadside assistance for any vehicle where you were the driver or passenger – including rental cars, cars driven by other people, and other vehicles.
Check your Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi cardholder agreement to verify roadside assistance coverage.
How Does Costco’s Auto Insurance Roadside Assistance Coverage Work?
Costco members can buy auto insurance and other insurance products through Costco Insurance Agency, Inc.
Costco Insurance Agency, Inc. has partnered with American Family Insurance to provide auto insurance to customers across the United States.
If you have auto insurance through Costco, then you could add roadside assistance to your policy for a few extra dollars per year.
American Family offers roadside assistance through Connect. The company partners with roadside assistance vendors across the country to provide free roadside assistance to members.
Connect by American Family covers the following:
- Flat tire repairs and replacements
- Towing to a service station
- Dead battery jumpstarts
- Fuel delivery (not including the cost of gas)
- Winching
- Vehicle lockout
Call 1-888-742-4572 to contact Connect. The service is available 24/7.
Connect is not automatically part of your Costco auto insurance policy. If you have Costco auto insurance, then you may or may not have roadside assistance. If you added it to your policy already, then you can make a claim at any time. If you did not already add it to your policy, then you may need to add it to your policy first for a few extra dollars per year before making a claim.
According to Connect by American Family, roadside assistance is typically available on all auto insurance policies. Check your policy documents or contact American Family to verify whether or not you have roadside assistance.
Final Word on Costco Roadside Assistance
Costco does not automatically include roadside assistance in any membership plan. Whether you have a standard membership or an Executive membership, you do not automatically have roadside assistance as a membership perk.
However, all Costco credit card holders have roadside assistance as a perk of being a cardholder.
And, Costco auto insurance policyholders can buy roadside assistance via Connect, which is American Family Insurance’s roadside assistance program, for a few extra dollars per year.
Check your Costco auto insurance policy documentation or credit card paperwork to verify you have Costco roadside assistance coverage.
