September 3, 2011

Finding Auto Insurance Providers With 24/7 Roadside Assistance Services

Major auto insurance providers offer a large variety of roadside assistance services to their policyholders. These services include pay as you go plans with a la carte pricing, flat-rate services offered with one annual fee, and premium roadside assistance services that offer benefits similar to travel insurance. Today, more auto insurance providers are offering complete roadside assistance services to their policyholders, and this is making these supplemental benefits more affordable. Roadside assistance services offered by auto insurance providers straddle the boundary between car insurance, motor club benefits and travel insurance. Some premium roadside assistance packages come with trip interruption coverage in case your vehicle breaks down while you're away from home.

To provide a high level of service to drivers across the nation, most auto insurance providers hire third-party automotive service companies and their affiliates to operate 24/7 roadside assistance call centers who notify local towing companies, locksmiths and automotive service companies. Roadside assistance coverage purchased from your insurer typically includes towing, flat tire repair, locksmith services, fluid and fuel refills, emergency jump starts and other services that can be completed on site. In addition to notifying local affiliates and towing companies, roadside assistance will often reimburse you if you paid a towing company out of pocket. Auto insurance providers offer 24/7 roadside assistance coverage at competitive rates. From an insurance standpoint, providers would rather pay to have your vehicle towed to a safe location than have a claim being filed for damage caused to a disabled vehicle.

If you already purchased collision and comprehensive coverage, you may automatically be offered 24/7 roadside assistance for little or no additional cost. Policyholders with roadside assistance coverage may have to pay more if they have used the service too frequently in the past. In general, annual fees for roadside assistance are very affordable. Some providers even extend coverage to five drivers or five vehicles for one flat-rate fee. If you are ready to add supplemental roadside assistance coverage to your policy, you'll have several options. Some auto insurance providers are pioneering pay as you use coverage that is available with no annual fee. These plans typically offer services at a standard flat rate. Some providers also offer coverage to policyholders insured through other insurance companies. Full-service roadside assistance is also available in prepaid plans similar to coverage offered by traditional motor clubs.

In some cases, there is a maximum annual limit to the amount of roadside assistance benefits a policyholder can receive. This typically depends on the policy terms and state of residence. Purchasing roadside assistance coverage through your primary auto insurance providers is the most cost-effect way to secure 24/7 roadside assistance.