Roadside assistance is an insurance addendum you can purchase for a couple dollars each month. Most people add it to their car insurance for peace of mind. You can also pay an annual membership to auto clubs to get roadside assistance. There are restrictions for use on both of these plans and services, but if you purchase both, there are ways to make both service plans work well for you. Here is how that works.

Use the Free Services from Your Auto Club Membership First

Your auto club membership probably provides anywhere from three to six service calls a year. Given the price of most auto club annual dues, you should pay the little bit extra to get the most service calls you can. (There are extra perks to the premium memberships, too; not just extra roadside assistance service calls.)

Use all of your roadside assistance service calls from your auto club membership first, since your car insurance company has their own set of restrictions on the roadside assistance addendum. Hopefully, you will not use all those service calls, but if you have to, the service calls with the auto club membership pay for your membership dues several times over each time you need a tow, a tire change, a battery jump start, or gas.

Use Your Car Insurance's Roadside Assistance Calls Second

If, somehow, you own the worst car on the planet, and you have used up every last service call from your auto club membership, you can then tap into your car insurance's addendum for help. A lot of car insurance companies may only allow you two or three service calls of this type per year. Plus, they may only allow them if your car has stalled out on the road or has been in an accident.

Additionally, using your car insurance's addendum for roadside assistance may drive up the cost of your premiums. It is extremely helpful to have on the one hand, but potentially expense-inducing on the other. That is why you should have and use the auto club membership's service calls first. If you want to check your insurance addendum to verify number of service calls, impact on your premiums, and restrictions for use, you should. However, this little extra service attached to your car insurance is still worth having, especially if you are driving a really old car that breaks down on the road a lot.

For more information on roadside assistance in your area, contact a local company like Shasta County Towing.