Good Sam Roadside Assistance review

Good Sam Roadside Assistance is the breakdown service you'll want to show if you need a tow.

Good Sam Roadside Assistance review
(Image: © Good Sam)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

Good Sam provides a roadside rescue service capable of meeting all the various travel challenges motorists could face. The company is definitely worth considering if you ever think you'll be in need of a tow.

Pros

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    Plan options to suit all needs

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    Great towing cover

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    Regular discounts of up to 50%

Cons

  • -

    Terms need reading

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    Only for private, non-commercial vehicles

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Since 1984, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has been assisting RV and car owners in instances of roadside breakdowns. While Good Sam covers all manner of road vehicles, the company specializes in services for RVs and works with many of the best professional RV towing companies, offering unparalleled service and support to RV owners. It's very close to the top of our guide to the best roadside assistance services for 2021 as a result. 

The company offers a number of coverage plans, of which Platinum Complete is the most comprehensive, as it covers multiple RVs, and offers a selection of useful extras that the others don’t like emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, and vehicle return after a qualifying medical event. If you don't need an RV plan, more straightforward auto plans, that come at a cheaper price, are available too. 

Good Sam Roadside Assistance review: What's covered?

A key differentiator of Good Sam Roadside Assistance is the offer of “Unlimited Distance Towing to the Nearest Service Center (US & Canada)” for all of its plans; comparatively, other roadside assistance providers restrict the number of miles they will tow.

Good Sam Roadside Assistance also automatically covers the main member’s spouse/domestic partner and dependent children; this is something other providers typically charge extra for, per additional driver. Coverage includes all of North America, as well as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and the US Virgin Islands. However, roadside assistance services provided in Mexico, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are limited to a maximum of $1,500 per one-year term of membership, depending on the plan purchased. Good Sam Roadside Services has a network of over 40,000 rescue and repair services on standby, covers the essentials and offers many attractive extras. This service is well-suited to families that own multiple vehicles, and especially appealing for families that travel a lot in Recreational Vehicles.

Good Sam Roadside Assistance review: The fine print

Each plan from Good Sam Roadside Assistance comes with a considerable amount of fine print, so you're best advised to go through it all before committing.

For instance, while Good Sam Roadside Assistance offers unlimited towing, it’s only unlimited in making sure you get to the nearest professional service center that is able to repair your vehicle. Should you want it towed somewhere else - say your home - and that’s further away than the nearest qualifying service center as determined by the call center, you'll be charged for the excess miles. 

Furthermore, services will not be provided if the cause of the need is due to acts of God or nature, like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fire, vandalism, and snow removal. Vehicles with pre-existing mechanical disablement conditions are likewise not covered. 

If all this is too confusing, and you simply want straightforward plan options, Allstate could be a better choice for you. 

Good Sam Roadside Assistance review: Costs and ease of use

Key info

Application process: Online, phone
Packages and costs: Ranging from $99.95/yr to $239.95/yr, although big discounts are usually available
24/7 recovery: Yes
Is there an app for that? Yes! iOS and Android

The Good Sam Roadside Assistance website offers comprehensive side-by-side information on all plans and services offered. Plans notionally range from $99.95/yr to $239.95/yr, but the actual price you'll pay is usually much lower, with special discounts often slashing sign-up costs by up to 50%. As a result, the cost of many of the plans can end up very near to the prices offered by the services that represent the best value for money, such as National General

The Good Sam website is relatively easy to navigate, providing you with clearly marked steps that take you from point A to point B in your decision making process. You’ll find it easy to locate the different packages, value-added services and plan prices. Along with Best Roadside Services, this is probably one of the most accessible websites around, with its colorful layout and clearly marked sections. 

Good Sam Roadside Assistance review

(Image credit: Good Sam)

Good Sam Roadside Assistance: Customer reviews and support

The Good Sam Roadside Assistance website clearly communicates the numbers members must call when they need help. There is also an app you can use for iOS and Android, and it's well designed and easy to operate.

Good Sam Roadside Assistance has received around 350 reviews over the past year on Consumer Affairs, earning 2 out of 5 stars in the process. Common complaints include the time it takes for service people to arrive, and having to pay for services that members thought were covered but actually were not. Of course, there are others that have far more positive experiences too, with one recent reviewer saying the service is "Reliable, safe, trusting, and for the price is ridiculous the amount you save with them." 

Should you use Good Sam Roadside Assistance?

Good Sam Roadside Assistance has a rich package breakdown and excellent price points, assuming you make use of the discounts that always seem to be available. The terms and conditions may be many and the reviews slightly mixed, but ultimately Good Sam is a reliable and well-known roadside assistance service that has put considerable effort into creating plans and value-adds that suit different lifestyles and needs. 

Tamsin Oxford

Tamsin Oxford is a freelance technology journalist with a career that spans numerous platforms, technology solutions, markets and industries. She has written and edited numerous technology publications that include PC Zone, PC Format, PC Answers, PC World and many more. Tamsin has written about many different subjects during her time working across Top Ten Reviews.