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We reviewed dozens of credit cards to find those that pay increased rewards when you fill up your tank. The result is our list of the 10 best gas rewards credit cards.
Gasoline is a major expense for many families, especially those with long commutes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumers spend over $2,000 a year on gas, motor oil and other fuels.
But gasoline retailers have a very slim profit margin, which is why you’ll almost never see a discount coupon for fuel. The one way that you can save money on your gasoline purchases is by using a credit card that offers bonus rewards for fuel.
The right gas credit card can offer you as much as 4% cash back at the pump, and potentially even more valuable travel rewards.
Let’s take a look at some of the top cards that offer bonuses on gas purchases, and see which one is right for you.
Methodology
To find the best credit cards for gasoline purchases, we looked at dozens of cards from all of the major credit card issuers. We then focussed on the cards that offered bonus rewards for gas purchases. And since credit card rewards come in the form of cash back, or reward points and miles, we factored in the value of any points and miles you receive. Finally, we considered the cost of any annual fees and the limits on the amount of purchases that qualify for additional bonus rewards.
10 Best Gas Rewards Credit Cards
- Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: 4% Cash Back on Gas
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred: Up to 6% Cash Back
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card: $300 Signup Bonus
- Chase Freedom: Best for 5% quarterly bonuses
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Best for Free Hotel Nights
- Citi Premier Card: 3x Rewards on Travel and Gas
- Capital One Walmart Rewards Card: Best for Walmart Shoppers
- Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card: Up to 5.25% Cash Back on Gas
- Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card – 50% Bonus on Airfare
- Wells Fargo Rewards Card: 5x Rewards on Gas
Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi – 4% Cash Back on Gas
It is hard to beat the 4% cash back on the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi. With this credit card, you earn 4% cash back worldwide on the first $7,000 you spend on gas each year. That’s almost $600 in gas purchases per month where you can earn 4% cash back. When maxing out these rewards, you’ll earn a substantial $280 every year in cash back.
The Costco Anywhere card is also good to use for dining, travel, and Costco purchases. Dining and travel expenses receive an unlimited 3% cash back anywhere in the world, while purchases at Costco warehouse stores offer 2% back, and the rest of your purchases earn 1%.
One downside to the card is that rewards are paid out once a year, not monthly. Your rewards are received as an annual reward certificate once your February statement closes. The certificate can be redeemed for cash or used to purchase merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouse locations.
This card offers protection on your eligible purchases as well. The manufacturer’s warranty is doubled on eligible purchases, up to one full year. And your eligible purchases are repaired or refunded if damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase thanks to damage and theft purchase protection. There’s no annual fee for this card with your paid Costco membership.
Amex Blue Cash Preferred – Up to 6% Cash Back
The American Express Blue Cash Preferred gives cardholders multiple ways to earn up to 6% cash back on their purchases. The savings start with an unlimited 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and transit purchases. The transit category includes expenses like subways, rideshares, and trains.
This card also offers 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets and streaming subscriptions. The grocery store cash back is limited to your first $6,000 spent each year, or an average of $500 per month. If you make the most of this offer, then you’ll earn $360 in cash back each year.
When you apply for a new Blue Cash Preferred credit card, you’ll receive a welcome bonus of $250 after spending $1,000 within the first three months. The bonus will appear as a statement credit once you’ve qualified. The rewards earned can be redeemed for statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise from hundreds of retailers.
This card has an annual fee of $95. However, with the opportunity to earn $360 from groceries and unlimited cash back from gasoline purchases, it is worth it to pay the annual fee.
One potential drawback on the card is that rewards cannot be redeemed for cash. Instead, cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. For those who use the card regularly, receiving rewards as a statement credit is effectively the same as cash.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card – $300 Signup Bonus
Several credit cards offer 3x points on gas, travel, or dining purchases, but most of them charge an annual fee. The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card does not charge an annual fee in order to provide some great benefits.
When you’re approved for the Propel card, you’ll earn 3x points on dining, gas, transit, travel, and streaming services. This includes eating out, dining in, rideshares, flights, hotels, and car rentals. You’ll earn one point per dollar on all other purchases. There’s no limit to the number of points you can earn and points don’t expire while your account stays open.
The Propel card also protects your phone while on the go. When charging your cell phone bill to this credit card, you are protected from theft and damage. If either occurs, you receive up to $600 of protection to fix or replace your phone. And if you travel internationally, there are no foreign transaction fees on your purchases.
To give your rewards balance a boost, new applicants receive 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. Those points are worth $300 of travel, gift cards, and more. You can even redeem your points for gas station gift cards to save money on your fuel purchases.
Chase Freedom – Best for 5% quarterly bonuses
The Chase Freedom is a cash back credit card that offers rotating quarterly bonuses where you can earn 5% on those purchases. The 5% bonus payout is limited to the first $1,500 in purchases per quarter. All other purchases will earn 1% cash back.
Each quarter, the bonus categories change to focus on in-store and online retailers where consumers spend the most. Previous categories have included gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores, and home improvement stores. Simply register for the quarterly bonus and all eligible purchases during the quarter will earn 5% cash back. If you max out all four of the quarterly bonus promotions, you’ll earn $300 in cash back. In 2019, gas stations were the quarterly bonus category twice. That means you had six months to earn 5% cash back when fueling up your vehicle.
A special signup bonus is offering $150 after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The points earned from this no annual fee credit card never expire as long as your account remains open. Points can be redeemed for cash. If you also have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, then you can redeem your points for travel or transfer them to 13 airline and hotel transfer partners.
▸ RELATED: Travel often? Explore our favorite travel credit cards.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card – Best for Free Hotel Nights
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card earns hotel points towards free rooms for your next vacation. In addition to the 12x points for spending at Hilton, you earn 6x points at U.S. restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations. All other purchases earn 3x points per dollar spent.
When you sign up for the Surpass Card, you receive a welcome bonus of 125,000 points after spending at least $2,000 within three months of opening your account.
Your status is automatically elevated to Hilton Honors Gold status once your account is open. If you don’t already have a Hilton Honors account, one will be created for you. And big spenders can upgrade their membership to Hilton Honors Diamond status when they spend at least $40,000 in a calendar year.
Additionally, when you spend at least $15,000 in a calendar year, you’ll receive a free weekend night certificate. This certificate can be used at almost any of the 5,700 Hilton hotels and resorts in 113 countries around the world. There are 14 brands within the Hilton family, so there is at least one that will fit your style of travel.
As you travel with the Surpass Card, you’ll enjoy up to 10 complimentary Priority Pass Select visits at over 1,200 airport lounges each year. Plus, there are no foreign transaction fees on your purchases.
Citi Premier Card – 3x Rewards on Travel and Gas
The Citi Premier Card is geared towards travelers. Whether you’re gassing up for a road trip or booking a flight, you’ll earn 3x points on gas, flights, hotels, and more. Plus, you’ll receive 2x points on dining and entertainment around town and on vacation. There is no limit to the points you earn and your points do not expire as long as your account remains open.
When you open a new account, you’ll receive 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within three months of opening your account. All points earned are worth 25% more when booking flights. For example, the 60,000 bonus points are worth $750 in flights with no blackout dates at ThankYou.com. Alternatively, you may redeem those points for $600 in gift cards from the ThankYou Rewards collection.
Experienced travelers will tell you that the best value for your points is when you transfer them to a partner airline. Citi ThankYou has 14 airline transfer partners to choose from, including Air France / KLM, Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, and Qantas.
There is a $95 annual fee for the Citi Premier Card, but the ability to receive extra value by booking airfare or transferring to airline partners makes the fee worth it.
Capital One Walmart Rewards Card – Best for Walmart Shoppers
People love to shop at Walmart because it offers low prices on things they buy every day. The Capital One Walmart Rewards Card offers a promotional 5% on Walmart Pay purchases during the first 12 months after opening your account. After that, you’ll earn an unlimited 5% cash back at Walmart.com and the Walmart mobile app plus 2% on in-store purchases at Walmart.
Walmart sells nearly everything you need, so the 5% cash back savings can be a huge savings boost to your budget. Many Walmart stores have Murphy USA Fuel Stations in their parking lot that also offer low gas prices to customers. The Walmart Rewards card offers 2% cash back on these fill-ups.
When you spend on travel and dining, those transactions receive 2% cash back. All other swipes of the credit card earn 1%. The cash back rewards on this no annual fee credit card can be redeemed multiple ways. You can request a statement credit, cover purchases at Walmart.com, or redeem for travel and gift cards.
Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card – Up to 5.25% Cash Back on Gas
Bank of America offers increased rewards to customers who have a deeper relationship with the bank. When you qualify for the highest tier, you can receive an extra 75% more cash back on every purchase with the Bank of America Cash Rewards card.
This credit card offers 3% cash back on the category of your choice. Each month, you may choose between gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement and furnishings. If you don’t change your selection, the category will continue from the prior month.
Additionally, you earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs. The 3% and 2% cash back categories are limited to the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter. Maxing the 3% bonus would equal $300 per year in cash back. All purchases outside of this promotion earn 1%. Your rewards earned do not expire as long as your account stays open.
As a Preferred Rewards customer, you can earn an extra 25% to 75% more points each month, depending upon your banking relationship. That means that your 3% category earns as much as 5.25% in cash back rewards each month. Preferred Rewards start with customers who have at least $20,000 in Bank of America accounts. The 75% bonus requires a minimum of $100,000 in account balances.
For new accounts, there is a $200 cash rewards bonus offer after making $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. The value of these rewards can really add up, especially because there’s no annual fee for this card.
Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card – 50% Bonus on Airfare
The Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card offers an incredible 50% boost in value when redeeming points for airfare. This means that 20,000 points, which is usually worth $200 in cash, can buy $300 in airplane tickets.
To earn all of those points, Wells Fargo has a promo offering for the first six months. During this promo, you earn 5x rewards points on the first $12,500 of gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases. That gives you an average of almost $2,100 in spending per month to earn 5x rewards. If you maxed out this offer, you’d have $625 in cash back or $937.50 in airfare.
You have five years from the date you earn the points to use them on this no annual fee credit card.
This Visa Signature card also offers multiple benefits to protect cardholders. Your cell phone is protected from damage or theft up to $600 per claim and $1,200 per year. When traveling, you have coverage for trip cancellation, lost luggage, and collision in a rental car. And you receive elite-level benefits when booking hotels through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.
Wells Fargo Rewards Card – 5x Rewards on Gas
The Wells Fargo Rewards Card also offers 5x rewards for the first six months after opening your account. The first $12,500 in spending on gas and groceries and at drugstores qualify for these bonus points. Everything else receives 1x rewards.
Wells Fargo offers flexibility when redeeming rewards. You can use points for cash, travel, gift cards, and merchandise. Points can be gifted, pooled with others, or donated to charity.
What sets this credit card apart is its low introductory APR for balance transfers and purchases. It offers new accounts 15 months of 0% introductory financing on both new purchases and balance transfers, with a 3% balance transfer fee.
This no annual fee Visa credit card carries a lot of benefits that cardholders appreciate, including roadside dispatch, travel accident insurance, and rental car collision damage waivers protect you while traveling. And your cell phone is covered in case of theft or damage. It can also be linked for overdraft protection on your Wells Fargo checking account.
Choosing the right credit card for gas purchases
Not only are there numerous cards that offer you bonus rewards for gas purchases, there’s also several different types of rewards that you can earn. The Costco Anywhere Visa, the Capital One Walmart Mastercard, the Bank of America Cash Rewards card and the American Express Blue Cash Preferred each offer traditional cash back rewards, including a bonus for gas purchases.
On the other hand, the Wells Fargo Rewards Card, the Visa Signature card and Propel American Express cards all offer reward points that can be redeemed in a variety of ways. The Citi Premier also offers points that can be transferred to airline miles, while the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card offers hotel rewards that can be redeemed for a free night stay.
An interesting case is the Chase Freedom which offers cash back to most people. These rewards can be combined with Ultimate Rewards points earned from their other cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred. When you’re then able to transfer these rewards to airline miles or hotel points, you can realize far more than the one cent per point that they are normally worth.
When choosing the best gas rewards credit card, one should certainly look at the rewards rate. But other factors should also be considered. As noted above, the type of rewards received is an important consideration. For those who travel frequently, the travel options may offer a more attractive solution than standard cash back. In addition, one should consider the reward rates on other categories of purchases as well as the annual fee.
Bottom line
To choose the right credit card for gas purchases, you have to first decide how you want to be rewarded – with cash back, points or miles. Once you’ve decided what kinds of rewards you prefer, choosing the right credit card for your gasoline purchases will become much more clear.
Here’s a Summary of The Best Credit Cards For Gas Purchases
- Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: 4% Cash Back on Gas
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred: Up to 6% Cash BackWells Fargo Propel American Express Card: $300 Signup Bonus
- Chase Freedom: Best for 5% quarterly bonuses
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Best for Free Hotel Nights
- Citi Premier Card: 3x Rewards on Travel and Gas
- Capital One Walmart Rewards Card: Best for Walmart Shoppers
- Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card: Up to 5.25% Cash Back on Gas
- Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card – 50% Bonus on Airfare
- Wells Fargo Rewards Card: 5x Rewards on Gas
