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Looking for the best return on gas and fuel?
Americans consume a whopping 135 billion gallons of fuel per year. Along with food and housing, fuel ranks as one of the most significant spending categories for many families in the U.S. and accounts for a substantial share of credit card spending. If you swipe the right card at the gas station, you can receive as much as 5% back on your fuel bill in the form of rewards points or cash back.
Around half the credit cards we're discussing as the best for gas purchases are no-annual-fee, cash-back cards — perfect if you're looking to keep your costs to a minimum. The remainder levy an annual fee but earn points in an array of rewards programs with the chance of higher returns. These typically provide a bunch of ancillary benefits on top of their earnings, as well.
Our Pick: The Best Credit Card for Gas and Fuel
- 60,000 point signup bonus worth $800 towards airfare through the ThankYou Travel Center, or potentially much more when transferred to airline partners
- 3X points per $1 on airfare and hotels and at gas stations, restaurants, and supermarkets
- Annual Hotel Benefit: Save $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when you book through ThankYou.com
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, hotels, and at gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The Citi Premier slides into first place by earning Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels.. While the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card earns more points — five for every dollar spent at the pump, as opposed to three — we think Citi ThankYou Rewards are far more valuable. PenFed rewards points have a maximum value of 0.85¢ per point, while AwardWallet users typically redeem their ThankYou Rewards for 2.2¢ apiece.
Best Rewards Credit Cards for Gas and Fuel
| Credit Card | Points Earned on Gas & Fuel | Other Bonus Categories | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Premier® Card | 3X points at gas stations | 3X points on air travel, hotels, supermarkets, and restaurants | $95 |
| Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card | 2X points at US gas stations; make 30 or more purchases in a billing period to earn 50% extra points | 3X at US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year (then 1X) | $95 |
| American Express® Business Gold Card | 4X points on 2 of 6 categories with the highest monthly spend, including U.S. purchases at gas stations | Up to 4X points on the remaining 5 categories including: Airfare purchased directly from airlines U.S. purchases for advertising in select media U.S. purchases for shipping U.S. purchases at restaurants U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud computing purchases made directly from select providers | $295 - Rates & Fees |
| Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card | 3% back in the category of your choice, which can be gas — up to $2,500 of quarterly purchases in the 3% and 2% categories *From 08/22/2023, the gas category will also include Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Stations. | 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs | $0 |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 2X applies to the first $50,000 in purchases per year, 1 point per dollar thereafter. | N/A | No annual fee - Rates & Fees |
| Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express | 3% back at U.S. gas stations | 6% at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%. Cash back is issued as a statement credit.) 6% back on select U.S. streaming services 3% back on transit, including trains, taxi cabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways | $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. - Rates & Fees |
| Choice Privileges® Mastercard® Credit Card | 3X at gas stations | 5X at Choice Hotels and Choice Privileges points purchases 3X at grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans | $0 |
| Choice Privileges® Select Mastercard® Credit Card | 5X at gas stations | 10X at Choice Hotels and Choice Privileges points purchases 5X at grocery stores, home improvement stores, and phone plans | $95 (waived for the first year) |
| Citi Custom Cash® Card | 5% back on the first $500 of purchases in your top spending category each billing cycle, which can include gas | 1% back on everyday purchases 1% back in your top spending category after the $500 threshold | $0 |
| Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi | 4% cash back on gas and EV charging for the first $7,000 per year, then 1% | 3% cash back on travel & dining 2% cash back at Costco and Costco.com | $0 (with a paid Costco membership) |
| Discover it® Chrome Gas & Restaurants Credit Card | 2% cash back on gas up to $1,000 per quarter (Cashback Match for first year takes it to 4%) | 2% back on gas and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter | $0 |
| Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card | 6X at U.S. gas stations | 12X at Hilton properties 6X at U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets | $95 |
| The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card | 6X points at U.S. gas stations | 12X at Hilton properties 6X on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers, on U.S. purchases for shipping, at U.S. restaurants, on flights booked directly with airlines or with AmexTravel.com, and on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies | $95 - Rates & Fees |
| PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card | 5X points on gas at the pump (points are worth 0.85¢ apiece for a 4.25% return) | 3X points at supermarkets, restaurants, and TV, radio, cable, and streaming services | $0 |
| Sam’s Club® Mastercard® | 5% back in Sam's Cash on the first $6,000 of gas purchases annually, then 1% | 3% back in Sam's Cash on Sam's Club purchases for Plus members 3% back in Sam's Cash on dining and takeout 1% back in Sam's Cash on other purchases | $0 (with a paid Sam's Club membership) |
| United℠ Business Card | 2X at gas stations | 2X on United purchases 2X at restaurants, office supply stores, transit, and commuting | $99 |
| United Gateway℠ Card | 2X at gas stations | 2X on United purchases 2X on transit and commuting | $0 |
| U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card | 4X points at gas stations and EV charging stations | 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals in the travel portal 4X points on other travel 2X points at grocery stores, grocery delivery, dining, and streaming services | $95 |
| Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card | 3X points at gas stations and EV charging stations | 3X at restaurants, travel, transit, streaming services, and phone plans | $0 |
| Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card | 5X points at gas stations | 5X points at Wyndham hotels 2X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®) | $0 |
| Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Business Card | 8X points at gas stations | 8X points at Wyndham hotels 5X points on marketing, advertising, and utility purchases | $95 |
| Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card | 6X points at gas stations | 6X points at Wyndham hotels 4X points on eligible dining and grocery purchases (excluding Target® and Walmart®) | $75 |
While Citi takes the top spot, the Amex EveryDay Preferred isn't far behind. It earns an effective 3x Membership Rewards points on gas if you put 30+ transactions on the card per billing cycle. AwardWallet users typically redeem these points for 2.14¢ apiece in value.
The rest is a bit of a mixed bag.
The dark horse in the table above is the American Express® Business Gold Card, which earns 4x Membership Rewards points on two of six categories with the highest spend each month. This includes U.S. purchases at gas stations — but only if that is one of your top two spending categories that month. If not, you'll only earn 1 point per dollar spent. If U.S. gas station purchases make up the bulk of your spending each month, this is, without a doubt, the best rewards card for purchasing gas and fuel.
The PenFed Platinum Rewards provides a high return on paper but has less redemption flexibility than other programs.
Perhaps the most underrated pair on the list would be the Hilton duo. If you can wrangle more than 0.5¢ per point in value for your Hilton points, 6x points at U.S. gas stations could potentially return as much as 3–6¢ per dollar spent on fuel.
While we've included the above, we haven’t included the Chase Freedom®, which often features gas among its revolving quarterly bonus categories. You’ll get between 5% and 10% back on your gas spending when this is a bonus category, though that's capped at $1,500 of spending in the relevant quarter. For everyday gas purchases, however, when gas isn't a bonus category, you’ll only receive 1% cash back.
What Purchases Are Included in the Gas and Fuel Category?
Gas purchases, from a terms and conditions perspective, are fairly straightforward. Provided the purchase codes in the correct merchant category, you will receive bonus points or cash back.
Related: The AwardWallet Merchant Category Lookup Tool
American Express
Amex describes its U.S. gas stations category here, including:
“To earn additional rewards on gas purchases, the gas station where you purchase gasoline must be located in the U.S.
A gas station is defined as a merchant that is in the primary business of selling gasoline to consumers. Gas stations may sell other convenience items, but its primary business must be selling gasoline to consumers.
(Superstores, supermarkets, and warehouse clubs that sell gasoline are NOT considered gas stations)”
Bank of America
These are the gas category terms for the Bank of America Customized Cash Card:
“The Gas category includes purchases in a wide variety of merchant categories including:
Automated Fuel Dispensers; Fuel Dealers for Coal, Fuel Oil, Liquefied Petroleum and Wood; Marinas and Marine Service and Supplies; Service Stations, with or without Ancillary Services
(Wholesale clubs that offer pay at pump locations could also appear in this category.)”
*From 08/22/2023, Bank of America expanded the gas category on the Bank of America Customized Cash Card to also include Electric Vehicle Charging (EVC) Stations.
Chase
The Chase FAQ is here, describing gas as follows:
Citi
Citi doesn’t specify any inclusions outside of “gas stations” in the Citi Premier rewards terms. However, the Citi Costco has these terms:
“4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases worldwide, including gas and EV charging at Costco, for the first $7,000 per year in gas and EV charging purchases and then 1% thereafter”
Discover
Most gas stations should be included in these terms:
“Gas Station purchases include those made at merchants classified as places that sell automotive gasoline that can be bought at the pump or inside the station. Gas Stations affiliated with supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale clubs may not be eligible.”
PenFed
“Visa® USA determines which transactions are classified as gas purchases paid at the pump and supermarket purchases based on Merchant Category Codes. … Fuel purchases for airplanes and boats receive 1 point per dollar spent.”
U.S. Bank
The terms here are quite broad, with a few exclusions:
“Transactions qualify for cash back based on how merchants classify the transaction. U.S. Bank cannot control how merchants choose to classify their business and reserves the right to determine which Purchases will qualify. Purchases of gasoline or electric vehicle charging greater than $200 will not be deemed to be a purchase of automotive fuel and as such will earn a reward of 1%.”
Wells Fargo
The Wells Fargo Autograph defines its 3x categories here, including:
“Gas stations, automated fuel dispensers, and electric vehicle charging stations. The following may not be eligible for bonus Points: Gas or electric vehicle charging purchases at warehouse/membership clubs, grocery stores, car washes, auto repair stores and superstores that sell gasoline or electric vehicle charging.”
Are Any Purchases Excluded From the Gas and Fuel Category?
Purchases made within the gas and fuel category have few conditions imposed, with the exceptions of spending caps, location restrictions, the ever-present merchant category codes, and the peculiar limitation from Discovery on NFC and similar tech.
American Express
Outside of merchant category codes and location restrictions, Amex doesn’t list any specifics. If the purchase codes as a gas station and it’s in the U.S., you get bonus points.
Bank of America
“Purchases made at merchants whose primary line of business is not the sale of automotive gasoline or fuel, like superstores, supermarkets and truck stops will not earn bonus cash rewards.”
Chase
Outside of merchant category codes, Chase doesn’t list any specifics. If the purchase codes as a gas station, you get bonus points.
Citi
From the Citi Premier:
“You won't earn three points for gas purchases at warehouse clubs, discount stores, department stores, convenience stores or other merchants that are not classified as gas stations using the gas station merchant code.”
Citi Costco has these exclusions:
“You will only earn 1% cash back, not 4% for gas and EV charging purchases made at superstores, supermarkets, convenience stores and warehouse clubs other than Costco or for fuel used for non-automobile purchases.”
Discover
This page outlines some interesting exclusions:
“…purchases made at warehouse clubs, wholesale distributors, and discount stores, will not qualify. Purchases made using Near Field Communication (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not be eligible.”
PenFed
In addition to using Merchant Category Codes, you'll see this exclusion:
“Fuel purchases for airplanes and boats receive 1 point per dollar spent.”
U.S. Bank
“Purchases of gasoline or electric vehicle charging greater than $200 will not be deemed to be a purchase of automotive fuel and as such will earn a reward of 1%.”
Wells Fargo
Among the exclusions are these:
“Gas or electric vehicle charging purchases at warehouse/membership clubs, grocery stores, car washes, auto repair stores and superstores that sell gasoline or electric vehicle charging.”
Final Thoughts
The Citi Premier® Card is positioned as a clear winner as the best credit card in the gas and fuel category, earning an unrestricted 3x ThankYou Rewards on purchases at gas stations — and it's not limited to purchases in the U.S. If you’re already a Costco member, 4% cash back on the Citi Costco card provides great value up to the $7,000 annual cap.
Hilton fans also reap the benefits of bonus points on U.S. gas purchases using the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and Hilton Business Card. And small business owners can take advantage of the Blue Business Plus card’s 2x points on all purchases up to the first $50K each year (then 1x), including gas and fuel purchases. This is an excellent fall-back card if you don’t carry a credit card offering bonus points on gas.
If you have a card that returns great value on gas purchases and we haven’t got it on the list, get in touch via the comments below. We'd love to know more about it.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees), Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and American Express® Business Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
The Costco 4% is good in foreign countries, as well. With no FX fee.
Unfortunately you completely missed the BEST gas credit card. Sam’s Club is 5% cash back at any gas station along with 3% at any restaurant (and 3% at Sam’s Club). With no foreign transaction fees I use it all over the world where petrol can be far far more expensive.
I haven’t quite figured out how they calculate fuel rewards. I usually get 3 cents and the other day I got 18 cents. I have no idea how to gauge what you get
I use the Kroger rewards Mastercard to purchase my fuel. I thought it said there was a 25 cent discount when I used this card for fuel. I have not gotten it yet.
Not only do the Hilton cards get 6X on fuel purchases, but you also get the free weekend night certificate for $15,000 spend on the card in a year. I’d value the free night plus the 6X points at about 4.5 cents per dollar assuming that you spend the $15,000.
The Amex Gold Open card let’s you pick a 3x category, and one of the choices is gas. No AF for the first year, and a 50k signup bonus.
Completely missed this one, has been added to the list. Thanks!
It’s also important to consider the cost of the gasoline. In my area, Costco gas is usually $0.15 to $0.20 cheaper per gallon then the next lowest priced source. So choosing a card that isn’t accepted by Costco, I could end up paying more out of pocket for the gas then the extra rewards would be worth to me.
Great list of the best cards to use at gas stations.
Sam’s club 5% on gas is the best that comes (up to 6k) only excluding warehouses other than Sam’s club. No AF also.
I think the best cards for fuel savings combine both the grocery and gas catergories, e.g. Blue Cash Preferred and Penfed Cash rewards card. For example at Kroger, I can do my regular shopping and get 5% cashback as well as earn fuel points. Once I accumulate at least 1000 fuel points, I would then be able to save up to $1 per gallon of gas in addition to getting 5% cashback at the pump.
I love my chase cards. I just got the freedom unlimited. Even tho these other cards look good, I will do the 5x on the freedom, then switch to the freedom unlimited until they have it as a bonus again. I just foresee the Chase cards being more beneficial to me in the long run.
My sights are on Universal Hollywood in about a year and I believe that my Hilton and Chase cards will get me there. Plus, I belong to MyPoints and I am earning points there to get money off on an American flight or I could add miles to my United account :o)
costco card is great as the gas prices at costco are so much cheaper than other locations
My Bank of America Cash Rewards Visa gets me 3% on gas. With Preferred Platinum Rewards status, BoA kicks in 75% bonus which makes all gas rewards into 5.25% cash back! I can do this all year round, up to $2500 bonus per quarter.
Not sure it’s worth paying an annual fee for a credit card to get few points for a gas that I have to get 2 a month, however a combo of extra points for the gas AND the groceries AND no annual fee that Pen offers sounds quite good.
Would any of the cards above give the same rewards for gas purchases in Canada?
It depends on how the merchants are coded. Amex is a definite no; the others are a definite maybe.
Isn’t there a no-fee AMEX that also has grocery/gas cash back?
Amex EveryDay offers 2x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases
Discover card has 5% cash back on gas this quarter, with double cash back for the first year you are a card member you could potentialyl get 10% back
If a 7/11 codes as gas for a Freedom will it also for the Citi Premier and Amex?
Not necessarily. Definitely, don’t plan on it.
Nice summary! I did not know that the Amex EveryDay Preferred offered the 50% bonus!
Gas giftcard seems to be a solution if you can buy them with wholesale club cashback, etc.
I am using my Chase Freedom 1st quarter, will switch to Citi Thankyou the remainder of 2018,
I live and die by my Costco card for gas now. Costcos gas is significantly cheaper and to save an extra 4% on gas is huge for me. Its the only cash back card I carry.
Before the Costco card I used the Amex EP for gas purchases. (Costco stopped taking Amex)
Yup, one of the few times I don’t use a Chase product for purchases. Outside of the occasional bonus offer, the Hilton AmEx is the card I use at the pumps.
10x Ultimate Rewards points at Best Buy through this weekend – can use it for gift cards from Shell, Exxon/Mobil, BP.
Meanwhile don’t forget that Discover IT and Chase Freedom are 5x on gas this quarter!
Yes!
This article has raised my awareness about which cc to pull out at the gas station. Time for me to stop being so nonchalant about it.
Awesome list, hope to see more lists like this for other spending categories.
good summary, especially the exclusions
Been a member of PenFed for 30+ years. Great service provider. But I also wish the CSR had a gas bonus!
If only they would add the gas category to the Prestige.
I’m in that boat with you!
The Amex EDP earns 2x MR at US gas stations, which gets a 50% bonus to 3x if one puts more than 30 transactions per month on the card.
Great catch, we’re adding it now.
Great, thanks. Another potential candidate is the Amex PRG, which I believe also offer 2x on US gas stations.
I think the PenFed cards are quite competitive. While it’s no longer offer I have their cash back Visa which gives 5% back for gas.
I bet you’ll hold on to that card forever! Definitely a keeper.
Bummer, I did not realize that Penfed got rid of their 5% cash rebate on gas cash rewards card. Guess it’s only a matter of time before they change the benefits of my existing card. Thanks for the good list though.
Knowing how a location codes its purchases is key. There was a time that a 7-11 near me (without pumps) codes as a gas station. Buying gift cards there would get me the extra points for gas purchases. There was also a gas station that participated in the dining Rewards program! Buying gas there earned Airline Miles also through Aadvantage dining. Especially good during the time for the Freedom gas bonus.
Excellent insight! Have you just been able to determine the coding by observation alone over time? TIA!
Hilton gets a bad reputation for value of their points (often deserved), but they do have cards that make it easy to rack up HH points. These are some good examples.
That’s a surprisingly good benefit for Citi thank you Card.