The Best Credit Cards for Buying Gas
Tl;dr: Earn 5% cash back with the Citi Custom Cash, 3x with the Citi Premier.
If you drive to work every day, gas can be a major expense. For those of us in California, the pain at the pump can be especially excruciating. A credit card that offers a good return of points or cash can alleviate some of that pain. Here are some of the best options to make sure you use the right card at the pump.
The best cards
Citi Custom Cash: The Citi Custom cash earns 5% cash back on your highest spending category each month, on up to $500 in spending. Gas stations are an eligible category, making this the best gas card on the market, in my opinion. If you don’t fill up much in a given month, you can take advantage of the card’s flexibility to earn 5% back on another category like grocery stores, home improvement stores, or live entertainment. If you pick up the Citi Premier, you can redeem the “cash back” more flexibly as Thank You points, including the option to transfer the points to airline and hotel partners for more valuable rewards.
Capital One Venture X: Although the Venture X doesn’t have a bonus on gas, it earns double miles on all purchases, making it a solid option for any spending. It is a great all-around travel card to boot.
Honorable Mention: Citi Double Cash (earn 2% cash back with no annual fee), Amex Blue Cash Everyday (earn 3% cash back on gas, groceries, and online retail, up to $6,000/year, with no annual fee).
All cards, loosely sorted by rewards rate.
Branded cards. The best return on gas is likely to be with the station’s own credit card. For example, the Shell card offers 10% cash-back and the Sunoco card offers 5%. But unless you always fill up in the same place, you will probably be better off with a card that offers a good return no matter which station you pull into.
Citi Custom Cash. Offers 5% cash back on up to $500 in gas purchases monthly, if that is your highest spending category.
Sam’s Club (Synchrony). Although you must be a Sam’s Club, this no-fee card offers 5% back in Sam’s Cash on up to $6,000 in gas station expenses per year.
Costco Anywhere Visa (Citi). Again, you must pay for a Costco Membership, but this no-fee card offers 4% cash back on up to $7,000 in fuel (or EV charging) spending annually.
Citi Premier. This solid travel card offers 3x points on gas, to go with 3x on restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and airfare. However, the $99 annual fee is hefty, offset only by a $100 statement credit when booking a $500+ hotel stay via Citi.
Amex Blue Cash (Everyday and Preferred). These American Express cards offer 3% cash-back at gas stations. The no-fee version also offers 3% cash back at grocery stores and online retail, and may make sense for certain consumers. Bonus cash back for each category is limited to $6,000/year. The $95-fee Preferred also offers 6% on groceries and streaming and 3% on transit.
Amex EveryDay Preferred. This $95-fee card offers 2% cash back on gas and 3% back at grocery stores, with a 50% bonus (i.e. 3% back on gas) if you use the card at least 30 times in a billing cycle. I don’t recommend paying an annual fee for Amex’s cash-back cards.
Capital One Venture X. This $395-fee card (with $400 in annual points and credits) earns 2x points on all purchases, including gas.
Citi Double Cash. This no-fee card earns 1% cash back when you spend, and another 1% cash back when you pay. If you also have a Citi Premier, you can use redeem the cash back in other ways as ThankYou points.
Amazon Prime Visa (Chase). This no-fee card (Prime membership required) earns an unlimited 2% cash back at gas stations, to go along with 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods, 2% on restaurants and local commuting, and 5% on travel booked through Chase. It may make sense for heavy Amazon spenders.
Airline Cards. The American Airlines Citi Platinum Select and Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa both earn two miles per $1 spent on gas (and EV charging on the Alaska card). Both cards carry an annual fee of around $100 and offer a free checked bag when flying, among other benefits. Both airlines’ points are quite valuable, although you will need a lot of them for valuable redemptions, like Japan. These might make sense for certain frequent fliers.
Hotel Cards. The Hilton Surpass and Wyndham Earner+ earn 6x points on gas, while the IHG Premier and Choice Privileges Select card each earn 5x. With each of these brands points being valued at at least half a cent, that comes out to a better than 2% return on spending at the pump. But, again, you’ll need a lot of points before you can redeem them at all. Each of these cards carry an annual fee, although I think it is worth it, at least for the IHG Premier. I am less enthusiastic about the Surpass.
Conclusion
If you find yourself spending a lot on gas and wanting to ease the pain at the pump, it may be worth investing in a great dedicated gas card like the Citi Custom cash. But a strong everyday earner like the Capital One Venture X or the Citi Double Cash might make sense as well. Certain people may also prefer the Blue Cash Everyday, with its 3% back on gas, groceries, and online retail.