The best gas credit cards aren’t necessarily co-branded with specific gas stations or fuel brands. Instead, these cards are issued by major institutions like Chase, Citi, and American Express, and they offer rewards for each dollar you spend — and not just on gas station purchases.
If you are eager to earn rewards with a gas card, you should know that the best options in this niche also offer generous sign-up bonuses and valuable cardholder benefits. As you compare all your options, read on to learn about the top cards that made our ranking and all they have to offer.
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Best for Gas Stations and Supermarkets
Rates & FeesThe Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is exceptional due to its rewards percentage for U.S. supermarket spending, gas purchases, and transit. Cardholders have the chance to earn up to $360 per year in rewards at U.S. supermarkets each year if they max that category out, and $300 in monthly spending at U.S. gas stations each year would net the average person another $108 in rewards.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee the first year, which sweetens the pot even further. You also get an intro APR offer for purchases, which can help you save money as you pay down your balance the first year.
This rewards credit card offers lucrative rewards at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations, among other categories. Cardholders earn 6% back on up to $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year (then 1% back), 6% back on select U.S. streaming services, 3% back at U.S. gas stations and on transit, and 1% back on all other purchases.
Best for Earning Cash Back
We like the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card due to the fact it lets you earn 5% back in a number of popular categories every billing cycle, including gas stations. That makes this card incredibly advantageous for someone who spends a lot on gas each month and wants to maximize their rewards.
This card’s introductory APR and lack of annual fee also help it stand out. Also note that you can redeem your rewards for a statement credit, direct deposit, a check, gift cards, travel, Amazon.com purchases, and more.
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card is unique because it lets you earn 5% back on up to $500 in spending in whatever category you spend the most in each billing cycle, then 1% back on all other purchases. Eligible categories that qualify for 5% back include restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment.
Best for Flexibility
We love the Chase Freedom Flex℠ due to the fact you can earn exceptional rewards in so many categories throughout the year. You’ll typically earn 5% back at gas stations for at least one quarter, yet you can benefit from this earning rate in other everyday spending categories throughout the year.
This card’s introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers makes it a good option for debt consolidation or paying down large purchases. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ also comes with more than its share of perks for a cash back credit card with no annual fee.
Finally, it’s worth noting that you can redeem your rewards for cash back, a statement credit, gift cards, travel through Chase, and more.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is unique because it lets you earn 5% back on up to $1,500 in spending in rotating categories each quarter, then 1% back. Throughout the year, gas station purchases typically qualify at least once, yet you can also earn this bonus rate in categories like dining and wholesale clubs.
Amazingly, this card also offers 5% back on travel booked through Chase and up to $12,000 in grocery spending the first year, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1% back on other purchases.
Best for Costco Members
We like the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi as a gas rewards card due to the fact you earn a high rate of gas rewards at Costco and all other major gas stations. Other rewards categories, including restaurants and eligible travel purchases, can also help you rack up cash back quickly.
This card doesn’t charge an annual fee, which is another major plus. Your card also doubles as your membership card for added convenience. If you have the Costco app, you can link your Costco Anywhere Citi Visa® Card to your digital membership which allows for contactless payment in-store. If you’re already a Costco member or plan on signing up for a membership, this could be the card for you.
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi offers generous gas rewards at Costco, where gas tends to be cheaper, but you also earn the same 4% rate at other gas stations worldwide. This rate is applied for the first $7,000 per year, then 1% back afterwards. In addition to 4% back in gas rewards, cardholders can earn 3% on restaurants and eligible travel purchases worldwide, 2% on all other in-club purchases from Costco and Costco.com, and 1% on all other purchases.
Best Sign Up Bonus
This rewards credit card offers 3x points on all kinds of eligible purchases, including select travel purchases, gas purchases, supermarkets, and dining. Also note that rewards earned with this card fall within the Citi ThankYou program. This means you can redeem your rewards for gift cards, merchandise, payments to a mortgage or a student loan, or travel through the Citi portal.
You can also transfer your points to Citi airline and hotel partners if you prefer.
The Citi Premier® Card makes it possible to earn extraordinary rewards on gas purchases and other spending. Specifically, cardholders get the chance to earn 3x points at restaurants, gas stations and supermarkets, 3x points on air travel and hotels, and 1x points on other eligible purchases.
Gas rewards credit cards work like other credit cards in the fact they let you charge purchases and repay the money you borrow later on.
While you can carry a balance on your gas credit card if you prefer, you’ll be charged credit card interest if you do.
The best gas credit cards offer generous rewards on gas as well as non-gas purchases you make, and some offer consumer protections and perks that make them even more valuable.
Note that some gas credit cards are affiliated with gas stations or global gas brands, but that these cards are generally limited in scope and overall value. If you want to earn rewards on gas and all your other bills, your best bet is to pick a gas card from a major issuer.
There are several types of gas credit cards, but they don’t all work the same.
Cards in this niche tend to fall into one of three categories:
Gas rewards cards include the type of cards we recommend in this ranking. With this type of card, you can earn rewards on gas and everything else you buy.
Gas loyalty cards are affiliated with specific gas brands, and they may offer per-gallon discounts on gas as well as in-store perks. Note that these cards are typically store-branded, so you can’t use them for regular spending and bills.
Fleet fuel cards are for businesses that spend a lot of money on gas. These cards are often store-branded, meaning you can only use them within a brand of gas stations nationwide. Some fleet fuel cards are for gas only, but others let users charge on other items as well.
As you compare gas cards, you’ll want to look at all the factors that matter the most to you.
The following tips can help you pick the best credit card for your needs:
All gas credit cards help you build credit, even store-branded credit cards. This is due to the fact that they report your balances and payments to the three credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
The best gas rewards cards that made our ranking offer exceptional bonus rewards on gas as well as other types of spending. We looked for cards with the highest rewards rate on gas purchases specifically, but we also compared hundreds of cards to look for bonus category rewards, intro APR offers, and other cardholder perks.