Gas credit cards give you rewards when you spend money to fill up your tank. Some cards offer rewards for specific gas stations, while others give you cash back on gasoline purchases anywhere.
Gas prices have paused their rapid ascent we saw in early 2022, but most of the US still faces prices over $4 a gallon, or about 43% more than this time last year. Rising demand and special gas blends for summer will likely keep prices high for the near future.
If you’re paying big at the pump, a gas credit card can help ease the blow to your budget. Read on to find our best partner offers for gas credit cards.
Best overall gas credit card
The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card allows cardholders to earn 5% cash back on their highest eligible spending category, on up to $500 of expenditure within a billing cycle, then 1%. Gas stations are an eligible category. This 5% gets applied automatically depending on your spending within the billing cycle, so be sure to use this card primarily for gas. For most commuters, this card will maximize your cash-back earnings on gas savings over all others.
Other eligible spending categories include restaurants, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment.
Check out our full review of the Citi Custom Cash℠ Card.
Gas card with a good welcome bonus
The Citi Premier Card is a great option for anyone who does most of their spending at gas stations (and supermarkets, restaurants, hotels or air travel). When you spend in those categories, you’ll earn 3x points for every dollar you spend, compared with just 1x points per dollar in all other spending categories. And you can earn points at gas stations worldwide.
These points can be redeemed for $0.01 each as a statement credit — essentially netting you 3% return on gas station purchases. Plus, there’s no cap on the amount you can earn the 3x points on. The only downside is its $95 annual fee, so make sure you’re earning enough in rewards to make up for it. Check out our full review of the Citi Premier Card for more details on its other benefits.
Best gas and transit card
The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express offers high cash-back rates for U.S. gas stations at 3%. But if you don’t drive, or commute via public transit or ride-share often, you also get 3% back on those purchases (and parking, tolls, buses, trains and more). In addition to these great transit rewards, you can also earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 of spending per year, then 1%, and 1% cash back on other purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit. You’ll even enjoy a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year (then a $95 annual fee).
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Discover it® Student chrome* is designed to help make credit more accessible for students and to help them build credit, but it still has surprisingly good rewards. You’ll earn 2% on gas station and restaurant spending (on up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter, then 1%). You’ll also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases, as well as an Unlimited Cashback Match at the end of your first year, as is tradition with Discover cards. Because it’s a student card, it doesn’t come with some of the other perks you might expect.
Best business card for gas
If you need a gas credit card for your small business, consider the Chase Ink Business Cash card. It’s one of the best business credit cards on the market right now. Not only does it offer cash-back rewards on categories that businesses often need like office supplies and telecommunications, but it also offers 2% cash back on gas station purchases (on up to $25,000 in combined gas station and restaurant purchases each year) — netting you up to $500 in cash back per year just on gas station purchases. And despite the business perks and great welcome bonus, it has no annual fee and a 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months (13.49% to 19.49% variable APR thereafter).
If you’re a Sam’s Club member, then this Mastercard might be a good option for a gas credit card. With the Sam’s Club Mastercard*, not only do you earn 5% cash back on gas purchases at Sam’s Club, but you earn the same 5% back at all other gas stations (on the first $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1%). It’s an especially attractive card if you’re a Sam’s Club Plus member and can take advantage of the higher cash back at the store. However, this card doesn’t come with many of the perks you’d expect of another rewards credit card, such as a large welcome bonus or 0% introductory APR.
Check out our full review of the Sam’s Club Mastercard for more details.
FAQs
What is a gas credit card?
A gas credit card is one that rewards cardholders for spending at gas stations. Most gas credit cards aren’t offered by gas stations themselves. Instead, other credit card issuers offer bonus rewards on gas purchases, among others. The best gas credit cards offer up to 5% back on gas purchases, but most offer 2% to 3%.
What credit score do I need for a gas credit card?
The credit score you need to qualify for a gas credit card depends on the specific card you apply for. Most credit cards on this list require a good credit score of 670 or higher. That being said, some may have stricter requirements.
On the other hand, cards like the Discover it Student chrome are designed for lower-credit borrowers and may require only average credit.
Who should get a gas credit card?
Gas credit cards can be an excellent option for anyone who does a lot of driving and would see a financial benefit from increased rewards on gas purchases. Consider this: If you spend $250 per month (which amounts to $3,000 per year) on gas, then a card that offers 3% cash back on gas could help you score an extra $90 per year in gas purchases alone. With a card offering 1% cash back on gas, the same amount of spending would result in just $30 per year in cash back.
Is it better to get a cash-back card or a gas credit card?
A cash-back credit card offers you a percentage of cash back on your spending — either overall at a flat rate or on certain spending categories. A gas credit card is a type of cash-back card that specifically rewards you when you spend money at gas stations.
One of the benefits of the credit cards on our list is that they don’t just reward you for your gas purchases. Instead, they’re general cash-back credit cards that happen to include gas as one of their bonus categories. As a result, you can earn higher cash back for your gas purchases (and other spending categories) while still earning baseline rewards for all of your spending.
Read more: Best Credit Cards Without Foreign Transaction Fees
Our methodology
CNET reviews credit cards by exhaustively comparing them across set criteria developed for each major category, including cash-back, welcome bonus, travel rewards and balance transfer. We take into consideration the typical spending behavior of a range of consumer profiles — with the understanding that everyone’s financial situation is different — and the designated function of a card.
For cash-back credit cards, for example, key factors include the annual fee, the “welcome bonus” and the cash-back rate (or rates, if they differ by spending category). For rewards and miles cards, we calculate and weigh the net monetary value of a card’s respective perks. And with balance transfer credit cards, we analyze specs such as the duration of the introductory 0% APR period and the balance transfer fee, while acknowledging secondary factors such as the standard APR and the length of time you have to make a balance transfer after you open the account.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express, click here.
*All information about the Discover it Student chrome and Sam’s Club Mastercard was collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
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