The 9 Best Gas Credit Cards of January 2023

The Citi Premier® Card is a winner no matter how you look at it. You’ll earn 3x points on all gas purchases but also at restaurants and grocery stores and on travel purchases. And for everything else, you’ll still earn 1x points. Redeem these points (1 cent per point) as gift cards, when shopping online (Amazon and Best Buy only) or for travel (hotels, flights, cruises and more).

Right now, Citi is also offering 80,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. You can then convert those points to an $800 gift card, worth nearly 25% of what you had to spend to earn it.

Another big perk of the Citi Premier Card is the $100 annual hotel savings benefit: Once per year, you can shave $100 off the cost of a hotel stay that’s $500 or more if you book directly through thankyou.com.

Clearly, the Citi Premier Card is more than just a gas card — it’s a solid rewards credit card to have in your wallet, no matter where you swipe it. While the $95 fee is negligible for many and the lack of foreign transaction fees is attractive, the card’s major downfall is its high fee on balance transfers (and high variable APR for balance transfers). If you have balance transfers on your agenda, you should consider a different credit card.

The Citi Custom Cash℠ Card can be great for large fuel expenses because you’ll earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spend category every billing cycle. So if you spend a lot of money on fuel, this card can pay off big time. But if there’s a month where you do less driving and buy more groceries, it doesn't mean you’ll miss out on savings; Citi automatically gives you 5% cash back on grocery expenses instead!

Eligible categories include gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs and live entertainment. You’ll earn 5% cash back on your top spend category and 1% cash back in all other categories each billing cycle. The best part? You don’t have to track anything. Citi handles the tracking automatically — and you can just let the rewards cash pour in.

You’ll also earn $200 cash back if you spend $1,500 in the first six months from account opening. Not a bad welcome bonus for a card with no fees, but you can expect a higher sign-up offer from cards that do carry fees. Like the Citi Premier Card, the Citi Custom Cash Card charges heavily for balance transfers. If you’re traveling abroad, bring along another card; this one charges foreign transaction fees as well.

The Blue Cash Everyday® American Express isn’t just a good gas card; it’s a good everyday card! We like it because of its well-rounded cash back perks at U.S. gas stations and supermarkets without any annual fee. You’ll also get a $200 statement credit if you spend $2,000 in the first six months from account opening.

Beyond the perks for gas purchases, American Express offers $7 back each month as a statement credit when you spend $13.99 or more each month on The Disney Bundle. That includes any subscription(s) to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — using the credit card, of course.

The Blue Cash Everyday Card does have some things we don’t love, like foreign transaction fees and even higher charges for balance transfers. It’s a good idea to keep another card in your wallet (like the Capital One Quicksilver) for spending abroad.

The Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express is a step up from this card. You’ll earn even higher rewards with the Blue Cash Preferred Card (up to 6% cash back on groceries and streaming) and be eligible for a larger reward ($350). A caveat, though: The Blue Cash Preferred Card is not free; you’ll pay $95 a year to keep this credit card active.

*Terms apply. *See rates and fees

If you don’t mind tracking points a little more closely, the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card could offer you steep rewards for fuel purchases — and other purchases. Here’s how the points break down:

• 5x points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
• 4x points on travel, gas station and EV charging station purchases
• 2x points for groceries (in-store and delivered), dining and streaming services
• 1x points on everything else

You’ll also earn points through the sign-up bonus: Just spend $2,000 in the first 120 days from account opening to receive 50,000 bonus points (worth $500). You can redeem points toward travel or as cash back, merch or gift cards.

While this card clearly rewards travel by car, with high points for rental cars and gas purchases, it’s also a friend of air travelers. That’s because cardholders can get up to a $100 statement credit toward TSA PreCheck or Global Entry purchases once every four years. You’ll also get up to $600 in cell phone reimbursement if yours is lost or damaged; just pay for the monthly phone bill with the card.

We love the lack of foreign transaction fees, but you’ve got to pay $95 a year to keep the account open. Once again, this gas card’s major downfall is its fee and high variable APR for balance transfers.

Opening a BPme Rewards Visa Signature Card only makes sense if you regularly fill up at BP. But if you put a lot of miles on your car, this card could be worth looking into. There’s no annual fee, and it saves you 15 cents on every gallon of gas purchased at BP. For the first 60 days from account opening, you’ll save 30 cents per gallon; open this card right before a big road trip for maximum savings.

But the savings at the fuel pump are only part of the appeal of the BPme card. Unlike the other true loyalty gas cards on our list, the BPme Rewards Visa Signature earns great rewards outside of gas purchases and can be redeemed as statement credits for any purchases, gift cards and travel experiences — not just BP fuel. More specifically, you’ll earn 5% cash back on non-fuel purchases at BP and Amoco stations, 3% cashback on dining and groceries and 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.

There’s no annual fee to open the card, and it’s more accessible to drivers with a lower credit score who may not qualify for top-tier rewards cards. But this easier accessibility has its downsides: The APR is high (29.99%), as are balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. If traveling abroad or hoping to perform balance transfers, you’ll want a better card in your wallet.

The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is a must-have for Costco members. You’ll earn 4% cash back on fuel purchases worldwide — and not just at Costco gas stations. The 4% cash back is good on the first $7,000 in annual fuel purchases, then reduces to 1% cash back. EV drivers get the same perks at EV charging stations.

Beyond gas rewards, members can earn 3% on eligible dining and travel purchases globally and 2% cash back on all other purchases at Costco (and on costco.com). Outside of Costco, the card earns 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

If you’re already paying your annual membership fee, the only barrier to getting the card is actually qualifying. Costco generally requires excellent credit to get the card. But that excellent credit pays off: The APR is much lower than a typical gas card, and there aren’t any foreign transaction fees. Notably absent is a welcome bonus. 

The Sam’s Club Mastercard is yet another grocery store card that doubles as a gas card. In fact, its greatest perk is its 5% cash back on gas purchases (on your first $6,000 a year, then it’s 1%) at any gas station where Mastercard is accepted. You can also earn 3% cash back when using the card in Sam’s Club or on dining and takeout — and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

If you spend $30 at Sam’s Club within the first 30 days from account opening, you’ll also earn a $30 statement credit. While that’s a low bonus amount, it’s 100% cash back, technically speaking.

There’s no annual fee (just your Sam’s Club membership fee), and you don’t have to worry about foreign transaction fees. Balance transfers, once again, are expensive.

If you regularly fill up at Shell, put a lot of miles on your car and are currently repairing your credit score, the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard is an ideal option. But if those three conditions don’t collectively describe you, you can likely get a better rewards card elsewhere.

So what bonus rewards can you earn with the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard?

• 10% Shell rebates on your first $1,200 non-fuel purchases at Shell each year
• 2% Shell rebates on the first $10,000 you spend on dining and groceries
• 1% Shell rebates on other eligible purchases

The key term here is “Shell rebates.” Rather than typical cash back, the rewards can only be applied as a statement credit toward other Shell purchases.

Beyond these limited gas rewards, the Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard does save you 10 cents per gallon every time you fill up (up to 35 gallons). For your first five fill-ups, you’ll actually save 30 cents per gallon.

While this card is a good option for borrowers with average credit (the lack of annual fee is attractive), beware of the other fees: a high foreign transaction fee and an even higher APR for any balances you carry month to month.

For the first two months after you open your ExxonMobil Smart Card+, you can enjoy 30 cents per gallon in savings as a statement credit. That’s on top of the regular 10 cents or 12 cents off you already receive as a perk of membership (10 cents for regular gas, 12 cents for premium). Altogether, you’ll earn 40 to 42 cents off per gallon in your first two months.

Outside of the fuel discounts (which drop to just 10 or 12 cents per gallon after that introductory period), there’s not much going for this card. You’ll earn 5% cash back on all in-store purchases at Exxon and Mobil gas stations — but nowhere else. In fact, because this is a closed-loop credit card, you can’t swipe it anywhere other than a participating gas station.

The lack of annual fee and acceptance of fair credit borrowers are the two redeeming qualities for this card.