One of the best ways to maximize your credit card rewards is to pick a card that offers bonus points in the categories that you spend the most in, whether that’s supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, or non-bonused categories.
In this post, I’d like to look at the best credit cards for gas station purchases. Now, admittedly, this isn’t as consistent an expense for everyone. While everyone has to eat, not everyone consistently has to buy gas.
If you have big daily commutes to work that involve driving a gas car, then this could be a significant source of points. Meanwhile, if you’re someone who relies entirely on public transportation, ridesharing, or has an electric car, then this bonus category probably has less value.
There are lots of great credit cards offering bonuses on gas station purchases, whether you want to earn cash back, transferable points, airline miles, or hotel points.
In all cases, I’ll only be looking at cards that earn at least 2% back (or the equivalent based on my valuation of points).
Compare credit cards for gas
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 75,000 bonus points
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining
- 3x on vacation homes
- 3x on gas & EV charging
- 3x on top streaming services
- 3x on online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
What’s the best credit card for gas purchases?
While I’ll go into a lot more detail below, let me try to provide the simplest advice possible for figuring out which credit card is best to use at gas stations:
For personal cards, it’s hard to beat the Citi Strata Premier® Card, which is an incredibly well-rounded card that offers 3x points on gas station purchases globally; there’s so much to love about this card, and it even has a phenomenal welcome bonus. However, below I’ll cover lots of other good options.
What qualifies as gas station spending?
Before talking about the best cards for gas station purchases, I think it’s important to talk a bit about what qualifies as gas station spending:
- Generally credit cards only consider purchases from standalone gas stations as being eligible for bonus points; that’s to say that buying gas from a warehouse club typically won’t earn you bonus points, unless otherwise explicitly stated
- Generally speaking, purchases of gas as well as purchases in gas station convenience stores will qualify for bonus points
- This also all comes down to how a particular merchant chooses to categorize themselves
Best personal cards for gas stations
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to earning rewards for credit card spending. Some people prefer to earn travel rewards that they can use toward their next adventure, while other people prefer to earn cash back, which they can redeem however they want.
So, what are the best personal credit cards for gas station purchases?
1. Citi Strata Premier® Card
Reward for gas station spending: 3x Citi ThankYou points (which I value at 5.1%)
Card annual fee: $95
Other things to be aware of: The Citi Strata Premier has phenomenal bonus categories, and being able to earn 3x points on gas stations and EV charging with no foreign transaction fees is awesome.
Learn more about the Citi Strata Premier
2. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Reward for gas station spending: 3x points on gas stations and EV charging
Card annual fee: $95
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
3. Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Reward for gas station spending: 5% on gas purchases at Costco, and 4% cash back at other gas stations up to the first $7,000 spent every year, 1% thereafter
Card annual fee: $0 (with paid Costco membership)
Learn more about the Costco Anywhere Visa Card
4. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Reward for U.S. gas station spending: 6x Hilton Honors points (which I value at 3%)
Card annual fee: $150 (Rates & Fees)
Other things to be aware of: This is one of the best hotel credit cards for U.S. gas stations, since you can earn bonus points with no limits on these purchases
Learn more about the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass
5. Citi Double Cash® Card
Reward for gas station spending: 1x ThankYou points when you purchase + 1x ThankYou points when you pay
Card annual fee: $0
Other things to be aware of: While the card doesn’t have a specific bonus category for gas stations, it just has an all-around great rewards structure, as you earn 1x ThankYou points when you make a purchase, and 1x ThankYou points when you pay for that purchase; best of all, rewards earned on the card can be converted into airline miles and hotel points in conjunction with some other Citi cards.
Learn more about the Citi Double Cash
6. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Reward for gas station spending: 2x Capital One miles (which I value at 3.4%)
Card annual fee: $395
Other things to be aware of: This card earns 2x miles on all eligible purchases, which can either each be redeemed toward the cost of a travel purchase, or can be transferred to an airline or hotel partner at a ratio of up to 1:1; don’t be alarmed by the annual fee, as the card offers a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit plus 10,000 bonus anniversary miles
Learn more about the Capital One Venture X
7. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Reward for U.S. gas station spending: 3% cash back at eligible U.S. gas stations
Card annual fee: (Rates & Fees)
Other things to be aware of: This card offers 3% cash back only on U.S. gas station purchases, not internationally
Learn more about the Blue Cash Preferred
8. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Reward for U.S. gas station spending: 3% cash back
Card annual fee: $0 (Rates & Fees)
Other things to be aware of: This card offers 3% cash back on eligible purchases at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%)
Learn more about the Blue Cash Everyday
9. Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Reward for gas station spending: 2x American AAdvantage miles
Card annual fee: $99, waived the first year
Other things to be aware of: This is one of the better airline cards for gas station purchases
Learn more about the Citi AAdvantage Platinum
Bottom line
As you can see, there are lots of great credit card options for maximizing gas station rewards. That’s true whether you’re looking to earn cash back or travel rewards, or whether you’re looking for a no annual fee or premium card.
What’s your go-to card for gas station purchases?
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees).
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