Americans spent about 4 percent of pretax income on gas which is a relatively high number compared to our overall income. When we spend less on gas with cheaper gas prices and any rebates it always adds to our bottom line of what we can spend in our budgets. That is why we have looked into the credit cards that will help you save more money at gas stations.
The best choice is the “Discover It” Card (Platinum) where they offered 5% Cash Back on Gas purchases and transportation up to $1,500 from January 1st to April 2016. The all-time champion of gas cards is no longer a card just for this purpose but they do offer the gas promo part of the year. If you wish for a freedom to choose which gas station you want this is the perfect card with $100 cash back bonus for new cardmembers for signing up and spending a certain amount.
#2 The USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card offers a 5% rebate on gas and military base purchases. It has no annual fee and ranks in our top 5 gas rebate cards.
#3 If you want an easy 3% Cash Back on Gas Station purchases then the Blue Cash Preferred Card is our favorite. This card is from American Express and they have an annual fee and fee-free version.
#4 The Citi Diamond Preferred Card was once our top card along with the Chase Freedom cards. Gas prices have dropped substantially since then and you see less and less gas offers but we still spend quite a bit on gas. Our favorite card right now is from Synchrony Bank that pays 5% back on Gas purchases. The only catch is you need a Sam’s Club membership but the gas purchases include all gas stations and you can get a membership for half-off right now.
Wal-Mart Credit Card – Save 3 cents per gallon on gas purchases at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations.
The Wal-Mart MoneyCard, a pre-paid card gives you 1% Cash Back on Gas purchases nationwide.
Shell MasterCard (Citibank)
Disadvantage: Great promo rebate of 5% rebate on gas purchases and 1% rebate on general purchases but limited to Shell and rebates expire. Card has changed hands too many times.
WE RECOMMEND you sign up here for a program that gives you 25 cents a gallon back on purchases at Shell stations.
Hess – FULL 5% back on Hess gas purchases after 90 days and 10% promo period.
Speedway SuperAmerica – 10,000 bonus points after first use.
Add Hotel Rewards Program to Save More on Gas Purchases
Citi Drivers Edge – Rewards you for mileage.
Wawa Gas Visa – saves on all supermarket purchases and gas at Wawa stores.
AAA Diamond Advantage VISA (MBNA)
Phillips 66 / Conoco / Union 76 MasterCard (Citibank)
The ExxonMobil MasterCard (Citibank) – We currently boycott Exxon. I would rather run out of gas than fill up at Exxon (even though we love Citibank products). Jim Cramer calls them a bank masquerading as an oil company. Exxon proves to be bad for the environment, bad for stockholders (since they are not re-investing in better oil alternatives), and bad for consumers who believe in alternative energy. Compare the Exxon Mobil Card to the Shell MasterCard. You may also consider signing up for the Plenti Rewards program to earn points with Exxon purchases.
The Valero/Diamond Shamrock gas card also qualifies for the reject gas card. It provides nothing for the consumer but a “convenient gas card”. Valero may have lots of oil refineries but offer little as a retail gas card.
Tesoro Petroleum MasterCard (Juniper) – earn 3 points per dollar on gas station credit card purchases, 1 point per dollar everywhere else. You may redeem points for airline tickets, gift cards, merchandise.
Cash Plus Visa Card (Chase) – formerly rated the best long term Gas related credit card (9/8/05). This card provides a FULL 5% back) but we feel the waiting for $50 increments to receive checks take way too long. First place went to the Cash Plus Visa Card from Chase when this was a new credit card even better than the Perfect Card if you do not mind waiting for the $50 check vs. getting the rewards put on your account each month automatically. This card is not hassle-free because having to call in every time you finally rack up $50 in rewards is very time consuming and could be avoided with Perfect or Discover cards.
Chevron Gas Card – also works at Texaco gas stations.
Holiday Gas Stations – If you live in the Midwest you get a 4% discount with a prepaid gas card. Holiday accepts gas coupons including competitors’ coupons. The Twin Cities Entertainment book has coupons for $1 off per month off your gas purchases of 8 gallons or more which can be used at Holiday.
Sinclair Gas Stations – An easy 8% back on your gas purchases.
Lukoil Gas Card – This credit card from Juniper Bank allows you to earn 4% on gas credit card purchases at Lukoil and Getty gas stations, 1% everywhere else. You get a $10 bonus on your first use and you get double rebates for the first 60 days. Note: Lukoil has recently been in the news since they are a Russian owned oil company.
Sunoco MasterCard – earn a full 4% rebate on Sunoco gas card purchases, and up to 1% everywhere else you use the Sunoco credit card. This MasterCard branded with Sunoco also offers a 0% for 6 months offer.
Irving Platinum Visa card (Chase Bank) – where you can earn rebates on Gasoline + Home Heat + Convenience Store purchases. Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Irving Oil products and services and 1 point for every $1 spent on everything else. It only takes 2,000 points to get a $20 Irving Reward Certificate which is sent automatically. You also get 500 free points after your first purchase.
An honorable reject was the Gulf Mastercard (Fleet Bank) which does not even send you to an application online on their website. We finally search online long enough to find a site that says you now get 3% rebates on gasoline credit card purchases at Gulf gas stations and the typical 1% everywhere else with Juniper Bank.
Kroger 123 Rewards MasterCard saves you 15 cents per gallon on gas plus the 3 cents per gallon with their store plus card.
25. The National City Everyday Rewards Elite Visa is another choice for gas savings at 4% but it caps out at $200 every month. But you get 3% back on movie-watching and video rentals and 2% back on groceries and dine in and fast food restaurants which also has a cap per month. The other up to 1% on this card is similar to Discover where its not even worth using the card unless you are using it for reward categories that pay the most.
How many years did it take gas prices to top the $1 mark? Answer: It took 60 years for gasoline pump prices to hit $1 back in 1980.
Latest News:
-Join the Military or get in good with a Military Family so you can get the PenFed Card and get 5% Cash Back.
-Chrysler introduced a card where you can pay just $2.99/gallon for gas for 3 years. The catch is that you have to buy a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle and enroll in their Refuel America program. If you are out to buy a car right now then this might just be an additional “economic stimulus”.
The Ups and Downs of Gas Prices
We have seen gas shortages in the United States due to natural disasters and things that were out of our control and there has been an increased number of inquiries for gas prices in California, Michigan, Illinois, and even in Dallas on sites like GasBuddy.com and GasPriceWatch.com. National gas prices are at an all time high and the common fear is that this may only continue to rise. Alternative forms of energy are gaining more ground than ever now that current gas prices show no sign of slowing and the price of oil nears the $90 a barrel range.
We want your opinion on consumer gas credit cards. Receive a Free $40 gas pre-paid card! Send us an article reflecting your experience 200 words or more on any of the above cards or one that we did not mention. We are also looking for gas saving tip articles. Email to ask@rewardscards.com and if we select your article to post online (must not be posted anywhere else online then we will send you a $40 gas card. We may also reserve the right to paypal the money if we are out of pre-paid gas cards.
Thinking of trading in your gas guzzling car to save money on a hybrid or a low gas mileage VW? You should also consider our other gas tips:
- High Gas Prices: Fight back!
- Gas Savings Tips
- Where to find cheap gas
- The GM Flex Card
- Safety of using credit cards at gas stations
- Free Gas Offers Online
Past Updates
Gas prices are not falling anytime soon and have been acknowledged as the nation’s top personal economic problem ahead of health care and making mortgage payments. The last few years we have seen plenty of gas rebate credit cards from the credit card issuers while gas prices are making history with record highs of our lifetime. It has been since 2008 since gas prices all over the country went over the $4 mark and now it is back. Hurricanes, Floods, Terrorist Attacks, and Earthquakes in California have and will continue to effect gas prices as the War in Afghanistan, the Iran threat, nuclear threats in North Korea, and a gas shortage in America will take place if these events unfold. There is one thing that we can do and that is start using better spending habits at the pump with some new weapons of our own: Credit Cards! These are credit cards that give you back the most and will keep your gas tank smiling with rewards.
Don’t you wish you had a gas rebate credit card in your wallet while over-paying at the pump this summer for Memorial Day Weekend and upcoming family vacations? The analysts are speculating that the price at the pump will be as high as $5.00 plus a gallon. With Spring break coming up and gas prices going higher you would behoove yourself not to get a card now especially while Chase Freedom is running a 5% promotion. If you want a year-round gas saver then you should reach for the PenFed card and sign-up for their Credit Union. It should take a few extra minutes but you will at least have a few gas cards to prepare you for the rising gas prices ahead.
If you don’t mind joining a credit union this is your card: PenFed, the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, offers a platinum Visa which gives 5% back on gasoline purchases and 2% back at grocery stores, even an additional 1.25% on everything else. Now this is a card that is worthwhile to carry around everywhere you do your most frequent spending. The catch to this card is you have to be in the military or a military family. All we had to do to sign up for the PenFed card was to open up an account with them and put $5 in it. That pays for itself.
Chase recently retired one of the popular gas cards known as the BP Gas Card. They brought back some cards that were even stronger with similar names through a creative process due to all of the new laws clamping down on rewards cards customers. If you do not wish to go with the corporate products here are some alternatives that you may not see in your bigger banks or advertised on TV.
