Best Cards Summary
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 5% cash back on travel purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases, including gas station fill-ups. You can redeem cash back in any amount, and cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open. New users can nab an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back, plus the card offers a 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases, then a variable APR of 16.49% – 25.24%. See our full review.
Discover it® chrome
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The Discover it chrome card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, on up to the first $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter. All other purchases earn unlimited 1% cash back and cash back can be redeemed at any time, in any amount. Discover also matches all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year automatically, with no cap. There’s no annual fee for this card. See our full review.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express offers 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%. Cardholders also earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months. See our full review.
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The Hilton Honors American Express Card earns five points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. gas stations. Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Gold status through the end of the next calendar year. See our full review.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The Ink Business Cash Credit Card is designed for business owners who spend on gas and other everyday purchases. Cardholders earn 5% cash back on up to $25,000 in combined purchases annually at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services. You also earn 2% cash back on up to $25,000 in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. All other purchases earn 1% cash back, with no cap on earnings, and the card charges no annual fee. See our full review.
Citi Rewards+® Card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: With the Citi Rewards+ Card, you can earn two points per dollar at gas stations and supermarkets on up to $6,000 in spending each year. For a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at restaurants up to $6,000 in the first 12 months and 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent thereafter. All other spending earns one point per dollar, including spending in bonus categories after you hit the relevant limits. The Citi Rewards+ Card also rounds up to the nearest 10 points on all spending. New cardholders can earn 20,000 bonus points for spending at least $1,500 in their first three months with an account. See our full review.
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: With the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi, earn 4% cash back on eligible gas for the first $7,000 each year and then 1% thereafter. You’ll also earn 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel, 2% on all purchases from Costco and Costco.com that fall outside the higher-earning categories, and 1% on all other purchases. Cash back is provided as an annual credit card reward certificate and is redeemable for cash or merchandise at Costco Wholesale, and the card charges no annual fee with a Costco membership. See our full review.
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card offers 2% cash back on gas and electric vehicle charging stations. The card offers three tiers of rewards: Earn 5% cash back on the first $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter in two categories of your choice and 2% cash back on your choice of one everyday category (like gas). All other eligible purchases earn 1% cash back.Cardholders can receive a $200 sign-up bonus after spending $1,000 within the first four months of account opening. For the first 15 months, balance transfers and purchases have a 0% APR. There’s no annual fee. See our full review.
Amazon Business Prime American Express Card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: Businesses can earn 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and a $125 Amazon gift card when opening an account. See our full review.
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
Why this is one of the best gas credit cards: The Bank of America Cash Rewards card lets you pick one category to earn 3% cash back – including gas. Grocery store and wholesale club purchases get 2% back. You’ll also receive a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $1,000 on the card in the first three months. See our full review.
Some gas credit cards provide perks for one brand, while others offer more flexibility. Co-branded cards are linked to a fuel retailer. Some co-branded cards are backed by a network such as Visa, which means you can use them for more than just gassing up, but others are closed-loop cards that can only be used with the relevant retailer. And you can purchase virtually anything with a regular rewards credit card, which may come with bonus earnings for gasoline.
- Offer savings on purchases with a single brand.
- Typically apply a discount between 3 cents and 10 cents per gallon at the pump or as a statement credit, according to American Express. The Shell Fuel Rewards Card from Citi, for example, reduces your price at participating Shell stations by 10 cents per gallon on up to 35 gallons each time you fill your gas tank.
- Earn bonus discounts, in some cases, for new cardholders.
Co-branded gas cards backed by a network such as Visa
Regular rewards credit card with bonus earnings for gas
- Usually charges lower interest rates than co-branded cards.
- Presents potential for better benefits than co-branded gas cards.
- May deliver an additional rebate if the card has an introductory offer available to consumers who meet a spending requirement.
In addition to these credit cards, brands may also offer free rewards programs that provide discounts on gas, even when you pay with cash. These are simply loyalty programs and are not linked to your credit score.
If you’re trying to decide whether to open a gas card, think about your spending habits and preferences. People who drive a lot or who always buy the same brand of gas will usually get the most bang for their buck from a gas credit card.
Here’s what some of the gas credit cards rated best by U.S. News offer:
Impressive reward earnings. These cards, which require good to excellent credit, tend to offer 3% or 2% cash back on gas purchases. Cards that earn points may deliver as many as five points per dollar spent on gas.
Potential for low annual percentage rates. The lowest APR among the gas cards ranked by U.S. News is just over 12%, and the highest are over 24%. The average APR among all cards in U.S. News’ database ranges from 15.56% to 22.87%.
Various reward options. You may be able to redeem rewards for statement credits, bank deposits, gift cards, hotel stays, online shopping and more.
Sign-up bonuses. Some cards offer cash or point bonuses for new cardholders who meet spending requirements.
Annual fees. Many cards for good or excellent credit do not charge an annual fee. Some cards may waive the fee the first year and then charge one.
Here’s how you can evaluate gas cards to make the right choice:
- Does the card charge an annual fee? Any fees will eat into the value of your rewards.
- How much can you earn in rewards? Does the card offer an introductory rewards rate, such as 10 cents back per gallon for the first 90 days and then 3 cents back after that?
- Will you have reward caps? Caps could be quarterly or yearly. Track your gas spending to see how any cap will affect your earnings. You can check the card’s terms and conditions or contact customer service for clarification on spending caps.
- Where can you earn rewards? Can you earn rewards only at one gas station or chain? Can you get rewards for purchases at restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers?
- Does the card offer an introductory APR? Can you get a 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for at least a year and then a low interest rate when the offer expires?
- What are rewards worth? Is one point worth 1 cent, or less? Do you need to have a certain amount of rewards before you can redeem them? How can you redeem your rewards?
- Does the card have membership requirements? Will you have to join a credit union or warehouse club, for instance, to get the card? This can take time and money.
U.S. News has been helping consumers make money decisions for decades. For our Best Gas Credit Cards list, we considered overall issuer satisfaction ratings, gas rewards earning rates, annual fees, APRs and sign-up bonus values. Satisfaction data is based on an annual nationwide survey.
The cards on our Best Gas Credit Cards list earn bonus rewards and discounts for filling up your tank – points that can be redeemed for cash back, travel, merchandise and more. Most cards include additional categories, so consider how much you can earn on gas purchases combined with other spending – then choose the best card to help you maximize rewards.