Most Americans rely on gas-powered cars to get around and are always searching for ways to save money on gas. Americans consume approximately 400 million gallons of gasoline per day, according to the Energy Information Administration. That’s more than 1 gallon per person, per day.
It’s no surprise, then, that gas and gas station purchases are among the most popular credit card rewards categories. But with hundreds of credit cards out there, finding the best gas credit card isn’t always as easy as it appears.
Stumped? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve done the hard work of evaluating all those cards so you don’t have to.
Best Gas Credit Cards for U.S. Drivers
We sorted through hundreds of credit card offers to find the best gas credit cards.
Each of these credit cards earns rewards on gasoline purchases at the pump. Some earn rewards on purchases inside the gas station too. And a few offer instant discounts on gas spending — slashing your gasoline bill as you fill up.
They’re all different, but each of the top gas credit cards does one thing really well. That could be rewarding road trippers with points back on hotel stays, delivering instant savings at the pump, or lowering the cost of doing business on the road.
Read on to learn more.
Best Overall: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 3% cash back on purchases at U.S. gas stations with no spending caps or other restrictions.
Not bad. But that’s not the best Blue Cash Preferred can do, rewards-wise. As a cardholder, you’ll also earn 6% cash back on the first $6,000 in U.S. supermarket purchases each year (1% thereafter) and 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
Additional features:
- Base Rewards: 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- Sign-up Bonus: Earn $250 back after you spend at least $3,000 on purchases within the first 6 months. Cash back accrues as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits.
- Key Fees: $95 annual fee; 2.7% foreign transaction fee. See rates and fees.
- Introductory APR: 0% purchase and balance transfer APR for 12 months. After that, regular variable APR applies (currently 19.24% to 29.99%), depending on creditworthiness and prevailing interest rates. See rates and fees page.
Learn More About the Blue Cash Preferred Card
Best for Road Trippers: Hilton Honors American Express Card
The Hilton Honors American Express Card is the best hotel credit card for gas rewards. All eligible U.S. gas station purchases earn unlimited 5 Honors points per $1 spent. If you frequently travel for business and have a long commute to the home office, or need to cover an extensive sales territory by car, this is the card for you.
Award night redemptions start as low as 5,000 points per night at the lowest-tier Hilton properties, so you can earn a free night’s stay after as little as $1,000 in gas spending.
Additional features:
- Nongas Travel Rewards: 7x points on all eligible Hilton purchases.
- Nongas 6x Rewards Categories: 5x points on U.S. grocery store, U.S. gas station, and U.S. drugstore purchases.
- Base Rewards: 3x points on all other eligible purchases. You can also earn 500 bonus points per stay when you use your card to both reserve your hotel online and subsequently pay for your room upon arrival.
- Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 4/17/24.
- Key Fees: No annual fee; no foreign transaction fee. See rates and fees.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Silver status. Terms apply.
- Spend $20,000 in a year to qualify for Hilton Honors Gold status. Terms apply.
Learn More About the Hilton Honors American Express Card
Best for Instant Discounts: BP credit cards
BP has two fantastic credit cards for drivers who regularly fill up at bp and Amoco fuel stations: the BP Visa® Credit Card and the BP Credit Card. Together, they offer the best one-two punch for drivers seeking instant savings at the pump.
BP Visa® Credit Card
The BP Visa® Credit Card earns $0.10 off every Gallon* (with no Gallon* restriction and no limit) at participating bp and Amoco stations after a 30-day introductory offer period that delivers up to $0.30 off every Gallon(*,†) at participating bp and Amoco stations when you open a BP credit card account and download the BPme app.
BP Credit Card
The BP Credit Card earns $0.05 off every Gallon* (with no Gallon* restriction and no limit) at participating bp and Amoco stations and 1% cash back* on non-fuel purchases made at bp and Amoco stations.
Learn More About the BP Credit Cards
*Subject to credit approval. Cents Off Per Gallon Rewards on purchases made at participating bp and Amoco locations are taken automatically at the pump. After the introductory offer period: BP Visa Credit Cardholders will receive a discount of ten cents ($0.10) per gallon in fuel purchases; BP Credit Cardholders will receive a discount of five cents ($0.05) per gallon in fuel purchases. Cash Back Rewards earned on qualifying purchases will be posted to your account as a statement credit within two billing cycles. Account must remain open, be in good standing and not become delinquent at the time the statement credit is applied. See the Rewards Program Terms for details on earning rewards and the bp and Amoco Station Finder for participating locations at bp.com/gas-station-finder.
† Available at participating bp and Amoco locations. Immediately upon registration in BPme Rewards Program, members will receive $0.05 off per gallon of fuel purchased at participating bp and Amoco locations during the month of registration and the immediately following month (the “Registration Period”). During each month following the Registration Period, members will continue to receive $0.05 off per gallon of fuel purchased at
participating bp and Amoco locations during each calendar month, provided members have spent a minimum of one hundred dollars ($100) on bp and/or Amoco fuel during the immediately previous month.
The BP Visa Credit Card is issued by Synchrony Bank pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc.
Best for Warehouse Club Members: Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi has a generous gas benefit: 4% cash back on the first $7,000 in gas and EV charging purchases each year. This rate applies on gas purchased at all U.S. gas and charging stations, not just Costco filling stations.
The catch: This card is only available to paid-up Costco members. Otherwise, it would be a strong contender for best overall gas credit card.
Additional features:
- Nongas 3% Cash Back Categories: 3% cash back on restaurant and travel purchases.
- 2% Costco Cash Back: 2% cash back on eligible Costco and Costco.com purchases.
- Base Rewards: 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- Key Fees: No annual fee, but Costco membership required ($60/year); no foreign transaction fee.
Learn More About the Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card
Best for Small-Business Owners: U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
The U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® offers unlimited 3% cash back on pay-at-the-pump gas and EV charging. Order additional employee cards (at no additional charge) to maximize your returns on gas and electric charge purchases for your vehicle fleet or employee-paid, employer-reimbursed fuel-ups.
Additional features:
- Nongas 3% Cash Back Categories: 3% cash back on cellular, restaurant, and office supply purchases.
- Base Rewards: 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
- Sign-up Bonus: For a limited time, earn $500 bonus cash when you spend at least $4,500 in eligible purchases during the first 150 days your account is open.
- Key Fees: No annual fee; 3% foreign transaction fee.
- Introductory APR: 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 billing cycles. After that, variable regular APR applies, currently 19.24% - 28.24%.
- $100 annual statement credit for eligible recurring software subscription purchases.
- Terms and conditions apply
Best Sign-up Bonus: Citi Premier® Card
The Citi Premier® Card earns 3 points per $1 spent on gas station purchases. That’s a good enough return to make this list regardless.
But the sign-up bonus sets it apart: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou points after you make $4,000 in purchases with your card in the first 3 months. That's worth $600 when redeemed for gift cards at ThankYou.com. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.
Additional features:
- Nongas 3x Rewards: 3x points on eligible air travel and hotel purchases, restaurant purchases, and supermarket purchases.
- Base Rewards: 1x point on all other eligible purchases.
- Key Fees: $95 annual fee; no foreign transaction fee.
Learn More About the Citi Premier Card
Methodology: How We Select the Best Gas Credit Cards
We evaluate hundreds of gas credit cards on 6 key metrics that drivers care about. Each of the cards on this list does better than all the rest on one of those metrics. We’ve also selected one card that rises above the pack to offer the best combined value for drivers.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the most important factors for choosing a gas credit card.
Benefits for Road Trippers
By definition, any gas credit card is better than no gas credit card on a road trip. But the best gas credit cards for road trippers help lower costs when you’re done driving for the day too.
Our top pick, the Hilton Honors American Express Card, pairs a strong rate of return on gas purchases with an even better rewards rate on Hilton hotel purchases. It also delivers valuable perks for Hilton loyalists, like complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status.
Nongas Rewards
Most gas credit cards reward certain nongas purchases as well. The cards that do best on this criteria have unusually numerous or generous (or both) nongas rewards categories.
Our top pick, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, earns 6% cash back on the first $6,000 in U.S. supermarket purchases each year (1% thereafter) and 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions (see rates and fees).
Instant Gas Discounts
When you have to save right now, a discount at the pump is the way to go.
The downside is that most credit cards offering instant gas discounts are branded, meaning they’re store cards that only work at specific gas stations.
The BP Visa® Credit Card, one of our top picks for instant gas discounts, is a rare exception.
Benefits for Business Owners
Business-friendly gas credit cards offer special benefits not found in consumer cards, like complimentary employee credit cards and statement credits against purchases of business services.
Our top pick, the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard®, offsets its $95 annual fee with up to $100 in annual statement credits against eligible recurring purchases of business software like QuickBooks and Freshbooks.
Benefits for Warehouse Club Members
If there’s one thing warehouse club members can agree on, it’s that you should never pass up an opportunity to save money.
Unfortunately, most general gas credit cards, even those offering cash back at “all U.S. gas stations,” specifically exclude gas bought at warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco.
Plus, few if any rewards credit cards earn bonus points on nongas purchases at warehouse clubs.
Add it all up and it’s clear that you need a special credit card to make the most of your warehouse store membership. The Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi is our top pick for people who drive a lot.
Sign-up Bonus (Welcome Offer)
The best credit card sign-up bonuses (welcome offers) deliver hundreds of dollars in value without demanding ridiculous amounts of early spending in return.
Our top pick, the Citi Premier® Card, promises a bonus worth up to $600 when you spend $4,000 in eligible purchases in the first 3 months.
Become a Gas Credit Card Expert: Your Questions Answered (FAQ)
You’ve got questions about gas credit cards. We’ve got answers.
Can You Get a Gas Credit Card With Bad Credit?
Yes. You won’t have as much choice as fellow drivers with good or excellent credit, but you won’t be totally shut out of the gas credit card market either.
If you have limited or impaired credit, look to branded retail credit cards backed by popular gas station operators, like Exxon or Sunoco. These cards usually have looser qualification standards and may approve applications from people with poor credit.
Just be aware that gas credit cards for bad credit tend to have lower spending limits and higher interest rates than other credit cards. Avoid carrying a balance on this type of card.
How Can You Tell If Your Gas Credit Card Works at Other Stores?
Look for an issuer logo on the physical card. In the U.S., Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are the three biggest gas credit card issuers. Their logo means the card is accepted by any merchant in their network — that’s millions worldwide.
If your credit card doesn’t have an issuer logo on it, and instead has only the name and logo of a specific gas station company, it’s probably a retail credit card. In that case, it’ll only work at gas stations operated by the backing brand.
What Are Some Other Ways to Save Money on Gas?
Using a gas credit card is one of the best ways to save money on gas, but not the only one. Try these other fuel-saving ideas if you can:
- Using a gas-finder app to locate the cheapest fuel in your area
- Getting to work by means other than a single-occupancy vehicle, like carpooling, public transportation, or biking
- Working from home whenever you can (if your employer allows it and you can do your job effectively from home)
- Drive more efficiently — accelerate and brake gradually, drive at a slower cruising speed, and park farther away from your destination to minimize time spent looking for a parking space
Are Gas Credit Cards Worth It?
With so many reliable ways to save money on gas, it’s worth asking: Do you really need a gas credit card?
If you drive a gas-powered car, the answer is yes. After all, you’ll always spend something on gas, even if it’s not very much. A gas credit card further reduces that spend, leaving more money in your account after each fill-up.
That said, your choice of gas credit card matters. That’s why it’s so important to pay special attention to any spending caps, brand restrictions, and time limits that could eat into your earning power when evaluating your options.
Don’t be afraid to dive into the fine print. For instance, most general gas credit cards that offer cash back at “all U.S. gas stations” specifically exclude warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco, which sell discounted gas and have their own cash back rewards programs. But you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t take the time to read those cards’ disclosures.
How to Select the Best Gas Credit Card
It should be clear by now that gas credit cards come in many different forms. How should you decide which type — and which card — is best for you?
As you narrow down your options, consider:
- Whether you want to be able to use your credit card at a wide variety of merchants, or whether you’re fine using it at the pump only
- How much you want to earn and save on fuel purchases
- Which other rewards categories matter to you
- Whether you can afford to pay an annual fee on your gas credit card
- How important new cardholder offers are — both sign-up bonuses and 0% APR introductory offers
Answer these questions and you’ll be on track to make your selection. And check back here often, because the gas credit card space is constantly evolving.
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, please visit this rates and fees page.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, please visit this rates and fees page.
