10 Best Gas Credit Card Types to Stay on the Road in 2021

Overview — PenFed’s rewards card leaves the competition in the dust when it comes to gas purchases. Though that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few restrictions in place, but they’re worth working around to get these rewards.

Rewards — 5X reward points on gasoline purchases essentially make this the best gas rewards credit card, but it doesn’t stop there. Using this card also earns 3X reward points on grocery purchases and points on all other purchases.

And you get all that without an annual fee and no cap on the rewards you can earn. Plus, this card’s APR is one of the more reasonable you’ll find.

Although you’ll get a lot of reward points, this card has no cashback option. And unless you’re spending your points on travel or hotel bookings, their value drops quite a bit. So, while these are the best credit card rewards for gas, you’re a bit limited in how you can use those rewards.

Introductory offer — When you spend $1,500 within the first 90 days of opening your account, you’ll receive a $100 statement credit: nothing to write home about as far as sign-up bonuses go, but a welcome bit of income.

Additional perks — If you plan on making a balance transfer to your credit card, you’re in luck. Balance transfers made through March 2021 get 0% APR for the first 12 months. There will probably be more of these to come this year too.

Overview — To be clear, American Express doesn’t market this as a card primarily for gas purchases. Even so, it’s one of the best credit cards for gas and a top-tier rewards card overall. Its reward structure makes it most appealing for mid-to-large families that spend a lot on groceries and transportation.

Rewards — For starters, the Blue Cash Preferred® card earns 6% cashback on supermarket purchases in the US and select streaming subscriptions. However, these supermarket cashback rewards cut off at $6,000 per year and earn 1% after that.

Additionally, you’ll earn 3% cashback at US gas stations and spending on local transportation.

Lastly, the card gives you 1% cashback on most other purchases. The one drawback is that you can only redeem your cashback rewards in the form of statement credits.

Introductory offer — When you spend $1,000 within the first three months, you’ll receive a $300 statement credit — enough to cover the annual fee for three years.

Additional perks — While this is the best credit card for gas and grocery rewards, it doesn’t feature much in the way of added benefits. You’ll get 0% APR for the first 12 months and a few other standard perks from AmEx, such as return protection on select purchases.

Overview — If you’re on the road a lot, this is the card that will give you the best rewards. And that counts whether you’re spending on gas, airfare, or any other kind of travel. This card also has a unique ace up its sleeve; you can transfer cashback rewards gained into Chase Ultimate points.

If you’re strategic about using those points, you may get more value than the cashback amount.

Rewards — Chase Freedom Unlimited nets cardholders 1.5% cashback on gas purchases (and most other purchases). That may not seem like much compared to the best gas station credit cards, but there’s no limit to how much cashback you can earn this way.

Also, cardholders earn 3.5% additional cashback on Lyft rides through March 2022 for a total of 5%.

However, the real jewel in this card’s crown is 5% cashback on travel purchased through Chase and 3% on dining and restaurant spending. Those rewards easily compete with the best credit cards for gas purchases and dining.

Introductory offer — Get a $200 bonus when you spend $500 within the first three months of opening your account — a decent reward for such a low spending requirement.

Additional perks — Chase partners with DoorDash and Lyft to give cardholders added benefits. With the Freedom Unlimited card come three free months of DoorDash’s subscription service, DashPass.

Also, Chase has one of the best debit cards for kids that is definitely worth checking out.

Overview — If you have the credit level for this card, and you plan to spend enough to get the welcome bonus, it’s one of the best deals around. Citi doesn’t have the most valuable reward points, but used wisely can prove highly lucrative for travel.

Moreover, the Citi Premier card has a broad reward structure that gives extra points in several major categories.

Rewards — 3X points on gas purchases is just the beginning. This card also earns 3X points for supermarket purchases, dining, air travel, and hotels. You’ll have trouble finding a more generous reward scheme, even among the best credit cards for gas rewards.

Introductory offer — Rewards notwithstanding, the sign-up bonus is what sets this card head and shoulders above the competition. Spending $4,000 in the first three months will net you 60,000 bonus Citi points.

$4,000 is a tall mountain to climb, but that can be well over $600 in points if redeemed efficiently.

Additional perks — Citi Premier is primarily a travel card and offers the best bonuses in that category. Cardholders can get $100 off a hotel stay of over $500, and ThankYou points can be transferred to one of many airline loyalty programs.

Overview — Discover’s cards are generally in the top tier when it comes to cashback rewards. But the company is best known for its rolling category approach that rewards people who plan out their spending.

Discover It Chrome sacrifices some reward potential for a lot more convenience.

Rewards — Instead of rotating cashback categories every quarter, this card earns a flat 2% cashback on gas and restaurant purchases. Although not a match for our best gas cash back credit card (PenFed Platinum), it’s a far more accessible card.

All other purchases earn 1% cashback. However, there is a $1,000 cashback spending limit every quarter. So you’ll still be rewarded for spreading out your purchases.

Introductory offer — Discover matches all your cashback rewards after the first year. It’s an unlimited match so you can get 2% cashback on up to $4,000 with this card.

Additional perks — There’s not much to speak of in the way of benefits other than Discover’s standard suite of services. Those services include free FICO score checking and SSN monitoring.

Overall, the rewards alone don’t put this among the best cash back credit cards for gas. With no annual fee and such an appealing welcome bonus, it’s spectacular in the first year.

Overview — Whether you’re commuting, ridesharing, or driving your personal vehicle, the Wells Fargo Propel card is your ticket to big rewards.

And it doesn’t stop at gas and travel. This card provides rewards across numerous categories and doesn’t even require you to boost your credit score to excellent.

Rewards — The Propel card earns 3X rewards points on just about everything. Gas, dining, rideshares, transit, hotels, flights, and even car rentals all earn triple points. You could find a gas-only credit card with better rewards on fuel, but this card’s sheer value is unbeatable.

The one striking exclusion is grocery spending. However, that’s balanced to a degree by including streaming services into the mix. If you’re into cord-cutting and want to ditch your cable company, this card will help you do it.

Introductory offer — Spend $1,000 within the first three months of opening your account to earn 20,000 bonus points. Wells Fargo values those points at $200 in rewards.

Additional perks — If you’re looking to transfer a significant balance, this “best credit card of 2020” is a prime choice. Balance transfers and purchases enjoy 0% APR for the first 12 months, and there’s an introductory fee of only 3% or $5 per transfer (whichever is greater).

Cardholders also enjoy a free extended warranty on select products, zero liability protection on unauthorized transactions, and many ancillary travel benefits. Plus, all Wells Fargo AmEx cards come with 24/7 fraud protection.

Overview — If you’re more drawn to AmEx points than cashback rewards, this card is an excellent alternative to the Blue Cash Preferred card. It has a similar reward structure, except you’ll earn points for your purchases.

Rewards — Cardholders earn 3X points for supermarket purchases in the US on up to $6,000 a year. Gas purchases earn 2X points, and most other purchases earn standard points as a part of the membership rewards program.

If you’re well-versed in using AmEx points, this could be the best credit card for gas rewards in the mid-tier. But even if you don’t redeem the points perfectly, it’s a high-value card.

Introductory offer — Spending $1,000 within the first three months earns 15,000 bonus points. Not a bad way to cover the card’s annual fee for almost two years.

Additional perks — One reason this card may actually be better than the Blue Cash Preferred is an extra perk. When used 30+ times in a billing period, all qualifying purchases in that period earn 50% more points.

If you make supermarket or gas purchases every day, that shouldn’t be hard to accomplish. That 50% bump is enough to place this among the best gas rewards credit cards that earn points.

In addition, although returns will be deducted from your total cashback rewards, they still count toward the 30-purchase requirement.

Overview — If you buy gas at Costco, you’re already getting the best price available to the general public. And if you also have superb credit, you can even add 4% cashback to that low price with Costco’s Anywhere Visa card.

It’s the best credit card for food and gas if you’re a financial optimizer since it’s only available to Costco members. You can easily make back the Costco annual membership with the rewards from this card.

And as a tiny bonus, this card can double as your Costco membership to save wallet space.

Rewards — As stated, this card earns 4% cashback on gas purchases at qualifying gas stations. Most gas stations apply, but you’ll want to steer clear of other warehouse clubs, which will only earn 1% cashback on gas.

The gas cashback rewards are capped at a respectable $7,000 per year. That’s a higher gas-exclusive cap than any other option in our gas credit card reviews.

Cardholders can also earn 3% cashback on restaurant and travel purchases from select merchants. It has a 2% flat cashback from any purchases made at Costco warehouses or Costco.com with no limit.

This card’s major drawback is what you can (or rather can’t) do with the rewards. The cashback rewards are issued as an annual certificate that you must use on a single transaction at Costco.

Overview — Chase’s Ink line of cards is designed to provide top-tier rewards for business owners with a relatively low credit score barrier and no annual fee. The most versatile of them is the Ink Business Cash card.

Rewards — This card’s primary focus is rewarding business purchases. To that end, it earns 5% cashback at office supply stores, phone service, internet, and cable. These cashback rewards top out at $25,000 in total purchases per year, which is plenty for most small business budgets.

It also earns 2% cashback on gas and restaurants, also subject to a $25,000 total spending cap. Those rewards are on par with the best cashback credit cards for gas, but business owners will like the high spending limits.

Introductory offer — Spend $7,500 within the first three months to earn a $750 cashback bonus. That’s one of the best rewards you’re likely to find for cards in this range, so it’s a good idea to line up your application with a large purchase.

Additional perks — To make your life even more comfortable as a business owner, this card provides rental collision insurance if you’re renting for business purposes. And besides having no annual fee, you can also order additional cards for employees at no added cost.

Overview — Unsecured gas cards for bad credit are few and far between. A secured card is a much more likely option. Better yet, it’s easily accessible if you have bad credit (in most cases).

Well, SunTrust’s secured cards are not only easily accessible but also feature excellent cashback programs under the circumstances. And it’s the closest thing you’ll find to a guaranteed-approval gas credit card.

As an added bonus, your security deposit will earn interest while the account is open; a real bargain if you ask us.

Rewards — With this card, you’ll earn 2% cashback on the first $6,000 you spend annually on gas and groceries. All other purchases earn 1% unlimited cashback. That’s on the high end when it comes to gas cards for bad credit.

Additional perks — Cashback rewards from this card can earn up to a 50% loyalty bonus when redeemed into a SunTrust account.

You’ll also get a few other minor perks, such as FICO score access. In addition, you can activate extra rewards at select merchants from SunTrust Deals as well.

Overall, this is the best gas credit card for bad credit reward program if you have the money to set aside for the security deposit. Unfortunately, this card’s spending limit will match the security deposit, which can’t exceed your approved limit.