The 6 Best Credit Cards for Gas Purchases [September 2024]
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Top Picks (Quick Summary)
Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Gas Station Purchases |
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Chase Freedom Unlimited® |
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The 6 Best Personal Credit Cards for Gas Station Purchases
1. Chase Freedom Flex℠
The Freedom Flex card is an excellent no-annual-fee card that still earns big with 5% cash-back on travel and other bonus categories.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ sure does pack quite a punch — especially for a no-annual-fee card.
The Freedom Flex card is an incredible option for those looking for a well-rounded cash-back card, or a powerful point-earner when paired with a premium card in the Ultimate Rewards family.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
- Powerful cash-back earner: 5% back on quarterly categories and travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases
- No annual fee
- 3% foreign transaction fees in U.S. dollars
- Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99%-28.74%.
- No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Flex® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health - Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
While the Freedom Flex card and the Freedom Unlimited card are commonly considered cash-back cards, they initially earn rewards as flexible Ultimate Rewards points.
This is an important distinction because flexible rewards points offer redemption options that may deliver value far beyond the 1 cent per point option of redeeming Ultimate Rewards earned on the cards for cash-back.
Transferring Ultimate Rewards to premium Chase cards such as the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can result in up to 50% more value when redeemed for travel via the Chase travel portal, or potentially even greater value when transferred to travel partners and redeemed for award flights or free hotel nights.
The Freedom Flex card offers quarterly bonus categories that earn 5% on select categories, up to $1,500 in purchases each quarter, that can include gas stations and merchants that may sell gas-branded gift cards.
The card also earns 5% back on travel through the Chase travel portal, 3% back at restaurants and at drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases.
In addition, this product offers a 0% introductory APR benefit as shown in the table above, purchase protection, extended warranty, and no additional fees for authorized users.
Hot Tip: You may receive bonus earnings on purchases made inside the gas station’s convenience store. Additionally, you may be able to purchase gas-branded gift cards at other bonus category merchants such as office supply stores, supermarkets, or drugstores.
2. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. There aren’t many no-annual-fee credit cards that offer multiple great bonus categories like 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.
When paired with other Chase cards in the Ultimate Rewards family, you can transfer that cash back into points if you wish – making it one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
- 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases
- 3% foreign transaction fee
- INTRO OFFER: Earn 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!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
- No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.99% - 28.74%.
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
The Freedom Unlimited card earns 5% back on travel through Chase Travel, 5% back on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025, 3% back on dining and drugstores, and 1.5% back on all other purchases. It also comes with a welcome offer, which includes a 0% introductory APR benefit as shown in the table above.
The 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases includes gas stations because you literally earn 1.5% cash-back on any purchases not included in the bonus categories.
Remember, if you have an Ultimate Rewards credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can convert your cash-back rewards to Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of 1% to 1x points!
Also, the Freedom Unlimited card comes with purchase protection, extended warranty, secondary rental car insurance, fraud protection, and authorized users for no additional fee.
This card is a good option to use anywhere that you don’t already earn a better bonus for your spending.
3. Citi Premier® Card
*The information regarding the Citi Premier card has expired, and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
- 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
- Access to Citi transfer partners
- Annual hotel credit
- $95 annual fee
- No welcome offer available
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
- APR: 21.24% - 29.24% variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
The Citi Premier card is a great travel rewards card that offers no foreign transaction fees and a flexible rewards program for a $95 annual fee.
This card also offers plenty of opportunities for you to earn extra bonus points quickly on everyday purchases, including one of the most generous broadly defined travel categories. To start off, you can receive a huge welcome bonus as a new cardmember offer.
You will earn 3x points on gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels. Everywhere else, you’ll get 1 point per dollar spent.
Beyond that, the card has an annual hotel savings benefit whereby you can get $100 off a single hotel stay of at least $500 (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through thankyou.com or 800-THANKYOU.
There are no foreign transaction fees or authorized user fees on the Citi Premier card.
Bottom Line: The Citi Premier card offers so many options for earning bonus points, especially with its 3x bonus categories on gas, supermarkets, air travel, hotels, and restaurants. This card makes it easy to rack up points quickly!
4. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
This card is great for those who want to earn cash-back with U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming subscriptions, transit, and U.S. gas stations.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a stellar cash-back credit card for those looking to maximize every purchase they make.
With bonus categories like U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations, and transit purchases, this card rewards you for the items you spend the most on in a big way! For those looking to earn up to 6% cash-back on their purchases, this could be the card for you!
- 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year)
- 6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
- 3% cash-back on U.S. gas stations and transit (including rideshares, parking, etc.)
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee (rates and fees)
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 18.74% - 29.74%.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $84 Disney Bundle Credit: With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 18.74%-29.74% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
Redeem cash-back through your American Express account
To start with, this card earns an unlimited 3% cash-back on purchases made at U.S. gas stations. What’s very special about this structure is that the rewards you can earn on gas station purchases is not low like most credit cards with gas station bonus categories.
It also earns 6% cash-back on up to $6,000 in purchases per year at U.S. supermarkets and on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. Also, expect to earn 3% cash-back on transit, too, including taxis, rideshares, parking, tolls, trains, buses, and more.
All other purchases earn the standard 1% cash-back structure. Plus, enjoy a 0% introductory APR benefit as shown in the table above.
You can also start earning cash-back even before your card arrives! American Express sometimes provides an immediate credit card number when you are instantly approved, which can be used for digital purchases (including mobile payments and online purchases).
5. Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
This cash-back card offers a capped 3% at U.S. supermarkets, 3% at U.S. gas stations, and 3% on U.S. online retail purchases!
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
When it comes to cash-back credit cards, there are dozens of options to choose from. So what sets the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express apart from the rest?
This card is excellent at earning cash-back on your everyday purchases at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and on U.S. online retail purchases. So if you regularly spend money on everyday purchases, this could be the perfect card to add to your wallet.
- 3% back on purchases at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 in purchases each year, then 1% back after.
- 3% back on purchases at U.S. gas stations on up to $6,000 in purchases each year, then 1% back after.
- 3% back on purchases on online retail purchases on up to $6,000 in purchases each year, then 1% back after.
- Rewards are not flexible and can only be redeemed for cash-back. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.
- Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- No Annual Fee.
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 18.74% to 29.74% variable APR.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.
- 3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.
- Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Everyday® Card. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy up to $15 back per month when you purchase a Home Chef meal kit subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday® Card.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 18.74%-29.74% Variable,0% on purchases for 15 months
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
Essentially a toned-down version of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card offers a cash-back rewards program that earns Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
This card provides some easy opportunities to earn extra cash-back on everyday purchases. You earn 3% cash-back on all purchases at U.S. gas stations (up to $6,000 in purchases each year).
The major difference between the 2 cards is that the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card has an increase in the amount of cash-back you earn in the same special bonus categories, but the Amex Blue Cash Everyday card has no annual fee. This card also earns 3% cash-back at U.S. online retailers (up to $6,000 in purchases each year).
Remember that you can add authorized users for no additional fee and take advantage of the purchase protection and fraud protection perks (rates & fees).
6. Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
The Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi is a great Citi’s cash-back rewards card designed specifically for Costco Members.
- Discover one of Citi’s best cash back rewards cards designed exclusively for Costco members
- 4% cash back on eligible gas and EV charging purchases for the first $7,000 per year and then 1% thereafter
- 3% cash back on restaurants and eligible travel purchases
- 2% cash back on all other purchases from Costco and Costco.com
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No annual fee with your paid Costco membership and enjoy no foreign transaction fees on purchases
- Receive an annual credit card reward certificate, which is redeemable for cash or merchandise at U.S. Costco warehouses, including Puerto Rico
- APR: 20.49% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
The Costco Anywhere card is available exclusively for Costco members. If you are not a Costco member, you can join before applying for this card. It could be worth it even if you don’t shop at Costco.
This card earns 4% cash-back on the first $7,000 in eligible gas and EV charging purchases each year. That’s up to $280 a year in earnings just on gas. After that, you’ll earn the standard 1% cash-back rate.
You will also earn 3% cash-back on all restaurant and eligible travel expenses worldwide, as well as 2% cash-back on all Costco purchases in-store and online.
There is no annual fee — you just need to be a Costco member, which starts at just $60 annually.
The only catch? Your rewards aren’t immediately available. Instead, your cash-back rewards will be issued annually as a cash rewards certificate when your February statement closes. You can then redeem the certificate for cash or for purchases at Costco.
There are no foreign transaction fees on this card, and it even includes purchase protection and access to Citi Entertainment.
Bottom Line: The Costco Anywhere card is one of the best cash-back credit cards for gas and EV charging purchases, earning 4% on the first $7,000 in purchases each year. The only downside is that you have to be a Costco member, and you have to wait up to a year to receive your rewards.
Final Thoughts
Overall, there are plenty of travel rewards and cash-back cards that can earn lots of bonus points on gas purchases. These cards can offer more earnings and flexible redemption options than gas-station branded cards.
And don’t forget that bonus-category merchants may offer gas-branded gift cards that could result in elevated earnings for those purchases. It can be easy to add a gas gift card to your weekly grocery purchase or when picking up a prescription at the drugstore.
Earning flexible rewards for your gas purchases, whether Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards, can also result in a far better return for your rewards at redemption time.
Additionally, cash-back rewards earnings could directly offset the cost of gas. For example, earning 3% cash-back on gas purchases reduces the price of a $5.00 gallon of gas to just $4.85 — and that can add up over time.
The bottom line is that regardless of which travel rewards or cash-back cards you choose, you come out ahead by using a card that offers increased earning rates at the pump.