Hitting the road? These are the 4 best cards for fueling up right now
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
The national gas price average is now well over $4 per gallon, according to AAA.
No matter the reason you’re driving, if gas is one of your top spending categories, it pays to carry a credit card that earns a strong bonus every time you fill up the tank — especially with the current surge in prices.
Currently, there are four cards that will offer maximum returns for gas:
- American Express® Business Gold Card.
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card.
- Citi Premier® Card.
- Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi.
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The best cards for gas
Amex Business Gold
The Amex Business Gold offers 4 Membership Rewards points per dollar on your top two spending categories from the list below each month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases per calendar year):
- Airfare purchased directly from airlines.
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media.
- U.S. purchases for shipping.
- U.S. purchases at gas stations.
- U.S. purchases at restaurants.
- U.S. purchases made from select technology providers of computer hardware, software and cloud solutions.
This incredible flexibility is a key component of the card. Since TPG values Membership Rewards at 2 cents each, that's equivalent to an 8% return on your gas purchases.
Finally, the current welcome offer on the Business Gold is 70,000 bonus points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of card membership. The card has a $295 annual fee (see rates and fees).
Related: Amex Business Gold card review
Official application link: Amex Business Gold.
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card
The Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card is one of the most rewarding hotel cards for gas:
- 6 points per dollar on Wyndham hotels and gas stations.
- 4 points per dollar on dining and grocery store purchases.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
You can then redeem all of the Wyndham points you've earned for stays at nearly 9,000 eligible properties worldwide — and for reasonable award rates. Note that there's a $75 annual fee on the card.
Wyndham points are worth 1.1 cents each, so that's a solid 6.6% return on fuel purchases. It also comes with a sign-up bonus of 45,000 points after spending $1,000 in 90 days of account opening.
Related: Which Wyndham Rewards credit card is right for you?
Official application link: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card.
Citi Premier Card
For a $95 annual fee, the Citi Premier earns valuable Citi ThankYou points across a variety of bonus categories, which can then be transferred to nearly 20 airline and hotel loyalty programs. You'll earn:
- 3 points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
TPG estimates that ThankYou points are worth 1.7 cents each, or a 5.1% return across these 3 point per dollar categories — which includes fueling up.
Related: Citi Premier review.
Official application link: Citi Premier.
Costco Anywhere Visa Card
The Costco Anywhere Visa Card does not carry an annual fee for those who have a Costco membership, making it a no-brainer for frequent shoppers at this wholesale store. Plus, the rewards rate is strong:
- 4% on eligible gas, for the first $7,000 per year, then 1% thereafter.
- 3% on restaurants and eligible travel.
- 2% on purchases from Costco and Costco.com.
- 1% on all other eligible purchases.
You'll earn rewards in the form of cash back in a Costco rewards certificate, deposited into your account annually once your February billing statement closes.
While the 4% rewards rate on gas is good — but certainly not the best among this list — I find that Costco gas prices are generally lower than other gas stations in my area, usually 10 cents or greater. That makes carrying the Costco Anywhere Visa card worthwhile for the lower gas prices and solid 4% rewards rate.
Related: Costco Anywhere Visa Card review.
Official application link: Costco Anywhere Visa Card.
Other ways to save
Outside of these cards, there are a number of other ways to save money when filling up your tank. You can earn airline miles on gas purchases, and there are a number of other rewards programs you can join that offer rebates or discounts.
Be sure to check your online credit card accounts for further offers. For example, TPG director of content Nick Ewen currently has a Chase Offer to save 5% at Chevron (up to a maximum of $2.50) on both his Chase Sapphire Reserve and United Explorer Card.
These offers (by themselves) won't completely erase the pain of higher prices, but every little bit helps.
Bottom line
If gas is one of your main expenses — especially as prices have soared in recent weeks — having one of these cards under your belt can be quite advantageous. In addition, there are other perks on these cards (besides the elevated earnings at gas stations), that make these cards keeping in the long-run.
Official application link: Amex Business Gold.
Official application link: Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card.
Official application link: Citi Premier.
Official application link: Costco Anywhere Visa.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Gold, please click here.
Additional reporting by Chris Dong.
