Average drivers spend $160–$250 a month on gas. These cards earn 3% or more at the pump, trimming $50–$100 annually. Top picks: Amex Blue Cash Preferred, Citi Custom Cash, Wells Fargo Autograph.
The average driver spends $160 to $250 a month at the pump. The right credit card can cut that by $50 to $100 a year, before counting other rewards.
We looked at cash-back and travel cards that earn 3x or 3% or more at gas stations. Cards with no annual cap on gas rewards work best for long commutes or road trips. For average spending, a higher rate with a cap can still pay off.
Issuers define "gas" differently. Most count purchases at stations that sell gasoline for cars. Pumps at supermarkets, Walmart, or Costco may not qualify. Neither do boat marinas. Some cards, like the American Express Blue Cash Preferred, also count EV charging stations–check the terms if you drive electric. Foreign transactions often don't earn gas rewards, and some cards add a fee.
Retail gas cards, like those from Shell or BP, usually give discounts per gallon, not cash back. Those discounts are often small–5 cents off per gallon, which is less than 5% cash back on a $4 gallon. And retail cards can carry APRs above 30%. Paying off the balance each month is essential.
Our top picks:
No card consistently offers 5% on gas. The Citi Custom Cash gets close, but only for the first $500 per cycle. The Chase Freedom Flex sometimes offers 5% on gas as a rotating quarterly category, but not year-round.
We used Bureau of Labor Statistics spending data and each card's rewards rate to estimate savings. The cards above earned the highest scores in our cash-back and travel card rubrics.
For the full list of card terms and rates, visit each issuer's application page. Always read the fine print on what counts as a gas purchase and any foreign transaction fees.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.