topic Re: What Cards Do you use For Gas? in Credit Cards

Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

DaWhole9 — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 20:56:25 GMT

Hello FICOers!

Im planning my credit card strategy for 2023 and I am looking for a high percentage cash back card for Gas. I currently have Discover which has 5% revolving quarterly categories. One is gas, and another is Apple Pay transactions. So 6 months out of the year I can get 5% on gas using those 2 categories. I have an AMEX Blue Cash Preferred that will give me 3% on Gas purchases, but wondering if I can get 5%+ year round. The Penfed Platinum Rewards will do 5x points but for cash its .85 cents a point and only for gift cards. So thats 4.25%. Any more ideas? Thoughts?

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

Hansolojr — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 21:09:58 GMT

Try the Abound CU Platinum Visa. You get 5% uncapped on gas, plus 5% capped on rotating categories. The 5% cashback credits directly to your account on the following statement.

Abound pulls TransUnion. $10 one-time membership fee to join the CU. All non-Kentucky residents have $2,000 SL; you can request CLI after 12 months, with hard pull.

There are other cards like Citi Custom or BofA Customized that can get you 5% or more on gas, but they have smaller caps or other gimmicks.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

DakotaM — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 21:13:45 GMT

The Citi Shop Your Way card is 5% on gas and 3% on grocery stores and restuarants on up to $10,000 in purchases. The card is known to have a lot of pretty generous bonus offers too!

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

wasCB14 — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 21:30:35 GMT

@Hansolojr wrote:
Try the Abound CU Platinum Visa. You get 5% uncapped on gas, plus 5% capped on rotating categories. The 5% cashback credits directly to your account on the following statement.

Abound pulls TransUnion. $10 one-time membership fee to join the CU. All non-Kentucky residents have $2,000 SL; you can request CLI after 12 months, with hard pull.

There are other cards like Citi Custom or BofA Customized that can get you 5% or more on gas, but they have smaller caps or other gimmicks.

Given OP's satisfaction with Discover, bonus spend caps on Citi and BofA are unlikely to be a problem. But it would help to know OP's ballpark gas consumption (in gallons, at least, if not in dollars).

I don't drive a lot so usually just fill up at Costco when the lines aren't bad. 4% cash back and lower prices.

*A few people have mentioned Citi. Citi has pretty flexible PC rules. Rather than going straight for a card with a good earn rate on gas, you might consider going for a travel card with a big SUB and PCing after a year.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

Simmonowski — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 21:27:53 GMT

Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

SouthJamaica — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 02:19:01 GMT

@DaWhole9 wrote:
Hello FICOers!
Im planning my credit card strategy for 2023 and I am looking for a high percentage cash back card for Gas. I currently have Discover which has 5% revolving quarterly categories. One is gas, and another is Apple Pay transactions. So 6 months out of the year I can get 5% on gas using those 2 categories. I have an AMEX Blue Cash Preferred that will give me 3% on Gas purchases, but wondering if I can get 5%+ year round. The Penfed Platinum Rewards will do 5x points but for cash its .85 cents a point and only for gift cards. So thats 4.25%. Any more ideas? Thoughts?

The Comenity AAA Travel Advantage Visa gives you 5% cash back on gas and E/V charging (on first $7k spend annually), and 3% cash back on dining, groceries, travel, and AAA spend (uncapped, I believe).

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

ptatohed — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 02:14:39 GMT

This is the only time that I know of this happening so it can't be relied on with any regularity but, hey, if they did it once, it may happen again..... this current quarter (Q4 '22), there was a unique offer of 10% cash back with the Chase Amazon Rewards card!

https://www.chase.com/mybonus/ggaamazon1

Good replies up above. As has been mentioned, the citi Custom Cash can be used for gas at 5% CB but you'd be using it only for gas (at least for that quarter(s) ) so hopefully you won't need it for another 5% cat. If you have the Rewards+ card, the CC can be a 5.5555% CB card.

You can get another 5% rotator like Freedom which may give you an extra 5% CB quarter per year.

The citi Shop Your Way is 5% back in points, not true CB. Yes a point equals a penny but you must redeem for gift cards. Thus, you aren't getting 2% - 5% CB on that following purchase so the SYW card is effectively a 4.75% to 4.9% CB card. However, with that said, there are a handful of other ways to get more cash back or points with the SYW card. I won't go into that here.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

UncleB — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 04:38:44 GMT

@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.

To expand on this thought, 'back in the day' before I had dedicated gas cards I would use my BCP to purchase a Kroger gift card (inside the grocery store) then use the gift card to pay at the pump for my gas.

Worked like a charm.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

JNA1 — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:18:54 GMT

@ptatohed wrote:

Good replies up above. As has been mentioned, the citi Custom Cash can be used for gas at 5% CB but you'd be using it only for gas (at least for that quarter(s) ) so hopefully you won't need it for another 5% cat. If you have the Rewards+ card, the CC can be a 5.5555% CB card.

You can get another 5% rotator like Freedom which may give you an extra 5% CB quarter per year.

This is our strategy right now also. Now that Affinity is out of the mix, we'll capture as much 5% gas spend as we can with a combination of the Freedom Flex, Discover, and the Custom Cash. Hopefully the CFF and Disco will have gas in different quarters. Ideally, they'd both have restaurants in different quarters, but that's usually not the case.

In the first quarter, where neither of the rotators cover gas or restaurants, we'll use a combination of one of the Custom Cash cards and my 4% PNC card for gas, and the other Custom Cash and one of the Elan MCP for restaurants and fast food. It will be more a hassle than straight 5% card for sure.

Affinity spoiled us with a full year of 7% on gas this year...😞🤷‍♂️

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

DaWhole9 — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:57:31 GMT

@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.

Just curious...what are some??? I can only think of Sams Club and Costco, and I'm not a member of either, although maybe thats worth it to join.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

wasCB14 — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 15:47:25 GMT

@DaWhole9 wrote:
@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.
Just curious...what are some??? I can only think of Sams Club and Costco, and I'm not a member of either, although maybe thats worth it to join.

FWIW...Costco is Visa-only, and gas is (at least at the clubs I've been to) billed as "Costco Gas" separately from warehouse purchases.

Pharmacy purchases, and warehouse clubs with separate checkout areas for alcohol, can sometimes appear as "Costco Gas".

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

AlanGJP — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 16:17:22 GMT

@DaWhole9 wrote:
@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.
Just curious...what are some??? I can only think of Sams Club and Costco, and I'm not a member of either, although maybe thats worth it to join.

I've never had a grocery store pump code as grocery. I'd be upset if it did since I'd be using a gas card. My current strategy is to use Hilton Honors Business at 6X - which is around 3.5% - but the best use of this card. (Personally) DW drives an electric, but my gas guzzling Wrangler seems to be getting worse milage the more gas prices increase lol.

Might have to rethink my strategy. I like the idea of using gift cards. I could get away with buying one per month - that's not too much of a hassle. I think a couple of my local grocery stores offer gas points on the purchase of their own gift cards. Might be able to get an extra % or two that way too. I'll explore some options. I bet I could hit 7-8% with DW's BCP and store point gas discounts - maybe more. Personally I prefer points, but it's hard to argue against that kind of discount.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

sarge12 — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 16:33:19 GMT

It is a Synchrony card, and requires a Sams Club membership, but a Sams Club card gives 5% cash back on all Gas stations in Sams Bucks, which I think must be used at Sams or maybe a statement credit.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

coldfusion — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 17:29:35 GMT

This is a topic that comes up here reasonably regularly. I'll point to a couple of other fairly recent threads to help with ideas.

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Help-With-GAS-CARD/m-p/6547409

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Best-Gas-credit-cards/m-p/6455686#M1801361

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

Simmonowski — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 18:51:22 GMT

@DaWhole9 wrote:
@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.
Just curious...what are some??? I can only think of Sams Club and Costco, and I'm not a member of either, although maybe thats worth it to join.

Smaller grocery chains like (Here in IL) Kroger, Schnucks, County Market. Oddly the gas counted as grocery on my BCP but my Custom Cash counted it as gas. I downgraded to BCE to use CC for groceries and that threw me a curve ball. The gift card method is great for this issue.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

UncleB — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 18:55:50 GMT

@AlanGJP wrote:
@DaWhole9 wrote:
@Simmonowski wrote:
Have you tried your BCP at a grocery store that has gas pumps? Mine codes as grocery, giving the 6% back.
Just curious...what are some??? I can only think of Sams Club and Costco, and I'm not a member of either, although maybe thats worth it to join.
I've never had a grocery store pump code as grocery. I'd be upset if it did since I'd be using a gas card. My current strategy is to use Hilton Honors Business at 6X - which is around 3.5% - but the best use of this card. (Personally) DW drives an electric, but my gas guzzling Wrangler seems to be getting worse milage the more gas prices increase lol.

Might have to rethink my strategy. I like the idea of using gift cards. I could get away with buying one per month - that's not too much of a hassle. I think a couple of my local grocery stores offer gas points on the purchase of their own gift cards. Might be able to get an extra % or two that way too. I'll explore some options. I bet I could hit 7-8% with DW's BCP and store point gas discounts - maybe more. Personally I prefer points, but it's hard to argue against that kind of discount.

I can share that my local Kroger doesn't code as grocery or gas on the BCP/EDP. Or to be more specific, it technically does code as "gas" on the statement, but you don't earn rewards at the enhanced rate.

Not coding as grocery makes perfect sense, but for some reason in the fine-print Amex excludes supermarkets that sell gas - one would expect it to at least trigger the lower fuel multiplier. Interestingly, buying fuel at the Kroger fuel island *does* trigger the 5% gas multiplier on the USAA Rewards Plus American Express, so the exclusion isn't with the Amex network, just the AENB ("Amex proper") card products.

Speaking of exclusions, the Sam's Club MasterCard used to have similar language about excluding gas purchased at grocery stores, however at my local Kroger I've always earned 5% cash back regardless. (The exclusion language might still be there... I've not had a reason to check in a while since for me it works anyway.)

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

AlanGJP — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 20:05:53 GMT

@UncleB wrote:

I can share that my local Kroger doesn't code as grocery or gas on the BCP/EDP. Or to be more specific, it technically does code as "gas" on the statement, but you don't earn rewards at the enhanced rate.

Not coding as grocery makes perfect sense, but for some reason in the fine-print Amex excludes supermarkets that sell gas - one would expect it to at least trigger the lower fuel multiplier. Interestingly, buying fuel at the Kroger fuel island *does* trigger the 5% gas multiplier on the USAA Rewards Plus American Express, so the exclusion isn't with the Amex network, just the AENB ("Amex proper") card products.

Speaking of exclusions, the Sam's Club MasterCard used to have similar language about excluding gas purchased at grocery stores, however at my local Kroger I've always earned 5% cash back regardless. (The exclusion language might still be there... I've not had a reason to check in a while since for me it works anyway.)

Kroger is the vender I was referring to above, so thanks for the tip! So once again, I'll have to expand my thinking. X1 also triggers their multiplier (when available) at Safeway, and likely Kroger. So perhaps this is exclusive to Amex?

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

xenon3030 — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 06:37:02 GMT

You may go electric to eliminate gas spend. Here is one example: ~300 miles on full charge and a full charging can be done overnight at home in garage (charging cost is almost negligible). If urgent, fast charging can be done (~30-60min) at stations.

Anyway, Penfed Platinum gives 5x on gas/EV charging and the card does not have AF. Based on the Nerdwallet link below, redeeming can be done for travel ~1.7 cent/point and ~0.85 cent/point for GC. So, in the best case, it gives 8.5% return and there is no CAP.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/penfed-platinum-rewards

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

FinStar — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 08:22:59 GMT

@xenon3030 wrote:
You may go electric to eliminate gas spend. Here is one example: ~300 miles on full charge and a full charging can be done overnight at home in garage (charging cost is almost negligible). If urgent, fast charging can be done (~30-60min) at stations.

Anyway, Penfed Platinum gives 5x on gas/EV charging and the card does not have AF. Based on the Nerdwallet link below, redeeming can be done for travel ~1.7 cent/point and ~0.85 cent/point for GC. So, in the best case, it gives 8.5% return and there is no CAP.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/penfed-platinum-rewards

Except the OP is "looking for a high percentage cash back card for Gas."

If their strategy had stated purchasing an EV or Hybrid vehicle (which now defeats the savings paradigm) then I could see the suggestion for a new vehicle altogether in addition to a CC that may provide maximum return on either. I'm assuming the OP is content with what they have unless they express some interest in an EV as well.

At any rate, in addition to the other suggestions upthread, the PenFed Platinum could be of some consideration for gasoline purchases cashback.

Re: Gas rewards card 5% or higher? Whats out there?

Anonymous — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 18:17:06 GMT

For me we use either the old grandfathered in Penfed Platinum rewards that's 5% at the pump, or Citi Custom Cash.

The old Penfed card got revamped about 8 years ago; I'm not a big fan of its replacement.

I haven't read all the replies, but I will tell you this. I drive a car that requires 93 octane due to the performance chip (Audi).

Nothing has saved me more in the past few months than my membership at Sam's Club. I found a coupon to get the $50 membership for $20. Sam's Club for example - the 93 octane here just north of Columbus last week was $3.95. 93 at Sam's was $3.23. That coupled with the Citi custom cash has been a huge savings. My wife and I both got the Citi Custom cash, then became authorized users on each other's account, so combined we get basically $1000 @ 5% in either 2 categories total or one big category. Right now we're doing Fast Food/Restarants at 5, and gas at 5. I printed a small black label on her cards so she knows which Citi card to use.

Good luck. I don't work for Citi or Sam's Club

Shawn