Last Updated on July 30, 2024 by Elizabeth
Heading off on a long road trip? Your best travel companion just might be a credit card that rewards you every time you fill the tank.
Here are five credit cards that every road tripper should consider:
5 Best Credit Cards for Earning Gas Rewards
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Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card
This card has no annual fee. There’s a sign-up bonus of 30,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. You’ll earn 3x points on gas and a ton of other purchases while you’re on the go. This includes dining out, ordering in, ride sharing, transit services, flights, hotels, vacation rentals and more.
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Renting a car? Like other AmEx cards, the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card offers secondary car rental insurance for North American rentals and primary coverage for international rentals. Secondary car rental insurance kicks in only after your personal auto insurance coverage has been depleted.
American Express cardholders can add an optional Premium Car Rental Protection policy for a flat fee of $24.95 ($15.25 and $17.95 for Florida and California residents, respectively). That covers up to $100,000 of primary damage and theft coverage for the rental car. It also adds up to $100,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage ($250,000 for California residents).
Other benefits offered by the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card include 24-hour emergency travel assistance, roadside assistance and emergency towing. If you’re flying, there’s also insurance for lost and damaged baggage. Cardholders also get Worldwide Travel Accident Insurance coverage up to $150,000.
Costco Anywhere Card by Citi
This co-branded card offers a nice array of all-around perks, with no annual fee for Costco members. The best reason to get the Costco Anywhere Card is that it earns cash back with every purchase, including 4% cash back on the first $7,000 you spend each year on gas (then 1%), 3% cash back on dining and eligible travel, 2% cash back on Costco purchases and 1% cash back on everything else.
Renting a car? The Costco Anywhere Card is one of few Citi cards to still offer car rental insurance. This card offers secondary rental car insurance for domestic rentals and primary coverage for international rentals, covering damages or vehicle replacement up to $50,000. Unfortunately the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi no longer includes trip cancellation and interruption protection.
Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
This Amex card offers unlimited 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and other transit purchases including expenses like subways, rideshares, and trains. This card also offers 6% cash back at supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year) and streaming subscriptions. There’s a welcome bonus of $250 after spending $1,000 within the first three months, which more than offsets the $95 annual fee.
Note that rewards cannot be redeemed for cash but rather in the form of Reward Dollars that can be spent, so essentially it’s the same as cash back.
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Renting a car? This card provides secondary collision (CDW) insurance, which means it kicks in only after your personal auto insurance coverage has been depleted. All American Express cardholders can add an optional Premium Car Rental Protection policy for a flat fee of $24.95 ($15.25 for Florida Residents and $17.95 for California Residents) that covers up to $100,000 of primary damage and theft coverage for the rental car, and up to $100,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage ($250,000 for California Residents).
Chase Freedom Unlimited Card
This card offers rotating quarterly bonuses where you can earn 5% on purchases on the first $1,500 in purchases per quarter and 1% cash back thereafter. Each quarter, the bonus categories change to focus on retailers where consumers spend the most. Previous categories have included gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores, and home improvement stores. In 2019, gas stations were the quarterly bonus category twice, which meant cardholders had six months to earn 5% cash back when fueling up. There’s a signup bonus of $150 after you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months. Points can be redeemed for cash.
Renting a car? This card provides secondary collision (CDW) insurance that kicks in after your personal auto insurance coverage has been depleted.
Citi Premier Card
This Citi card is offering 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. It earns 3x points on all travel and gas, and 2x points on entertainment and restaurants. It’s rare to see an entertainment bonus category that will reward you for spending on things like concert tickets or Broadway shows.
Renting a car? Alas, this credit card is one of the Citi cards that no longer offers car rental insurance and other travel benefits. So don’t pay for your car rental with this card, but do use it to pay for gas.
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