The Best Gas Rewards Credit Cards of 2019

Let’s say your biggest monthly expense is gas; it’s a reality for a lot of people who maybe travel a lot for work or have a long daily commute. Or maybe you and the family go on a lot of road trips, or you just like long drives down country roads to “get away from it all.” No matter the case, you should capitalize on those trips to the pump with a good gas rewards credit card.

General rewards credit cards offer points or cash-back rewards for some spending categories (grocery, pharmacy purchases, etc.) But a great gas rewards card earns rewards on everyday purchases, while still maximizing on your fuel purchases specifically, and ultimately helps you save on gas or other types of merchandise in the long-run.

The best cards come with few restrictions as to where you can purchase your gas too. Problem is, with so many different cards on the market, how do you know which card will get you the most bang for your buck kilometres for your cash?

To make the decision-making process easier, RATESDOTCA has a handy-dandy card comparison tool. And with all things considered, from sign-up bonuses to annual fees to earning restrictions, we used our Best of Finance methodology to rank the cards that provided the most cash value.

Here are the best credit cards that can earn you the most in gas rewards:

2019 Best of Finance Gas Rewards Card Category Winner

Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card

Why it’s an awesome card

All-around, this credit card is, by far, our top pick for cash-back. But what makes it a great gas rewards card is the fact that you get a particularly good return on gas purchases. Not only is it the two-peat winner of Best Rewards Card at our Best of Finance Awards, but the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card also won Best Card for Gas Rewards this year. Earn 4% cash-back on all gas station and grocery store purchases – and for a limited time, you can get 10% cash-back on all purchases in the first three months of card membership too!

If used for all your purchases, you have the opportunity to get a lot of cash-back in the first year, without fees. The first year’s annual fee is waived, and $99 after that. Cash-back earned is applied to your account as a credit on an annual basis, giving you the freedom to use your rewards however you so please.

Earning rate*

• Grocery and gas: 4% cash-back
• Pharmacy and recurring bill payments: 2% cash-back
• Other: 1% cash-back on all other eligible purchases.

Earning potential**

• Annual fee: $0 for the first year. $99 after the first year.
• Rewards earned over a 24-month period: $1,048.70 (after annual fee)

2019 Best of Finance Gas Rewards Credit Card Category Runners Up

Shell CashBack MasterCard® from BMO

Why it’s an awesome card

If you’re guaranteed to spend hundreds of dollars on gas per month, the Shell CashBack MasterCard® from BMO is a great option to earn rewards with no-strings-attached. The card has no annual fee, no minimum income requirements to apply, and comes with some sweet sign-up bonuses – $50 of cash-back upon making your first purchase, and 1% cash-back on all purchases (aside from the 1.5% you earn on gas) for the first six months. After that, you earn 0.5% on all purchases, besides gas. Cash-back accumulated over the statement period appears on your following statement and is applied to your account as a credit.

Earning rate*

• Gas:5% cash-back per $1 spent at Shell locations in Canada.
• Other: 0.5% cash-back per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Earning potential**

• Annual fee: $0
• Rewards earned over a 24-month period: $296.22

Canadian Tire Triangle^™ Mastercard^®

Why it’s an awesome card

The new Canadian Tire Triangle^™ Mastercard^® is great if you frequent the superstore that is Canadian Tire – where you can get just about everything. But the real merit in this card is the premium earning rate when you fuel up at Gas+ locations.

From engine oil to patio furniture to ramen noodles, you can use the Canadian Tire Money^® earned with this no-fee card to redeem merchandise sold at all Canadian Tire stores across Canada. You can even redeem your CT bucks at designated partner stores such as Mark’s/L’Equipeur, Sport Chek, and Atmosphere.

You can also collect Canadian Tire Money^® on all other purchases. Though the earning rate for all other purchases is a bit unclear. The website simply states that the rate at which Canadian Tire Money^® can be collected may vary from time to time and by location and is subject to change by Canadian Tire without notice.

Earning rate*

• Gas: 5 cents in Canadian Tire Money^®per litre purchased at Gas+ locations.
• Other: 4% in Canadian Tire Money^®per $1 spent at Canadian Tire, Sport Chek^®, and participating Marks^®/L’Équipeur and Atmosphere^® 

Earning potential**

• Annual fee: $0
• Rewards earned over a 24-month period: $596.18

American Express Cobalt^TM Credit Card

Why it’s an awesome card

The American Express Cobalt^TM Credit Card is pretty renowned for its versatility, which is why we included it on our list of top gas reward credit cards. Sure, earned with this card can get you a statement credit, merchandise (electronics, appliances, clothing, jewelry, etc.), gift cards from various retailers, or a charity donation.

But you can even use your points towards gas, groceries, TV subscriptions, Amazon or Ticketmaster purchases.

Cardholders earn Membership Rewards^® points on restaurant and bar transactions, food delivery and ride-sharing. And in your first year, you can earn 2,500 Membership Rewards^® points for every month that you put $500-worth of purchases on your card. This could add up to an additional 30,000 points in your first year. And while the card does have a $120 annual fee, it’s split up into easy $10 monthly payments.

Earning rate*

• Restaurants and bars, grocery, and food delivery: 5 points per $1 spent at eligible retailers.
• Gas, transit and travel: 2 points per $1 spent at eligible retailers.
• Other: 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Earning potential**

• Rewards earned over a 24-month period: 142,468 Membership Rewards^® points
• Monetary worth: $1,194.68 (after annual fee)

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Notes: 

*Earning rate up to card’s annual spending cap, if applicable.

**Assuming $1,600 is spent on the card monthly at eligible retailers, in the following categories:

• Pharmacy: $55.33
• Food: $710.58
• Gas**: $134.31
• Travel: $151.21
• Other: $548.57