What is a gas and grocery credit card?

A gas and grocery credit card is a card that earns bonus rewards on gas and grocery purchases. These cards generally earn 2% back or more on gas and groceries and 1% back on other purchases. Bonus rates can vary significantly depending on the card, as some of the best credit cards for gas and groceries offer 5% to 6% back in bonus categories. Many of the top grocery and gas cards are cash back credit cards . There are also some that earn other types of rewards, including travel credit cards .

What should I look for in a gas and grocery credit card?

To find the best credit card for gas and groceries, look for high rewards rates in those two categories. Go with a card that either has no annual fee or a reasonable annual fee for the benefits it offers. And if you have a low credit score, check out gas cards for bad credit. In addition to rewards rates and fees, also watch out for spending caps on bonus rewards. Several of the best cash back credit cards for gas and groceries limit the bonus rewards you can earn. These bonus caps could be monthly, quarterly, or annual limits, depending on the card.

Best Credit Cards for Gas and Groceries October 2024

Credit cards for gas and groceries are a great way for consumers with high spending in these areas to get more cash back in two popular categories.

The best cards have rewards rates of at least 2% to 3%, with some offering up to 5% or 6% back. Find the best credit card for gas and groceries below.

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We evaluate all credit cards across the same 4 key criteria: value, welcome experience, fees, and perks
Our credit card ratings are never influenced by our advertising partners
If we wouldn't recommend an offer to a close family member, we won't recommend it to you

Robin Hartill, CFP®, is The Ascent’s Head of Product Ratings and has worked for The Motley Fool since 2020. Her work has appeared in various national publications, including Yahoo! Finance, NerdWallet, Investopedia, CNN Underscored, MSNBC, USA Today, and CNET Money. She previously wrote The Penny Hoarder’s syndicated “Dear Penny” personal finance advice column.

Our featured gas and grocery credit cards

We've highlighted some of our picks below to help you pick the best gas and grocery card for you:

Best for simple cash rewards and welcome offer: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (see rates and fees)
Best for groceries: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see rates and fees)
Best for travel, gas, and supermarkets: Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Reviews of the best gas & grocery credit card offers

Jump to a specific gas & grocery credit card offer review:

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (our award winner)
Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (our award winner)
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card
American Express® Gold Card (our award winner)
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Prime Visa
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

Our picks for the best grocery and gas credit cards include cards from American Express (two of which are award winners), Citi, Wells Fargo (another award winner), and a card each from Chase, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank. But why these? In addition to outstanding rewards at gas and or grocery stores, many of these cards also offer great rewards and exclusive benefits in other categories, and some also feature attractive introductory offers.

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

This American Express card is one of our favorites. It won for the best grocery credit card in our 2024 award picks. With this card's 6% cash back rates, it's easy to understand why our experts are so high on it. Terms apply.

This card is best for: Families, couples, and anyone who spends heavily on groceries and gas can get a ton of value from this card.

Apply now for the Amex Blue Cash Preferred

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

If you want to earn bonus points on gas, travel, dining, and phone service, you could get a few different credit cards with those bonus categories. Or, you could just go with this Wells Fargo card (see rates and fees). It earns 3X points per $1 in all those categories, plus transit and popular streaming services, for some of the most rewarding and diverse bonus categories we've seen.

This card is best for: People who prefer going out to eat over cooking at home, since it offers bonus restaurant rewards.

Apply now for the Wells Fargo Autograph Card

Citi Custom Cash® Card

Wouldn't it be nice if your credit card always earned bonus rewards wherever you spent the most? That's exactly how this cash back card from Citi works. Every billing cycle, it earns 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category, up to a spending cap of $500 per billing cycle.

This card is best for: People who don't want to keep up with bonus categories or activate them. Citi will automatically reward you where you spend the most.

Apply now for the Citi Custom Cash Card

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

This Citi card is a rarity -- a travel rewards card that earns bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations (along with several other spending categories). Citi ThankYou® points can be useful on every trip. You can get a value of $0.01 per point for travel bookings on thankyou.com, or you can transfer your points to one of Citi's many travel partners.

This card is best for: Someone who loves seeing new places and booking exciting vacations, as this Citi card is great for earning big travel rewards on everyday expenses.

Apply now for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

With most gas and grocery cards, the card issuer decides on the bonus categories. With this card, you get to decide where you earn bonus cash back every quarter, so you can pick the category where you expect to spend the most.

We'd be remiss not to mention the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program, which is available to clients who meet balance requirements across their Bank of America and Merrill accounts. Depending on your qualifying balances, you can get 25% to 75% more cash back on purchases.

This card is best for: Preferred Rewards members and those open to join it by managing banking or investments with Bank of America.

Apply now for the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards

American Express® Gold Card

Most grocery cards only offer bonus rewards on food you buy at the grocery store. This American Express card offers that, plus spectacular perks when you go out to eat and order in, too. It earns 4X points per $1 on restaurants worldwide (including U.S. takeout and delivery, up to $50,000 per year), at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year), and offers up to $120 in annual dining credits. Terms apply.

This card is best for: Foodies who love going out to eat or frequent travelers who spend a lot on food, including at restaurants and supermarkets.

Apply now for the Amex Gold Card

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

If you want to earn bonus cash back on everyday expenses without paying an annual fee, this card is a great choice (see rates and fees). It earns 3% cash back across three of the most popular spending categories: U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail purchases, and U.S. gas stations. There's a $6,000 yearly spending cap for the bonus rate in each of those categories. Terms apply.

This card is best for: Frequent online shoppers, as they can get bonus rewards on U.S. online retail purchases and flexible repayment options.

Apply now for the Amex Blue Cash Everyday

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

For competitive cash rewards on gas, groceries, and all your other everyday purchases, this Wells Fargo card is a winner (see rates and fees). It earns an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, the highest flat rate we've found. Since that rate applies to all eligible purchases, you don't need to activate or keep track of bonus categories.

This card is best for: Anyone who wants to save time and keep it as simple as possible with their credit card, while still earning an excellent rewards rate.

Apply now for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Prime Visa

This card won't be the best grocery card if you shop at your local supermarket or wholesale club. But it's fantastic for Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh fans, earning 5% cash back on those purchases. It also earns 5% back at Amazon, and you can redeem your cash back on Amazon as early as the next day.

This card is best for: Amazon, Whole Foods, and Amazon Fresh shoppers.

Apply now for the Prime Visa

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card

If you're always going somewhere, both by car and by air, this U.S. Bank card could be a big earner for you. It's a travel card with bonus gas rewards, which is a combination we don't see often. It earns an impressive 4X points on travel and 4X points on your first $1,000 in spending per quarter at gas/EV charging stations.

This card earns 2X points per $1 at grocery stores and on grocery deliveries. While that's a reasonable rate, we've seen cards that earn much more on groceries and would recommend one of those if you spend quite a bit in that category.

This card is best for: Frequent flyers, people who love to go on roadtrips, and drivers with a long daily commute.

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When is a credit card for groceries and gas a good idea?

A gas and grocery credit card is a good idea if those are two of your biggest monthly expenses. An easy way to figure out if you should be looking at this type of card is to review your spending for the last couple of months.

If supermarket and gas spending is in your top expenses, then one of the best gas and grocery credit cards could save you a lot of money.

Can you combine a grocery and gas rewards credit card with other types of cards?

Yes, you can combine one of the best cards for groceries and gas with other top credit cards that earn more in different categories. This is a popular strategy for maximizing rewards.

For example, you could start with a top credit card for groceries and gas, and then add a card that earns 2% back on each purchase. Whenever you're at the grocery store or the pump, you'd pay with your gas and grocery card to earn bonus rewards. On everything else, you'd use your flat-rate card to earn 2% back instead of 1%.

If you find that you can manage multiple credit cards easily enough, then you can always apply for a variety of credit cards to get more bonus rewards. For instance, you could carry your best card for groceries and gas, a flat-rate cash back card, plus a card that earns more on dining and entertainment. Alternatively, you could look for an all-encompassing credit card that earns rewards for gas, groceries, and restaurants.

Are there gas credit cards for bad credit?

There are a couple of gas credit cards for bad credit available. You could get a secured gas credit card, meaning one that requires a security deposit to open. Or, you could get a closed-loop gas station credit card that can only be used at the gas station brand that issued it.

Here are two cards that didn't make our top picks, but are worth considering if you drive often and have a low credit score:

Discover it® Secured Credit Card: You need to pay a refundable security deposit for this card, but it earns 2% cash back on your first $1,000 in quarterly spending at gas stations and restaurants and 1% back on other purchases.
Exxon Mobil Smart Card+: This is a closed-loop card with fairly lenient approval requirements that you can only use at participating Exxon and Mobil stations.

Compare the best credit cards for groceries and gas

The Picks
Card	Rating	Great For
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card	Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Simple cash rewards
2024 Award Winner Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: U.S gas stations & U.S. supermarkets
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card	Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: 3X points at supermarkets and gas stations
2024 Award Winner American Express® Gold Card	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Bonus points at U.S. supermarkets
2024 Award Winner Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Travel, gas, and dining bonuses
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: No annual fee
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Gas cash back and intro bonus
Citi Custom Cash® Card	Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars. 5.00/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Bonus cash back
Prime Visa	Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars. 4.00/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: Whole Foods and Amazon Prime Shoppers
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Great For: No annual fee travel card

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. • Extended warranty, purchase protection warranty, and car rental loss & damage insurance underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers. • Trip delay insurance underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.  • Extended warranty, baggage insurance plan, car rental loss & damage insurance, and purchase protection warranty underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

• Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. • Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. • Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is unavailable on The Ascent. All information was collected independently and not reviewed for accuracy or provided by the credit card issuer. Some items may be out of date.

Article sources

Our gas and grocery credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards for gas and groceries on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rate in gas- and grocery-related categories, sign-up bonuses, annual fees, and perks like cash back and dining rewards.

Our highest-rated gas and grocery credit cards have:

A rewards rate above 3% in gas and grocery-related categories, or 2% for flat-rate cards
Sign-up bonuses that can drastically boost card value in the first year
Low annual fees
Top perks that apply broadly to most people, such as purchase protections, cash back on gas and groceries, and dining rewards

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best gas and grocery card recommendations. Our aim is to maintain a balanced best-of list featuring top-scoring credit cards from reputable brands.

Ordering within lists is influenced by advertiser compensation, including featured placements at the top of a given list, but our product recommendations are NEVER influenced by advertisers. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.

FAQs

A gas and grocery credit card is a card that earns bonus rewards on gas and grocery purchases. These cards generally earn 2% back or more on gas and groceries and 1% back on other purchases. Bonus rates can vary significantly depending on the card, as some of the best credit cards for gas and groceries offer 5% to 6% back in bonus categories.
Many of the top grocery and gas cards are cash back credit cards. There are also some that earn other types of rewards, including travel credit cards.
To find the best credit card for gas and groceries, look for high rewards rates in those two categories. Go with a card that either has no annual fee or a reasonable annual fee for the benefits it offers. And if you have a low credit score, check out gas cards for bad credit.
In addition to rewards rates and fees, also watch out for spending caps on bonus rewards. Several of the best cash back credit cards for gas and groceries limit the bonus rewards you can earn. These bonus caps could be monthly, quarterly, or annual limits, depending on the card.

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Best Credit Cards for Gas and Groceries of October 2024

Our featured gas and grocery credit cards

Best credit cards for gas and groceries
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Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

Citi Strata Premier℠ Card