Shell Credit Card Review: A Gas Card That Falls Short of the Competition

Gas is often one of the costliest monthly expenses for an average American, so a Shell Credit Card may seem like the perfect solution. There are two options, the Shell | Fuel Rewards® Card and the Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard®, and each offers an automatic discount at participating Shell gas stations. However, they're light on additional perks when compared to the best gas credit cards. Read our full Shell credit card review to figure out if you should apply.

These credit cards are a good fit for: Drivers with lengthy commutes who usually fill up at Shell gas stations.

How the Shell Credit Card works

Shell and Citi offer two Shell | Fuel Rewards® Credit Cards together:

• Shell | Fuel Rewards® Card: A closed-loop credit card that only works at Shell.
• Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard®: A credit card that works anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

Both cards offer the same discounts at participating Shell locations and include complimentary Fuel Rewards® Gold Status with Shell. They're also both no annual fee credit cards.

There are separate applications available for each card, so you can choose which one to apply for. If you apply for the Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard® and you don't qualify, you'll also be considered for the Shell | Fuel Rewards® Card.

Top perks

It won't come as a surprise that the gas discounts are the main draw of a Shell Credit Card, but these cards also offer purchase rebates. Here's how these benefits work.

$0.30 off per gallon introductory offer

Both versions of the Shell Credit Card offer savings of $0.30 per gallon on up to 35 gallons, which applies to your first five Shell fuel purchases. The offer is available to new accounts only through Dec. 31, 2023. The five fuel purchases must be made by April 30, 2024.

Although this is a good fuel savings offer, it's worth noting that it doesn't stack up very well to other introductory credit card bonuses. Several no annual fee cards offer sign-up bonuses of $200 or more if you spend enough.

With a Shell Credit Card, you can save up to $10.50 per fuel purchase ($0.30 off per gallon multiplied by the 35-gallon maximum). Spread across five fuel purchases, that's $52.50. To get the full maximum offer, you would likely need to fill up a truck or SUV, or somehow fill up two cars in the same transaction. It's certainly better than nothing, but other top credit cards get you much more back.

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Save $0.10 per gallon at Shell

After the introductory offer ends, your Shell Credit Card saves you $0.10 per gallon on up to 35 gallons. Technically, the credit card itself saves you $0.05 per gallon. Fuel Rewards® Gold Status, which comes with the card, saves you another $0.05.

That's an important distinction, because you could join the Fuel Rewards® program without a Shell Credit Card. Then, you'd get $0.03 just for being a member or $0.05 by reaching Gold Status. To reach Gold Status, you just have to fill up with 10 gallons or more six times within three months, which isn't a major feat for drivers with lengthy commutes.

Up to 10% back in Shell rebates

The Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard® earns:

• 10% in Shell rebates on your first $1,200 in Shell non-fuel purchases per year
• 2% in Shell rebates on your first $10,000 in dining and grocery purchases per year
• 1% in Shell rebates on other qualifying purchases

The Shell | Fuel Rewards® Card also earns 10% on your first $1,200 in yearly non-fuel purchases at Shell. It doesn't offer the other rebates, since it can't be used at non-Shell locations.

Rebates are automatically applied as a statement credit against Shell purchases made with your card in future billing cycles.

What could be improved

There are a few major flaws that you should know about before applying for a Shell Credit Card.

Mediocre ongoing fuel discounts

At first glance, it might seem like $0.10 off per gallon is a good deal, which is why it's important to calculate the actual percentage you're likely to save. For a straightforward example, let's say gas is $5 per gallon. In that case, a $0.10 discount would be 2% off. Some credit cards offer 3% or more cash back on gas purchases. You could potentially come out ahead with one of them, depending on the price of gas.

We also need to take into account that half of the $0.10 savings is because of the Fuel Rewards® Gold Status you get automatically with a Shell card. You could qualify for that status on your own. Even if you don't qualify, you save at least $0.03 per gallon just for being a Fuel Rewards® member. At best, a Shell Credit Card is saving you an extra $0.07 per gallon.

The bottom line is that you could most likely save more at Shell by simply signing up for Fuel Rewards® and paying with another gas credit card. It's worth evaluating how much you'll truly save with different options when choosing a credit card.

Rewards can only be used at Shell

The rebates earned by a Shell Credit Card can only be redeemed towards Shell purchases. That won't be an issue if you visit Shell regularly, but it's still harder to use these rebates than it is to use cash back.

Low rewards rate

Compared to other cards, the Shell cards don't offer much back on your purchases. Although 10% on Shell non-fuel purchases is very high, most consumers won't spend much in this category. The Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard® has two bonus categories, dining and groceries, but 2% back isn't a high rate.

To put it into perspective, there are cards that offer 2% cash back across all spending categories. If your goal is maximizing credit card rewards, there are better options available.

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A FICO® Score of 600 or higher is recommended to apply for a Shell Credit Card. The Shell | Fuel Rewards® Mastercard® has stricter approval requirements, and if you're interested in that card, a FICO® Score of 670 or higher is recommended.

These are only guidelines based on the credit scores of approval applicants, and your credit score alone won't guarantee either an approval or a denial. The card issuer evaluates your creditworthiness using a variety of factors.

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You spend a large part of your monthly budget on gas and you normally choose Shell gas stations.

Before you decide to apply for a Shell Credit Card, make sure to check out more credit card reviews, particularly for gas cards. While this card could work for drivers who stop at Shell stations often, most consumers can get more value from other, more versatile gas credit cards.

Our credit card methodology

At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.