Guide
Best credit card for gas (2026)
Blue Cash Preferred offers 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations. Some rotating-category cards hit 5% in bonus quarters but only part of the year. A flat 2% card is the reliable fallback when no gas bonus applies.
Quick comparison
| Card | Best for | Earn rate | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cash Preferred | U.S. gas stations | 3% cash back | $95 |
| Citi Double Cash | Any station, year-round | 2% cash back | $0 |
| Venture X | Gas + travel stack | 2× miles | $395 |
Why most people pick the wrong card
Most people default to the same card at checkout — usually the one on top in their wallet. That habit quietly costs hundreds of dollars a year when another card in your stack earns 3×, 4×, or even 6× on the same purchase.
How Pikt routes smarter than guesswork
Pikt links the cards you already carry, weighs your offers and category earn rates, and tells you the best card to use — with a plain-English explanation and dollar estimate for every purchase. Pikt Checkout names your best card before you click pay. You still pay with your own card. Coming next: Pikt Nearby will name your best card on your lock screen when you're ready to pay in stores. Warehouse clubs and grocery-store gas pumps sometimes code differently than branded stations — Pikt accounts for that.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Costco gas earn grocery or gas bonuses?
- Costco gas usually codes as gas, not grocery — but you must pay with Visa at Costco.
- Do EV charging stations count as gas?
- Often no — many EV chargers code as utilities or automotive, not gas stations.
$62 at Shell → Sapphire Preferred earns $3.81 (+$2.88 vs default card)
See a first-year estimate
Generic advice assumes average spend. Tell us what you spend on, how you redeem, and which cards you carry — we name the best one you already hold for each area, then the best card worth adding.
Where does your money go?
Pick your top spending areas and how you redeem. Next: which cards you carry.
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