Are gas rebate credit cards a deal? on clarkhoward.com

Gas rebate credit cards are hot right now. Is that any surprise? We're all shell-shocked by prices at the pump and the promise of HUGE rebates sounds great. But beware that these offers may only be good for a couple of weeks or months.

For example, BP has one heavily advertised offer for a card that gives you 10% back on gas for 2 months. After that, it drops to 5%, which is still not that bad.

But Clark doesn't recommend getting a rebate card for any one particular brand of gasoline. Consider this: The price of gas at BP may be, for argument's sake, 10 cents higher per gallon than other brands. So after the rebate drops down, you'd probably be better off having a plain vanilla MasterCard or Visa with rebates.

A word to the wise: Purchasing gas from a major oil company will usually cost more than at an independent. You can buy with confidence from indie brands because their gas is regulated by the government just like the majors. In fact, Clark only goes to the off-brands for gasoline because they're so much cheaper.

What others are saying

Discover rebate checks
I work for the Post Office and know Discover mails their rebate checks standard or bulk rate which many of us discard without opening. Be sure to open Discover card mailings to make sure your check is not in there!
By Dave @ 04/23/09 01:00:31 PMreport abuse
Sam's Discover Card reward rip-off
I called to claim my cash reward last month. They said they sent the reward check automatically in Feb 2008. I have never received their check of $391. Now, they said it's expired, becasue I didn't cash it. What a rip-off!!!
By Fredrick @ 01/03/09 10:28:27 PMreport abuse
Chase BP closed account
Chase BP recently sent out a letter informing me that they closed my credit card account because I used too much gas. Because they closed my account I can no longer redeem the rebates I earned of over $100. When I called customer service and asked for the dollar amount of gas purchases that was too much they couldn't give me a number. My advice to any current Chase BP credit card holders is to redeem your rebates earned as fast as possible before you too are deemed to have used too much gas and you can never redeem your rewards.
By Former BP card holder @ 11/26/08 07:30:37 PMreport abuse
Sam's Club Discover
I recently joined Sam's as a Sam's Club Advantage Club member to take advantage of the 2% cash back they offered. It turns out that until you spend $1500, the reward is 2% of 25% of your purchase. From $1500 to $3,000, you get back 2% of 50%. You don't get 2% of the actual purchase price until you've spent at least $3000. This amounts to pennies on your monthly bill, not 2% of the cost of gas or the item you purchased. This was never mentioned at the time I signed up. What a rip-off.
By Not Happy @ 11/15/08 01:28:11 PMreport abuse
Shell
My Shell card gets me 5% rebate monthly. I may pay 2 or 3 cents more, but at $4 per gallon. I still save money.
By Andy @ 06/20/08 02:05:55 PMreport abuse
Costco Amex
If you can get the Costco Amex Business card then you get 5% back on gas and as far as I know,, you don't have to only buy gas from Costco to get the 5% so that leaves you flexible to buy gas wherever it's cheap and still get 5% back. Oh yeah and it doesn't have the $100 limit like the Discover card does. And if you can't get a business card then 3% isn't too bad when you factor in no limits (except 75 gallons per fill-up) as far as where you have to buy the gas,, it looks like a great deal to me.
By Mike @ 06/18/08 10:10:31 PMreport abuse
Gas Cards
There are good alternatives to the gas card. Kroger has their own card that offers a small discount at the pump and you also get ponts for shopping at kroger that comes to you as a check in the mail. Discover issues cards according to how you shop, mine is a gas card that I can use at any gas station and get pay back that I can deposit into my checking account.
By Nick @ 06/15/08 11:54:03 AMreport abuse
I have been using Discover gas card (open road card now) for some time with 5% discount. But the monthly limit had dropped down to $100 now with the increasing gas price. Still, it mounts to $5 a month. I use chase freedom when i am above the $100. but that only gives 3% discount. The good thing is that from july through September regular discover card gives 5% on gas purchase up to $400. So I will use that card next month.
By uslee @ 06/15/08 07:13:26 AMreport abuse
rebate... costco AMX car
i've been using my costco AMX card, which gives a 3% rebate on gas, and it's been great. the gas at costco is considerably cheaper than the stations around my home and work, so it's great paying less and getting my 3%. the only drawback is that costco isn't always near home... but on the weekends, when i'm going anyway, i'm all over it. :)
By ang @ 06/15/08 01:49:45 AMreport abuse
gas credit card
I use BP for the 5%. I also check nearby stations prices to see which is
better. Usually only 1 - 2 cents diff. and sometime BP is less.

My husband uses Marathon. They automatically send you $25 card to be used at their store. No having to request it.
By Linda @ 06/14/08 04:26:38 PMreport abuse
Credit Card Rebates
Visa Chase has a 5% gas rebate card for any gas purchase. No annual fee.
By Turbo Dad @ 06/14/08 11:26:29 AMreport abuse
Independent gas stations may not take care of there tanks!
I thought any gas station was fine until one independent gas station never cleaned there tanks and water condensation would get in the tanks. My car would have problems immediately after I would fill up. I took the car in they found nothing wrong with the car and suggested it might be the gas. I then would go to a major gas station and I have never had the problem since.
By Brando @ 06/13/08 02:29:34 PMreport abuse
Kroger gas
If you have a Kroger card (not their credit card-but that too is a good deal), you automatically get 3 cents off at the pump. Each time you buy $100.00 worth of groceries you get 10 cents off at the pump. It isn't with just one transaction but you can accumulate up to $100.00 as my friend doesn't buy that many groceries. She totals only $200.00 a month in groceries but then she gets 10 cents off on two purchases of gas. With my big household I spend at least that a week so I'm continuously getting 10 cents off plus enough for my husband and son when they buy gas when we use our Kroger cards!
By Kroger Lover! @ 06/13/08 01:44:29 PMreport abuse
BP
Have been using a BP card for years and I have found their prices to only be 1-2 cents higher so the net effect is that your better off with the BP card:
At $4 per gallon, 5%= 20 cents - 2 Cent price diff = 18 cents saving per gallon which in my case x 20 galons = $3.60 saving!! Or almost 1 free gallon every time I fill up.
By Jay @ 06/13/08 09:53:09 AMreport abuse
amex
i use amex business open card, no fees, pay 5%, but dropping to 3% mid july
By jim seminara @ 06/13/08 09:30:07 AMreport abuse
Gas card rewards
I have (2) cards from major companies.
They are located near my home and offer
5% disc. IN this NC area the majors
are usually (3)-(5) cents above the
independants,so there is a saving.
The trick is to never carry a balance.
We live a short drive to Virginia,
where the gas is another (7) cents
cheaper. So we can make out like
real banditos. One card offers a $25
gift card/$500. The other card has a
5% disc at the pump, but if you make
less than (9) trans/year they will
charge you a $20 fee. So you have to
watch that closer.
Thought you'd like to know.
Regards,
Don
By Donald Sennett @ 06/13/08 12:01:14 AMreport abuse

Discover rebate checks

I work for the Post Office and know Discover mails their rebate checks standard or bulk rate which many of us discard without opening. Be sure to open Discover card mailings to make sure your check is not in there!

By Dave @ 04/23/09 01:00:31 PMreport abuse

Sam's Discover Card reward rip-off

I called to claim my cash reward last month. They said they sent the reward check automatically in Feb 2008. I have never received their check of $391. Now, they said it's expired, becasue I didn't cash it. What a rip-off!!!

By Fredrick @ 01/03/09 10:28:27 PMreport abuse

Chase BP closed account

Chase BP recently sent out a letter informing me that they closed my credit card account because I used too much gas. Because they closed my account I can no longer redeem the rebates I earned of over $100. When I called customer service and asked for the dollar amount of gas purchases that was too much they couldn't give me a number. My advice to any current Chase BP credit card holders is to redeem your rebates earned as fast as possible before you too are deemed to have used too much gas and you can never redeem your rewards.

By Former BP card holder @ 11/26/08 07:30:37 PMreport abuse

Sam's Club Discover

I recently joined Sam's as a Sam's Club Advantage Club member to take advantage of the 2% cash back they offered. It turns out that until you spend $1500, the reward is 2% of 25% of your purchase. From $1500 to $3,000, you get back 2% of 50%. You don't get 2% of the actual purchase price until you've spent at least $3000. This amounts to pennies on your monthly bill, not 2% of the cost of gas or the item you purchased. This was never mentioned at the time I signed up. What a rip-off.

By Not Happy @ 11/15/08 01:28:11 PMreport abuse

Shell

My Shell card gets me 5% rebate monthly. I may pay 2 or 3 cents more, but at $4 per gallon. I still save money.

By Andy @ 06/20/08 02:05:55 PMreport abuse

Costco Amex

If you can get the Costco Amex Business card then you get 5% back on gas and as far as I know,, you don't have to only buy gas from Costco to get the 5% so that leaves you flexible to buy gas wherever it's cheap and still get 5% back. Oh yeah and it doesn't have the $100 limit like the Discover card does. And if you can't get a business card then 3% isn't too bad when you factor in no limits (except 75 gallons per fill-up) as far as where you have to buy the gas,, it looks like a great deal to me.

By Mike @ 06/18/08 10:10:31 PMreport abuse

Gas Cards

There are good alternatives to the gas card. Kroger has their own card that offers a small discount at the pump and you also get ponts for shopping at kroger that comes to you as a check in the mail. Discover issues cards according to how you shop, mine is a gas card that I can use at any gas station and get pay back that I can deposit into my checking account.

By Nick @ 06/15/08 11:54:03 AMreport abuse

I have been using Discover gas card (open road card now) for some time with 5% discount. But the monthly limit had dropped down to $100 now with the increasing gas price. Still, it mounts to $5 a month. I use chase freedom when i am above the $100. but that only gives 3% discount. The good thing is that from july through September regular discover card gives 5% on gas purchase up to $400. So I will use that card next month.

By uslee @ 06/15/08 07:13:26 AMreport abuse

rebate... costco AMX car

i've been using my costco AMX card, which gives a 3% rebate on gas, and it's been great. the gas at costco is considerably cheaper than the stations around my home and work, so it's great paying less and getting my 3%. the only drawback is that costco isn't always near home... but on the weekends, when i'm going anyway, i'm all over it. :)

By ang @ 06/15/08 01:49:45 AMreport abuse

gas credit card

I use BP for the 5%. I also check nearby stations prices to see which is
better. Usually only 1 - 2 cents diff. and sometime BP is less.

My husband uses Marathon. They automatically send you $25 card to be used at their store. No having to request it.

By Linda @ 06/14/08 04:26:38 PMreport abuse

Credit Card Rebates

Visa Chase has a 5% gas rebate card for any gas purchase. No annual fee.

By Turbo Dad @ 06/14/08 11:26:29 AMreport abuse

Independent gas stations may not take care of there tanks!

I thought any gas station was fine until one independent gas station never cleaned there tanks and water condensation would get in the tanks. My car would have problems immediately after I would fill up. I took the car in they found nothing wrong with the car and suggested it might be the gas. I then would go to a major gas station and I have never had the problem since.

By Brando @ 06/13/08 02:29:34 PMreport abuse

Kroger gas

If you have a Kroger card (not their credit card-but that too is a good deal), you automatically get 3 cents off at the pump. Each time you buy $100.00 worth of groceries you get 10 cents off at the pump. It isn't with just one transaction but you can accumulate up to $100.00 as my friend doesn't buy that many groceries. She totals only $200.00 a month in groceries but then she gets 10 cents off on two purchases of gas. With my big household I spend at least that a week so I'm continuously getting 10 cents off plus enough for my husband and son when they buy gas when we use our Kroger cards!

By Kroger Lover! @ 06/13/08 01:44:29 PMreport abuse

Have been using a BP card for years and I have found their prices to only be 1-2 cents higher so the net effect is that your better off with the BP card:
At $4 per gallon, 5%= 20 cents - 2 Cent price diff = 18 cents saving per gallon which in my case x 20 galons = $3.60 saving!! Or almost 1 free gallon every time I fill up.

By Jay @ 06/13/08 09:53:09 AMreport abuse

amex

i use amex business open card, no fees, pay 5%, but dropping to 3% mid july

By jim seminara @ 06/13/08 09:30:07 AMreport abuse

Gas card rewards

I have (2) cards from major companies.
They are located near my home and offer
5% disc. IN this NC area the majors
are usually (3)-(5) cents above the
independants,so there is a saving.
The trick is to never carry a balance.
We live a short drive to Virginia,
where the gas is another (7) cents
cheaper. So we can make out like
real banditos. One card offers a $25
gift card/$500. The other card has a
5% disc at the pump, but if you make
less than (9) trans/year they will
charge you a $20 fee. So you have to
watch that closer.
Thought you'd like to know.
Regards,
Don

By Donald Sennett @ 06/13/08 12:01:14 AMreport abuse

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Jun 12, 2008 -- Are gas rebate credit cards a deal?

What others are saying