One of the major categories of expenses for many Canadians is gas. We live in the second-largest country in the world so it is not surprising that more often than not, we find ourselves driving somewhere.
Many Canadians visit their local gas stations regularly to fill up their tanks. Much like we do with grocery and dining purchases, we recommend maximizing the value of every dollar spent on gas to yield valuable points and miles by using one of the best credit cards for gas purchases in Canada.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the value you can receive from maximizing your spend on fuel purchases and at gas stations, and the best credit cards you should be using for all fuel purchases as a Canadian.
The Value of a Credit Card That Earns Maximum Rewards on Gas Purchases
Like many Canadians, a substantial portion of my spending comes from filling up my car’s gas tank so I can get to and from a variety of places! That’s why it is so important to find a credit card (or multiple!) that can maximize every dollar we spend at the pump.
By using the right credit card for each spending category, consumers will be able to generate a greater return of points, miles, or cash back and use those benefits towards rewards that we love.
In addition to maximizing the points earned from credit card spending while filling up the tank, most gas stations have their own rewards programs to earn points. This way, you can double dip – you’ll earn points with every dollar spent on fuel plus points directly with that gas station to redeem on fuel (or snacks!) at a later date!
Check out our guide on gas station rewards programs to learn more!
Best Credit Cards for Gas Purchases in Canada
We’re in luck – the market for credit cards in Canada that offer bonus rewards on eligible purchases at gas stations is surprisingly big and these cards come with annual fees in all sizes. Better yet, some of these credit cards also have strong multipliers on other popular categories, such as groceries and restaurants, allowing us to hit two birds with one stone!
As expected, the more premium credit cards come with higher annual fees, but also more (and sometimes better) perks and benefits. Before applying, make sure you do a quick calculation in your head to see if the annual fee is worth the return and perks.
Let’s go through some of the best gas credit cards and figure out what the right one for you is. I’m going to rank them in our order of strength and preference, but again, make sure the card makes sense for your spending habits.
At the end of the article, I’ll also throw in a surprise curveball – my favorite gas credit card that isn’t necessarily considered “the best!”
CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite Card
For the most cash back per dollar spent on gas purchases, look no further than the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite credit card. For every dollar spent on gas, you will earn 4% cash back. Other categories you will get 4% cash back on include EV charging and groceries.
The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite card earns cash back and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 4% cash back on gas and grocery purchases.
$200 cash back
$2,000
$200+
$120 (FYF)
Yes
–
The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite card comes with a $120 annual fee, but also decent insurance coverage as expected from a Visa Infinite level card. However, other additional perks and benefits are lacking.
If you link your Journie Rewards account, you can save up to 10 cents per liter at Pioneer, Ultramar, Chevron, and Fas Gas stations across Canada. The only downside of this partnership is that Journie Rewards gas stations are not very common. This means it may be more difficult to maximize both cash back returns on gas purchases and fuel savings.
TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card
For the best gas credit card that comes with great perks, look into the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite credit card. For every dollar spent on gas, you will earn 3% cash back. You will also earn 3% cash back on grocery store purchases and recurring/automatic bill payments.
The TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* card earns cash back and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 3% cash back on all eligible grocery purchases, gas purchases, and regularly recurring bill payments.
$350 cash back
$3,500
$350+
$139 (FYF)
Yes
Jan 6, 2025
The card comes with a $139 annual fee that is often waived in the first year as part of the welcome offer. While this is one of the higher annual fees on our list, it does come with some interesting perks and benefits.
By holding this card, you can register for the Deluxe TD Auto Club membership, which provides 24/7 roadside assistance. Considering that a comparable CAA membership with no distance restrictions costs $149 per year, you can consider this a net-zero annual fee card!
You’ll also have extensive insurance coverages that you would expect from a Visa Infinite level credit card.
American Express Cobalt Card
Time and time again, we find ourselves back to recommending the American Express Cobalt card. While this card is one of the best credit cards for buying groceries in Canada, it is no slouch in the fuel bonus category either.
The American Express Cobalt card earns Membership Rewards points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Membership Rewards on eligible restaurant, food delivery, and grocery store purchases.
In 2024, we selected this card to receive the award Best Credit Card for Grocery Purchases.
Check out our American Express Cobalt card review for more details.
15,000 Membership Rewards
$9,000
$174+
$156
Yes
–
You will earn 2 American Express Membership Rewards Points per every dollar spent on gas (along with transit and ride share). We value Membership Rewards points at around 2 cents per dollar when transferred out to transfer partners like Air Canada Aeroplan. Thus, you can think of this as around an effective 4% back on gas purchases when used for travel.
We think this is a great all-around card for those wanting to earn points to use towards their next travel redemption!
American Express SimplyCash Preferred Card
One of the lesser-known American Express cards out there, the American Express SimplyCash Preferred card is actually a very strong cash back card for gas purchases. You will earn 4% cash back on gas purchases. In addition, you will also earn 4% cash back on grocery purchases.
The Amex SimplyCash Preferred card earns 2% cash back on all purchases regardless of category.
$250 cash back
$2,000
$130+
$120
Yes
–
The strength of the SimplyCash Preferred is also using it as a “catch-all” cash back credit card because you will earn 2% cash back on all other purchases. If you only want to have one credit card or are looking for a card with a strong gas, grocery, and “catch-all” earning rate, the American Express SimplyCash Preferred is the card for you.
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card is another fan-favorite at Frugal Flyer because of its strong earning categories result in many bonus eligible purchases paired with an easy-to-redeem loyalty program with Scene+ Rewards. You will earn 3 Scene+ points per dollar spent on gas purchases (and transit services).
The Scotiabank Gold American Express card earns Scene+ Rewards points and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 5x Scene+ points on grocery, restaurant, and entertainment purchases. This card charges no foreign exchange fees.
Check out our Scotiabank Gold American Express card review for more details.
45,000 Scene+
$7,500
$450+
$120 (FYF)
No
Dec 31, 2024
In addition, you will also earn up to 6 Scene+ points per dollar spent on grocery purchases and 5 Scene+ points per dollar spent on dining, food delivery, and entertainment purchases. This makes the Scotiabank Gold American Express card one of the strongest credit cards available on the Canadian credit card market.
This card comes with a $120 annual fee which may be waived in the first year as part of a welcome offer.
However, one perk that this credit card has that is extremely rare in Canada and may warrant the annual fee alone, is that there are no foreign transaction fees. This will help you save 2.5% to 3% in foreign transaction fees that are charged by other credit cards when used abroad and for purchases in foreign currencies!
PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard
The PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard can give any of the cards listed here a run for their money. You can earn up to 70 PC Optimum points per liter spent at Esso and Mobil gas stations. We value PC Optimum points at 0.1 cents per point, meaning that you will be returning 7 cents per liter spent at Esso and Mobil.
The PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard earns 40 PC Optimum points per dollar spent at Loblaws grocery stores and offers cardholders a complimentary PC Express Pass for free grocery delivery and pickup.
Check out our PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
250,000 PC Optimum
$3,000
$250+
$120 (FYF)
Yes
Jan 31, 2025
In addition, you’ll earn additional points when using the PC Insiders World Elite Mastercard at Loblaws Companies grocery stores (Loblaws, No Frills) and Shoppers Drug Mart. Check out our guide to the PC Optimum program to learn more!
Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
If you would prefer an option with no annual fees, the Tangerine Money-Back credit card can earn you 2% cash back on your gas purchases.
The Tangerine Money-Back credit card earns cash back and allows cardholders to choose three accelerated spending categories to increase their cash back earnings.
Check out our Tangerine Money-Back credit card review for more details.
$100 cash back
$1,000
$100+
$0
Yes
Jan 31, 2025
While gas purchases aren’t an explicit bonus category for this card, the Tangerine Money-Back credit card offers flexibility as it allows cardholders the option to choose 2 categories in which they will earn 2% cash back including gas, grocery, furniture, dining, hotel, recurring bill payments, drug stores, home improvement, entertainment, transit/parking.
Cardholders can also unlock a third money-back category when they have their earned cash back deposited automatically into a Tangerine Savings Account.
While it is not the strongest cash back earner on this list, it has no annual fee, making it great for people just starting out in the credit card game and want to maximize their return on spending, but aren’t ready to take the plunge with an annual fee credit card yet.
My Credit Card of Choice For Fuel Purchases
We went through all of the leading credit cards for gas purchases in Canada. However, you might be shocked that, as of writing this article, I don’t actually use any of the cards above for gas, even though I have most of them!
This is a great example of why, while there can be a list of the “best” credit cards for a category based on the point per dollar yield, the choice of credit card should be context-dependent and specific to your own spending habits.
My choice of card for all my fuel purchases is the Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard.
The Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard earns Canadian Tire Money and offers cardholders benefits such as complimentary gold membership to the Canadian Tire roadside assistance program.
Check out our Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard review for more details.
0 Canadian Tire Money
$0
$0+
$0
Yes
–
When fueling at Canadian Tire Gas+ and Husky gas stations, you will earn 5 cents of CT Money per dollar spent on regular and mid-range fuel and 7 cents of CT Money per dollar spent on premium-grade fuel.
What’s even better is that Triangle Rewards, Canadian Tire’s rewards program that operates CT Money, and Petro-Canada Petro Points have a partnership. By linking my two accounts together, I can earn 5 cents CT Money per dollar at Petro-Canada PLUS 12 Petro-Points per liter.
This double-dipping makes fueling at Petro-Canada, Canadian Tire Gas+, and Husky my preferred gas stations. Everywhere that I go, I find that I’m within reasonable distance from one of these stations so this definitely doesn’t limit me when my car is low on fuel!
I also split the cost of the Petro-Canada Car Wash Seasons Pass with family and friends and find myself frequenting Petro-Canada locations. Thus, because it matches my spending habits better, I choose this card as my personal best credit card for gas purchases.
The Canadian Tire World Elite Mastercard comes with top-tier roadside assistance and oil change coupons every year. The most underrated perk of this card is the ability to pay your bills free of charge using the credit card and earn 1% in CT Money as cash back on these payments!
Check out our review of the Canadian Tire Triangle World Elite Mastercard to learn more about why we absolutely love this card.
Conclusion
Gas purchases are part of many Canadians’ largest monthly expenses. As points and miles enthusiasts, we love maximizing every dollar spent, and fueling up our vehicles is no exception to the rule.
While this is a comprehensive list of all of the top gas credit cards on the market, make sure you look at the other earning categories, perks, benefits, and annual fees and consider your own spending and shopping habits before choosing the best card for you!
Quentin Tsang
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Amex business edge if you still have it is 3x mr.