The best credit cards to earn bonus points on fuel

If you spend a lot on fuel you should have the right credit card in your wallet — doing so could easily boost your frequent flyer points earning capability from a standard card with no fuel-specific points bonuses.

With those boosted points from fuel, you could be on your way to new trips, free upgrades or more. Whether it’s the school run, for work or rideshare, here are a few points-earning credit cards that offer bonus points at fuel outlets.

Credit cards that offer additional points on fuel

Some credit cards offer a boosted earn rate whenever you purchase fuel and goods from service stations. Both American Express and Citibank have flexible rewards programs, where you can transfer those points to a frequent flyer scheme of your choice later on.

1. American Express Platinum Edge

• 3 Membership Rewards points per A$1
• Equivalent to 1.5 frequent flyer points per A$1, when transferred

The American Express Platinum Edge offers a massive 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent. However, its value is halved since most airline transfer partners use a 2:1 transfer rate.

Membership Rewards points can be transferred over to programs such as Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program, among many others. You’ll also receive a travel credit with this card, which more than offsets the $195 annual fee.

2. David Jones American Express

• 3 Membership Rewards points or 1.5 Qantas Points per A$1
• Equivalent to 1.5 frequent flyer points per A$1, when transferred

Both the American Express David Jones card and the higher-tier American Express David Jones Platinum Card offer a boosted rate on supermarket and fuel purchases – that’s also 3 Membership Rewards points per dollar (or 1.5 Qantas Points if you choose the Qantas option.)

3. Citi Premier and Citi Prestige cards

• 1.5 Citi Rewards points per A$1 for the Citi Premier Card
• 2 Citi Rewards points per A$1 for the Citi Prestige Card

Citi Rewards is partners with Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Emirates Skywards. Certain cards (such as the Citi Premier card opted into Qantas Rewards) can also earn Qantas Points.

The Citi Premier Card earns 1.5 Citi Rewards Points per dollar, while that rate is boosted to 2 points per dollar for the Citi Prestige. Points can be transferred to partner programs starting at 2:1 for Velocity.

Other fuel and points earning opportunities

Depending on where you buy fuel, you can also pick up bonus points on top of what you’re earning with the credit cards above:

• BP and Qantas: Up to 2 Qantas Points per litre of fuel (BP Ultimate) and 1 point per $2 spent in-store
• Caltex/Ampol and Woolworths Everyday Rewards: 1 Woolworths Rewards point (0.5 Qantas Points) per dollar spent on fuel and in-store at participating Caltex and Ampol outlets
• Coles Express and flybuys: 1 flybuys point (0.5 Velocity Points) per $2 spent on fuel and in-store, and up to an additional 8 points per litre fuelled if you opt for that instead of the 4c/L discount.
• 7-Eleven and Velocity: Coming soon in mid-2021 if approved by regulatory authorities.

Summing up

For most people, having a boosted fuel earn rate won’t be the main factor in choosing what credit card to apply for. But if you do happen to fuel up a lot for work or personal reasons, then it’s definitely worth checking out to see if you could benefit more in the long term.

This article was originally written by Matt Moffit.