With gas prices rising steadily in recent months, it’s only natural to find ways to save money at the pump through loyalty programs. Here are a few tips! Subscribe to our newsletter for more money-saving tips!
If you spend a lot of money on gas each month, the first thing you should do is find a credit card that offers you more rewards in the gas station category.
Here are 5 great cards for your gas purchases:
Credit cards offering rewards points or cash back can help you reduce your bill.
Start by using one of our favourite tricks: buying gas gift cards.
If your credit card offers more points for grocery store purchases, buy gift cards from your favourite gas station.
Like, for example, with the American Express Cobalt® Card, you get:
You can buy Esso or Petro-Canada gift cards at Metro or Super C grocery stores, then use them to pay for gas. You will then have earned 5 points per dollar instead of 2.
For example, for a $100 weekly in-store purchase of gas and other items (milk, bread, lottery, candy, etc.) at Esso :
200 Membership Rewards points
($100 x 2 points)
500 Membership Rewards points
($100 x 5 points)
After one year, you will have :
10,400 Membership Rewards points
($104 value)
26,000 Membership Rewards points
($260 value)
The difference is enormous! These 26,000 Membership Rewards points can be converted into :
The same principle applies to the National Bank World Elite Mastercard®, with 5 points per dollar spent.
It’s the same with the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card, with which you earn 4% cash back on groceries and 2% on gas.
Another trick is to combine the gas station’s loyalty program with your credit card program. One of the most popular and lucrative is Shell with AIR MILES.
This is a double dip! And even more, because AIR MILES often has very profitable monthly or surprise offers via its mobile application.
At Shell, you’ll earn a combination of gas rebates and AIR MILES miles:
With the BMO AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard, you earn basic AIR MILES miles on gas purchases AND 3 AIR MILES miles for every $12 spent at Shell.
The base AIR MILES earning at Shell is:
For example, let’s take a 40-litre fill-up of Regular (Bronze or Silver) gas at Shell, at a cost of $1.60 per litre. The cost will be $64.
Here’s how the miles and rebates earn :
We also recommend you sign up for Shell Go+ to get even more miles. There are many monthly promotions, and you get an extra 2X AIR MILES.
Shell gift cards are available at IGA. In addition, many IGA grocery stores accept American Express cards.
Combining a Shell gift card purchased at IGA with an American Express CobaltMD Card (5% discount) to pay for a full tank of gas is another high-paying option.
On the CIBC side, with the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card or the CIBC Dividend® Visa Platinum* Card, you get discounts on gas at Ultramar (as well as Pioneer, Marché Express, On the Run, Fas Gas and Chevron) with the Journie :
In addition, Journie Rewards is associated with the Aeroplan program. By linking Journie and Aeroplan accounts, you earn 300 Aeroplan points at the end of each 300 Journie Reward point cycle.
Then you can redeem those Aeroplan points for a discount or vouchers to treat yourself:
In addition, these credit cards offer the highest cash back rates in Canada for gas:
This is handy if the gift card trick is too complicated for you! Especially since there are no Ultramar gift cards in grocery stores.
On the PC Optimum side, you earn PC Optimum points on gas at Esso:
In addition, PC Optimum points can be redeemed for purchases at Esso :
Let’s go back to the example of a 40-litre tank of gas, at $1.60/litre = $64. You will earn:
In comparison, this $64 purchase charged to a non-PC Finance credit card earns :
From RBC, any credit card will save you up to 7 cents per liter in value, like the :
This way, you get discounts on gas at Petro Canada:
To obtain them, you must first link your RBC credit card to your Petro-Points account.
In the Petro-Points program, the basic earning is:
Every 1,000 Petro-Points gives you a $1 discount on items or free gas.
Let’s go back to the example of a 40-litre tank of gas, at $1.60/litre = $64. It will cost you at Petro-Canada:
Here are some alternative payment methods and their benefits for the same $64 purchase:
Do you spend a lot of money on gas for your business? With the American Express Business Edge™ Card, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar for gas, a 3% return.
Also, if you have a fleet of vehicles, you can add up to 99 free additional cards to your account.
No loyalty program is associated with Costco gas stations.
By default, gas at Costco costs less than elsewhere, thanks to revenues from Costco memberships.
Please note that gasoline purchases at Costco do not earn a 2% cash back for Executive members.
But there are credit cards that give more, and there are two that stand out:
Using the $1.60/liter example above, it’s probably around $1.50/liter at Costco. For 40 liters, you’ll earn $1.80 cash back (3%) with the CIBC Costco Mastercard.
Here are the best combinations to save on gas prices:
With the right credit card in your wallet and a few tricks up your sleeve, you can save money on gas by earning rewards or cash back.
And if you want to go electric, you can also save on electric recharging! Subscribe to our newsletter for more money-saving tips!
In addition to credit cards and loyalty programs, there are many other ways to reduce your gas consumption. See our article: 10 tips to reduce fuel consumption in 2024.
For the latest gas prices, consult sites like EssenceQuebec.com.
Savings are here:
