With rising gas prices, it can help to at least know that you are earning free hotel stays or cash back from your gas purchases. Here are my favorite options. Throughout the article, I will use a monthly cost of $250 to calculate rewards.
Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card
This is the highest earner on gas that I’m aware of at 8 points per dollar.
Redemption Options
Wyndham Rewards can be redeemed for nights at Wyndham hotels.
My favorite option for redeeming them is to book Vacasa Vacation Rentals. You can book a 1 bedroom house for 15,000 points per night (some restrictions apply).
If you spend $250/month on gas, you will have 24,000 points by the end of the year!
Take Note
This is a business card. If you have a small business or side hustle, you will likely qualify. Barclay can sometimes require you to send paper copies of documents like your driver’s license by mail — so be prepared that the approval process can take sometime. They also might send you an auto-decline when you just need to send in some documents so be sure to call in.
There is a personal version of this card that earns 6 points per dollar on gas, too.
Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card (non-affiliate link)
- $95 annual fee
- 8 points per dollar on gas and Wyndham hotels
- 15,000 points on account anniversary
- Automatic Diamond status — free suite upgrades and more
- Redeem 10% fewer Wyndham Rewards points for?go free??awards.
Citi Custom Cash Card
This card has a unique twist on earning bonuses. At the end of the month, you will receive 5x points on your top earning category (up to $500 per month). Categories include Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Fitness Clubs, and more.
This would be a perfect card to use for just one category where you spend less than $500 a month — like gas — knowing you will always earn 5 points per dollar on those purchases!
Redemption Options
If the Citi Custom Cash is the only card you have from Citi that earns Thank You points, you will be able to redeem your accumulated points for cash back. At the end of a year of spending $250/month on gas, you will have 15,000 points which will give you $150.
This card is even more powerful if you also have a Citi Premier Card! The Citi Premier Card also earns Thank You Points — but includes the ability to transfer those Thank You Points to airline and hotel partners, which allows you to unlock even more value.
My favorite redemption with ThankYou points is to transfer to Choice Hotels because the points transfer at 1:2. This means that the 15,000 ThankYou points you earned can become 30,000 Choice Hotel points! Choice Hotels max their hotel rates out at 30,000 points per night and there are some great 1+ bedroom options in the US or great hotels in Europe, too. Read my full post on the Citi Premier for other flight redemption options, too.
Take Note
If you are new to points, make sure you are considering the Chase 5/24 rule in your overall strategy for applying for cards before you apply for this card. Read more here.
Essentially Chase is more restrictive with card approvals so if you imagine you will open multiple cards to earn points, it can make sense to start with Chase cards first. But if you only think you will open 2 cards per year for points (or 4 cards per year for a household if 2 people are applying) — it really doesn’t matter too much.
Citi Custom Cash Card – Learn More
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- $0 annual fee
- 5% cash back on your top eligible spend category up to $500 spent each billing cycle.
- 5% eligible categories: Restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, live entertainment.
- Great to pair with Citi Premier
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
This card earns 6 points per dollar on gas purchases as well as grocery stores. It also gives you 10 Priority Pass lounge visits per year.
After spending $250/month, you’d have 18,000 points. Hilton doesn’t publish award charts but that is unlikely to even give you one night at a Hilton hotel.
Still, if you are loyal to Hilton, this can be a good option.
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card – Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points and one Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors
- $95 annual fee (Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.)
- Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points and one Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 3 months of Card Membership.
- 12x points for spend directly at Hilton hotels and resorts
- 6x points for spending on gas and groceries
- Complimentary Gold status (enrollment required)
- 10 Priority Pass visits per year (enrollment required)
