Petrol credit cards

Everyone knows how expensive it is to own a car in Singapore. Using a petrol credit card to get cashback when you fill up helps to keep that cost down.

By   |   Verified by Kwok Zhong Li   |   Updated 25th April 2020

Comparing petrol credit cards

HSBC Advance Credit Card

On HSBC's website

HSBC Advance Credit Card

Cashback

3.50% on any spend

Cashback cap

$125.00 on any spend

Minimum spend

$2,000.00 per month

Sign up bonus

$150.00 and more

Highlights

  • Up to 3.5% cashback on spending worldwide, no min spend
  • Yes please to exclusive retail, dining, entertainment, travel, and hotel privileges

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing HSBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • New Cardholders: Samsonite T5 68cm Spinner Luggage worth $560 or $150 cash back.
  • Existing Cardholders: $30 cash back.
OCBC 365 Credit Card

On OCBC's website

OCBC 365 Credit Card

Cashback

Up to 6.00% on dining spend

Cashback cap

$80.00 on any spend

Minimum spend

$800.00 per month

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • 6% cashback on dining and online food delivery.
  • 3% cashback on groceries, travel, land transport, utilities and online travel.
  • Save up to 22.1% at Caltex and 20.2% at Esso on petrol, as well as 5% cashback at all other petrol stations
  • All other purchases still get you 0.3% rebate
  • Up to $500,000 travel insurance coverage and up to $400 coverage for baggage loss

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Earn cashback 7 days a week, 365 days a year, everywhere.
Citi Prestige Credit Card

On Citi's website

Citi Prestige Credit Card

Cashback

N/A

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

62,500 points and more

Highlights

  • Earn 5 ThankYou points (2 miles) per $1 overseas spend and 3.25 ThankYou points (1.3 miles) per $1 local spend
  • No cap on ThankYou points and miles won't expire on you
  • A concierge team to support your lifestyle at home and abroad
  • Complimentary 4th night stay
  • Earn miles or ThankYou points when you pay your tax, rent, condominium management fee, school fee or electricity bill with Citi PayAll on the Citi Mobile® App

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing Citi cardholders

Bank promo

  • Choose to receive either 62,500 Citi ThankYou points (25,000 miles) or a Gadget Welcome Gift (terms and conditions apply).
OCBC Frank Credit Card

On OCBC's website

OCBC Frank Credit Card

Cashback

Up to 6.00% on any foreign currency spend

Cashback cap

Up to $25.00

Minimum spend

$600.00 per month

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • 6% cashback for online purchases on your favourite sites and apps such as Grab, Lazada, ASOS, Spotify and Netflix.
  • 6% cashback for contactless mobile payments and foreign currency spending made in-store.

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders
Citi PremierMiles Card

On Citi's website

Extended to 31 October, 2020

Citi PremierMiles Card

Cashback

N/A

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

37,300 points

Highlights

  • Earn 2 miles per S$1 overseas spend and 1.2 miles per S$1 local spend, miles won’t expire on you.
  • Access to over 1,000 airport lounges with Priority Pass membership.
  • Up to $$1 million travel insurance coverage is awesome.
  • Up to 10% rebate at over 500 merchants.
  • Earn miles or reward points when you pay your tax, rent, condominium management fee, school fee or electricity bill with Citi PayAll on the Citi Mobile® App.

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing Citi cardholders.

Bank promo

  • Receive up to 37,300 Citi Miles when you apply for a Citi PremierMiles Card and spend S$9,000 within 3 months from date of card approval (terms and conditions apply). Promo extended until 31 October, 2020.
HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card

On HSBC's website

HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card

Cashback

Up to 5.00% on dining spend

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • 5% rebate local grocers and on your recurring TV, internet, and mobile bills
  • Save 20.2% at Caltex and 18.30% at Shell on petrol
  • 2% rebate at local restaurants
  • Earn 1 point per $1 spend for rewards on top of cash rebate

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing HSBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Samsonite T5 68cm Spinner Luggage worth $560 or $150 cashback ($30 cashback for existing HSBC cardholders)
OCBC Cashflo Credit Card

On OCBC's website

OCBC Cashflo Credit Card

Cashback

1% on any spend

Cashback cap

$100.00 on any spend

Minimum spend

$1,000.00 per month

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • 0% instalments with rebates.
  • Earn 0.5% cashback if your monthly bill is less than S$1,000 and 1% cashback if your monthly bill is equal or greater than S$1,000. Capped at S$100 a month.
  • Automatically splits your payments across 3 months for transactions between S$100 to S$1,000 or across 6 months for transactions equal to or greater than S$1,000.

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders
OCBC Plus! Visa Credit Card

On OCBC's website

OCBC Plus! Visa Credit Card

Cashback

Up to 20.30% on petrol spend

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

$500.00 per month

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • Up to 12% off at Fairprice outlets, Unity and Warehouse Club.
  • Up to 8% off on online purchases at Fairprice.
  • Save up to 20.3% fuel savings.
  • Take advantage of our exclusive card promotions with OCBC Cards islandwide.

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Get up to 12% rebate at FairPrice and enjoy LinkPoints rebates at participating Plus! merchants
HSBC Revolution Credit Card

On HSBC's website

HSBC Revolution Credit Card

Cashback

N/A

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • Earn 5 points per $1 spend on online shopping, local dining, and local entertainment
  • All other purchases still earn you 1 point per $1 spend
  • Enough points can get you cash, items, or vouchers for dining, shopping, or travel

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing HSBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Samsonite T5 68cm Spinner Luggage worth $560 or $150 cashback ($30 cashback for existing HSBC cardholders)
Citibank SMRT Card

On Citi's website

Citibank SMRT Card

Cashback

Up to 14.00% on petrol spend

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

$120.00

Highlights

  • Up to 5% rebate at selected groceries.
  • Up to 5% rebate on fast food, movies and coffee.
  • Up to 3% rebate on online shopping.
  • Up to 2% rebate on your EZ-Reload with no convenience fee.
  • Rebates are redeemed as vouchers or offset your next purchase 

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing Citi cardholders

Bank promo

  • Enjoy waived annual fee for the first 2 years of your card. Plus, receive S$120 cashback when you spend S$1,200 in the first 3 months!
OCBC Titanium Rewards Credit Card (Blue)

On OCBC's website

OCBC Titanium Rewards Credit Card (Blue)

Cashback

N/A

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • Earn 50 OCBC$ (worth 20 miles) for every S$5 spent on eligible online and retail purchases
  • Earn 5 OCBC$ on all other spend
  • Additional 2% cash rebate when you spend at BEST Denki

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Redeem $50 Titanium Cash when you earn 18,000 OCBC$
OCBC Titanium Rewards Credit Card (Pink)

On OCBC's website

OCBC Titanium Rewards Credit Card (Pink)

Cashback

N/A

Cashback cap

N/A

Minimum spend

N/A

Sign up bonus

N/A

Highlights

  • Earn 50 OCBC$ (worth 20 miles) for every S$5 spent on eligible online and retail purchases
  • Earn 5 OCBC$ on all other spend
  • Additional 2% cashback when you spend at BEST Denki.
  • All online purchases on your OCBC Titanium Rewards Card come with e-Commerce Protection, which safeguards you against non-delivery or defective goods or if the seller fails to reimburse you.
  • Waived annual fee for the first 2 years (S$192.60 p.a. thereafter).

Finty Rewards

More info
  • $10 cash upon getting your card, even for existing OCBC cardholders

Bank promo

  • Nothing at the moment.

Learn about petrol credit cards

Find out how your can optimise the benefits of a credit card with petrol rebates.

  • FAQs

Can I get a cash rebate on other types of purchases, not just petrol, with the same card?

Yes. You could choose a flat rate card which offers a cash rebate on all spending, including petrol, since almost all cashback cards also let you take advantage of significant onsite petrol discounts. Alternatively, choose a cashback card which lets you combine petrol with another category of purchases for rebate returns (e.g. petrol + dining, or petrol + groceries).

Can I get other benefits, in addition to petrol discounts and cash rebates, with my petrol credit card?

Yes. You can expect to get some of the following additional benefits with your card:

  • First year annual fee waiver, or a two-year waiver
  • A sign-up or first purchase cash or merchandise gift
  • A petrol card pre-loaded with a credit amount (e.g. a $150 Caltex StarCard)
  • A credit, discount or cashback for Grab rides
  • Air miles or rewards points, including a sign-up points bonus in some cases

Do all petrol credit cards offer the same percentage discounts and cashback?

No, the rates vary from card to card, although they nearly always have the potential to reduce petrol prices by between 14% and 24% with a combination of discounts and rebates.

Does it matter what brand of petrol I buy, or where in the world I buy it?

Each card will often specify which brands of fuel qualify for the discount and cashback, e.g. Caltex only, or Shell and SPC stations only, or Esso and Caltex stations only. But there are cards which offer cash rebates on all petrol spending worldwide, regardless of the brand, although the onsite petrol discounts will only apply islandwide.

Do I have to spend a certain amount on petrol or other items, in order to qualify for the cash rebate?

Many cards have a very low starting rebate each month (e.g. 0.3%), but once a monthly target spending level is reached (e.g. $600 total purchases in any category) a much higher rebate percentage will be applied to all of that month’s purchases.

How often will I receive my cashback into my account?

The cashback earned is usually paid into your account quarterly, at the beginning of the second month of the following quarter.

Is there any cap on the rebate I can receive for petrol purchases?

Although there are a few cards with no cap on the amount you can earn, most cards will have a monthly limit (as low as $40 or as high as $100, depending on the card). Some caps are applied quarterly or annually.

What are some of the costs associated with a petrol credit card?

In addition to an annual fee of between $80 and $195 or more, look out for possible foreign currency transaction fees of up to 3.5%, and don’t forget the high interest rate that will be applied to your purchase balance if you fail to pay it off on or before the monthly due date.

Some cards waive their annual fee for the first year, or in any year that you spend a target amount, such as $12,500.

What are the best brands in Singapore for petrol spend?

You can save money when you fill up at Shell, Esso, Caltex, and SPC and paying with a petrol credit card in Singapore. Some cards will offer savings on petrol spend outside Singapore too.

Who should consider applying for a petrol credit card?

If you drive one of Singapore’s more than half a million cars, each covering an average of around 18,000 kilometres per year, you’ll no doubt be looking for a way to save money on high fuel prices. You can do this with a credit card designed to give you a combination of fuel discounts and cash rebates, and possibly rewards points which can effectively be converted into spendable cash.

An unfortunate downside of petrol cards is that the layers of discount and rebate can be extremely complicated, and you need to be alert to all the potential savings in order to maximise the benefit. A single card could combine an onsite discount on at a selected petrol station brand (say, 4%), plus a discount that comes with the credit card brand (perhaps 4%), plus a further discount for belonging to the petrol brand loyalty program (maybe 5%), an 8% credit card cashback on petrol purchases plus an additional cashback (say 3%) for reaching a monthly minimum spend. Who knew buying petrol could be so complicated?

Because petrol credit cards are so potentially confusing, you may prefer to go for a flat rate rebate card (perhaps 5% on all spending) which still has significant onsite discounts on petrol.