As gas prices climb (and climb, and climb), discount gas is worth every penny in savings. But driving around in circles trying to find the station with the cheapest gas is, at best, only marginally successful. Even if you do find the absolute cheapest gas in your area, how do you know that you wouldn’t be getting a better deal if you had a decent rewards program? Your best bet might be to use your credit card, and some judicious searching, to maximize your rewards and defray the ever-rising cost of gas.

The giant retailer sells everything for cheap, and gas is no exception. Unfortunately, gas credit cards that otherwise give a bonus on fuel exclude warehouses (ie, Costco) from the bonus rate. In fact, Costco only accepts American Express credit cards, and of those, only the Costco American Express gives rewards on Costco gas. If you fill up at the warehouse regularly, you can pile savings upon savings by getting discount gas earning rewards on it.

If you don’t live near a Costco that sells gas, you can save a lot by pledging your loyalty to one gas station. Branded gas credit cards give some of the best rewards, but they require you to fill up exclusively at their station, and some have monthly or quarterly rewards caps. Any number of stations have them, including Shell, Gulf and Chevron. Our personal favorite is the BP credit card, which gives 5% on BP gas (up to $500 spent each month), 2% on dining and travel and 1% elsewhere. The biggest perk, though, is that it gives double rewards for the first 60 days. For two months, you’re treated to 4% on travel and dining, 2% on all purchases, and a whopping 10% on BP gas. While the fuel cap limits you to earning rewards on ~137 gallons a month, the other rewards are unlimited.

If you’re not quite ready to tie yourself down to just one station, any number of credit cards will give you bonus rewards on gas (excluding Costco gas), though generally at a lower rate than branded cards. However, they might be more generous about rewards caps, depending on the card. The classic example is the American Express Blue Cash Preferred, which earns an unlimited 3% back on gas, as well as 6% on groceries, 3% on department stores and 1% on gas. It’s also giving a $100 signup bonus. Although it has a $75 annual fee, it’s more than offset by the rewards.

Finally, if you want to eschew credit cards altogether, you can look for gas stations that have a cash discount. A few gas stations, such as ARCO, don’t accept credit cards but offer steep discounts in return. Others will charge two different prices for cash and plastic. Our gas price comparison tool will help you compare the benefits of cash discounts compared to rewards on gas credit cards for stations in your area.

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