My Credit Card Blog

I’m what you would call a credit card arbitrager. What that means is that one of my hobbies and passions is to seek out ways to maximize my money, particularly in the area of credit card reward programs. It’s not just credit card sign up bonuses and cashback rewards that I aim to maximize either - it’s also such credit card perks as balance transfer offers. 0% balance transfer credit cards are used by many, including myself for a variety of financial planning purposes. While some anti-credit card personal finance commentators frequently rally against the use of credit cards altogether, blaming them for the out of control credit card debt problem we have in this country, I personally cite the lack of proper financial education and abandonment of personal responsibility and accountability for the majority of credit card debt related troubles on the part of consumers.

Credit Cards Offer Valuable Benefits For Arbitrage Chasers, But They Should Be Used Wisely and Selectively

While not perfectly analogous, one can compare the benefits and utility of credit cards to that of an automobile. Both are powerful tools that can help people enhance their lives and get them to their target destination, whether real life or financial. However, both, if utilized improperly or irresponsibly, can potentially cause serious damage to oneself and to others. If you drive your vehicle while inebriated or intoxicated, or if you disregard the legal speed limit and swerve around the highways recklessly, you are bound to not only harm others, but injure yourself as well. However, if you stay within the legal boundaries, follow the directives of law enforcement officers, and learn to operate the vehicle safely by the book, having a vehicle can be an invaluable tool.

Likewise, credit cards, if utilized recklessly without careful regard for credit limits, monthly payment obligations, and knowledge about how to stay within the boundaries of one’s own financial means, such usage can certainly result in financial disaster. However, if used properly and responsibly, credit cards can provide valuable financial benefits like free credit card rewards and discount rebates for everyday purchases. Most credit cards also provide some type of extra consumer protection benefit for items purchased, such as extended credit card warranties for qualified goods like expensive laptops, and travel reward upgrades.

Some credit cards even provide balance transfer offers that can help consumers weather difficult personal financial storms and serve as temporary financial safety nets of sorts. I’ve personally utilized balance transfer credit cards during times when I was cash strapped and in desperate need of a temporary infusion of money to pay off unexpectedly large bills (the key word here is “temporary”). Like all initially good things in life, everything can ultimately be twisted and abused (even seemingly innocuous things like food, video games, and the Internet), so it’s our own responsibility as adults not to misappropriate the useful tools we’ve been given, and to be extra selective when it comes to determining what is a good offer and what is a deal that’s overly fraught with dangers. While there’s usually a catch to every seemingly good credit card offer, there are often strategic ways to greatly minimize potential problems. It’s usually just a matter of getting in the habit of reading the fine print and knowing what to look for.

Case In Point - Discover More’s Promotional Offer For 0.99% APR On Balance Transfers For Life

I’m sure many of us periodically receive credit card junk mail. Oftentimes these pre-approval mailers are sent to us by credit card issuers like Citibank, Chase, American Express, and Discover Card whether we want them or not. While there are ways to affirmatively opt out of all future solicitations, it always seems like the opt outs expire at some point at which time the credit card junk mail letters continue to flow back into our mailboxes. Most of the time the pre-approved credit card offers I receive are useless, but once in a while I stumble across very attractive mail offers. While the majority of people usually throw the paper pre-approvals away on principle without even giving them a quick peek, savvy credit card arbitragers will usually give the offers a good, hard once-over before chucking them into the trash.

A few days ago I received a very enticing junk mailer from Discover Card (I call it junk because that’s what it initially looked like). While the vast majority of such offers through the mail tend to be trash, this one in particular caught my eye. It was a Discover More credit card promotion for a 6 month 0% APR balance transfer period with a 0.99% APR offer on balance transfers for life thereafter. That’s right, after the end of the initial 0% APR period, you get to enjoy a less than 1% annual percentage rate on balance transfers indefinitely.

Obviously there’s a catch - there’s always a catch. The caveat is that to maintain a permanent 0.99% APR on lifetime balance transfers after the end of the initial 0% balance transfer period, you’ll need to make at least two purchases or cash transactions each month continuously for the life of the balance. You won’t have to worry about your rate going higher while you pay your balance transfer minimums each month, but you’ll need to make at least two purchases with the card to keep the promotion active. The obvious tightrope is one that novices and beginners to balance transfer arbitrage may not be familiar with. A close inspection of the fine print found in the credit card terms and conditions page reveals that Discover Card applies payments to balances with low introductory special APR’s (such as special balance transfer and purchase APR’s) prior to balances with standard APR’s. It’s disconcerting because standard purchase balances almost always have much higher interest rates - anywhere from 8% to 20% APR depending on the cardholder’s individual credit score history. It’s one of the many hidden dangers of balance transfers - the accidental addition of even small purchase balances at higher interest rates that can never be paid off until the existing, frequently much larger balance transfer amount at the lower promotional rate is completely paid off first. But then again, this is nothing new in the world of balance transfers as all balance transfer cards apply bill payments towards 0% balances before applying them to any existing high interest purchase balances. It may seem counter-intuitive, but that’s how credit card companies make money - with these technical rule traps.

How To Maximize The Lifetime Balance Transfer Offer From Discover Card

Of course, in regards to the Discover Card lifetime balance transfer offer at 0.99%, the clever credit card arbitrage gamer can attempt to get around the mandatory 2 purchases per month at higher interest rates by making sure he or she spends those purchases on 2 incredibly low priced items. Ideally you’ll want to swipe your card for 2 separate gumball or candy purchases of less than 25 cents each, or less if possible. That way, even with the addition of purchase balances at higher interest rates to your account, the interest payments for the transferred balance remain relatively insignificant, allowing you to carry the 0.99% balance for as long as possible. The money obtained from the lifetime balance transfer can be used by balance transfer arbitragers to make money from interest earned as a high interest savings account deposit, or it can be used to help pay down high interest credit card debt. Of course, at some point in the future, even small incremental purchases per month do slowly add up and the entire balance must ultimately be paid off. But if you are able to keep the 2 mandatory monthly purchases low, you may be able to drag out the 0.99% balance transfer for several years and still be in the money. Presumably by then, you’ll have earned plenty of interest income to make the credit card arbitrage effort worthwhile.

Keep in mind, this particular balance transfer for life offer is one of those special rare credit card offers not available to the general public or through online links. You won’t find them in any search engine as a custom invitation code is required to partake. Each custom invitation code sent to recipients is unique and must be used to access the special online application page to take advantage of the offer. Unfortunately, I only have one invitation code for the lifetime balance transfer offer and won’t be able to list it here.

Some may recognize this particular Discover Card offer. It used to be a 0% balance transfer for life, but the credit crunch crisis seems to have forced Discover Card to downsize the offer by imposing a slight interest rate. While a 0% lifetime balance transfer deal would be ideal, 0.99% for life is still pretty good.

The economy may be struggling with higher gas prices and soaring food costs, and families may be reluctantly tightening their financial belts when it comes to spending money on vacations and even cutting back on basic necessities, but according to a Forbes personal finance article, many of us are under-utilizing a potential source of free money. This source of extra funds stems from loyalty programs, commonly in the form of credit card rewards programs that offer everything from frequent flyer miles for free airline tickets, to free gas and grocery discounts, to free gift cards and straight up cash incentives for everyday purchases. In exchange for becoming a loyal user of their reward credit card program, card issuers are very willing to dish out a large variety of attractive rebates and rewards in the form of free dollars, miles, and redeemable reward points.

While I personally prefer cash back rewards that require little to no redemption maintenance actions, those who want to earn the highest credit card rebates generally go with point rewards or airline mileage offers that provide higher earning opportunities. Of course, with the higher rebate rewards comes the extra work of redeeming and keeping track of bonus points and miles earned. But if you are savvy and don’t mind engaging in a little bit of periodic program micro-managing, you are bound to enjoy quite a bounty of credit card usage incentives.

Oftentimes, card holders are already earning and may already be sitting on a pile of unredeemed rewards that they are neglecting to use. By not taking advantage of already earned points and rewards, consumers are letting these tax-free windfall bonuses slip through their fingers. Make sure you take a good look at the programs you are already a member of. For those of you who are not members of any or wish to know which credit card reward programs are considered by financial experts and noted by authoritative sources like Forbes to be the best credit card offers available based on program flexibility, broad acceptance, and annual fee restrictions, read on. The following list of the best credit card rewards programs were selected by contributors from Forbes based on the following reward categories - airline travel, hotel rewards, restaurant rebates, entertainment rewards, grocery rebates, gas rewards, and your most basic cash back rewards. I offer my own opinionated tidbits as well.

Reviews Of The Top Credit Card Reward Programs Noted By Forbes and Its Credit Card Eggheads

Airlines

1) Capital One No Hassle Miles - With this popular card from Capital One, you earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent on all purchases. With the mileage reward redemption, there are no blackout dates and no airline seating restrictions. There is no expiration date for the miles earned and no limit on the mileage rewards you can accrue. This Capital One card is a great choice for someone who plans to use the card often.

2) Miles By Discover - With the Discover Miles card, you get 1 mile for every dollar spent on all purchases. You are free to earn unlimited mileage rewards and enjoy no expiration date limitation. The miles you accrue can be redeemed for free travel including free airline tickets, and for gift card rewards. There is also no annual fee to worry about.

3) Chase Travel Plus Visa Card - With the Chase Travel Plus, you can earn 1 mile per dollar spent on all purchases. Your purchase rebate miles can be redeemed for airline tickets, hotel stays, cruises and car rental rewards. You are free to decide on how you’d like to spend your loyalty credit card rewards. Your mileage rewards also enjoy no blackout date restrictions.

4) Citi Platinum Select/AAdvantage® World MasterCard - With this Citibank credit card branded with American Airlines’ frequent flyer program, you get to earn 1 mile for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases, up to 100,000 miles per year (that’s a lot). Your AAdvantage® mileage rewards can be redeemed for travel on over 25 airline carriers, as well as towards free car rentals and free hotel stays. As an additional incentive, new applicants can earn 25,000 bonus signup miles after making $750 in purchases within four months of becoming a card member. The first year’s annual fee is waived, but thereafter it’s $85.

5) Platinum Delta Skymiles Amex Credit Card - With the popular American Express card for Delta Airlines, you earn 1 mile for every dollar spent on eligible purchases, good for future free flights. However, you get to earn double miles on every qualifying dollar spent at gas stations, supermarkets, drugstores, home improvement stores, and post offices. As an additional incentive, new sign ups get an instant 20,000 bonus miles after their first purchase. The miles earned never expire, and there is no cap limit to the total number of mileage rewards that can be earned. There is a $135 annual fee.

6) JetBlue Card From American Express - With the Jet Blue Airlines credit card, you earn 1 Award Dollar for every one dollar you spend with it. However, you get to earn double Award Dollars on purchases for travel, dining, entertainment, and leisure. With the conversion rate of 200 Award Dollars for 1 TrueBlue Point, and 100 TrueBlue points equating to one free round trip airline flight, cardholders can earn a free flight after spending $10,000 worth of purchases on double point category expenses. As a special signup card offer, new applicants earn an instant 50 TrueBlue points with their first purchase. The annual fee is $40.

Hotels

1) Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card - This is a nice Amex card to carry around if you are a frequenter of Hilton family luxury hotels (if you haven’t stayed at one before - let me tell you, they are really high class). With the Hilton credit card reward program, you earn 3 bonus points for each eligible dollar spent. You get more points - 5 points per dollar for money spent at Hilton hotels. There are no hotel blackout date restrictions and no annual fees.

2) Starwood Preferred Guest (American Express) - The Starwood Preferred card is the Swiss army knife of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty reward cards. You get to earn 1 Starpoint for every dollar spent and double Starpoints at Starwood hotel properties and participating retailers. With the Starwood card, you can earn points for free night stays and upgrades at a huge number of Starwood hotels and international resorts. You can also transfer your Starpoint rewards to select frequent flier programs. The first year’s annual fee is waived, but it’s $45 thereafter. The annual fee after the first year is worth it if you love to travel and do so regularly.

3) Maximum Rewards Platinum Travel Visa (First National Bank of Omaha) - With this credit card offer from FNBO, you can earn 3 rebate points for every dollar spent on air travel and hotel stays. Your accrued FNBO credit card rebates can be redeemed for a large selection of possible rewards. There is no annual fee to worry about.

Restaurants

1) True Earnings Costco Card From American Express - Most dining credit cards only cover fast food places, but the True Earnings Costco credit card covers all restaurant purchases. With the True Earnings rebate rewards card, you earn 3% cash back for gas, 3% for restaurants, 2% for travel, and 1% for everything else, including at Costco warehouse stores. There is no annual fee if combined with your paid Costco membership.

Entertainment

1) American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card - With this classy gold card from Amex, you earn 1 point for virtually every dollar spent, with no preset spending restriction or limit. This card was designed for cardholders who desire exclusivity and special access to unique Gold Card events like exclusive tickets for select concerts, entertainment shows, and sporting events (Super Bowl for example). Reward points can be redeemed for various travel, shopping and entertainment rewards. With the special sign up offer, applicants can earn 10,000 instant bonus points after their first purchase. The first year’s annual fee is waived but it’s $125 thereafter.

2) Disney Rewards Visa Card from Chase - With this cute Disney reward credit card (there are multiple designs to choose from), you earn 1% in Disney Dream Reward Dollars for all purchases. With the Disney card, you are also eligible for discounts at Disney resorts and parks like Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This card has no annual fee.

3) ESPN Total Access From Washington Mutual - With this sports minded reward credit card from WaMu, you earn 5 points for every dollar spent at ESPN stores, and 1 point for everything else. Your ESPN reward points can be redeemed for VIP sport experiences, sports merchandise, travel, dining, and more. New card applicants get an instant 2,500 bonus points after their first purchase. There is also a 0% APR balance transfer offer for 6 months on purchases and balances transferred, with no balance transfer fee. Plus, cardholders also get free monthly FICO credit scores courtesy of Washington Mutual. There is no annual fee.

Groceries

1) Capital One No Hassle Points Rewards - With this no hassle (pun very much intended), point based credit card from Capital One, you earn 2 points per dollar spent on purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, and drugstores. You also get 1 point for every dollar spent on everything else. There is no expiration date for your accrued reward points and no limit to the number of points you can earn.

2) Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card - With the Citibank Diamond Preferred Rewards card, you can earn 5 reward points for every dollar spent at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations for 12 months. For all other purchases, you earn 1 reward point per dollar spent. There is no annual fee to contend with.

Gas

1) BP Visa Rewards Card - If you live near a BP gas station or frequently fill up at BP gas pumps, this card is a must have. With the BP Visa Rewards card, you get to earn 5% cash rebates at all BP gas stations, with no program expiration. To spice up the pot, for the first two months you also get to earn double rewards (an amazing 10% cash back). As for all other eligible travel and dining related purchases, you earn 2% purchase rebates. You get 1% on everything else. There is no limit on rebates and no annual fee.

2) The Chase PerfectCard - With this perfect card (another silly pun for me), you earn 6% rebates on gas purchases made at any gas station for the first 90 days. Thereafter, you still get to earn 3% reward rebates for gas. For everything else, you earn 1% back. There is no annual fee.

3) Capital One No Hassle Miles For Travel and Gas - With this specially designed gas credit card from Capital One, you get to earn 3 miles per dollar spent on travel and gas expenditures. You get to earn 1 mile for each dollar spent on all other purchases. Your mileage rewards can be redeemed for future free airline flights, and there are no blackout dates or seating restrictions imposed. There is also no expiration restriction and no limit on the total number of miles you can earn.

Cash Back Rewards and Rebates

1) Chase Freedom - Who doesn’t like the ease of a cash back credit card? With this extremely popular Chase credit card offer, you get to earn a straight 3% cash back on your top three everyday spending categories. Obviously your top three categories may change from month to month depending on your spending habits, but Chase automatically calculates the best rebate rewards for you. For everything else, you earn 1% cash back for every dollar spent. As an additional reward incentive, you get to receive an extra $50 each time you save and redeem $200 in rewards. As a further promotion, new card sign ups get an instant $50 after their first purchase.

3) Blue Cash from American Express - If you are a big credit card spender, the Blue Cash credit card was designed for you in mind. With this card, you have the potential to earn up to 5% cash back with unlimited cash reward earning potential. The rebate percentages are based on a tiered system so the more you spend, the more cash back you earn per dollar spent. Best of all, there is no annual fee. If instead of American Express this card was offered by Visa or MasterCard, it would indisputably be the very best credit card rewards program available.

2) Capital One No Hassle Cash Rewards - With this Capital One cash back credit card, you earn a straight 2% cash back on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and drug stores, as well as 1% cash back on everything else. There is no limit on cash back earnings, and your rebate rewards never expire - hence the “no hassle” moniker.

Updated List Of The Best 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Below

If you stumbled onto this page through Google or one of the popular search engines, then you’re likely looking for a compilation list of the top recommended 0% APR balance transfer credit cards. Well you’ve come to the right place then.

After performing quite a bit of reading, research, and comparison of credit card deals and promotional offers, the following categorized list contains what I believe to be all of the best balance transfer credit cards available. For those of you who track this sort of development, you may have noticed that the more lucrative 12  month 0% APR no balance transfer fee offers have seemingly disappeared. Unfortunately, the balance transfer promotions out there seem to rise and fall with the credit market so as the credit market has tightened, so has the exclusive list of lucrative balance transfers. But given enough time, I’m confident the 12 month no balance transfer fee cards will return eventually. But for now at least, the following are the best deals currently available in the credit card market.

So What’s The Point Of Using A Balance Transfer Credit Card Anyway?

For those not certain as to why 0% balance transfer credit cards are so heavily sought after and used by credit card consumers, one only has to look at their versatility and multiple range of possible uses.

For those who are credit savvy and financially responsible, using a balance transfer is an excellent way to borrow interest free money for various financial planning purposes. One of the most common uses for balance transfers is to use low interest rate or 0% APR balance transfer credit cards to pay off high interest credit card debt. Another common use for balance transfers that people like myself frequently use is to incorporate them as part of an emergency fund. Properly used, they can help carry the cardholder through difficult financial times when the cardholder is temporarily cash strapped and in immediate need of a temporary infusion of interest free money to pay off short term liabilities. On the other end are balance transfer arbitrage seekers who utilize 0% balance transfer cards to make money by obtaining interest free balance transfer funds and investing the money in a high yield savings account for credit card arbitrage profit.

Whatever goal the balance transfer applicant is looking to achieve, there is likely an appropriate offer out there for him or her. Just make sure you know what is a balance transfer and educate yourself on knowing how to make a balance transfer properly without committing a risky or costly financial mistake. Remember, 0% balance transfers are powerful financial tools - meant to be used only by those who know how to handle the logistics of credit card debt management.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the credit cards listed below offer 0% balance transfers for up to 12 months at a minimum. Many of the longer 12 month balance transfer offers impose a nominal balance transfer fee of 3%, but many do cap the fee at somewhere between $50-$100 (please read all terms and conditions carefully). For those looking to transfer a high credit card balance, having to pay a one time capped balance transfer fee is usually worth the price of getting a long term interest free credit card loan. I’ve also specifically noted the 6 month 0% balance transfer offers as well, due to the fact that most of the 6 month offers provide the additional benefit of having no balance transfer fees associated with them.

Without further ado, here is my list of the Best 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards For Up To 12 Months:

Advanta Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Advanta Platinum Business Card Rewards - (15 months)
2. Advanta Platinum Customized Business Rewards - (15 months)
3. Advanta Kiva Business Card - (15 months)
4. Advanta Platinum Business Card

American Express Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. American Express IN:NYC Card - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)
2. American Express IN:LA Card - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)
3. American Express IN:Chicago Card - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)

Bank of America Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Bank of America Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Rewards Platinum Plus Visa
   
2. Bank of America BoatU.S. Platinum Plus Visa Card
3. Bank of America Cash Rewards Platinum Plus Card
4. Bank of America Ducks Unlimited WorldPoints MasterCard
5. Bank of America Elite Rewards World MasterCard
6. Bank of America Major League Baseball Extra Bases Card
7. Bank of America NASCAR RacePoints Platinum Plus Visa
8. Bank of America NFL Extra Points Platinum Plus Visa
9. Bank of America Accelerated Rewards American Express Card
10. Bank of America Wyndham Rewards Master Card(SM)
11. Bank of America Visa Signature with WorldPoints Rewards
12. Bank of America World MasterCard with WorldPoints
13. Bank of America WorldPoints Platinum Plus Master Card
14. Bank of America Financial Rewards Visa Platinum Plus - 6 billing cycles
15. Bank of America Pet Rewards Card - 6 billing cycles (no balance transfer fee)
16. Bank of America Platinum Plus Card

Chase Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Chase Flexible Rewards Platinum Visa
2. Chase Free Cash Rewards Visa
3. Chase PerfectCard MasterCard
4. Chase Platinum Master Card
5. Chase Visa Platinum Card
6. Chase Business Rebate Visa
7. Chase Platinum Visa Business Card
8. Chase Business Cash Rewards Card

Citibank Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Citi AT&T Universal Savings Platinum Card
2. Citi AT&T Universal Savings and Rewards Card
3. Citi CashReturns Card
4. Citi Diamond Preferred Card
5. Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card
6. Citi Home Rebate Platinum Select Mastercard
7. Citi Platinum Select Card
8. Citi PremierPass Card Elite
9. Citi PremierPass Card
10. Citi Platinum Select for Students - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)
11. Citi Driver’s Edge for Students - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)
12. Citi mtvU Card For Students - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)

Discover Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Discover Card Miles
2. Discover More Card
3. Discover More Card Clear
4. Discover More Card American Flag
5. Discover More Card Wildlife Collection
6. Discover More Card Sealife Collection
7. Discover More Monogram Card
8. Discover Open Road Card

Fia Card Services Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Fidelity Investments Rewards Visa Signature Card

IberiaBank Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. IberiaBank Visa Platinum Rewards Card - 6 months (no transfer fee)
2. IberiaBank Visa Gold Cash Back Rewards Card - 6 months (no transfer fee)
3. IberiaBank Visa Classic Card - 6 months (no transfer fee)

Pulaski Bank Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Pulaski Bank Visa Card - 6 months (no balance transfer fee)
2. Pulaski Bank Gold Visa Card - 6 months (no transfer fee)

Washington Mutual Credit Cards With 0% Balance Transfers

1. Washington Mutual ESPN Card - 6 months (no balance transfer fee). Cardholders also receive free FICO credit score updates every month, accessible through their online account.

That’s everything. I will update the entire list as regularly as I can. Please let me know if there are additional balance transfer offers out there that I may be missing.

My gosh, gas prices are so incredibly and insanely high these days it’s getting ridiculous. These days I’m paying more than $50 just to fill up my Honda Accord sedan and it’s hurting my wallet more and more. If this keeps up I may need to invest in a fuel efficient moped or Segway scooter just to save money. Is the planet really running out of gasoline or is this recent ramp up in fuel prices caused by temporary squeezes in supply and demand speculation? I’m not sure the exact cause of the price hikes. Perhaps the supply costs have been skyrocketing because of recent world wide instability and ongoing conflicts in gas producing regions of the world such as the oil rich Middle East. Whatever the reason, it’s the everyday Joes and Janes like you and I who suffer the most.

As ordinary consumers, we really have little say on the matter beyond griping to ourselves and shaking our fists in pointless defiance at the almighty gas pump. Unless our government or society as a whole can expedite plans to develop self sufficient alternative forms of energy to power our vehicles, gas prices will likely continue to increase unabated for the foreseeable future. Until we can replace our total dependence and thirst for such fossil fuels, and substitute it with other alternative fuels such as solar, hydrogen, ethanol, or heck, even vegetable oil (or at the very least greatly improve on the efficiency of our current electrical fuel cell technology), we are likely going to keep suffering through super high gas prices for some time.

But as consumers, we do have a valuable financial tool at our disposal - gas credit cards, which offer cardholders the ability to earn cash back rebates and rewards of up to 10% back in some cases on all gas related purchases. Of course, clipping coupons is another option, but then again, when was the last time you actually saw a coupon out there that offered gas station related savings - they just don’t exist. Using an online tool like Gas Buddy to seek out the lowest gas prices in the neighborhood or area is a great way to lower the cost of gasoline spent, but the reality is that it’s not always possible to make it to the cheapest gas station everytime. Sometimes you just have to make do with what’s nearby.

That’s why gas credit cards are so useful for those who can properly manage the use of credit cards and credit card rewards. The cash back rebates you can earn on all gas purchases is universally applicable and can be earned at any gas station location or brand regardless of where you go. These gas cards are oftentimes going to be the best overall bet when it comes to saving money on gas at the pump.

After searching and carefully scrutinizing all of the best gas credit cards available, here are the top gasoline rebate deals I think are the most worthy of mention.

My List Of the Best Gasoline Credit Card Reward Offers:

1. Chase BP Visa Rewards - Get 10% cash back for gas at all BP gas stations and 4% back for all dining and travel purchases for the first 2 months. Thereafter, cardholders earn 5% cashback for BP gas, 2% for dining and travel, and 1% cash back for everything else. If there is a BP gas station near you that you visit often, this is a great credit card offer to snap up.
2. Chase PerfectCard - Get 6% rebate on all gas purchases for the first 90 days with this “Perfect Card” (pun intended). Earn 3% rebate on all gasoline purchases thereafter. Earn 1% for everything else. Rebates are automatically credited on your monthly statement towards future purchases made on this card.
3. Discover Open Road Card - Get 5% cash back for gas purchases and auto maintenance. If your car repair shop or auto dealership takes Discover, this is one outstanding rebate card to own.
4. American Express Blue Cash - Get up to a tiered 5% cash back on all purchases at gas stations, supermarkets, and drugstores, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This is one of the top cash back credit cards out there. For more information, check out this Blue Cash credit card review.
5. Chase Freedom Credit Card - Get 3% cash back on your top 3 shopping categories that may include purchases for gas. Earn 1% for everything else. For more info, read this Chase Freedom credit card review.
6. Citi Dividend Platinum Select Student Card - Get 5% cash back on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores, and utilities including cable service for 6 months. Earn 2% cash back after that.
7. Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card - Get 5 reward points for every dollar spent at gas stations, supermarkets and drugstores for 12 months. Cardholders can earn 1 point for each dollar spent thereafter.
8. American Express True Earnings Card From Costco - This credit card offer is ideal for Costco warehouse club members. All rebate rewards earned are awarded as Costco cash redeemable for money and merchandise. It offers 3% back for gas, 3% for restaurant dining, 2% for traveling, and 1% for everything else including purchases made at Costco warehouse clubs. This card has no annual fee as long as the cardholder has a paid Costco membership.