Best petrol credit cards in Singapore (2021)

Nothing beats the kind of savings you get from pumping petrol across the causeway. But having these credit cards at hand should come close to the feeling.

Owning a car in Singapore is already expensive. Your bank balance will thank you if you can keep the maintenance down, with petrol being one of the biggest culprits. 

Depending on how often you ply the roads, your monthly spend on petrol would look anywhere between $150 and $200, given the average mileage clocked by Singaporeans and the average petrol price per litre. Of course, we’d be looking at a much higher range if you happen to be a private hire driver.

Here, we’ve gathered Singapore’s best petrol credit cards so you can enjoy great fuel discounts and save money for other nice things. 

1. Best for petrol at Caltex: OCBC 365

The OCBC 365 credit card packs a punch with when it comes to being an everyday cashback card, rewarding you attractively per category spend. 

Cardholders earn a modest 5 per cent cashback on fuel spend at all petrol service stations locally. Yet, the biggest draw is fuel savings of up to 22.1 per cent at Caltex.

It comprises of 18 per cent instant discount on fuel at Caltex and cashback depending on how much you spend. Besides Caltex, you also enjoy up to 20.2 per cent savings at Esso stations.

OCBC 365 is known for its 6 per cent cashback on dining (that includes online food delivery), so drive out to your favourite foodie pitstops and make full use of it. You also earn 3 per cent cash rebate on groceries shopping.

The qualifying monthly spend for cashback is $800, and there is a cashback cap of $80 per month across all categories combined. If you tend to spend more than $800, you may want to consider charging your bills to another card once you’ve hit the cashback cap. 

2. Best for petrol at Esso: DBS Esso

If you’re looking for a no-frills card with the highest cashback rate for petrol, look no further than the DBS Esso Card. 

The card offers 18 per cent instant fuel discount and additional savings depending on the seasonal promotion. You could be looking at a total of 21.2 per cent, and that’s excluding the earned Smiles points you can redeem to offset the fuel purchase. 

When you sign up for the card and use it, you’ll automatically be enrolled into the Esso loyalty program. Drivers, you’ll surely be smiling ear to ear when you know that it gets you 0 per cent interest-free motor insurance and road tax instalment plans — those are just a couple of the benefits.

The downside? The card is really only for drivers who pump exclusively at Esso. Otherwise, it really is a one-trick pony.

3. Best for petrol at Shell: Citibank Cash Back

The Citibank Cash Back Card would be best for topping up petrol at Shell.

With petrol being one of the main categories to qualify you for the full 8 per cent cashback, you could potentially enjoy 20.8 8 per cent savings each time you make a trip to Shell: 5 per cent instant discount on site, 5 per cent Shell Escape card discount, 4 per cent Citibank card discount and the 8 per cent cashback.

You can also enjoy up to 20.88 per cent petrol savings at Esso.

The other big two cashback categories where you enjoy the 6 per cent cashback are dining and 8per cent cashback on groceries.

The minimum monthly qualifying spend is $800 — pretty high by cashback credit card standards — but you shouldn’t have a problem hitting the target if you’re clocking higher than average mileage at the wheel (say, if you’re a Grab driver) and you’re also not afraid to spend on good food. 

There is a cashback cap of $80 per month. 

4. Best for petrol at SPC: POSB Everyday Card

If you’re looking for an all-in-one card to save money on your car’s fuel maintenance and double as the daily essentials spender, POSB Everyday credit card is the card to have 365 days a year.  

You’ll enjoy up to 20.1 per cent fuel savings at SPC with no minimum spend, which is made up of 10 per cent SPC discount, 5 per cent DBS/POSB discount and a 6 per cent POSB Everyday card exclusive. On top of it, you enjoy 2 per cent cash rebate on car servicing at Speedycare outlets.

Speaking of cash rebates, the savings party continues with 5 per cent on Sheng Siong groceries, 3 per cent at Watsons, and 1 per cent on utilities and StarHub bills.

This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.