3 Best Credit Cards for Petrol Discounts at Esso, Shell, SPC & Caltex (2022)

petrol credit cards singapore 2018

Using a credit card for petrol in Singapore is practically compulsory for any seasoned driver or motorcyclist. Petrol credit cards get you such a huge discount that it doesn’t make sense not to use them — if you’re paying for your petrol with cash or NETS, then you’re just throwing money down the drain.

As petrol prices continue to soar (ouch), you’re going to want to save as much as you possibly can. We’ve done the research for you and identified the best petrol credit cards in Singapore, so you don’t have to wipe your tears with your receipt from the petrol station.

3 best credit cards for petrol discounts in Singapore

While there are heaps of credit cards with petrol station tie-ups, we’ve selected the 3 best credit cards that are the most versatile and can be used as just about any petrol station.

Citi Cash Back  OCBC 365 UOB One Card
Esso 20.88%  20.2% up to 5%
Shell 20.88% 5% 21.15%
SPC 8% 5% 24%
Caltex 8% 22.1% up to 5%
Sinopec 8% 26.8% up to 5%

1. Citi Cash Back Card – Esso & Shell credit card discounts

Citibank logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
LUCKY DRAW | GET UP TO S$18,000 WORTH OF PRIZES
Max. Savings at Esso & Shell
20.88%
Instant Discount at Esso & Shell
14%
Cash Back at all Other Petrol Stations
8%
MoneySmart Exclusive:

[MoneySmart Giveaway]
Stand a chance to get a Rolex Submariner 124060 (worth S$15,521) or an Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 128GB (worth S$1,664.25) or a Sony PlayStation®5 (SLIM) Digital Edition (worth S$669) when you apply through MoneySmart!
 
Unlock Exclusive Rewards
You can also earn 5,040 SmartPoints or S$300 cash when you apply and meet the minimum spend within 30 days from card approval date. T&Cs apply.
 
Why Choose SmartPoints?
Enjoy the ultimate flexibility to redeem ANY gift at our Rewards Store.
Short on points? Simply pay the difference with cash, and grab your desired gift today!

Valid until 31 Mar 2024

While some credit cards only offer credit card discounts at certain chains, the Citi Cash Back Card offers some kind of discount at all petrol stations.

  • Esso: 20.88% fuel savings
  • Shell: 20.88% fuel savings
  • Other petrol stations: 8% cashback

If you’re looking for a credit card that you can use not just at your regular petrol station but also on those isolated occasions when you’re running out of petrol on the road and desperately need to fill up your tank at a random petrol station, the Citi Cash Back Card is a good contender.

The card also offers 6% cashback at restaurants and cafes, as well as 8% cashback on groceries. Cashback is capped at $80 a month.

The catch is that you need to spend at least $800 in a month to qualify for the cashback. So, unless you are a Grab or taxi driver pumping lots of petrol, you’ll need to use the card on dining and groceries.

2. OCBC 365 Card – Esso, Caltex & Sinopec credit card discounts

OCBC logo
High Spend on Dining
Max. Savings at Caltex or Esso
Up to 22.92%
Instant Discount at Caltex
18%
Cashback at all Other Petrol Stations
6%

Similar to the Citi Cash Back Card, the OCBC 365 Card offers varying discounts at all petrol service chains:

  • Caltex: 22.1% fuel savings
  • Esso: 20.2% fuel savings
  • Sinopec: 26.8% fuel savings
  • Other petrol stations: 5% cashback

That’s not all. The card also gives you 6% cashback on dining and online food delivery, 3% on groceries, online grocery delivery, transport (including taxi rides and private hire car rides), utilities and online travel bookings.

To qualify for the cashback, you’ll need to spend at least $800 in a calendar month, and you’re entitled to up to $80 worth of cashback per month.

Given the wide range of spending qualifying for cashback, hitting the minimum spending requirement is a bit easier with this card than, say, the Citi Cash Back Card. But even if you don’t qualify for the cashback, you’ll still enjoy decent instant fuel discounts at Caltex, Esso and Sinopec.

3. UOB One Card – Shell & SPC credit card discount

Sponsored
UOB logo
MoneySmart Exclusive
UP TO S$15,000 WORTH OF REWARDS!
Max. Savings at Shell or SPC
Up to 24%
Instant Discount at Shell / SPC
10%/15%
Cash Back at all Other Petrol Stations
Up to 5%
MoneySmart Exclusive:

[UP TO S$15,000 WORTH OF REWARDS!]
 
Get up to 15% Cashback and S$350 Cash Credit from UOB when you successfully apply for an eligible UOB Credit Card and spend a min. of S$1,000 per month, for 2 consecutive months from the card approval date. T&Cs apply.
 
PLUS 2 other exclusive offers if you sign-up through MoneySmart. T&Cs apply.
 

  • Get an extra S$50 Cash Bonus on top of UOB’s online promotion offer, when you are one of the first 300 customers to submit the MoneySmart claim form
  • Stand a chance to also win a Rolex Explorer 124270 or a Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro 512GB or a Sony PlayStation®5 (SLIM) Digital Edition when you participate in the MoneySmart x UOB March Giveaway.
Valid until 31 Mar 2024

UOB is a partner of Shell and SPC, so using a UOB card to pay at these petrol stations will earn you a fuel discount. On top of your fuel savings, you can also earn cashback as per the usual credit card mechanics.

In a perfect world, the card would bring your maximum petrol savings to:

  • Shell: 21.15% discount
  • SPC: 24% discount
  • Other petrol stations: up to 5% cashback

The UOB One card is advertised as giving you anywhere from 3.33% to 5% cashback on all your spending, depending on which cashback tier you hit.

To earn up to 3.33% cashback, you need to spend at least $500 or $1,000 in all 3 months in a quarter. Do that faithfully, and you’ll get lump sum cashback of $50 (for spending $500 x 3), or $100 (for spending $1,000 x 3) at the end of the quarter.

To earn up to 5% cashback, you must spend at least $2,000 per month for 3 months in a quarter. You will receive $300 cashback for your trouble. Any amounts you spend above your qualifying threshold will not earn any cashback.

I like to complain about this card’s enraging mechanism, but if you’re a consistent spender and can regularly hit the minimum spending requirements, it is generous, whether for petrol or miscellaneous spending, especially if you spend more than $2,000 a month.

Runner-up petrol credit cards in Singapore

So the above-mentioned credit cards are your best bets if you drive around and don’t want the hassle of having to look for a particular chain whenever you need to pump petrol.

But what if you’re loyal to a particular chain? Here are 3 runners up that might find a slot in your wallet.

Petrol station Discount
DBS Esso Card Esso 21.2%
Standard Chartered Unlimited Caltex 21.3%
POSB Everyday Card SPC 20.1%

DBS Esso Card – Esso credit card discount

DBS logo
Online Promo
Fuel Savings at Esso
Up to 21.6%
per S$10 charged outside of Esso
1 Smiles Point
per 1 Litre of Synergy Fuel
1 Smiles Point

As its name suggests, this card is meant for people who pump petrol at Esso. While it’s not the only card that you can use to get a discount at Esso, it’s by far the most straightforward.

There is no minimum spending requirement and no cap, and the card’s sole benefit is that it gives you petrol savings at Esso. No need to worry about hitting any minimum spending requirement or wonder where else you should be using the card.

You get up to 21.2% fuel savings as well as 2.4% Smiles savings when you use this card to pay together with your Esso Smiles loyalty card.

Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Card – Caltex credit card discount

This card is a gloriously simple unlimited cashback card that gives you a flat cashback rate of 1.5% on everything, with no mimimum spending requirement and no cashback cap.

In your first three months, you get 5% cashback capped at $250, ie. on up to $5,000 worth of spending, which makes this a good card to use when you’re about to incur a big expense like a wedding dinner or renovation.

So why is this card even on the list? It also gets you up to 21.3% savings at Caltex petrol stations. This offer is valid till 31 December 2021.

POSB Everyday Card – SPC credit card discount

POSB logo
Online Promo
Earn Cash Rebates that Never Expire
Fuel Savings at SPC
Up to 20.1%
Cash Rebates at SpeedyCare
2%
Cash Rebate on all other spend
0.3%

If you’re an SPC pumper, the POSB Everyday Card will get you 20.1% savings there. Until 31 August 2021, you can get an additional 2% rebate if you manage to spend $800 in a calendar month.

Other than SPC discounts, the card offers a chapalang mix of benefits. These include 5% on groceries at Sheng Siong, 3% on dining and at Watsons and Pet Lovers Centre, and 1% on electricity or Starhub bills.

If you spend at least $800 in a month, you can also get 10% cashback on Deliveroo and foodpanda deliveries, and 5% on certain websites including Amazon.sg and Lazada.

Making the most of your petrol credit card

While petrol credit cards can get you a great discount, you need to use them correctly in order to enjoy maximum benefits. Here are some tips:

  • Know which petrol station you’re going to be using most often, and use the right card for it. We’ve given you a broad overview above.
  • To get savings on top of your savings, you can check petrol prices here to compare prices across petrol stations
  • Always bring along your loyalty card (e.g. Esso Smiles, Shell Escape, SPC&U) and use it together with your credit card to get the maximum petrol discount. Hand over both cards to the cashier when you pay.
  •  You’re accumulating rewards points with your petrol station loyalty card, so don’t forget to check your balance from time to time. You can exchange your points for petrol vouchers.
  • If your card has a minimum spending requirement, consolidate other expenses (ideally those that are cashback categories too) on your card to make it easier to qualify for bonus cashback.
  • Pick a card with mechanics that suit your lifestyle, so you don’t feel compelled to overspend just to meet the minimum spending requirement.

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