The best petrol credit cards that suit your lifestyle

Credit cards offer plenty of benefits, and depending on your lifestyle, choosing the right one will reap you plenty of rewards. For drivers, there are several cards that offer rebates on petrol. But among these, which ones are ideal to suit your lifestyle?

1. For the frequent traveller - Citi PremierMiles Visa Card

The Citi PremierMiles Visa Card is arguably the card of choice for the frequent traveller, as it allows you to earn Citi miles, which can be used as miles on over 60 popular airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.

You can earn up to 10 Citi miles for every S$1 spent on online travel bookings, and if you sign up now, there is a sign-up promo of 42,000 Citi Miles awarded to you, calculated as such: 15,000 Miles when you apply and spend any amount within the first three months + 15,000 miles when you spend a total of $10,000 within the first three months + 12,000 Miles earned on a spend of $10,000, based on 1.2 miles per $1 spent locally.

Back on the ground, the Citi PremierMiles Visa Card offers drivers pretty attractive discounts at Esso and Shell petrol stations. Cardholders get to enjoy a 14 percent discount at Esso stations (five percent Esso site discount + five percent Smiles card discount + four percent Citicard discount), and a 16 percent discount at Shell stations (five percent Shell site discount + five percent Shell Escape discount + six percent Citicard discount for Shell V-Power Nitro+, with all other Shell fuel grades getting a five percent Citicard discount).

2. For the avid foodies - Citi Cash Back Card

For avid foodies, the Citi Cash Back Card is the credit card to get. This card offers you eight percent cash back on all your dining spend globally, and the cash back is also applicable for food and grocery deliveries from services such as Deliveroo, FoodPanda and RedMart. From 20^th October to 19^th December 2017, cardholders also get a 20 percent cash back on UberEats. There is also a 10 percent Citi rebate at over 300 F&B locations including outlets such as Starbucks and Subway.

On petrol, the Citi Cash Back Card offers up to 20.88 percent discounts at Esso stations (five percent Esso site discount + five percent Smiles card discount + four percent Citi Card discount + eight percent Citi Cash Back Card Rebate on nett purchase) and 22.72 percent discounts at Shell stations (five percent Shell site discount + five percent Shell Escape card discount + up to six percent Citi Card discount + eight percent Citi Cash Back Card Rebate on nett purchase). There is also an eight percent cash back on petrol purchases worldwide.

There is a minimum spend of $888 per month to enjoy the eight percent cash back rates however, and the cash back amount per transaction is capped at $25 per category (Dining, Grab rides, groceries and petrol). For spends of less than $888 per month, the cash back rate is charged at 0.25 percent, with no capped limit. New card members who sign up also get a bonus gift of $120 cash back, awarded in denominations of $20 with a minimum spend of $200 per month.

3. For the movie buffs -  HSBC Visa Platinum Card

Movie buffs will enjoy the HSBC Visa Platinum Card, which offers benefits such as being able to purchase a Weekdays Movie Card at $70 for 10 weekday movie tickets, and an All Days Movie Card at $95 for 10 tickets on any days. Cardholders can also enjoy $1 off 'Combo of the week' at the Candy bar, and can save up to $18 when purchasing HSBC's Gold Class Movie Card as well as receive Gold Class Dining vouchers worth $50, limited to 1,000 redemptions. Additionally, they can also enjoy a 10 percent discount on Gold Class food and beverages, valid until 31^st October 2017.

For petrol purchases, the HSBC Visa Platinum Card offers up to 18.3 percent savings at Shell (five percent site discount + five percent Shell Escape discount + four percent HSBC card discount), as well as up to 20.2 percent savings at Caltex (five percent site discount + nine percent HSBC card discount + two percent outdoor fuel payment discount). For both Shell and Caltex, there is also a five percent cash rebate with a minimum of $800 spending a month, or a three percent rebate with a minimum of $400 spending a month.

4. For the shopaholics - Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Credit Card

For those who enjoy shopping, the Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Credit Card is the card for you. Cardholders get a 1.5 percent cash back on all eligible spend with no cash back cap and no minimum spend. There is also a three percent cash back on all foreign currency transactions and overseas spends (inclusive of the 1.5% cash back on all eligible spend), and this is valid till 31^st October.

Additionally, cardholders also enjoy 20 percent cash back on Uber fares globally, up to $50 each month with monthly minimum of $900 on total retail spends. This offer is valid till 30^th September 2018. Finally, cardholders also get complimentary parking at Tangs with a minimum spend of $100 per day in a single receipt at Tang Plaza, valid from Saturdays to Mondays.

At the petrol pumps, holders of the Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Credit Card get up to 21.04 percent effective fuel savings at Caltex (16 percent onsite discount on Caltex Platinum 98 petrol or 14 percent for Premium 95, Regular 92 & Diesel + 4.5 percent rebate on nett transaction + 1.5 percent on unlimited cash back card cash back), with minimum monthly spend of $600 (including fuel spends in Caltex).

5. For the savvy shopper - UOB One Card

The UOB One Card is most suitable for those who spend on grocery shopping. Cardholders enjoy up to five percent cash rebate on all spend each quarter (with a minimum spend of $2,000 per month for all three months, with at least five purchases monthly). There is also an additional 10 percent rebate on mobile payments with a minimum spend of $500 per qualifying period (10^th to 31^st August, 1^st to 30^th September, 1^st to 31^st October). This is valid till 31^st October 2017 and is limited to the first 10,000 eligible principal cardmembers, subject to a cap of $50.00 per eligible principal cardmember. Cardholders can also enjoy up to 10 percent SMART$ rebates at over 400 outlets in Singapore.

For petrol purchases, the UOB One Card offers up to 21.15 percent savings for Shell (five percent site discount + five percent Shell Escape discount + seven percent Shell-UOB discount) and/or if applicable, five percent UOB One card rebate. Cardholders also get up to 24 percent savings with a minimum of $51 spending at SPC (10 percent SPC&U card discount + five percent UOB card discount + five percent UOB cards offer + up to five percent UOB One Card Rebate, for $2,000 per statement month per qualifying quarter).

While all of the cards listed above offer rebates on petrol purchases, each card has been tailored around a particular lifestyle. Whether you're a foodie, frequent traveller or avid shopper, it pays to shop around to find the ideal credit card for you so that you can reap the maximum benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Updated on 4 May 2021.