“What’s the best card to use for petrol?”
This is always a tricky question for me, not because I don’t know which card gives the most miles, but because of all the discounts involved.
You see, petrol pricing in Singapore can be a complicated thing. You pull up to the pump and ask for S$50, only to go to the register and pay S$45. Discounts are great, don’t get me wrong, but it makes it tricky to do price comparisons on the fly.
If the question is which card gives the most miles, period, then the answer is pretty straightforward:
| ⛽ Highest Miles Earning Cards for Petrol | ||
| Card | Earn Rate | Remarks |
 UOB Lady’s Card | 6 mpd* | Max. S$1K per c. month, must declare transport as quarterly 10X category |
 UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | 6 mpd* | Max. S$3K per c. month, must declare transport as quarterly 10X category |
 UOB Visa Signature | 4 mpd* | Min. S$1K spend on petrol + contactless per s. month, max. S$2K |
 UOB Pref. Plat. Visa | 4 mpd* | Max. S$1.1K per c. month, must use mobile payments |
 Maybank World Mastercard | 4 mpd | |
 Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 4 mpd | Max. S$1K per s. month |
 Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 3.2 mpd | Min. S$300 retail spend per c. month, max. ~S$4.3K per c. month |
| C. Month= Calendar Month, S. Month= Statement Month *Except Shell, SPC | ||
Where it gets complicated is that the best card from a miles perspective may not necessarily be the best card from a discounts perspective.
As much as I want to maximise the miles I earn, at the end of the day it still boils down to what’s a better deal. I hope you have your value of a mile figure handy, because you’re going to need it for this post; it’s how you evaluate whether trading an X% discount for Y miles makes sense.
Two points before we get started:
- I’m going to be focusing on the cards that represent a good trade-off between miles and discounts. If you’re interested in pure cashback, this isn’t the article for you.
- I’m going to assume you’re pumping 92/95 grades. Petrol stations may give slightly higher discounts for premium grades like Shell V-Power or Caltex Platinum 98
| 💳 What’s the Best Card for… |
| This guide forms part of the “best card” series. Check out other category specific guides below, or the overall guide here. |
| 💗 Donations | 🏫 Education | 🥡 Food Delivery | 🏥 Hospital Bills | ☂️ Insurance | ⛽ Petrol | 🚍 Public Transport| 🚰 Utilities Bills |
Shell
Membership discount
All Shell Escape Cardholders receive a 10% discount.
 Shell Escape Card | 10% discount |
Credit card discounts
| Bank | Additional Discount |
 | +4% |
 | +4% |
 | +4% (+7% for UOB Reserve) |
Citi, HSBC and UOB cardholders receive a further 4% discount (total: 14%) at Shell. Do note that even though Shell has left the UOB$ programme (formerly known as SMART$), UOB cardholders will still not earn UNI$ for Shell station transactions.
This means miles chasers can consider the following options.
| Card | Discount | Earn Rate |
| Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 10% | 4 mpd |
| Maybank World Mastercard | 10% (15% with the Corporate Fuel Card) | 4 mpd |
| Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 10% | 3.2 mpd1 |
 Citi Prestige | 14% | 1.3 mpd |
 HSBC Visa Infinite | 14% | 1.25 mpd2 |
 Citi PremierMiles | 14% | 1.2 mpd |
| 1. ≥S$300 retail spend per calendar month, capped at ~S$4.3K per calendar month 2. ≥S$50K spent in previous membership year, otherwise 1.0 mpd | ||
SPC
Membership discount
All SPC&U Cardholders receive a 10% discount.
 SPC&U Card | 10% discount |
Credit card discounts
| Bank | Additional Discount |
 | +11% |
 | +5% |
 | +5% (+S$3 off every S$51 nett petrol purchase till 31 Mar 23) |
American Express cardholders enjoy a further discount of 11% (total: 21%) at SPC, broken down as follows:
- 10% SPC&U card discount
- 5% AMEX discount
- 7.1% statement credit on final charge amount (registration required, capped at S$120 per card)
Do note that American Express cards will not earn any miles on SPC transactions (except the AMEX HighFlyer Card- until 4 April 2023).
DBS and UOB cardholders enjoy a further 5% discount (total: 15%) at SPC, with UOB carholders receiving a further S$3 off every S$51 nett purchase (i.e. after all station discounts and coupons are deducted).
Do note that UOB cards will not earn any miles on SPC transactions.
| Card | Discount | Earn Rate |
 Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 10% | 4 mpd |
| Maybank World Mastercard | 10% | 4 mpd |
| Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 10% | 3.2 mpd1 |
 DBS Altitude Visa/ AMEX | 15% | 1.2 mpd |
| 1. ≥S$300 retail spend per calendar month, capped at ~S$4.3K per calendar month | ||
Esso
Membership discount
All Esso Smiles Cardholders receive a 10% discount.
 Esso Smiles Card | 10% discount |
Credit card discounts
| Bank | Additional Discount |
 | +4% |
 | +4% |
 | +4% |
Citibank, DBS and OCBC cardholders receive a further 4% discount at Esso (total: 14%).
I know I said I’d only be talking about regular petrol, but I think this is worth mentioning: those who pump the premium Synergy Supreme+ will be eligible to double dip on KrisFlyer miles and Esso Smiles points, earning the equivalent of 2 mpd on top of credit card miles. Registration is required, and can be done via this link.
The good news is that there’s no UOB$ shenanigans here, so the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, UOB Visa Signature or UOB Lady’s Card can be options for those who don’t want to get a dedicated petrol card.
| Card | Discount | Earn Rate |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | 10% | 6 mpd1 |
| UOB Lady’s Card | 10% | 6 mpd1 |
| Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 10% | 4 mpd |
 UOB Pref. Plat. Visa | 10% | 4 mpd (via mobile payments)2 |
| UOB Visa Signature | 10% | 4 mpd3 |
| Maybank World Mastercard | 10% | 4 mpd |
| Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 10% | 3.2 mpd4 |
| Citi Prestige | 14% | 1.3 mpd |
 OCBC 90°N Mastercard | 14% | 1.3 mpd |
 OCBC VOYAGE | 14% | 1.3 mpd (1.6 mpd for Premier/ PPC/ BOS) |
| Citi PremierMiles | 14% | 1.2 mpd |
| DBS Altitude Visa/ AMEX | 14% | 1.2 mpd |
| 1. “Transport” must be selected as quarterly 10X category, capped at S$1K per month (S$3K for Lady’s Solitaire) 2. Max ~$1.1K per calendar month 3. ≥S$1K spend on petrol + contactless in a statement month, capped at S$2K per statement month 4. ≥S$300 retail spend per calendar month, capped at ~S$4.3K per calendar month | ||
Caltex
Membership discount
 CaltexGO app | 14% discount |
Caltex scrapped its in-house loyalty program in 2016 in favour of Plus! by NTUC Link. Motorists earn 2 LinkPoints per litre of fuel purchased, and 100 LinkPoints can be redeemed for S$1. LinkPoints can be converted to Asia Miles at a rate of 290 LinkPoints= 110 Asia Miles, so you earn 0.76 miles per litre of fuel on top of credit card rewards.
The CaltexGo app allows cardholders to pay for petrol without entering the station, and the default discount for CaltexGo users is 14% with any Visa or Mastercard credit/debit card.
Credit card discounts
| Bank | Additional Discount (via CaltexGo) |
 | +2% (+3% for HSBC Premier Mastercard, Visa Platinum) |
 | +4% (+5% for VOYAGE, Premier Visa Infinite) |
 | +2% (+3% for Visa Infinite, Simply Cash) |
HSBC and Standard Chartered cards enjoy an additional 2% discount (total: 16%) when paying with the CaltexGo app. The discount increases to 3% (total: 17%) when paying with the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite or Simply Cash Card, or the HSBC Premier Mastercard or Visa Platinum.
OCBC cards enjoy an additional 4% discount (total: 18%), while VOYAGE and Premier Visa Infinite cardholders specifically will enjoy an additional 5% discount (total: 19%).
CaltexGo uses MCC 5542 (versus 5541 for paying at the counter inside), bit it doesn’t really matter because both 5541 and 5542 are eligible to earn the usual petrol bonuses with the UOB Visa Signature, Maybank Horizon Visa Signature, and Maybank World Mastercard.
While it’s not listed on the Caltex website, UOB cardholders will enjoy 14% off (16% for the 98 grade) when paying at the counter.
| Card | Discount | Earn Rate |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | 16% (CaltexGo) | 6 mpd1 |
| UOB Lady’s Card | 16% (CaltexGo) | 6 mpd1 |
| Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 14% | 4 mpd |
| UOB Pref. Plat. Visa | 14% (pay at counter) | 4 mpd (via mobile payments)2 |
| UOB Visa Signature | 16% (CaltexGo) | 4 mpd3 |
| Maybank World Mastercard | 14% (CaltexGo) | 4 mpd |
| Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 14% (CaltexGo) | 3.2 mpd4 |
 SCB Visa Infinite | 16% (CaltexGo) | 1.4 mpd5 |
 OCBC 90°N Mastercard | 18% (CaltexGo) | 1.3 mpd |
| OCBC VOYAGE | 19% (CaltexGo) | 1.3 mpd (1.6 mpd for Premier, PPC, BOS) |
| HSBC Visa Infinite | 16% (CaltexGo) | 1.25 mpd6 |
| 1. “Transport” must be selected as quarterly 10X category, capped at S$1K per month (S$3K for Lady’s Solitaire) 2. Max ~$1.1K per calendar month 3. ≥S$1K spend on petrol + contactless in a statement month, max S$2K 4. ≥S$300 retail spend per calendar month, capped at ~S$4.3K per calendar month 5. ≥S$2K spend per statement month 6. ≥S$50K spent in previous membership year, otherwise 1.0 | ||
Sinopec
Membership discount
Sinopec has its own loyalty card called, believe it or not, the X Card. I wonder how that plays with Standard Chartered’s legal team, but anyway it’s not so much a discount programme as it is a rewards one. Members earn 1-1.5 points per litre pumped, and every 90 points gives you S$3 off petrol.
Credit card discounts
Sinopec keeps things very straightforward by running periodic 23% off discounts, valid for all grades of petrol, and all payment methods. This discount may not be available at all of its three stations though, so be sure to consult the Sinopec Facebook page for the latest details.
The flat discount structure makes it a no-brainer to use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa for a fuss-free 4 mpd.
| Card | Discount | Earn Rate |
| UOB Lady’s Solitaire Card | 23% | 6 mpd1 |
| UOB Lady’s Card | 23% | 6 mpd1 |
| Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard | 23% | 4 mpd |
| UOB Pref. Plat. Visa | 23% | 4 mpd (via mobile payments)2 |
| UOB Visa Signature | 23% | 4 mpd3 |
| Maybank World Mastercard | 23% | 4 mpd |
| Maybank Horizon Visa Signature | 23% | 3.2 mpd4 |
| 1. “Transport” must be selected as quarterly 10X category, capped at S$1K per month (S$3K for Lady’s Solitaire) 2. Max ~$1.1K per calendar month 3. ≥S$1K spend on petrol + contactless in a statement month 4. ≥S$300 retail spend per calendar month, capped at ~S$4.3K per calendar month | ||
Conclusion
In general, it only makes sense to get a specialised petrol card if you spend enough on petrol not to have to deal with orphan miles. Otherwise, you’d do just as well by having a UOB Visa Signature or UOB Preferred Platinum Visa and looking out for Sinopec, Caltex or Esso stations.
As always, you need to have your value of a mile figure in mind so you can weigh whether the incremental miles justify any loss in discounts. My personal pick would be Sinopec, assuming their stations match your vicinity.
Forgotten about UOB ladies card?
yes! added it in.
The FAQ for uob/SPC promo states that “No UNI$ or SMART$ will be awarded on your UOB card for any spend at SPC, unless otherwise stated for any respective UOB card entitled privileges.”
Based on this UOB ppv should earn 4mpd if you paywave at SPC
you can try if you’d like, but i’m pretty sure you’ll be disappointed.
Amex cashback card is excluded from the T&C changes in March, so using that card offers effectively another 1+% rebate, bringing the total rebate to 22+%. Sinopec (especially with PPV) is still better for now, but this isn’t far behind.
SCB Visa Infinite gives additional 10.8% ($200 cap) if >$600 monthly spend. So if you spend >$2000, you will get 1.4mpd and ~25% discount. If you spend $600-1999, then 1mpd and ~25% discount. If you spend below $600, then 1mpd and 16% discount.
For Caltex, it would be good to include the miles that you can earn should you convert your Linkpoints to miles (I believe Linkpoints has a tie up with Asia Miles)
The math:
440 Linkpoints converts to 110 Asia Miles (4:1)
1 litre of Caltex fuel earns 3 linkpoints.
Therefore, 1 litre of Caltex fuel earns 0.75 miles.
thanks! have added a note about this.
SPC x UOB
can get up to 20% on a normal VISA/MC UOB card ( but no miles 🙁 )
S$3 off is only applicable with every gross S$60 spend (or S$51 nett after all station discount and/or coupons are deducted from the gross amount), for payment made with UOB Visa, MasterCard or UnionPay Credit/Debit Cards only.
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards/cards-privileges/fuel-power/spc.page
UOB one card with Shell 20.88%
For SPC, doesn’t the POSB Everyday card give the best discount. Have been using it for ages, and don’t know whether I am still mechanically flipping out the card without checking the discount anymore.
20.1%, inferior to Amex in that aspect.
Believe you are referring to the AMEX Capitastar card?
as mentioned, this post talks about the best discounts you can get given the decision to pursue miles.
13% + 3% at Caltex for Favepay, link it to Grab and it’ll open other options like CRV or UOB One for Caltex.
https://www.caltex.com/sg/motorists/rewards-and-offers/promotions/favepay-caltex.html
Don’t bother with miles with petrol. Just go for the cheapest based on your CC discount
Juat to confirm, does UOB krisflyer card get miles or SMART points at SPC?
I am pretty sure I earn UNI$ for SPC transaction back in January this year. Just make sure you choose transport as the category.
UOB no longer lists SPC as smart$ merchant?
Hi Aaron, will this be updated soon?
it’s on the to update list…
Hi Aaron, found out recently that Grabpay option allows for 16% discount. Not the best payment method to use out there right now but this can be combined with the 0.9mpd for Amex HF or 1mpd topup for Amex cards going on now.
More info: https://www.caltex.com/sg/motorists/rewards-and-offers/promotions/grabpay-caltexgo.html
yup, will get that added.
Don’t forget cashback cards, where cashback is still given and points or miles aren’t. Eg smart$ and spc transactions still count towards uob one spend targets, and amex true cashback still earns 1.5% cashback at spc.
HSBC Revo don’t enjoy 4mpd at Sinopec? Contactless …
I seem to recall being told at Esso? that using contactless payments will cause credit cards discounts not to register. Does anyone know if this is true at Esso, or any of the other brands?
that’s the first i’ve heard of it. at other merchants, i’ve always been able to take advantage of credit card discounts even when paying with mobile phone.
Yes, I have been told numerous times by the Esso station staff. Was asked to pay with physical card instead of mobile contactless option. This needs to be investigated further and the impact on discounts/miles updated on this article
Shell no longer earns Smart$. Does that mean UOB PPV is now available to earn 14% + 4MPD at Shell?
nope!
https://milelion.com/2021/05/01/shell-increases-uob-credit-card-discount-ceases-smart-participation/
Its too confusing lol.
Which card gives you best on-site upfront discount for shell petrol station ignoring miles points?
I find this the easiest. So many card with cash back or miles have so many rules on min monthly spend etc.
Just looking for the easiest instant on the spot discount for shell. Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance
Stajin
Will this article be updated? 🙂
What about Amaze + WWMC at Sinopec during their regular 23% discounts? Able to get 4 mpd?
Yes.
Would the credit card xtra discount be applied if you’re using mobile payment? I.e. UOB card through Google pay.
yeah it should (Though note some of the comments re: Esso, which is odd).
ahh ok. Though must be physical card present for the 5% to kick in (at least for SPC since it is not manually entered by the cashier but through a tap on the POS).
How about overseas petrol stations? Only VS and Amaze? How PPV?
If you’re overseas best to use Amaze + CRMC (or Lady’s, possibly) to save on FX fees,
DBS Vantage gives 18% off at Esso and earns 1.5 mpd
Amex highflier is the best card ever. A pity only $30,000 a year
FYI DBS Vantage Card gives 1.5 MPD + up to 19% petrol discounts at Esso.
Does applying for the MayBank Shell Corporate card and then linking it to the Maybank world master card provides the best of both world of discount of 15% and 4mpd?
Can update the OCBC N90 MC to 1.3 mpd
done!