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2025 Edition: Best Credit Cards for Petrol

Pumping petrol is often a confusing tradeoff between miles and discounts. Here's the credit cards that let you maximise both.

โ€œWhatโ€™s the best card to use for petrol?โ€ is always a tricky question, not because I donโ€™t know which cards give the most miles, but because of all the discounts involved.

You see, petrol pricing in Singapore is a complicated thing. You pull up to the pump and ask for S$50 of petrol, only to go to the register and pay S$45. Discounts are great, donโ€™t get me wrong, but the complicated layers of bank, site and chain discounts make it difficult to do price comparisons on the fly.

In this post weโ€™ll look at how you can enjoy the best of both worlds: miles and discounts.

๐Ÿ’ณ Whatโ€™s the Best Card forโ€ฆ
โ“ Overall Guide
โœˆ๏ธ Air Tickets
๐ŸŒŽ Amaze  ๐Ÿ’ฐ CardUp
๐Ÿš— Car Rental ๐Ÿ’— Charity
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Dining
๐Ÿซ Education โšก EV Charging ๐Ÿฅก Food Delivery
๐Ÿจ Hotels โ˜‚๏ธ Insurance ๐Ÿ“ฑ Kris+
โš•๏ธ Medical ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Overseas ๐Ÿ’Š Pharmacies
โ›ฝ Petrol ๐Ÿš Public Transport ๐Ÿ›’ Supermarkets
๐Ÿšฐ Utilities ๐Ÿ’’ Weddings  

What MCC do petrol stations code as?

Itโ€™s made from dead dinosaurs, you know

Petrol stations code under two main MCCs:

  • MCC 5541: Service Stations
  • MCC 5542: Automated Fuel Dispensers

5541 is much more common in Singapore, but in any case the cards which reward 5541 also reward 5542, so you donโ€™t need to worry about it.

As an aside, electric vehicle (EV) charging uses MCC 5522. Thereโ€™s a different set of recommended cards for that category, so refer to the post below if thatโ€™s what youโ€™re driving.

If youโ€™re uncertain about the MCC, hereโ€™s three ways of looking it up before making a purchase:

Method Ease of Use Reliability
โ“Heymax โ—โ—โ— โ—
๐Ÿ“ฑ Instarem app โ—โ— โ—โ—
๐Ÿค– DBS digibot โ—
โ—โ—โ—

Whats the best card to use?

If the question is which card gives the most miles, period, then we can end the post here because the answer is pretty straightforward:

โ›ฝ Highest Earning Miles Cards for Petrol
Card Earn Rate Remarks
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 4 mpd Max. S$1K per c. month, must choose Transport as quarterly 10X category
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 4 mpd Max. S$2K per c. month, must choose Transport as quarterly 10X category
UOB Visa Signature 4 mpd^ Min. S$1K spend on SGD per s. month, max. S$2K per s. month
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa 4 mpd^ Max. S$1.1K per c. month, must use mobile payments
Maybank World Mastercard 4 mpd Offline spend only (i.e. no in-app payments). No cap.
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard 4 mpd Max. S$1K per s. month
C. Month= Calendar Month, S. Month= Statement Month

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 whatโ€™s a better deal. For example, if I have a choice between:

  • 4 mpd with a 14% discount
  • 1.6 mpd with a 19% discount

I should go with the larger discount unless I value a mile at more than 2.08 cents (5%/2.4 mpd) each.

In other words, there comes a point where taking a bigger discount is better than earning more miles. I hope you have your value of a mile figure handy; itโ€™s how you evaluate whether trading an X% discount for Y miles makes sense.

Two more points before we get started:

  1. Iโ€™m going to be focusing on the cards that represent a good trade-off between miles and discounts. If youโ€™re interested in pure cashback, this isnโ€™t the article for you. 
  2. Iโ€™m going to assume youโ€™re pumping 92/95 grades. Petrol stations may give slightly higher discounts for premium grades like Shell V-Power or Caltex Platinum 98
โ›ฝ Best Cards by Petrol Chain

Caltex

Membership discount

CaltexGO app 14% discount

The free-to-use CaltexGo app (Android | iOS) allows cardholders to pay for petrol at the pump, and the default discount for CaltexGo users is 14% with any Visa or Mastercard credit/debit card. 

Credit card discounts

Bank Additional Discount
+3%
+2%
(+3% for Premier Mastercard)
+4%
(+5% for VOYAGE, Premier Visa Infinite)
+2%
(+3% for Visa Infinite)

Citi cards enjoy an additional 3% discount (total: 17%) when paying via CaltexGo.

HSBC cards enjoy an additional 2% discount (total: 16%) when paying via CaltexGo, with the HSBC Premier Mastercard enjoying an additional 3% discount (total: 17%)

OCBC cards enjoy an additional 4% discount (total: 18%) when paying via CaltexGo, with the OCBC VOYAGE & Premier Visa Infinite enjoying an additional 5% discount (total: 19%)

Standard Chartered cards enjoy an additional 2% discount (total: 16%) when paying with the CaltexGo app, with the Standard Chartered Visa Infinite enjoying an additional 3% discount (total: 17%) 

๐Ÿ“ฑ For payments via CaltexGo
Card Discount Earn Rate
Citi Rewards Card 17% 4 mpd1
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 14%  4 mpd2
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 14% 
4 mpd2
OCBC VOYAGE
(Premier, PPC, BOS)
19%
1.6 mpd
StanChart Visa Infinite 17% 1.4 mpd3
OCBC 90ยฐN Card
18%
1.3 mpd
OCBC VOYAGE 19%
1.3 mpd
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite 19% 1.28 mpd
HSBC Premier Mastercard 17%
1.2 mpd
StanChart Journey Card 16%
1.2 mpd
1. Capped at S$1,000 per s. month
2. Must select Transport as quarterly bonus category. Capped at S$1,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s) or S$2,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s Solitaire)
3. Min. S$2K spend per statement month, otherwise 1 mpd

If you prefer to pay indoors at the counter, you can also use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa, UOB Visa Signature and Maybank World Mastercard for 4 mpd and a 14% discount.

Esso

Membership discount

All Esso Smiles Cardholders receive a 10% discount.

Esso Smiles Card 10% discount

Credit card discounts

Bank Additional Discount
+4%
+4%
(+8% for Insignia and Vantage)
+4%
+2%

Citibank, DBS and OCBC cardholders receive a further 4% discount at Esso (total: 14%). 

DBS Insignia and DBS Vantage Cards receive a further 8% discount (total: 18%).

Card Discount Earn Rate
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 10% 4 mpd1 
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 10% 4 mpd1
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard 10% 4 mpd2
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa 10% 4 mpd3
UOB Visa Signature 10% 4 mpd4
Maybank World Mastercard 10% 4 mpd
DBS Insignia 18% 1.6 mpd
Citi ULTIMA 14% 1.6 mpd
OCBC VOYAGE
(Premier, PPC, BOS)
14% 1.6 mpd
DBS Vantage 18% 1.5 mpd
Citi Prestige 14% 1.3 mpd
OCBC 90ยฐN Cards 14% 1.3 mpd
OCBC VOYAGE 14% 1.3 mpd
DBS Altitude Card 14% 1.3 mpd
Citi PremierMiles  14% 1.2 mpd
1. Must select Transport as quarterly bonus category. Capped at S$1,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s) or S$2,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s Solitaire)
2. Capped at S$1,000 per s. month
3. Must use mobile contactless payments. Capped at S$1,110 per c. month
4. With min. S$1,000 spend on SGD in a s. month

Drivers who pump the premium Synergy Supreme+ grade 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.

Esso is also available on Kris+, with a further 2% discount (total: 12%), and from now till 31 March 2025, the earn rate is upsized to 3 mpd.

S$5 for new Kris+ Users
Get S$5 (in the form of 750 KrisPay miles) when you sign-up with code W644363 and make your first transaction

These miles are on top of what you earn from your credit cards, so you can stack an extra 3-4 mpd.

โ›ฝ Best Cards for Kris+ Petrol Spend
Card Earn Rate Remarks
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 4 mpd Max. S$1K per c. month, must choose Transport as bonus category
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 4 mpd Max. S$2K per c. month, must choose Transport as bonus category
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard 4 mpd Max. S$1K per s. month
DBS Womanโ€™s World Mastercard 4 mpd Max. S$1.5K per c. month
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 3 mpd No cap 
C. Month= Calendar Month, S. Month= Statement Month

A brief reminder that the table above refers to the best credit cards to use for petrol on Kris+. 

For example, paying in-store with a DBS Womanโ€™s World Card would only earn you 0.4 mpd, but when paying with Kris+, you earn 4 mpd because the online spending category is triggered. Likewise, paying in-store with a KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card would earn you 1.2 mpd, but when paying with Kris+, you earn 3 mpd because the Kris+ bonus is triggered.

Shell

Membership discount

Anyone with the free-to-use Shell Go+ app (Android | iOS) will receive a 10% discount.

Shell Go+ App 10% discount
(min. S$20 spend)

Credit card discounts

Bank Additional Discount
+4%
+4%
Normal
+4%
(+7% for UOB Reserve)
SmartPay
+7%
(+10% for UOB Reserve)

Citi, HSBC and UOB cardholders receive a further 4% discount (total: 14%) at Shell.

UOB cardholders who make payment through the Shell SmartPay feature will get a further discount of 7% (total: 17%), but you should only do so with the UOB Ladyโ€™s Cards as the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa and UOB Visa Signature will not earn 4 mpd for such payments. 

As an aside, while UOBโ€™s T&Cs explicitly state that Shell transactions do not earn UNI$, itโ€™s been well documented that they actually do. But since this is an unofficial featureUOB could โ€œfixโ€ it at any time without warning. 

Card Discount Earn Rate
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 17%
Pay via SmartPay
4 mpd1 
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 17%
Pay via SmartPay
4 mpd1 
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa 14% 4 mpd2
UOB Visa Signature 14% 4 mpd3
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard 10% 4 mpd4
Maybank World Mastercard 10%
15% with Corporate Fuel Card
4 mpd
UOB Reserve 20%
Pay via SmartPay
1.6 mpd
UOB PRVI Miles Card 17%
Pay via SmartPay
1.4 mpd
Citi Prestige 14% 1.3 mpd
KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card 17%
Pay via SmartPay
1.2 mpd
Citi PremierMiles 14% 1.2 mpd
HSBC TravelOne Card 14% 1.2 mpd
1. Must select Transport as quarterly bonus category. Capped at S$1,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s) or S$2,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s Solitaire)
2. Must use mobile contactless payments. Capped at S$1,110 per c. month
3. With min. S$1,000 spend in SGD in a s. month
4. Capped at S$1,000 per s. month

Buy vouchers on Heymax

Heymax sells Shell gift cards in denominations of S$50, S$75 and S$100. 

Purchases of these gift cards from Heymax are classified under MCC 5311 (Department Stores), making them eligible for the 6 mpd promotional rate on the OCBC Rewards Card. This promotion is offered till 30 June 2025 and is capped at S$1,000 per calendar month, effectively the highest earn rate for petrol among all credit cards.

๐Ÿ‘ 700 Max Miles joining bonus
Sign up for a Heymax account and get up to 700 Max Miles as a welcome bonus after adding a card, purchasing a voucher and viewing the redemption page
700 bonus Max Miles

Gift cards can be used for multiple transactions until they run out, or expire. 

Sinopec

Membership discount

Sinopec has its own loyalty card called the X Card, which isnโ€™t 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.

Card Discount Earn Rate
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card Up to 23%  4 mpd1
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card Up to 23%  4 mpd1
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard Up to 23%  4 mpd2
UOB Pref. Plat. Visa Up to 23%  4 mpd3
UOB Visa Signature Up to 23%  4 mpd4
Maybank World Mastercard Up to 23%  4 mpd
1. Must select Transport as quarterly bonus category. Capped at S$1,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s) or S$2,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s Solitaire)
2. Capped at S$1,000 per s. month
3. Must use mobile contactless payments. Capped at S$1,110 per c. month
4. With min. S$1,000 spend in SGD in a s. month

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 25)

American Express cardholders enjoy a total discount of 21% at SPC, broken down into:

  • 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, however.

DBS and UOB cardholders enjoy a further 5% discount (total: 15%) at SPC, with UOB cardholders receiving a further S$3 off every S$51 nett purchase (i.e. after all station discounts and coupons are deducted).

SPC transactions are explicitly excluded from earning rewards with UOB cards, but like Shell, itโ€™s different in practice. The current data points I have suggest that:

  • UOB Preferred Platinum Visa will not earn any miles at SPC
  • UOB Visa Signature will not earn any miles at SPC
  • UOB PRVI Miles Cards will earn base miles at SPC (1.4 mpd)
  • UOB Reserve Card will earn base miles at SPC (1.6 mpd)
  • UOB Ladyโ€™s Cards will earn bonus miles, but not base miles at SPC (3.6 mpd)
Card Discount Earn Rate
Amaze + Citi Rewards Mastercard 10% 4 mpd2
Maybank World Mastercard 10% 4 mpd
UOB Ladyโ€™s Card 15% 3.6 mpd1 
UOB Ladyโ€™s Solitaire Card 15% 3.6 mpd1
UOB Reserve 15% 1.6 mpd
DBS Insignia 15% 1.6 mpd
DBS Vantage 15% 1.5 mpd
UOB PRVI Miles Card 15% 1.4 mpd
DBS Altitude Card 15% 1.3 mpd
1. Must select Transport as quarterly bonus category. Capped at S$1,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s) or S$2,000 per c. month (Ladyโ€™s Solitaire)
2. Capped at S$1,000 per s. month

Conclusion

Pumping petrol in Singapore is not always straightforward due to the confusing mix of discount schemes, and my preference is to keep things simple by sticking to Shell or Sinopec and using a UOB Ladyโ€™s Card or UOB Preferred Platinum Visa to pay.

There may be other combinations that make sense, however, depending on how much you value a mile and which petrol stations are along your route. When trading a smaller discount for a higher earn rate, always make sure the incremental miles justify it!

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Phoebe

Forgotten about UOB ladies card?

Russell

The FAQ for uob/SPC promo states that โ€œNo 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.โ€

Based on this UOB ppv should earn 4mpd if you paywave at SPC

S

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 isnโ€™t far behind.

Jack

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.

Adam

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)

Adam

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.

ken lee

SPC x UOB

can get up to 20% on a normal VISA/MC UOB card ( but no miles ๐Ÿ™ )

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

YH

UOB one card with Shell 20.88%

Harin

For SPC, doesnโ€™t the POSB Everyday card give the best discount. Have been using it for ages, and donโ€™t know whether I am still mechanically flipping out the card without checking the discount anymore.

Adam

20.1%, inferior to Amex in that aspect.

Kev

Believe you are referring to the AMEX Capitastar card?

Ely

13% + 3% at Caltex for Favepay, link it to Grab and itโ€™ll open other options like CRV or UOB One for Caltex.

https://www.caltex.com/sg/motorists/rewards-and-offers/promotions/favepay-caltex.html

MG

Donโ€™t bother with miles with petrol. Just go for the cheapest based on your CC discount

Bunny

Juat to confirm, does UOB krisflyer card get miles or SMART points at SPC?

Yiwei

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?

Joan

Hi Aaron, will this be updated soon?

r k

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

Abc

Donโ€™t forget cashback cards, where cashback is still given and points or miles arenโ€™t. Eg smart$ and spc transactions still count towards uob one spend targets, and amex true cashback still earns 1.5% cashback at spc.

AWe

HSBC Revo donโ€™t enjoy 4mpd at Sinopec? Contactless โ€ฆ

Gee

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?

Richard

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

A. Low

Shell no longer earns Smart$. Does that mean UOB PPV is now available to earn 14% + 4MPD at Shell?

Stajin

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

Jo A

Will this article be updated? ๐Ÿ™‚

Mike

What about Amaze + WWMC at Sinopec during their regular 23% discounts? Able to get 4 mpd?

Denny

Yes.

Anon

Would the credit card xtra discount be applied if youโ€™re using mobile payment? I.e. UOB card through Google pay.

Anon

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).

Curious Bald Guy

How about overseas petrol stations? Only VS and Amaze? How PPV?

Adam

If youโ€™re overseas best to use Amaze + CRMC (or Ladyโ€™s, possibly) to save on FX fees,

MonteCarloMarkovChain

DBS Vantage gives 18% off at Esso and earns 1.5 mpd

Patrick

Amex highflier is the best card ever. A pity only $30,000 a year

Chris

FYI DBS Vantage Card gives 1.5 MPD + up to 19% petrol discounts at Esso.

LSD

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?

Last edited 2 years ago by LSD
Sam

Can update the OCBC N90 MC to 1.3 mpd

Asam

Hi, how would you get 10% discount + 4mpd with Amaze + Citi combo? Because Amaze technically is not a Citi branded card?
Thx

Ronald

Are petrol usually considered as โ€œUtilitiesโ€?

TY 123

Anybody had issues adding amaze card to caltex go? Order keeps decline during the verification stage

Tony

Thanks for your kind work. I always refer to your articles to work out the best way to use the various CCs. In general, I go for more discount rather than miles for petrol as it is money saving upfront and with CCs shifting T&Cs, things can fall into the gap.

Last edited 1 year ago by Tony
Shell user

Just experimented with UOB cards and shell โ€“ did get bonus points for PPV but not VS.

PSA

Tested at SPC, UOB Ladies (with Transport cat) not awarded bonus points).

Lin

Tested at SPC on 29th April. Ladyโ€™s Solitaire transport cat. Got the bonus points on 2nd May

Jon Ling

Ladyโ€™s card with Transport cat used at SPC, transaction posted on 1 Jul.

No base UNI$ received but UOB chat CSO confirmed bonus UNI$ will be awarded.

Dan

hello, how about Shell Fleet Card that offers 21% outright? would that be better option than credit cards offering?

miles noob

im still in the midst of determining what miles card to get.
but curious for Caltex:
would linking your citi rewards card ($1 -> 4 miles for online shopping) or perhaps krisflyer UOB card ($1 -> $3miles for online shopping) to CaltexGo app (17% if we link citi card) result in both perks?
Or is paying via caltexGo app not considered โ€œonlineโ€

PQQ

Hi, I have been using the CaltexGo app with the Citi Rewards card. It does clock it as 4mpd while getting the 17% petrol discount. However, have not tried with the Krisflyer UOB card.

Nooby Noob

UOB VS paired with Kris+ at Esso will earn 4mpd too?

Jim

For comparison purposes, would it be possible to set say, a pump of $120 of petrol and see how much the discounts at each station would give us?

Benjamin

In terms of nett price paid, I believe the lowest is Smart Energy. They currently offer RON95 at $2.03 for members. You also earn points worth $0.005 (excluding GST component) on petrol pumped, which can be used to redeem things in their convenience store. They work on a prepaid/top-up system. You can earn 4 mpd using UOB VS or PPV (contactless) when you top-up the fuel card. There are only 2 stations in Singapore though โ€“ Mandai and Jalan Buroh.

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