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How to save on gas prices in Canada

To the point Check out our tips for saving money on gas purchases in Canada with loyalty programs and credit cards.

With gas prices rising steadily in recent months, it’s only natural to find ways to save money at the pump through loyalty programs. Here are a few tips! Subscribe to our newsletter for more money-saving tips!

Gas prices - Credit Card Rewards

If you spend a lot of money on gas each month, the first thing you should do is find a credit card that offers you more rewards in the gas station category.

Here are 5 great cards for your gas purchases:

Gas prices - Gift cards

Credit cards offering rewards points or cash back can help you reduce your bill.

Start by using one of our favourite tricks: buying gas gift cards.

If your credit card offers more points for grocery store purchases, buy gift cards from your favourite gas station.

5X The Points On Amazon.ca For Cobalt Cardmembers!

Like, for example, with the American Express Cobalt® Card, you get:

  • 5 points for grocery purchases ;
  • 2 points for gas station purchases.

You can buy Esso or Petro-Canada gift cards at Metro or Super C grocery stores, then use them to pay for gas. You will then have earned 5 points per dollar instead of 2.

For example, for a $100 weekly in-store purchase of gas and other items (milk, bread, lottery, candy, etc.) at Esso :

Buy directly from Esso Buy an Esso gift card at Super C
American Express Cobalt® Card

200 Membership Rewards points

($100 x 2 points)

500 Membership Rewards points

($100 x 5 points)

After one year, you will have :

Buy directly from Esso Buy an Esso gift card at Super C
American Express Cobalt® Card

10,400 Membership Rewards points

($104 value)

26,000 Membership Rewards points

($260 value)

The difference is enormous! These 26,000 Membership Rewards points can be converted into :

  • 26,000 Aeroplan points for a round trip to Florida
  • 31,200 Marriott Bonvoy points for a free night at the hotel
  • $ 260 cash back to pay for 2.6 weeks of gas!

The same principle applies to the National Bank World Elite Mastercard®, with 5 points per dollar spent.

It’s the same with the Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card, with which you earn 4% cash back on groceries and 2% on gas.

Gas: Partner programs

AIR MILES

Another trick is to combine the gas station’s loyalty program with your credit card program. One of the most popular and lucrative is Shell with AIR MILES.

This is a double dip! And even more, because AIR MILES often has very profitable monthly or surprise offers via its mobile application.

At Shell, you’ll earn a combination of gas rebates and AIR MILES miles:

  • Accumulation of base miles
  • Collect additional miles when paying with a BMO AIR MILES credit card
  • 2 to 7 cents off per litre for gas with a BMO AIR MILES card
  • 25 cent off per litre at Shell on your next eight fill-ups (maximum 50 L) between November 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025, if you sign up for the BMO® AIR MILES® Mastercard World Elite®* before September 30, 2024.
  • 3-cent discount on gasoline for CAA members (not valid in Quebec)
  • 3 cents to 42 cents off gas if there’s an IGA Shell promotion in-store
  • 2X miles on gas purchases and at Shell service stations with Shell Go+.
  • Any other surprise monthly offer (30x or 40x miles, bonus miles on the first and second fill-up of the month, bonus day up to 100 miles, etc.)

With the BMO AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard, you earn basic AIR MILES miles on gas purchases AND 3 AIR MILES miles for every $12 spent at Shell.

The base AIR MILES earning at Shell is:

  • 1 Mile FOR EVERY 10 L Shell V-Power premium fuels
  • 1 Mile for every 20 L Shell Bronze, Silver and Diesel

For example, let’s take a 40-litre fill-up of Regular (Bronze or Silver) gas at Shell, at a cost of $1.60 per litre. The cost will be $64.

Here’s how the miles and rebates earn :

No AIR MILES credit card With AIR MILES credit card
  • 2 miles ($0.21 value)
  • 4 miles of Shell Go+ offers ($0.42 value)
  • 50 miles (AIR MILES monthly offer at any time, for the first fill up. Value of $7.89).
  • 18 miles (2 base miles + 16 credit card miles) ($1.89 value) ;
  • Discount of 2 cents per liter of Bronze type ($0.80 value);
  • 3 cents per liter discount for CAA members (except in Quebec) ($1.20 value) ;
  • 4 miles of Shell Go+ offers ($0.42 value)
  • 50 miles (AIR MILES monthly offer at any time, for the first fill up. Value of $7.89).
13.3% discount (value of $8.52 divided by $64) Between 17% and 19% discount (value of $12.20 divided by $64)

We also recommend you sign up for Shell Go+ to get even more miles. There are many monthly promotions, and you get an extra 2X AIR MILES.

Shell gift cards are available at IGA. In addition, many IGA grocery stores accept American Express cards.

Combining a Shell gift card purchased at IGA with an American Express CobaltMD Card (5% discount) to pay for a full tank of gas is another high-paying option.

CIBC - Journie

On the CIBC side, with the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card or the CIBC Dividend® Visa Platinum* Card, you get discounts on gas at Ultramar (as well as Pioneer, Marché Express, On the Run, Fas Gas and Chevron) with the Journie :

  • 3 cents per litre every time you fill up
  • 7 cents per litre each time you earn 300 Journie points
cibc day

In addition, Journie Rewards is associated with the Aeroplan program. By linking Journie and Aeroplan accounts, you earn 300 Aeroplan points at the end of each 300 Journie Reward point cycle.

Then you can redeem those Aeroplan points for a discount or vouchers to treat yourself:

  • 300 Aeroplan points for a coupon entitling you to a $0.07 discount per liter of fuel for a single fill-up (up to 50 liters). Combine up to 5 coupons for a maximum rebate of $0.35 per liter
  • 500 Aeroplan points for a $5 convenience store voucher
  • 600 Aeroplan points for $5 off at M&M Food Market
  • 1,100 Aeroplan points for a Absolutely Everything Car Wash voucher ( $15.99 value)

In addition, these credit cards offer the highest cash back rates in Canada for gas:

This is handy if the gift card trick is too complicated for you! Especially since there are no Ultramar gift cards in grocery stores.

PC Optimum - Esso

On the PC Optimum side, you earn PC Optimum points on gas at Esso:

  • 10 points per liter ($0.01 value)
  • 30 points per liter with a PC Finance credit card ($0.03 value)

In addition, PC Optimum points can be redeemed for purchases at Esso :

  • 10 cents off per liter (up to 40 liters) when you redeem 4,000 PC Optimum points

Let’s go back to the example of a 40-litre tank of gas, at $1.60/litre = $64. You will earn:

Without PC Finance credit card With PC Finance credit card
400 PC Optimum points ($0.40 value) 1,200 PC Optimum points ($1.20 value)
0.63% return 1.88% return

In comparison, this $64 purchase charged to a non-PC Finance credit card earns :

Purchase with American Express Cobalt® Card only (2%) 128 Membership Rewards points ($1.28 value)
Cobalt + Gift Card Grocery Tip (5%) 320 Membership Rewards points ($3.20 value)
Purchase with Scotia Momentum® VISA Infinite* card only (2% discount) $1,28
Tip Grocery Gift Card + Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card (4% discount) $ 2.56

RBC - Petro-Canada

From RBC, any credit card will save you up to 7 cents per liter in value, like the :

This way, you get discounts on gas at Petro Canada:

  • 3 cents per liter every time you fill up;
  • 20% more Petro-Points (worth about 1.2 cents per liter)
  • 20% more Avion Rewards points with an RBC credit card that earns RBC Rewards points, such as the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card (worth approximately 2.8 cents per liter).

To obtain them, you must first link your RBC credit card to your Petro-Points account.

In the Petro-Points program, the basic earning is:

  • 10 points per 1 liter of gas
  • 10 points for every $1 in store purchases and car wash

Every 1,000 Petro-Points gives you a $1 discount on items or free gas.

Let’s go back to the example of a 40-litre tank of gas, at $1.60/litre = $64. It will cost you at Petro-Canada:

Without RBC credit card With RBC credit card
64 $ 61,20 $
0% discount 4.4% discount ($2.80 value)

Here are some alternative payment methods and their benefits for the same $64 purchase:

Purchase with American Express Cobalt® Card only (2%) 128 Membership Rewards points ($1.28 value)
Cobalt + Gift Card Grocery Tip (5%) 320 Membership Rewards points ($3.20 value)
Purchase with Scotia Momentum® VISA Infinite* card only (2% discount) $1,28
Tip Grocery Gift Card + Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite* Card (4% discount) $ 2.56

 

Gas prices - Savings for businesses

Do you spend a lot of money on gas for your business? With the American Express Business Edge™ Card, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar for gas, a 3% return.

Also, if you have a fleet of vehicles, you can add up to 99 free additional cards to your account.

At Costco

No loyalty program is associated with Costco gas stations.

By default, gas at Costco costs less than elsewhere, thanks to revenues from Costco memberships.

Please note that gasoline purchases at Costco do not earn a 2% cash back for Executive members.

But there are credit cards that give more, and there are two that stand out:

Using the $1.60/liter example above, it’s probably around $1.50/liter at Costco. For 40 liters, you’ll earn $1.80 cash back (3%) with the CIBC Costco Mastercard.

Summary: Best fuel-saving combinations today

Here are the best combinations to save on gas prices:

Service station and program Strategy
Shell and AIR MILES
Ultramar, Pioneer, Marché Express, On the Run, Fas Gas and Chevron and Journie/Aeroplan
Esso
  • Purchase Esso gift cards at grocery stores (Metro or Super C or even Couche-Tard) with the American Express Cobalt® Card.
  • Scan your PC Optimum membership card at the Esso cash register
  • Pay for gas with your Esso gift card
Petro-Canada
  • Purchase Petro-Canada gift cards at grocery stores (Metro or Super C) with the American Express Cobalt® Card.
  • Scan your Petro-Points membership card at the Petro-Canada cashier
  • Pay for gas with the Petro-Canada gift card
Costco

Fuel prices and savings

With the right credit card in your wallet and a few tricks up your sleeve, you can save money on gas by earning rewards or cash back.

And if you want to go electric, you can also save on electric recharging! Subscribe to our newsletter for more money-saving tips!

In addition to credit cards and loyalty programs, there are many other ways to reduce your gas consumption. See our article: 10 tips to reduce fuel consumption in 2024.

What is the price per liter of gasoline in Quebec?

For the latest gas prices, consult sites like EssenceQuebec.com.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Caroline Tremblay
I'm Caroline, a loyalty program specialist! I use my points to travel more often and at a lower price with my spouse and our two children. I'm passionate about writing about the latest rewards news and how to put more points in your pocket.

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