Benefits of Credit Card for Gas & Airline Miles
4 Min Read | Last updated: March 31, 2025
Choosing between a gas credit card or an airline miles credit card can be simple for some and challenging for others. Here are the benefits of each.
At-A-Glance
- If you drive or fly a lot, gas and airline miles credit cards can save you money and may give you other handy perks.
- Gas credit cards maximize your gas savings, while airline credit cards earn you air miles towards flights.
- You may benefit from having both.
Do you drive a lot, fly frequently, or do both? If so, then gas credit cards and airline miles credit cards may help you save money—and could give you other useful perks as well.
Gas credit cards and airline miles credit cards are types of rewards cards—as you make eligible purchases, you earn rewards, such as cash back or miles. But they can offer very different benefits. With gas credit cards, the rewards are usually gas discounts or cash back; with airline credit cards, the most common rewards are air miles that can be redeemed for flights.
But once you start examining the options, the picture gets more complicated. Within both broad categories, there is a variety of options with different rewards and fees structures. So it makes sense to think carefully about your travel or commuting patterns to see which card would meet your needs. You may benefit from having both types.
Benefits of Gas Credit Cards
Gas credit cards may help to cut the amount you spend on gas each month by providing discounts or cash back on gas purchases.
Broadly speaking, there are two main types of gas credit card:
- Gas station credit cards
- General rewards credit cards
There are also gas station loyalty cards or programs, which aren’t exactly credit cards, but can help you to save money at the pump. These cards are a bit like store cards: you can only use them to make purchases at a specific gas station brand. You may get discounts from 3 cents to 10 cents per gallon, depending on the card.
Gas station credit cards are co-branded by a gas station brand and a credit card company. Purchases that are made at the branded gas station earn you discounts on gas from the gas station brand.1
General rewards credit cards offer the greatest flexibility because they aren’t associated with any gas station brand (this is the approach American Express offers, along with some other card providers). You can sometimes earn cash back or points on all eligible purchases, not just gas. Depending on the credit card, you may get higher rewards for spending in specific categories such as travel, supermarkets, or purchases at any brand of gas station. Some credit cards offer 2% or 3% cash back when you buy gas, for example.2 If gas costs $4.00 per gallon, that could translate into .08 to .12 cents back for every gallon you buy.
Why Consider a Gas Credit Card?
There are several reasons why you may want to consider getting a gas credit card:
- You drive a lot and want to cut your gas spending. Gas credit cards may offer bigger discounts on gas purchases than other types of credit card.
- You prefer a specific brand of gas.
- Some branded gas station credit cards may have no annual fees.
- If your credit history is less-than-stellar, branded gas station credit cards may be easier to get than other types of rewards credit card.3
Benefits of Airline Miles Credit Cards
Airline rewards credit cards are co-branded by an airline and a credit card company. You can use them to make purchases anywhere the credit card network is accepted. When you make eligible purchases with the card, you’ll usually earn miles. You can then redeem the air miles for flights, seat upgrades or other benefits, depending on the rewards program the card offers. Most airline miles credit cards come with an annual fee, although in some cases, it may be waived for the first year.4
Earning air miles: Airline miles credit cards allow you to earn miles for every dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Usually, you can earn more miles when you purchase in specific bonus categories, but this will depend on the card in question. Your miles may be able to be redeemed for purchases made with the partner airline, or in specific categories, and you may have options to redeem them in other ways as well. Some cards also offer introductory bonuses that can reach tens of thousands of miles if you spend several thousand dollars in the first few months of having the card.5
Redeeming airline miles towards flights: The biggest attraction of airline miles credit cards is the ability to earn air miles that you can redeem for flights with the airline or its partners. In the past, airlines sometimes charged a fixed rate in air miles for these award flights—say, 10,000 or 15,000 miles for an economy-class domestic flight. But many airlines are switching to “dynamic” pricing—the number of miles you need for an award flight will vary depending on the cash price of the ticket, which is determined by factors such as seat availability.6 You may also be able to use airline miles to buy upgrades and vacation packages from the airline.7 There are a number of ways that you can maximize the value of your miles, or points, and get the most out of them.
Additional benefits of airline miles credit cards: Some airline miles cards come with a set of other built-in benefits, such as:4
- Free checked bags (though there may be some limitations)
- Priority boarding
- Discounts on in-flight purchases
- Low-priced access to airport lounges offering snacks, drinks and Wi-Fi
- A free or low-cost companion ticket for a domestic round-trip flight
- Additional bonus miles when you sign up or renew
- Access to airport lounges
Why Consider an Airline Miles Credit Card?
You may want to consider getting an airline miles credit card if you:
- Fly a lot
- Tend to fly with the same airline or its partners
- Like the idea of possibly flying for free
- Want perks such as airport lounge access and priority boarding
- Feel the benefits outweigh the annual fee
A branded airline credit card may make sense if you tend to travel with one airline. However, if you tend to travel with different airlines, then a more general rewards card could be a better option to consider.
The Takeaway
Gas credit cards and airline miles credit cards tend to offer very different benefits. If you drive a lot, a gas credit card may make sense; if you like to fly, you might think about an airline miles credit card. There are various credit card options within each category, so it makes sense to look closely at your travel patterns and see which card best suits your needs. You may benefit from having both types of credit card, or in some cases, choosing a general rewards card that offers rewards for both gas and airline purchases.
1 “19 Ways to Save Money on Gas,” Experian
2 “What Is a Flat-Rate Rewards Card?,” Experian
3 “What Credit Card Should I Get?,” Experian
4 “Are Airline Credit Cards Worth It?,” Experian
5 “12 Benefits to Look for in an Airline Credit Card,” Experian
6 “Dynamic Price Competition: Theory and Evidence from Airline Markets,” National Bureau of Economic Research
7 “6 Ways to Use Your Airline Miles (Other Than Flights),” Experian
Mike Faden has covered business and technology issues for more than 30 years as a writer, consultant, and analyst for media brands, market-research firms, startups and established corporations.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
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