The best gas credit card in Canada comes down to three things at the pump: the percentage back per fill-up, which stations the card works at, and whether a fuel loyalty program adds a discount per litre. This guide puts seven cards through those tests, using figures YieldMaple read on the issuers’ own pages and on Costco Canada’s help site on October 11, 2026. It is general education, not financial advice.
Best gas credit cards in Canada at a glance
| Card | Network | Yearly fee | Back on fuel | Station limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | Visa | $120 | 4% | Refused at Costco pumps; bonus ends at $20,000 |
| CIBC Costco Mastercard | Mastercard | $0 | 3% cash back at restaurants and Costco gas; 2% at other gas stations, EV charging stations and Costco.ca | Costco membership needed |
| CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa | Visa | $99 | 3% | Refused at Costco pumps |
| Tangerine Money-Back Mastercard | Mastercard | $0 | 2% with gas picked | Drops to 0.5% if gas is not picked |
| PC Financial World Elite Mastercard | Mastercard | None | Points per litre | Top rate at Esso and Mobil only |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite | Visa | $120 | 2% | Refused at Costco pumps |
| American Express Cobalt | Amex | $191.88 a year | Points, not cash | Refused at Costco pumps |
Table figures come from CIBC, Tangerine, PC Financial, Scotiabank, American Express and Costco Canada, all read on October 11, 2026. The sections below repeat each number in a sentence and name its source.
Which credit card gives the most cash back on gas in Canada?
The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite does, returning 4% on fuel for a $120 yearly fee, per CIBC’s product page on October 11, 2026.
CIBC writes the fee as $120 (first year rebated under the current offer); $50 for each of up to 3 additional cards, and applicants need $60,000 individual or $100,000 household in income. The fuel bonus is not open-ended. Gas shares one yearly allowance of $20,000 with every other bonus category on the card, and purchases past it earn 1%. Even a driver who spent the whole allowance on fuel would collect at most $800 from the top tier.
One rung down, the CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa returns 3% at the pump for $99 a year, and CIBC asks for only $15,000 in annual household income. The free CIBC Dividend Visa ($0 a year) returns just 1% on fuel, the lowest pump rate of the three CIBC Dividend cards.
What counts as a gas purchase on a credit card?
A fill-up earns the fuel rate only when the card network codes the seller as a gas station; the brand on the sign does not decide it.
CIBC’s terms for the Dividend Visa Infinite pay the top tier at merchants the card network classifies as gas service stations, automated fuel dispensers and electric vehicle charging with merchant category code 5552. Two things follow for drivers. Pay-at-the-pump terminals are named in the rule, so there is no need to pay inside the kiosk. And fuel sold by a retailer that is coded differently is not promised the fuel rate by that wording.
Other issuers describe the category in their own words. American Express lists the Cobalt at 2 points per $1 on eligible gas, transit and ride share in Canada. CIBC’s card finder splits the Costco Mastercard’s fuel rate by seller: 3% cash back at restaurants and Costco gas; 2% at other gas stations, EV charging stations and Costco.ca. Tangerine treats gas as one of the spending categories a cardholder picks, and a change of categories is allowed every 90 days, with new choices starting at the beginning of the next monthly statement period. A Money-Back card without gas among its picks earns 0.5% at the pump, per Tangerine’s card page.
How much is a gas credit card worth per litre?
At a hypothetical pump price of $1.50 a litre, a 4% card returns 6 cents a litre and a 2% card returns 3 cents a litre.
The table below takes a hypothetical driver who buys 2,000 litres in a year at that price, or $3,000 of fuel, and counts fuel only. Real pump prices move every week, so treat the figures as a way to compare cards, not a forecast.
| Card | Fuel rewards on 2,000 litres | Yearly fee | Left after the fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIBC Costco Mastercard (all at Costco gas) | $90 | $0 | $90 |
| Tangerine Money-Back (gas picked) | $60 | $0 | $60 |
| PC Financial World Elite (all at Esso or Mobil) | $60 in PC Optimum points | None | $60 |
| CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite | $120 | $120 | $0 |
| CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa | $90 | $99 | −$9 |
| Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite | $60 | $120 | −$60 |
| American Express Cobalt | $60 in points | $191.88 a year | −$131.88 |
Read as sentences: on fuel alone, the three free Mastercards finish ahead. The Costco card leaves this driver $90, while the Tangerine and PC Financial cards each leave $60. The CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite earns the most, $120, and hands all of it back as its fee. The Platinum, Momentum and Cobalt finish below zero on fuel alone.
A paid fuel card therefore needs help from other spending. Measured against a free 2% card, the Dividend Visa Infinite’s fee is recovered after $6,000 of 4%-tier purchases in a year. Fuel alone would take 4,000 litres at the example price; adding a household’s supermarket bills brings the target closer. YieldMaple’s best grocery credit card in Canada guide works through the food half of that sum. Welcome bonuses are left out of this math because they pay only once.
What is the best credit card for Costco gas?
The CIBC Costco Mastercard is the only card in this guide with a Costco fuel rate, and Costco’s pumps turn away Visa and American Express cards.
Costco Canada’s help site, read on October 11, 2026, says its gas stations accept Mastercard credit and debit cards, other debit cards and physical Costco Shop Cards, and that cash and digital Shop Cards are not accepted. Inside the warehouse the list is longer: Mastercard, debit cards, cash, Costco Shop Cards, personal cheques and Apple Pay. Either way, the Visa cards from CIBC and Scotiabank and the Cobalt cannot pay for a tank there.
Costco also says a driver needs a valid Costco membership card to activate the pump before a Mastercard can be charged, so the station is for members.
CIBC’s card finder shows the Costco Mastercard at 3% cash back at restaurants and Costco gas; 2% at other gas stations, EV charging stations and Costco.ca, with a $0 annual fee. The issuer is CIBC, the exclusive issuer of Costco credit cards in Canada since March 4, 2022, when it took over the Capital One Costco Mastercard accounts, per Capital One’s support page. The Tangerine Money-Back and the PC Financial World Elite are Mastercards too, so the network rule does not block them. Whether those two pay their fuel rate on a Costco fill-up depends on how the purchase is coded, so check each issuer’s category rules before counting on it.
Do gas credit cards stack with fuel loyalty programs?
Yes, with three of these issuers: the card’s own page names a fuel banner where paying with it takes cents off each litre or earns extra points.
- CIBC and Journie Rewards. CIBC advertises up to 10 cents a litre off at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron stations when the card is linked to Journie Rewards for the Dividend Visa Infinite. The Dividend Platinum page carries a matching line: up to 10 cents a litre off at participating Pioneer, Fas Gas, Ultramar and Chevron stations. The discount is an “up to” figure, so the saving on a given fill-up can be smaller.
- Tangerine and Shell Go+. Tangerine’s card page offers an instant 3 cents per litre off at participating Shell stations when the card is linked to a Shell Go+ account, on up to 1,000 litres a month. For the example driver, buying every litre at Shell would mean $60 off at the pump over the year, separate from the cash back.
- PC Financial at Esso and Mobil. The World Elite Mastercard collects at least 30 PC Optimum points per litre at Esso and Mobil stations in Canada. PC Financial’s redemption rate is 10,000 PC Optimum points = $10 in rewards (redeemed in 10,000-point steps), which makes 30 points worth 3 cents a litre. At any other station the card earns 10 PC Optimum points per $1, and PC Financial wants $80,000 personal or $150,000 household annual income from applicants. The card has no annual fee.
The trade-off is loyalty to one banner. A per-litre discount is worth nothing at a competitor’s station, while a percentage card pays the same wherever the price board is lowest. American Express takes a third route: Cobalt points are worth 1,000 points = $10 toward eligible purchases by Amex’s own measure, or 2 cents per dollar of fuel, and Amex prices the card at $191.88 a year.
Does the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite pay 4% on gas?
No. Scotiabank pays 2% on fuel with the Momentum Visa Infinite; the 4% tier belongs to groceries and recurring payments.
Scotiabank’s card page, read on October 11, 2026, sets out the tiers as 4% cash back on groceries and recurring payments; 2% on gas, EV charging, daily transit, rideshare and food delivery; 1% on everything else. The yearly ceiling is $25,000 a year in each of the 4% and 2% categories, then 1%. The fee is $120. A past edition of this page credited the Momentum with 4% at the pump, which does not match the current product page. For a driver, the card behaves like a 2% fuel card that carries a fee.
The verdict
- Drivers who also put the food shop on one card: the CIBC Dividend Visa Infinite has the top pump rate, and its fee is recovered once 4%-tier purchases pass $6,000 in a year.
- Costco members who fuel up at the warehouse: the CIBC Costco Mastercard carries a Costco gas rate and runs on the one credit card network the pumps take.
- Shell regulars and low-mileage drivers: the Tangerine Money-Back, with gas picked, has no yearly fee and adds the Shell Go+ discount.
- Esso and Mobil regulars who collect PC Optimum: the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, for those who meet its income rule.
- Not really fuel cards: the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite and the American Express Cobalt, which return 2%, or the same in points, on fuel and charge a yearly fee.