Gas cards save you money at the pump — around five to 10 cents off per gallon. Rewards credit cards help you earn money, up to 5% cash back on the amount you spend. Consumer Reports found that using a rewards credit card paying 5% cash back on gas purchases offered nearly twice the savings as the per-gallon discounts you’ll get with a gas credit card, offered by companies like ExxonMobil and Shell. For example: Pump 12 gallons at $3.50 a gallon ($42 total), and the most you’ll save using a gas station card is $1.20. Swipe a rewards credit card that pays 5% cash back instead, and you’ll earn $2.10 on that same purchase. Even a 3% cashback rate on gas ($1.26) outpaces the per-gallon discount. When gas prices go up, a rewards card becomes an even better way to pay at the pump. That’s because gas card discounts are calculated per gallon pumped, not the total amount you spend. Whether the price is $2.50 or $5.50 a gallon, you’ll save just 10 cents per gallon. A rewards card calculates your cashback rate based on the purchase price. Not to be overly dramatic (we know we’re dealing with a difference of just a few bucks here), but when gas is $5.50 a gallon, it’s roughly 175% more profitable to use a rewards card than a gas card. Spend $82.50 filling your 15-gallon tank with the good stuff, and depending on which card you swipe, you’ll either earn $4.12 cash back (rewards card) or save $1.50 on fuel (gas card).