Can a fuel credit card benefit you in the current scenario when petrol and diesel costs are high? You can if you are loyal to a company and a significant portion of your monthly expenses is on fuel.
Most credit cards focused on fuel are co-branded cards. Take Indian Oil HDFC Bank Credit Card as an example. The user can earn up to 50 litres of free oil in a year, according to the bank’s website. Every time you swipe your card at the Indian Oil outlet, you get higher points. There’s also a 1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations across India if the minimum transaction is ₹400 (maximum cashback is restricted to ₹250 per statement cycle).
But like any co-branded card, to make full use of the benefit, you need to only stick to one company every time you refuel. The more frequently you refuel, the higher benefits you will get. In some cards, a user can use the reward points and pay for fuel with it.
Most of the co-branded fuel cards have a joining and annual fee. If the users go spends beyond the specified limit, the issuer offers a waiver of the fee. In a card like BPCL SBI Card Octane, the user must spend ₹2 lakh in a year to get the fee waiver, according to data from Paisabazaar.com.
But it’s a premium card that also offers benefits such as four complimentary lounge access at domestic airports and higher reward points on spends. Users get 25 reward points on every ₹100 spent on BPCL fuel, lubricants and Bharat Gas.
So, if you are picking a co-branded fuel card, ensure that fuel spends are high and you stick to one company to get the maximum benefits.
