If you’re a Sam’s Club member and you’re looking to get a little extra back at the pump, the Sam’s Club Mastercard offers the most generous rewards on gasoline that you’re likely to find.
The Sam’s Club Mastercard offers 5% back on your first $6,000 of gas purchases as Sam’s Cash, which can be used for Sam’s Club purchases or redeemed for cash in person at stores. And you get 5% rewards on purchases from any gas station, not just Sam’s Club stations.
Sam's Club® Mastercard®
- 5% back on gas and EV charging stations on the first $6,000 spent per year
- Eligible gas purchases include purchases at service stations and automated fuel dispensers.
- 3% back at restaurants, bars, lounges and fast food places and caterers worldwide
- 1% back on other purchases
- Rewards are earned as Sam’s Cash. Sam’s cash may be redeemed for cash back at any Sam’s Club or used for merchandise at Sam’s Club or samsclub.com
- No annual fee, but card requires a paid Sam’s Club membership
The upshot: If you spend $150 each month fueling your car—roughly the national average—you will earn $90 in Sam’s Cash rewards during the year.
In addition to cash back on gas, the card awards 3% in Sam’s Cash rewards on dining. Members of Sam’s Club Plus, a premium membership category, get an additional 3% cash back on Sam’s Club purchases; all other members earn 1% cash back. Finally, the Sam’s Club Mastercard earns 1% cash back on all other purchases.
If you’re a Sam’s Club member, there is no better card to use for your gas purchases, which makes it our pick for Best Gas Card for Sam’s Club Members.
Are the rewards worth the fees?
The Sam’s Club Mastercard carries no annual fee with your paid Sam’s Club membership. As long as you’re paying off your card every month, getting the Sam’s Club Mastercard makes sense if you are already a Sam’s Club member. The increased cash back on gas offered by the Sam’s Club Mastercard may even justify a $50 Sam’s Club membership for some consumers.
As a new cardmember, you can get a $30 statement credit when you open an account and make $30 in Sam’s Club purchases within 30 days. However, the one quirk of the Sam’s Club card’s rewards is that you get Sam’s Cash rather than cash back. The Sam’s Cash you earn with your credit card shows up in your Sam’s Club account within one to two billing cycles after you earn it. To redeem your Sam’s Cash, you can either use it toward most purchases at Sam’s Club or redeem your Sam’s Cash for cash by visiting the customer service desk at any Sam’s Club.
If you spend $150 each month on gas, you’ll get $90 in Sam’s Cash rewards annually, assuming you already have a Sam’s club membership. If you do not have a membership, however, you may be better off with a card like the Wells Fargo Autograph card, our pick for best overall gas card, which offers an unlimited 3 points per dollar spent on gas stations, travel and restaurants.
How exactly do the cards compare for non-Sam’s Club members? The slightly more generous rewards you earn on gas with the Sam’s Club Mastercard make up for the $50 Sam’s Club membership fee once you spend $2,500 on gas during the year.
But once you spend $9,500 on gas during the year, the Wells Fargo Autograph card again becomes the better deal because the Sam’s Club Mastercard only earns 1% on gas purchases greater than $6,000 during the year.
Card details you might miss
While Buy Side from WSJ judges rewards credit cards primarily on the value of their cash back rewards, it’s important to understand all the terms and conditions. Here are some of this card’s additional benefits and fees that you should keep in mind:
- Carry one card: The Sam’s Club Mastercard doubles as your Sam’s Club membership card.
- No foreign transaction fees.
Who benefits most from the Sam’s Club Mastercard
The Sam’s Club Mastercard is a great perk for Sam’s Club members who purchase gas. The card’s 5% earnings on up to $6,000 of gas purchases are hard to beat. Since the card has no annual fee and gives Plus members additional rewards for Sam’s Club purchasers, this is a card could be a great addition to your wallet if you hold a Sam’s Club membership.
If you aren’t a Sam’s Club member, take a look at our Best Overall pick for the Best Gas Credit Card, the Wells Fargo Autograph card. The card offers 3 points per dollar on restaurants, travel, gas stations, popular streaming services and phone plans with no annual fee.
Our gas credit card methodology
To review Best Gas Credit Cards, Buy Side from WSJ looked for cards that offered 3% or greater rewards on gas purchases. Because many gas cards offer increased rewards in additional categories, we considered the total amount of rewards a typical Buy Side from WSJ reader would earn using the card for most purchases.
We also investigated how easy it was to redeem rewards,preferring cards with low redemption minimums and cash back options. Finally, cards that carried an annual fee needed to give cardmembers enough additional rewards to offset the annual fee and be more rewarding than our picks with no annual fee.
To find out more about how we choose credit cards—and to meet our panel of experts—you can check out Buy Side from WSJ’s full best credit cards methodology.
Other Credit Card Picks
- Best Cash Back Card
- Best Travel Card
- Best Balance-Transfer Card
Meet the contributor
Aaron Hurd
Aaron Hurd is a contributor to Buy Side from WSJ.
