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Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, updated with new information and offers.
With summer approaching, many Americans are gearing up for an annual road trip to visit family nearby and far.
This can be an expensive feat, with gas prices still high. However, if you have Shell in your area or along your route, you can diminish the agony by earning bonus airline miles — in addition to the rewards you already earn with your credit card.
Every time you swipe at the pump, you can effectively contribute to a “savings account” for your upcoming vacation through travel rewards. You’ll need to fill up anyway, so you might as well earn bonus miles. Plus, your fill-ups can help you earn elite status with American Airlines.
Let’s look at the program that lets you earn bonus airline miles for each gallon of gas you buy.
Double dip your airline mile earnings at the pump for little effort
American Airlines participates in the Fuel Rewards program by Shell. You’ll receive 3 miles per gallon of fuel when filling up at a Shell location, plus new members will earn 250 miles just for joining and completing their first fill-up at Shell.
Just note that when you opt to earn Fuel Rewards, you’ll be forfeiting your opportunity to earn cash back (between 3 and 10 cents per gallon) via Fuel Rewards. TPG estimates that American Airlines miles are worth 1.58 cents each. That means earning 2 miles per gallon is like earning 3.16 cents in value for each gallon (though it’s possible to get significantly more value from your rewards if you know how to maximize American Airlines miles). Conversely, the miles you earn will also count toward Loyalty Points, making this even more attractive for those chasing American elite status.
Related: Here’s how I save $1,000 per year on gas fill-ups
You can sign up here to enroll your AAdvantage number in the Fuel Rewards program.
Both the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees) and the Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard earn 2 miles per dollar at gas stations. Use these cards to make your purchase, and you’ll earn American Airlines miles even faster.
Alternatively, you can earn 3 Citi ThankYou points per dollar spent using the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) to pay for gas. The card currently offers 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 on the card in the first three months of account opening. You’ll also earn 3 points per dollar on air travel, hotels, supermarket spending and restaurants.
The information for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: How to earn miles in the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Bottom line
Gas prices are currently at some of the highest levels we have ever seen. Luckily, there are several ways to maximize your earnings on gas purchases.
The best part about the rewards discussed here is that they come in addition to any points or miles you earn with your credit card. So, make sure you have a card that offers gas spending as a bonus category.
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