In the U.S., gas is basically an unavoidable expense. Besides using a credit card that offers gas cashback or a discounted gas card, there are also a few extra tricks you can stack to maximize your savings at the pump. Today we’ll introduce one of the best ways to save at Shell gas stations: the Fuel Rewards program.

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【2019.9 Update】You can now link your Chase Pay account with the Shell APP to get 30c/gal in fuel rewards. If you fill up 20 gal, that saves you $6. It’s a small deal, but easy enough that it’s worth linking if you haven’t already.

Introduction to Shell Fuel Rewards

Shell Fuel Rewards is a free loyalty program offered by Shell gas stations. After joining, you can use the membership card below each time you fill up before you pay, and save at least 3 cents per gallon (3c/gal, or $0.03/gal). On top of that 3c/gal minimum discount, if you have accumulated some fuel rewards in your account, you can save even more per gallon. If you know a few good ways to earn fuel rewards and build up a large balance, you can pay as little as 10 cents per gallon, or $0.10/gal! Filling 20 gallons for just $2 is pretty amazing.

How to Sign Up and Sign-Up Bonuses

If you sign up for Fuel Rewards through our referral link, you can get a 25c/gal fuel rewards bonus on your second fill-up. In other words, you can save $0.25 per gallon.

After registering, a membership number will be generated right away. A few days later, you will receive a physical membership card in the mail. You can use your rewards either by entering the card number or by swiping the physical card.

【Sign-Up Bonus 1】You can now get 15c/gal off by linking a Mastercard, with no purchase required. The bonus will post 10-15 business days after linking. If you linked one before, you probably will not be able to get this bonus again.

My own bonus for linking a Mastercard showed up in my account 3 days later. I linked my card on the 24th and saw the bonus fuel rewards on the 27th. So the best strategy is to use the 15c/gal off from linking your Mastercard on your first fill-up, buy more than 8 gallons, and then trigger the 25c/gal off sign-up bonus to use on your second fill-up.

【Sign-Up Bonus 2】Download the Fuel Rewards APP (iSO version, Android version), log in to your account, and get 5c/gal. It usually posts in about 2-3 days.

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【Sign-Up Bonus 3】New members get 6 months of Gold status automatically, which gives at least 5c/gal off.

【Sign-Up Bonus 4】Users can now register for Stop and Shop and Giant Food accounts, then link them to their Fuel Rewards account, and immediately receive 25c/gal in fuel rewards from each one. If you fill up 20 gallons, that is like getting $10 in free gas. I tested this myself, and even if those two stores are not available locally, you can still register and receive the rewards without any issue. Steps are below:

  • Register for a Stop and Shop account, and in the final step log in to your FuelRewards account. After a few minutes, the rewards should post.
  • Register for a Giant Food account (the email address must be different from your Stop and Shop account), and in the final step log in to your FuelRewards account. After a few minutes, the rewards should post.

Extra Discount for IHG Members

Fuel Rewards now has a partnership with IHG. IHG members at different elite levels can receive extra discounts. You can save at least 5-7 cents/gal every time you fill up. Regular members and Gold members can get at least 5c/gal off, Platinum members can get 6c/gal off, and Spire members can get 7c/gal off. This is much better than the standard 3c/gal off. So after claiming the sign-up bonuses above, it may be worth signing up for an IHG account and linking it so you can get a larger minimum discount. If you have an IHG credit card, you automatically get Platinum status, which means at least 6c/gal off.

Here are the exact steps:

  • Register for FuelRewards: Shell Fuel Rewards sign-up link (Get a 25 c/gal fuel rewards bonus after your first fill-up of 8+ gallons using your membership card.)
  • Register for IHG: IHG registration link (Skip this step if you already have an IHG account.)
  • Link the two accounts: account linking link (since you already registered for FuelRewards in step 1, just choose log in and it will redirect automatically)
  • Add your IHG number: under LOYALTY CARDS AND ACCOUNTS, choose link account or card

After that, Fuel Rewards will review your IHG elite status within 7-10 days, then increase your minimum discount for each fill-up accordingly.

Membership Discounts

Fuel Rewards currently has two membership tiers: Gold members get at least 5c/gal off each fill-up, while Silver members get 3c/gal off each fill-up. The qualification rules are as follows:

  • New users receive 6 months of Gold status automatically (during the last 3 months, your account will start being evaluated for whether you can keep the status). Accounts registered before June 5 can enjoy Gold status through December 31.
  • Gold status is evaluated every 3 months. If you fill up more than 6 times within 3 months, and each fill-up is over 5 gallons, you will qualify for Gold status.

How to Use Fuel Rewards

How to Use It

Fuel rewards are very easy to use. It works much like using a Costco membership card: swipe it before pumping gas, then pay with your usual credit card. Here are the steps:

  • Before pumping gas at the station, choose rewards card, then swipe your physical Fuel Rewards membership card or enter your membership number directly
  • After the system reads your rewards balance, insert the credit card or gas card you want to use for payment
  • The final amount you pay = (posted price - fuel rewards discount) * number of gallons

The official video below also explains it clearly:

How Fuel Rewards Are Calculated and What They’re Worth

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In your Fuel Rewards account, you can see how many cents-per-gallon rewards you currently have. These rewards can only be applied to up to 20 gallons per fill-up, and any rewards you use will be deducted from your account. The formula works like this:

  • If your fuel rewards are less than the gas price: (original price - fuel rewards) * number of gallons = amount you pay; all fuel rewards are used up in one fill-up
  • If your fuel rewards are less than 0.03: (original price - 0.03) * number of gallons = amount you pay; your fuel rewards balance does not change
  • If your fuel rewards are greater than the gas price: 0.1 * number of gallons = amount you pay; fuel rewards equal to gas price - 0.1 are deducted

So even if you have no rewards at all, you can still save $0.03 per gallon.

【Note】In practice, some gas stations may follow slightly different rules for applying fuel rewards. At the Shell station near me, when my rewards were greater than the gas price, after I swiped my rewards card the price dropped to $0.01 per gallon. I then paid with a Shell gift card and pumped a total of 14 gallons, so only $0.14 was charged to the gift card. So the official minimum of $0.1 per gallon does not apply at some stations; the minimum can be as low as $0.01/gal.

Value of fuel rewards: If you typically buy around 10 gallons, then the value of your fuel rewards = rewards * 10. Of course, you can also fill up back-to-back with friends, or use gas cans, to maximize the full 20 gallons. In that case, the value of your fuel rewards = rewards * 20.

Limitations of fuel rewards

  • Fuel rewards can only be used at Shell gas stations and a few partner grocery store gas stations
  • Fuel rewards expire at the end of the month after the month in which they were earned

How to earn fuel rewards

f3There are many ways to earn fuel rewards. Above are some of the official methods. Some are better than others, so here is a quick evaluation:
  • Dining: Link a credit card in your Fuel Rewards account, and when you dine out and pay with that card, you automatically earn fuel rewards. Of course, not every restaurant participates in the Fuel Rewards program, so you need to check first. This is the same network used by rewards dining programs, so if a card is already registered with one of those programs, it cannot be registered here again. You have to choose one or the other. Overall, it is a nice bonus, but not a major way to earn a lot of fuel rewards.
  • Travel: Book flights or hotels through this site and earn 0.5c/gal in fuel rewards per $50 spent, which is roughly equivalent to 1%-2% cash back. Prices are probably somewhat higher than regular OTAs, though I have not compared them myself.
  • Card linked Offer: Use a linked credit card at participating merchants such as BigScore and Clarks, and earn 5-10c/gal for every $50 spent. That is roughly equivalent to 2%-4% back. Participating merchants may change over time.
  • Online shopping：This is basically a shopping portal, but the effective rebate is lower than other cash-back portals, so it is not very compelling.
  • Shell Offers: Buying certain auto-related items, such as motor oil, in the convenience store attached to a Shell station can earn extra rewards. This is not very compelling either, since those convenience store items tend to be overpriced. Sometimes there are gift card-related deals, though, and those can be worth using.
  • Mastercard Offers: Similar to card-linked offers, except these are offers for linked Mastercard credit cards. I will discuss this in more detail later.
  • Fuel Rewards Mastercard: A Shell credit card that earns 5c/gal in fuel rewards per $100 spent, or about 1%-2% back. Not especially attractive.

As you can see, the earning methods listed here are fairly average. Either the opportunity cost is too high, or the savings are not really worth it. That said, I have identified a few methods that are actually worth using, and I will cover them in the next section.

Best ways to earn rewards

Buy gift cards at gas stations

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Under Shell Offer, one especially notable feature is that buying gift cards in the Shell station convenience store can also earn fuel rewards. You get 5c/gal back per $50 spent, which is equivalent to about 1%-2% back. By itself, that is not very exciting, but do not forget that Shell gas stations can stack several offers:

Combining these methods when buying gift cards at a gas station, such as Amazon or eBay gift cards, can get you 9%-13% off, which is excellent. And one of the best parts about buying gift cards is that you can scale it up. If you spend a lot at Amazon or eBay, this approach can save you a substantial amount of money.

Buy gift cards at grocery stores

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Another major advantage of the Fuel Rewards program is that it can be linked to grocery loyalty cards. Spend $50 at a grocery store and earn 5c/gal, equivalent to about 1%-2% back. The steps are: choose a grocery store near you -> link your grocery loyalty number -> shop at that grocery store -> earn fuel rewards. Of course, that 1%-2% alone is not a big deal, but if you combine it with the grocery store's own promotions and the right credit card, it can become very powerful:

  • Fuel Rewards Mastercard Offer 3c/gal per $100 spending (0.3%-0.6%)
  • Grocery stores sometimes offer 3x fuel rewards on gift card purchases (3%-6%), or discount coupons when you buy certain designated gift cards (10%)
  • Quarterly 5x bonus on grocery purchases from credit cards（5%-8%）or a credit card that earns elevated rewards on grocery purchases (5%)

Compared with gas stations, the advantage of buying gift cards at grocery stores is that the selection is usually broader and the denominations are larger, making them more convenient to buy. However, you lose the 3% from Earn By Microsoft, so you have to make up for it through grocery promotions. One important note: grocery stores generally do not award fuel rewards on Visa, Master, or AMEX gift card purchases.

Summary

Fuel Rewards is probably the most stable program among similar gas loyalty programs. The unconditional 3c/gal off and the ability to stack various offers make it well worth signing up for. Also, do not forget that these fuel rewards can be stacked with discounted gas gift cards. If you have already picked up discounted gas gift cards through AMEX Offer or quarterly 5x bonuses, then when fueling at a Shell station, you can apply your fuel rewards first and then pay the remaining balance with a discounted gas gift card, maximizing your savings at the pump.