I spend a lot of weekends chasing mountain towns, national parks and other off-the-beaten-path places, so gas is one of my biggest recurring travel expenses. Whether it’s filling up my car before a weekend getaway or topping off a rental before returning it, fuel adds up fast.
Until recently I used a single catch-all rewards card at the pump — the Capital One Venture X, which earns 2 miles per dollar on everything. That simplicity worked, but when Chase refreshed the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and introduced a new earning rate, I changed my approach.
The Sapphire Preferred now earns 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar at gas stations and EV charging stations. For someone who road trips every month, that’s an easy win: I didn’t need to apply for a new card or change my lifestyle, I just started using a different card when I fill up.
Limited-time offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Why this matters to me
I live within driving distance of places like Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, so weekend road trips are frequent. A typical weekend often means two fill-ups — one before I leave and one before I head home. With gas prices where I am (often $5+ per gallon), a weekend can easily cost $120–$140 in fuel. At 3 points per dollar, that’s roughly 360–420 Ultimate Rewards points for a single trip.
Those points alone aren’t transformative, but they add up. If I spend about $250 a month on gas between errands, daily driving and road trips, that’s roughly 9,000 Ultimate Rewards points a year just from fuel. Because Ultimate Rewards are transferable to airline and hotel partners, those points can be applied to meaningful redemptions.
How the points translate to travel
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to partners like United Airlines, Air France–KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and World of Hyatt. Nine thousand points won’t buy a transatlantic business seat, but it can cover useful award travel: for example, Virgin Atlantic economy awards can start as low as 6,000 points one-way, and United award flights from the West Coast to Hawaii can begin around 13,000 miles one-way. Regularly earning extra points on gas brings future trips within reach faster.
Why I switched from my previous card
I favored the Venture X for its flat 2x earning on all purchases and its broad travel perks. The Sapphire Preferred’s new 3x on gas and EV charging gives me more reward value for the exact spending I’m already doing, so it made sense to start using it at the pump instead of the Venture X. No new account, no change in my routine — just a smarter card choice for that category.
Bottom line
If you drive frequently or rent cars often, a card that pays higher rewards on fuel purchases can make a noticeable difference over a year. The Chase Sapphire Preferred’s added 3 points per dollar at gas stations and EV chargers fits my travel habits and helps my weekend fill-ups pull double duty: keeping me on the road now while earning points toward future trips.
Limited-time offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
