Best Credit Card for Fuel / Petrol in India (2026)
Almost every credit card in India excludes fuel from rewards. Here are the rare exceptions.
Fuel is the most excluded category in Indian credit cards. HDFC, ICICI, SBI — nearly all major banks give 0% rewards on fuel transactions. The best most cards offer is a fuel surcharge waiver (saving 1% on the ₹500-₹3,000 transaction range).
Very few cards earn meaningful rewards at the pump.
All cashback figures below are calculated at ₹5,000/month spend in this category, using our cap-aware calculator that accounts for monthly limits and fallback rates.
Our Picks
If fuel is your top spending category, OneCard's algorithm may select it for 5x points (~1%). Not guaranteed, but one of the few cards that can earn anything on fuel.
While Axis ACE officially excludes fuel from cashback, the 1.5% base rate may apply depending on the fuel station MCC. Plus fuel surcharge waiver on ₹400-₹5,000 transactions.
Cap: ₹500/mo (you're under it)
Honest truth: no widely-available card gives great fuel cashback. Most cards give 0%. The best strategy is to use any card with a fuel surcharge waiver (saves 1%) and not overthink this category. For dedicated fuel cards, look at co-branded options like ICICI HPCL or BPCL SBI Octane (not yet in our database).
Want personalized results?
Enter your actual monthly spending and see which card saves you the most.
Try Smart Swipe →❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why do cards exclude fuel?+
Fuel margins are razor-thin (1-2%), and interchange fees are low on fuel transactions. Banks earn almost nothing when you swipe at a petrol pump, so they exclude fuel from rewards to protect their economics.
What's a fuel surcharge waiver?+
Petrol pumps charge 1% extra for card payments (fuel surcharge). Many cards waive this on transactions between ₹400-₹5,000. This saves you 1% but doesn't earn additional cashback.
Does RBL ShopRite give 5% on fuel?+
No. Despite many sites claiming this, RBL ShopRite only gives a standard fuel surcharge waiver. The 5% rate applies only to grocery stores.