Best Credit Card for Shell Petrol Discounts in Singapore (2020)

In Singapore, a yellow seashell does not mean a day at the beach, but rather signals that your gas-guzzling car is out of petrol and it’s time to fill up your tank at Shell yet again. We hope you’ve got a good Shell petrol credit card, cos Singapore petrol prices are pretty high.

We’ve done the math for you and picked out the best Shell petrol credit cards in Singapore. 

Best Shell petrol credit cards in Singapore

	Citi Cash Back Card	UOB One Card	HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card	BOC Zaobao card
Station discount	5%	5%	5%	5%
Shell Escape Loyalty card discount	5%	5%	5%	5%
Card discount	4%	–	4%	–
Card rebate (applies after all discounts)	8%	7% SMART$ rebate + 5% UOB One card rebate	5% (min. spend per month $600 for 1 quarter)	23% (min. Spend $600)
Total discount	20.88%	20.8%	18.3%	30.7%

Best card for maximum savings – UOB One Card

The UOB One Card is one of Singapore’s most generous all-purpose cashback cards in addition to being a great Shell petrol credit card.

The catch is that to enjoy maximum savings, you’ll need to be able to consistently spend $2,000 a month, as the minimum spending requirements for the top tier of rebates require that you do so every month in a quarter.

Here’s how it works. At the cashier counter at Shell, you instantly get a 5% station discount and a 5% Shell Escape loyalty discount.

You’ll also receive 7% SMART$ cash rebates on the amount you actually paid, which will be credited to your account when you receive your statement at the end of the month. If you don’t want to use the rebate on your petrol bill, UOB’s list of SMART$ merchants is also pretty comprehensive, spanning between all categories of products such as F&B, electronics, groceries, clothes, etc.

At the end of the quarter, you will get a 5% UOB One rebate depending on which spending requirements you managed to satisfy. Those who spend at least $2,000 each month in the quarter will be rewarded with $300, equivalent to up to 5% rebate. Spend $1,000 every month in the quarter and you get $100 rebate, worth up to 3.33%, while spending $500 in a month will entitle you to $50 rebate, also equivalent to a maximum of 3.33%. By the way, those rebates are given out not just for your petrol spending but everything else you spend on the card.

The maximum petrol discount you can receive, if you manage to spend $2,000 every month in the quarter, is 20.8%.

Here’s how much you will save on $200 worth of petrol with a UOB One Card based on how much you spend:

Monthly expenditure	$2,200	$1,200	$700	$200
Station discount	5%	5%	5%	5%
Shell Escape loyalty card	5%	5%	5%	5%
$200 of petrol after discount	$180	$180	$180	$180
UOB 7% SMART$	$12.60	$12.60	$12.60	$12.60
Quarterly cash rebate	$300	$100	$50	$0

Best card for instant savings – Citi Cash Back Card 

Just like the UOB One, the Citi Cash Back Card is a solid cashback credit card in addition to being one of Singapore’s best Shell petrol credit cards.

While the 8% cashback offer doesn’t apply to every single thing you could possibly spend on, it’s broad enough to let you use your card often, as it’s extended also to dining and groceries. And hey, the $888 minimum spending requirement is not as high as the UOB One’s $2,000.

At the cashier counter, in addition to the 5% station discount and 5% Escape loyalty card discount, you also receive 4% rebates upfront thanks to your Citi Cash Back Card.

Then, at the end of the month, if you’re satisfied your $888 minimum spending requirement, you get an additional 8% cashback on your remaining petrol bill.

The catch is that you’re allowed a maximum of $25 cashback in each spending category. That means you can enjoy the maximum petrol savings on up to of $372.02 (sticker price, before discounts) or $312.50 (after discounts are offered at the counter) worth of petrol.

Assuming you got the cashback after spending the minimum requirement, you would be enjoying 20.88% worth of petrol savings.

Here’s how much you will save on $200 worth of petrol with a Citi Cash Back Card based on how much you spend:

Monthly expenditure	$1,200	$500
Station discount	5%	5%
Shell Escape loyalty card	5%	5%
Citi Cashback card discount	4%	4%
$200 of petrol after discount	$172	$172
Additional cashback (cap at $25)	8% ($13.76)	0%
Total savings	20.88%	14%

2nd best card for instant savings – HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card

This card offers you great savings at Shell, both at the counter when you pay for your petrol, as well as later on when you receive your credit card statement.

Here’s what happens. When you pay at the counter, you enjoy a 5% station discount, a 5% discount thanks to your Shell Escape loyalty card, as well as a 4% discount thanks to the HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card.

Later in the month, when your bank statement arrives, you will receive an additional 5% cash rebate on the amount you forked out, provided you meet the minimum monthly spending requirement of $600 (for 3 months in a calendar quarter). After the cash rebate, the total savings you enjoy is about 18.3%.

The card offers 5% cashback on dining, fuel and groceries. In addition, you get to earn rewards points with your spending.

Here’s how much you will save on $200 worth of petrol with a HSBC Visa Platinum card based on how much you spend:

	Scenario 1	Scenario 2
Monthly expenditure	$800	$200
Station discount	5%	5%
Shell Escape loyalty card	5%	5%
HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card petrol discount	4%	4%
$200 of petrol after discount	$170	$172
Cash Rebate	5% or $8.50	0% (did not hit min. spend)
Total savings	18.3%	14%

Average card for low petrol usage – BOC Zaobao Credit Card 

The BOC Zaobao card is not really one of the top-of-mind-recall cards in Singapore but when it comes to pumping petrol at Shell, it promises the highest discount savings at 30.7%, if you manage to hit the minimum spend of $600.

But if you don’t, you end up with only 10%, so make sure that you can spend sufficiently in the cashback categories of online purchases, dining, and newspaper subscriptions.

One big caveat that instantly makes the BOC Zaobao Credit Card lose its appeal for high-usage drivers that the category cashback cap (petrol, Zaobao & SPH Newspapers & MCST) is quite low at $30 per card account. This means that although the cashback rate is high, if your petrol expenditure exceeds $144.90, any dollar spent beyond that will not qualify for cashback.

If you drive a small car, pump petrol not more than twice a month, and can spend at least $600 in the other cashback categories, this card may still serve you. Otherwise, skip it.

There’s a fringe benefit for those who travel to China frequently, though. You get 5% cashback in mainland China, and the foreign currency fee is 0% for RMB.

Here’s how much you will save on $200 worth of petrol with a BOC Zaobao Credit Card based on your spending:

Monthly expenditure	$1,200	$500
Station discount	5%	5%
Shell Escape loyalty card	5%	5%
$200 of petrol after discount	$180	$180
Additional cashback (category cap at $30)	23% ($41.40), effectively $30 due to cap	0%
Total savings	15%	10%

Other cards with Shell Discounts

Of course, besides the above mentioned credit cards, there are other cards from the same banks that offer discounts for Shell petrol too. If you’re curious, you might want to check out other cards from Citibank, HSBC, and UOB. Especially if you’re looking for a card to take advantage of your fuel spending for benefits like dining privileges or air miles. Find the best credit card in Singapore for your lifestyle choices today.

Do you pump petrol at Shell? What’s your favourite Shell petrol credit card? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: Mike Mozart via Flickr