Citgo gas card
Compare the CITGO gas card with other gas credit cards and discover how to save.
CITGO provide a range of cards, from their basic CITGO Plus card through to regular and premium MasterCards, business cards for fleet management, and gift cards - prepaid gas cards that can be used in lieu of cash.
Citibank administer the CITGO gas card program. This means that comprehensive online card services are offered. You can pay your bills online, or order convenience checks, or check your statements and account activity.
Of course it is also possible to apply online. You can also apply over the phone, or by picking up an application at a CITGO service station, depending on the type of card sought.
Learn more: CITGO credit card FAQ
CITGO in the news
The CITGO brand has suffered since adverse publicity in 2006 and the withdrawal of 7-Eleven from CITGO convenience stores. Although CITGO is incorporated as a US company, it is actually a Venezuelan oil company - not an American one.
The very aggressive, hostile, and derogatory anti-American stance of Venazuelan leader Chavez and his supporters has led some consumers to avoid shopping with CITGO and probably also has an effect on the marketability of the CITGO gas card.
You can read about the controversy and the company's history at Wikipedia:
CITGO gas.
Credit cards comparisons
The independent consumer watchdog, Consumer Reports, has released its picks for the BEST gas cards in America.
According to their objective analysis, the four best are the Chase PerfectCard MasterCard, the Hess Platinum VISA, Discover Open Road, and Chase BP Visa.
So how come the CITGO gas credit card doesn't rank as one of the one of the "best" gas credit cards?
To make the cut in these sort of credit cards comparisons, a card needs to be truly competitive on measurable and meaningful features such as APR (interest rate), grace period, fees, and generosity of rewards and discounts.
If we compare the CITGO gas credit card to some of the Consumer Reports endorsed cards, we see the following:
Discover Open Road annual fee = $0
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard annual fee = $0
CITGO Plus annual fee = $0
CITGO Platinum Select annual fee = $0
Discover Open Road grace period = 25 days
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard grace period = 20 days
CITGO Plus grace period = 25 days
CITGO Platinum Select grace period = 20 days
Discover Open Road regular APR = Prime + 6.99%-14.99%
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard regular APR = Prime + 5.99%-14.99%
CITGO Plus regular APR = Prime + 14.99%
CITGO Platinum Select regular APR = Prime + 7.99%
Discover Open Road late fee = $19-$39
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard late fee = $15-$39
CITGO Plus late fee = $15-$29
CITGO Platinum late fee = $39
Discover Open Road minimum finance charge = $0.50
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard minimum finance charge = $1
CITGO Plus minimum finance charge = $2
CITGO Platinum Select minimum finance charge = $0.50
Discover Open Road cash advance fee = 3%
ChasePerfectCard MasterCard cash advance fee = 3%
CITGO Plus cash advance fee = 5%
CITGO Platinum Select cash advance fee = 3%
Discover Open Road rewards = 5% gas, 1% everything else (unlimited)
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard = 3% gas, 1% everything else
CITGO Plus rewards = NONE
CITGO Platinum Select = 4% gas, 1% everything else ($50 monthly limit)
Discover Open Road cashback = YES
Chase PerfectCard MasterCard cashback = NO
CITO Plus cashback = NO
CITGO Platinum Select cashback = NO
(Based on information available on the Discover, Chase, and CITGO public websites at time of writing. These details can be quite volatile so you need to do your own detailed credit cards comparisons at time of application.)
From this you can see that a CITGO gas credit card is not necessarily a bad deal - it just doesn't offer enough of a rewards program to compete with the most consumer friendly offers available right now. In particular, it is hard to beat the generous cashback program offered by Discover.
Also, a CITO gas credit card may be just that bit more expensive in terms of APR and fees.
On the other hand, the best gas cards are only available to those with pretty good credit. A CITGO gas credit card may be easier to qualify for.
The CITGO Plus card is easier to get than a MasterCard CITGO gas card, but is more expensive and offers no rewards.
CITGO gas credit card corporate home page.
The BEST CITGO credit card is the Citi Platinum Select CITGO MasterCard, but of course this requires a better credit rating than a regular Citi CITGO MasterCard.
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