This Is the Only Reason to Get a Gas Station Credit Card

I'm not shy about telling you when a credit card is junk. Most store cards? Junk. Gas station cards? Super junk.

Well, most of the time.

Believe it or not, there is actually one time when I'd argue it makes sense to get yourself a cobranded gas station credit card, and it requires two things to be true:

• There's a substantial welcome offer
• You're about to move long distance

If you can say yes to both points, then you have my blessing to sign up. Here's why.

Moving trucks advertise 10 mpg

According to the EPA, average fuel economy for vehicles made in 2020 was 25.4 miles per gallon (mpg). The average moving truck isn't so economical; they advertise 10 mpg. (From experience, I can tell you the reality is closer to 7 mpg, but we'll use 10 mpg for the sake of this argument.)

AAA says the average price of a gallon of gas right now is about $3.83. So, here's what you're looking at for gas on a move:

For context, it's about 1,000 miles to move from Florida to New York. And a move from Seattle to Boston will take you about 3,000 miles.

I've seen up to $0.50 a gallon in savings

Now to the gas cards. I've seen welcome bonuses offering up to $0.50 per gallon off for the first month. So if you were to take advantage of this offer right before you're set to move, you're looking at a decent amount of savings on gas for your moving truck.

At the high end, this is on par with a typical cash back rewards card welcome bonus.

Gas cards vs. regular rewards cards

Alright, before you say it, I know. When you're going to spend $1,000 in gas -- not to mention the cost of the truck -- you can easily get a much better welcome bonus from a regular rewards card -- plus you'll earn rewards on the purchases. (Heck, if you're going to charge everything for your move, you could even get the bonus on a travel rewards credit card. That could cover a free vacation once your move is done.)

However, there are a couple cases in which you may want a gas card instead:

• You don't have excellent credit. The best rewards cards tend to require good to excellent credit. Gas cards, on the other hand, are easier to get approved for, even with average credit.
• You're in welcome-bonus time out. A lot of major issuers have rules about how often you can earn welcome bonuses on each card. Some even limit how many cards you can have. If you can't qualify for a bonus from a rewards card, a gas card could be a good way to still earn rewards on your move.

Some credit cards are a no-brainer at any time. Others only make sense in special circumstances. Gas cards are definitely in the latter category. But the right gas card can actually be fairly valuable under those special circumstances. Moral of the story? Don't judge a rewards card by its cover.