Since Citgo is such a huge gas chain, it comes as no surprise that they have a Citgo credit card. But before you apply, know what you’re getting yourself into…

You already know Citgo is one of the largest oil refiners in the world, but what you might not know is that the company is owned by the country of Venezuela, whom has state-owned industries. Since they’re so closely linked with President Hugo Chavez (whom reportedly greatly dislikes our country) many loyal Americans agree we should boycott this gas station.

There are actually three different consumer Citgo credit cards. Let’s take a look at each…

CITGO Plus
This is their most basic credit card. It is your typical gas station charge card (it can only be used at Citgo locations). So other than buying gas or a bag of chips at their station, the card is basically useless. It has no annual fee but the APR is left to be desired… a staggering 23.00% APR at the time of this credit card review. Furthermore, it’s a variable rate card so it will only go up with the prime rate.

Verdict: An outrageous APR and no gas rewards? Skip this one!

CITGO Celebrity
Their ad says you will “feel like a celebrity” with this card… yeah right! The card is not associated with Visa, Discover, etc. so like the card above, this one can only be used for purchases from Citgo. It charges an annual fee of $29.00, which is pretty ridiculous considering the so-called “benefits” offered, which are a lot of the same things any old credit card will give you. It apparently offers no rewards on gas purchases. Instead they try and lure you in with trivial rebates on travel, but only if you buy the travel through their service!

Verdict: You have to pay an annual fee and you still don’t get a gas rebate? Look elsewhere!

Citi Platinum Select CITGO MasterCard
As the name implies, this Citgo credit card is associated with MasterCard, so it can be used for purchases at their stations and elsewhere. This one doesn’t have an annual fee and the interest rates don’t appear to be too bad. It should be noted that there appears to be a large number of cardholders that are reportedly disappointed with the customer service offered on this card.

It does offer a 4% rebate, but unfortunately that’s only at gas you purchase at Citgo stations. Furthermore, upon combing over the fine print I found out that this doesn’t apply to the stations that sell non-Citgo branded gasoline. I find that extremely confusing because how are we supposed to know whether or not an independently owned Citgo station is selling Citgo branded gas or not? To make matters worse, if rebates are not redeemed within 6 monthly billing cycles, they will expire… that’s an awfully short redemption period.

Verdict: The 4% rebate this Citgo credit card offers sounds attractive at first, but after reviewing the fine print (discussed above) this one sounds questionable to say the least. Furthermore, the fact that it can only be used at Citgo is disappointing, considering that (1) their gas is often more expensive, and (2) buying from them supports what many say is an anti-American regime (Venezuela) since their government owns Citgo.

A Better Choice (sponsored)
Support an American owned and operated company like Discover and get a full 5% cashback bonus on rotating categories like gas (at virtually every gas station, including Citgo!) Here’s the details about this amazing free offer!