KB Kookmin Card has launched a gasoline-focused credit card that can shave up to 17% off a driver’s fuel spending, Nanumy reported, targeting motorists squeezed by climbing international oil prices and domestic pump prices. The “KB NEED Oil Card” went on sale Nov. 7.
The headline number is the maximum combined discount: a 10% base at the pump, plus 2% when oil prices rise, plus 5% on one day each month. The card sits in the “NEED” line of KB Kookmin’s ALL·YOU·NEED product family, which the company describes as benefits customers most need right now.
How the 17% stacks at the pump
Cardholders choose one of Korea’s four major refiners — SK Energy, GS Caltex, HD Hyundai Oilbank or S-OIL — and receive 10% off every fill-up at that brand. If the weekly average retail fuel price published by the Korea Petroleum Corporation’s Opinet rises from the previous week, an extra 2% applies to fuel purchases for the following seven days. On the 5th of each month, fuel purchases of 50,000 won or more earn another 5%. Stacked together, that reaches 17%.
Monthly caps rise with prior-month spending
| Prior-month spending | Monthly fuel discount cap |
|---|---|
| 400,000 won or more | 10,000 won |
| 800,000 won or more | 20,000 won |
| 1.6 million won or more | 30,000 won |
The “Oil Day” discount on the 5th carries its own smaller caps: up to 2,500 won a month for customers who spent 800,000 won the prior month, and up to 5,000 won for those at 1.6 million won.
Discounts extend to parking, insurance and repairs
Beyond fuel, the card takes 10% off parking, car washes and Kakao T designated-driver rides, capped at 5,000 won a month. Car insurance payments of 300,000 won or more get 10% off, up to 30,000 won a year. Through the repair chain Speedmate, drivers get 30,000 won off a domestic engine-oil change plus discounts on imported tires and air-conditioner filters — once a year per service, with no spending requirement.
What the card costs
The annual fee is 20,000 won for the standard card and 14,000 won for a mobile-only version; each family card adds 7,000 won. A KB Kookmin Card official said the card aims to reduce customers’ fuel burden by layering the base discount, the extra discount when oil prices rise and the deal on the 5th of each month.
Questions drivers are asking about the KB NEED Oil Card
Which gas stations qualify for the 10% discount? Cardholders pick one of SK Energy, GS Caltex, HD Hyundai Oilbank or S-OIL, and the 10% applies at that brand’s stations.
When does the extra 2% kick in? If it is higher than the previous week’s figure, the extra 2% applies to fuel purchases for the following week.
Can every fill-up get 17% off? No. The 5% applies only on the 5th of the month and only on purchases of 50,000 won or more, and the monthly caps limit the total discount regardless of how often you fill up.
How much is the annual fee? 20,000 won for the standard card, 14,000 won for the mobile-only card, and 7,000 won for each family card.
The next dated trigger is Opinet’s Friday price release: if the average rises, the extra 2% applies the following week, and the next Oil Day discount lands on the 5th of the month.
Worth a look