How to get gas station receipts for expenses and taxes

Gas receipts are the easiest kind to lose. The pump asks whether you want one, the paper is often out, and the slip ends up in the door pocket. If you pay through a fuel app, though, the receipt is usually kept for you. Here's where the major apps keep past fuel receipts, what to do when you paid with a card at the pump, and whether you need fuel receipts at all.

Short answer If you paid in a fuel app, the receipt is in the app. Shell App: tap Receipts on the home screen. Chevron or Texaco app: Wallet, then History, then tap the transaction. Exxon Mobil Rewards+: you get an e-receipt in the app, and you can turn on email receipts under Account, Settings, Notifications. Costco: gas purchases from 9/30/24 on appear in your in-warehouse receipts on costco.com. If you paid with a card at the pump and skipped the receipt, ask inside as soon as you can. And if you use the IRS standard mileage rate, you don't deduct fuel separately.

Paying at the pump

When you pay with a card at the pump, the pump prints the receipt, or asks if you want one. If it doesn't print, go inside and ask the cashier right away. A copy is much harder to get later.

Two things make pump purchases hard to match later:

• The card hold. Gas stations put a temporary hold on your card before fueling, because they don't know yet how much you'll pump. Sam's Club, for example, says its pre-authorization is $100 to $150 depending on the state, replaced by the actual amount in 24 to 36 hours. Your banking app may show the hold first and the real amount later.
• The statement line. A card statement shows the station and the amount, not the gallons or the vehicle. On its own it's weak evidence of what the purchase was.

The simplest fix is to pay through the station's app when you can, so the receipt is saved automatically.

Shell

The Shell App is now the one app for Shell Fuel Rewards. The separate Fuel Rewards app has been retired. Shell says to log in to the Shell App with your Fuel Rewards email and password, so your account information carries over, including receipts. Don't delete your Fuel Rewards account, or your history won't transfer.

When you pay in the Shell App, you get a digital receipt in the app right away. That covers fuel, in-store items and EV charging. To find past receipts, go back to the home screen and tap Receipts. For EV charging, Shell says you may also get an email receipt if you've opted in to email communications.

Gmail search:

from:shell (receipt OR purchase) after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01

Sender addresses vary, so these searches match by name and are deliberately loose. More Gmail searches for receipts.

Exxon and Mobil

The app is called Exxon Mobil Rewards+. When you pay at the pump through the app, you get an e-receipt in the app when you're done. To get receipts by email too, open the app and go to Account, then Settings, then Notifications, and turn on the email receipt toggle. Do it now, so every future fill-up is in your inbox.

For history, ExxonMobil's FAQ points you to the Rewards section on the lower menu, where the tabs show your points, status and activity. The FAQ doesn't describe a separate screen for past receipts, so labels may differ in your version of the app. Email receipts are the dependable record.

Gmail search:

from:(exxon OR exxonmobil OR mobil) receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01

Chevron and Texaco

Chevron and Texaco share the Chevron Texaco Rewards program, with an app for each brand.

• Past receipts in the app: on the home screen, tap Wallet in the bottom right corner, then History, and tap a transaction to see its receipt. Your history is also on the chevrontexacorewards.com website.
• Printed and email receipts: when you pay in the app, you always get a mobile receipt. You get a printed receipt at the pump and an email receipt only if you've chosen them in the app's settings.
• Paying outside the app: the printed receipt from the pump or register is your record.

One warning: Chevron says deleting your account also deletes all transaction receipts. Save the ones you need before you close an account.

Gmail search:

from:(chevron OR texaco) receipt after:2025/01/01 before:2026/01/01

Costco and Sam's Club

Costco shows gas purchases in your in-warehouse receipts, but only for purchases on or after 9/30/24. On costco.com, select Orders & Returns, then the In-Warehouse tab under Orders & Purchases. Receipts are shown in six-month blocks, for up to two years, and new purchases can take up to 24 hours to appear. Your membership has to be verified before you can see them. The Costco app also has a Receipts section for in-warehouse and online purchases.

Sam's Club keeps receipts for the last three years. Go to My Account, then History under Orders, and filter by year. Sam's Club says a printed order from there serves as a valid receipt. If you pay for fuel with Scan & Go in the Sam's Club app, the app shows a receipt once fueling is done. Sam's Club's help pages don't say whether a card swiped at the pump shows up in History, so keep the pump receipt.

Do you need fuel receipts at all?

It depends on how you deduct car costs. If you use your car for business, the IRS generally lets you choose between two methods (Topic 510):

• Standard mileage rate. You multiply business miles by the IRS rate. The rate was 70 cents a mile for 2025. For 2026, the IRS set 72.5 cents for January through June and 76 cents from July 1 (see the IRS standard mileage rates page). With this method you can't also deduct actual expenses like gas, though business parking fees and tolls are still deductible (Publication 334). Fuel receipts are useful as backup, but the record that matters is your mileage log.
• Actual expenses. You add up what the car really cost, including gas, oil, repairs, tires, insurance, registration and depreciation, and deduct the business share based on business miles. Here every fuel receipt counts, and you still need a mileage log to work out the business share.

For a car you own, the IRS says you must choose the standard mileage rate in the first year you use the car for business if you want to use it at all. After that you can switch between the methods year to year. Leased cars have stricter rules. This is general information, not tax advice. A tax professional can help you choose.

Doing it with What Receipt?

Snap the pump receipt with your phone's camera before it fades, or save the app receipt as a screenshot and add it. If your fuel app emails receipts, connecting Gmail on Pro brings them in automatically. What Receipt? reads the vendor, date, total and tax, and learns your category for fuel from your corrections. Put work fill-ups in your business project for the CSV export. What Receipt? doesn't track mileage, so keep your mileage log alongside it.

Questions

How do I get a receipt if the gas pump didn't print one?

Go inside and ask the cashier right away. If you paid through the station's app, the receipt is in the app: Receipts on the Shell App home screen, or Wallet and then History in the Chevron and Texaco apps.

Can I see Costco gas receipts online?

Yes, for purchases on or after 9/30/24. Sign in at costco.com, select Orders & Returns, and open the In-Warehouse tab. Receipts go back up to two years.

Do I need gas receipts if I use the standard mileage rate?

Not for the deduction itself. The standard mileage rate replaces actual costs like gas, so you don't deduct fuel on top of it. What you do need is a record of your business miles. Business parking and tolls are still deductible separately.

How long should I keep fuel receipts?

Keep them as long as the tax return they support could be examined. How long to keep receipts covers the usual periods.

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App menus change. These steps follow Shell's, ExxonMobil's, Chevron Texaco Rewards', Costco's and Sam's Club's help pages as of October 2026. This guide is general information, not tax advice.