HOUSTON (October 11, 2010) – For many college students, purchasing necessities like textbooks, food, gasoline and in some cases tuition was once as easy as swiping a credit card. Today, the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 has changed the financial landscape for many young people by limiting their opportunities to obtain credit. To help navigate this new reality, there are non-credit card payment options like the Shell Refillable Card, a pre-loaded and refillable payment card that makes it easier to plan and track gasoline and convenience store purchases.

Learning how to spend responsibly and minimize debt is a critical lesson for many young people. According to The Project on Student Debt, a non profit independent research and policy organization, even students graduating with the average level of education debt – about $21,000 – could be jeopardizing their long-term financial goals. That’s why it’s never too early to learn how to live on a budget and pay as you go by using non-credit tools like the Shell Refillable Card. For added convenience, the Shell Refillable Card can be pre-loaded and refilled over the phone or online, which makes it convenient for Mom or Dad to help out with expenses when needed, no matter how far away they may be.

“College is the perfect learning environment for students to educate themselves about basic budgeting. For many young people, the effects of the CARD Act can be an incentive to realistically look at their financial practices,” said Mark Theobald, U.S. Consumer Cards, Shell Oil Products U.S. “The Shell Refillable Card provides an alternative for students and parents to easily track and budget how much money they want to spend on everyday purchases like gasoline, food and drinks and car washes.”

In addition to using the Shell Refillable Card, Shell has some additional money-saving tips students can use to help make their college experience memorable more for the journey instead of the bills.

• Java Fix: If you find you’re spending too much money on that morning (or late night) “cup of joe,” consider making a pot of coffee in your room. Monitor how much you spend on coffee each week — once you realize how much money has actually gone through your hands, you’ll be less likely to spend so much each week on that java fix.
• “Pool” Your Resources: You finally got to take your car to school and you love having the freedom to explore your college town — until your gasoline needle hits “Empty”. Carpool with a group of friends to share the cost of road trips, including travelling to away football games and trips home. Additional tip: Use the Shell Refillable Card to budget each trip and split the costs among friends!
• “Check In”: Use location-based mobile applications to “check in” to your favorite places. Some location-based applications provide loyal customers with discounts and deals when they walk in or purchase products. So if you insist on having that morning cup of coffee or late- night snack, make sure your favorite places offer deals and discounts for checking in.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew: In this case, don’t borrow more than you can afford. Sit down with your parents to consider your long-term goals and plan for borrowing only what you can afford, taking into account long-term monthly payments. Research student loans and grants among well-respected resources and institutions like Kiplinger’s or Sallie Mae to find out what works for you.

Remember to look for ways to make your money work for you. The Shell Family of Cards includes a variety of credit and non-credit options that address the diverse financial needs of today’s students. Students can go online to apply at www.shell.us/cards or pick up an application at one of the 14,000 Shell stations located coast to coast.

For more information, visit www.shell.us/cards or “like” us on the Shell Card Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShellCards.

Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, and has a network of approximately 6,100 branded gasoline stations in the Western United States. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Shell Group [(NYSE:RDS.A) and (NYSE:RDS.B)]. Shell Oil Company is a 50 percent owner of Motiva Enterprises LLC, along with Saudi Refining, Inc. Motiva Enterprises LLC refines and markets branded products through more than 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the Eastern and Southern United States.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 100 countries with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects including wind and solar power. For further information, visit www.shell.com.

INQUIRIES:
Shell Oil Products US Shell Media Line +1 (713) 241-4544
Heather Spilsbury Edelman +1 (323) 202-1462

Cautionary Note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release “Shell”, “Shell group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. “Subsidiaries”, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this press release refer to companies in which Royal Dutch Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which Shell has significant influence but not control are referred to as “associated companies” or “associates” and companies in which Shell has joint control are referred to as “jointly controlled entities.” In this press release, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as “equity-accounted investments.” The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 34% shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “objectives”, “outlook”, “probably”, “project”, “will”, “seek”, “target”, “risks”, “goals”, “should” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this press release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell’s 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2008 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These factors also should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, October 12, 2010. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this press release that SEC’s guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.