Luke Shadlow, 19, made at least 11 fraudulent purchases using the stolen cards, often driving from one service station to the next to make the transactions before the cards were reported missing.

Shadlow pleaded guilty to 16 charges in total - three of larceny, 11 of dishonestly obtaining property by deception, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of stealing a car.

Police documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday said Shadlow had been placed on a suspended prison sentence for a separate offence less than a month before he committed the first in the series of crimes now before the court.

On March 8, Shadlow stole a Ford Ranger that had been parked in a driveway at Woonona and dumped it in an East Corrimal reserve the following day, but not before stealing a range of work tools worth an estimated $5000.

Two and a half weeks later Shadlow pinched a credit card from a car at Balgownie and used it to make three purchases at different service stations the next morning; one at 4.57am, the second at 6.25am and the third at 6.37am.

Shadlow stole another credit card from a Subaru Outback at Bellambi on March 30 and made two early-morning purchases at a Bellambi service station.

The following day he took another card from a Mitsubishi Express parked at East Corrimal, and again used the stolen card at different service stations in quick succession.

Shadlow was eventually arrested on April 2.

Magistrate Michael Stoddart remanded Shadlow in custody and ordered a full options report ahead of his sentencing date on June 18.