5 Ways To Save On The Cost Of Fueling Your Car

Even though the cost of fueling up your car has remained remarkably stable the last couple of years, it seems like everything else has gone up. Sure, you can hop on the Elon Musk bandwagon and drive an electric car, but if money is tight you’re going to have to keep your gas guzzler a few more years. So how can you fuel it up for less?

Read on for 5 ways to save on the cost of fueling your car.

Use Your Smartphone App

Your smartphone can do more than post pictures on Instagram. It can also save you a lot of money on gas. Use the GasBuddy or Gas Guru app (Android / iPhone) to locate the cheapest gas station.

Don’t worry about where you buy your gas. It doesn’t matter. No matter the brand name all the same. Fuel delivery drivers will tell you they make stops at station after station and the same gas gets delivered equally to everyone.

Discounted Gift Cards

As creatures of habit, most of use the same gas station each time we fuel. Maybe it’s convenience, maybe it’s brand loyalty. Regardless of the reason, the place where you buy your gas likely sells gift cards. If they do, odds are these gift cards are available online at a discounted price.

Say you get a $100 gift card at Shell as a Christmas bonus gift from your employer (like that’s ever gonna happen). But you only buy gas at Chevron. What are you gonna do? Well you’re going to sell your gift card for $90 cash, right? Well then that’s a good deal for the lucky person who uses Shell.

Look for discounted gift cards at sites like CardHub, Giftcards.com. Each of these sites offer gift cards from Chevron, Shell, BP, Arco, 76 and more. You might only save 1 or 2%, but every little bit helps.

Sign Up For A Warehouse Club

Places like Costco and Sam’s Club sell gas to their members at extremely discounted prices. The rates you’ll get here are almost always going to be less than any other gas station. So if you’re already paying a membership to a warehouse club, take advantage of their gas prices as well.

Grocery Store Fuel Programs

Many grocery stores now offer rewards to their shoppers when they fuel up. Each time you buy groceries, the gas rewards pile up. For every dollar you spend, you might save a penny on gas. It might not seem like much, but if you’re spending $100 a week to feed your family, that’s $52 per year in gas savings.

One of the leaders in this program is Kroger/Ralphs, who partner with Shell.

Have A Credit Card Account

This is the best option for those who always go to the same gas station. Applying for a company specific credit card will give you a substantial savings on the price of fuel over the entire year. There are many gas companies that offer credit cards to their loyal customers such as:

• Chevron or Texaco Techron Advantage Cards – will save you 3 cents per gallon.
• Exxon Mobil Smart Card – will save you 6 cents per gallon.
• BP Visa Credit Card – earn 25 cents per gallon with every $100 you spend on BP gas.
• Shell Platinum Select MasterCard – will save you 10 cents per gallon and in some cases even more.