Already rising demand for crude oil has been pushed up further by the war between Russia and Ukraine. There may be no way to get rid of high gas prices anytime soon, but there are still ways to save gas money.
Read on for tips on price trackers, finding cheap gas prices, using cashback apps, and more.
1. Track local gas prices
Do you think gas prices are the same at every gas station? no. The price of gasoline is subject to change. Some websites and apps will tell you gas prices at gas stations in your area. GasBuddy and Geico are popular choices.
Gasbuddy tracks gas prices at different gas stations in the US and Canada. You can use the web version or the app to quickly check prices at the nearest gas station.
Geico offers a local gas station tracker: Entering an address will display different gas prices and gas station routes.
By using GasBuddy or Geico you can change which gas station you use often, after all, it may not be the cheapest gas station. Try to avoid rushing to the nearest gas station to buy petrol when the tank is running out.
You can check nearby gas prices while using navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps.
2. Pay with cash instead of a credit card
Maybe a credit card is the most convenient way to pay, but have you ever noticed that paying with a credit card is more expensive than what’s on the billboard? Because banks and credit card merchants need to charge transaction fees, the price of credit cards is generally 5-10 cents per gallon higher than the current price of gasoline, and sometimes higher.
You need to pay in cash to avoid transaction fees, and of course, you can use GasBuddy to check prices for cash and credit card payments. But there is no need to go to the ATM to withdraw cash to pay because the ATM fee will cause you to lose money.
3. Use club members to buy discounted gasoline
Costco, Sam’s Club, and Walmart Plus all offer members discounted gas prices. If you are already a member you should know how to use your membership benefits to buy discounted gas.
For example, Walmart offers members 10 cents per gallon savings at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, and Murphy gas stations. You can log in as a Walmart member to check the price of the partner gas station, and compare the gas price on GasBuddy to see if it is cheaper to decide whether it is worth going to the gas station.
Click here to check gas stations that support Walmart Cashback.
Below are the membership prices
- Costco: $60/120 per year
- Walmart: $13 per month or $98 per year
- Sam’s Club: $45 per month
If necessary, you can subscribe to membership in combination with Topcashback, Rakuten, Rebatesme and other cashback sites. Read more to learn how to get a free membership.
4. Buy Discounted Gas Cards
You can earn gift cards by doing surveys or other tasks, the most common sites are my points or Swagbucks, but I find it cumbersome and difficult to accumulate points for gas gift cards.
A quicker way is to buy directly with a discounted gas card. Raise and Gift Card Granny sells gift cards from Chevon, Texaco, Shell, and other gas suppliers.
But because the inventory is not very sufficient, you may not be able to successfully purchase the gift card immediately, but you can set a reminder when a new card is available. Both sites also accept unused gift cards for sale.
More information on gift card sales can be found here.
5. Regular gasoline is enough
Gasoline is generally divided into three grades: Regular, Midgrade, Premium and Diesel. Premium gasoline may cost 20-40 cents more per gallon than regular gasoline. You can save $6 each time you fill a 15-gallon tank with regular gasoline, or $312 a year if you fill it up weekly.
Although premium gasoline is not required, regular gasoline is sufficient if your car has no special maintenance requirements.
6. Fixed-time purchase
By looking at GasBuddy’s gasoline price fluctuations, you will find that Monday and Friday are usually the lowest in a week. Try to avoid filling up on Wednesday/Thursday as gas prices tend to be the more expensive of the two days.
But this is based on historical prices, and future prices are not completely predictable.
7. Join the Grocery Rewards Program
Kroger, Safeway, Stop & Shop, and many other grocery stores offer gas discounts, and you can check your local grocery store for gas rewards programs.
Rewards programs usually work like this: You get a gas discount after spending a certain amount at a defined grocery store, such as $50 for a 5-cent gas discount.
You can get the latest rewards program details by calling the grocery store customer service, which is an easier way to get discounts.
Gasbuddy offers a free gas-saving program: Pay With GasBuddy. Use Pay With GasBuddy to save up to 25 cents per gallon when you fill up at gas stations in most countries.
There is also a paid subscription, in addition, to paying with GasBuddy: $9.99 per month. Save 40 cents per gallon on gas purchases with a paid membership, click here for paid membership features.
8. The best gas-saving app
GetUpside
GetUpside is a rebate app that works with gas, and restaurant companies, and you can earn up to 25 cents per gallon directly at the pump.
You can use get upside to find nearby gas stations that support cashback and upload your gas receipt within 4 hours. Cash for Getupside rewards has no expiration date, and you can wait for the minimum withdrawal requirement to redeem a gift card or withdraw directly.
Sign up bonus: Enter promo code “AU7392” to get an extra 20¢/gal
Click here to learn more about Upside.
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Reward is an app for uploading photos of receipts and getting cash back. All you need to do is upload your gas receipt to fetch rewards and wait to earn points. very simple!
But fetching rewards is not like getting upside, it can’t be directly withdrawn to Paypal, and only gift cards can be exchanged. The minimum redemption amount is $3 and points may disappear after 90 days.
Sign up bonus : Enter promo code “P7Y51A” to get 2000 points (worth $2)
Click here to learn more about Fetch Rewards.
The same type of receipt cashback applications such as Dosh and Receipt Hog is also used in the same way. Click here for more Receipt Cash Back app reviews.
Trunow
Trunow supports cashback at most gas stations, even those of unknown gas stations. Their slogan: put cash back in your pocket at every gas station every time. I find it very interesting. Trunow is the return of points, 100 points can earn 1 dollar, and 1 dollar spent can get 0.5 points.
The cashback amount will be less. But try to use stacking multiple cashback with GasBuddy and Getupside.
