Gas prices have gone up and down a lot recently. Frankly, they haven't gone down enough for us in years — just look at the most expensive states for gas. But the good news is that if you're paying full price for gas, you're paying too much. There are a ton of companies out there that are willing to throw gas discounts at you to get your business. And we're not just talking about gas stations.
Stores like Walmart and Costco are getting into the act and offering steep discounts. Credit card companies offer cash back rewards on gas, too. Then there are apps like Upside that exist just to get you cash back on gas and other things. The world is your oyster if you're looking for gas that is slightly cheaper than current retail prices.
But don't count out the rewards programs offered by gas stations directly. They can offer some pretty good discounts, as well. We found seven in particular that offer decent savings: 7-Eleven, Shell, Circle K, Speedway, ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron/Texaco. But the best strategy is just to sign up for as many of these programs as you can. That way you don't have to drive across town to get to a specific gas station — that would be using up gas to get discounted gas. And you might think about signing up for non-rewards apps, like GasBuddy, that will point you to the cheapest gas in your neighborhood. There are plenty of options, and all you need is a smartphone.
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Just about every gas station chain has some kind of loyalty program — it's cute that they call it a "loyalty" program. The truth is, we'd drop our usual gas station like a hot potato to save two cents per gallon at another station down the road. But we give them credit for trying hard to keep our business.
One of the gas station chains that offers a decent rewards program is 7-Eleven. They offer 11 cents a gallon off with your first seven fill-ups. After that, it's five cents a gallon regularly, though occasionally they offer deeper discounts. And then, of course, there are the discounted Slurpees and the like. They make it easy, too. It's as simple as typing in your phone number at the pump. We know, you don't like giving out your information like that. But that cat has already left the bag, run miles away, and parented multiple litters of kittens by now. If you think Microsoft, Google, Meta, and all of their advertisers don't know what you had for breakfast today, you haven't been paying attention.
Other discount programs include Shell's, which offers as much as 10 cents a gallon off for very frequent customers. Circle K will give you 25 cents off per gallon for the first five fill-ups, then three cents a gallon after that. Speedway offers 10 points in rewards for every gallon of fuel you buy, and 20 points for every dollar you spend inside the station. ExxonMobil gives you three points for every gallon of gas you buy and two cents for every dollar on other purchases. BP, Chevron, and Texaco offer their own rewards programs as well.
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Walmart offers Walmart+ members 10 cents off per gallon, except for Alabama and Oklahoma residents, who only get five cents off per gallon — get with the program, Alabama and Oklahoma! When you combine that with the low prices we normally see at Walmart gas stations, you can get a pretty good deal on gas. But Walmart doesn't just offer that discount at its own gas stations, which seem few and far between, from what we've observed. Their members can get the same discount at ExxonMobil and Murphy stations, which translates to over 15,000 stations nationwide. And for those who don't know, Walmart+ is like Amazon Prime in that you get lots of different perks, like saving on delivery and free streaming subscriptions.
But Walmart isn't the only game in town when it comes to retailers offering gas rewards. Its sister company, Sam's Club, offers exclusive gas pricing to its members at its stations. Costco gas stations are only available to members, even in New Jersey, but Costco tends to keep its prices low, like Sam's Club. BJ's Wholesale gives its BJ's Club+ members five cents off per gallon at its stations.
Grocery stores have gotten into the act as well. Kroger gives customers who use their Shopper's Card one Fuel Point for every $1 spent in their stores. Those points can be redeemed, not only at Kroger gas stations, but at partner stations, too. Albertsons' rewards points can be used for discounts at participating gas stations — 100 points will get you 10 cents off per gallon, and you can get up to $1 per gallon.
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If you're a free spirit and can't be tied down to any one gas company, or just don't want to have a bunch of different gas station loyalty apps on your phone, you might consider a cash back app like Upside. Upside will show you cash back rewards offered at participating gas stations around you. You can claim one of the discounts and buy gas at that station within a few hours after staking your claim. You can purchase the gas via a card you linked to the app wallet. Once the offer processes, it will show up in your account, and you can withdraw it via PayPal, a bank transfer, or a gift card. The app works with grocery stores, restaurants, and other places, as well.
GasBuddy is another app designed to save you money on gas purchases. Basically, you earn "GasBack" or credit towards gas when you make a qualified purchase from a variety of businesses, including Old Navy, Home Depot, Advance Auto Parts (which has one of the best snack selections among auto parts stores), Petco, and Dick's Sporting Goods, which can equal up to 10% of your purchases. When you sign up and pay with a Pay with GasBuddy debit card, you can save up to an additional 25 cents per gallon on gas.
Checkout 51 is similar to Upside in that you choose an offer, then go take advantage of that offer. It even uses Upside's network of gas stations. But proving you made the purchase and getting your cash back is a little bit more of a hassle. You'll need to take a pic of your receipt and upload it within a certain time limit. Once you've accumulated $20 cash back, you can cash out.
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Did you know that credit cards are good for more than enslaving you for years in crippling high-interest debt? Most people are aware of perks like frequent flyer miles and general cash back rewards. But some credit cards offer gas-specific rewards and discounts.
The Citi Custom Cash card gives you 5% cash back, up to $500 per month, when gas is the category that you spend the most on. That translates to roughly 15 cents per gallon when gas is around $3 per gallon. Bank of America lets you customize your rewards and choose gas as one of the categories that you can get 3% cash back on, and you can get 6% cash back for your first year. Some credit cards actually multiply rewards points for gas. For example, the Wells Fargo Autograph Visa offers triple points on gas and travel.
We mentioned the reduced gas prices offered by the big warehouse stores. But those stores often offer their own branded credit cards. The Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi, for instance, offers 4% back on gas, up to $7,000 per year, at any gas station, and 5% at Costco stations. Not to be outdone, Sam's Club MasterCard offers 5% back on gas up to $6,000 per year.
With all these credit cards offering gas discounts, you'd think oil companies would offer their own cards. Well, they do. The Shell Fuel Rewards MasterCard offers 10 cents off a gallon when used at Shell gas stations. And the BP Credit Card offers 15 cents per gallon cash back rewards. The Chevron/Texaco credit card gives you five rewards points for every gallon of gas you buy at participating Texaco and Chevron stations, and you can earn enough points to get 50 cents off a gallon.
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Maybe you don't want to deal with all of the rewards and cash back programs, and you just want to find the cheapest gas nearby. Well, there are multiple apps for that, and you might save more money using them than with some rewards programs. Tap on the "gas" button under the search bar in Google Maps, and not only will you see the gas stations that are near you, but you'll find their price per gallon.
If you type "gas" into the Waze app, it will do much the same thing. And apparently, MapQuest is still a thing. It will show prices at some gas stations once you tap on them, but not at all gas stations, in our experience. Apple Maps doesn't show gas prices at all, unless you integrate another app, like GasBuddy, with it. Maybe Apple figures folks who will pay over $1,000 for an iPhone aren't that concerned about saving a few cents on a gallon of gas.
The AAA mobile app will also show you current prices at gas stations near you, even for non-members. It's so reliable that we even used it and GasBuddy to fact-check the president. Gas Guru is another app that will help you compare gas prices. Fuelio will not only compare prices at nearby gas stations, but also track your fill-ups, provide a mileage log, and help calculate your gas mileage. It will even help you track your other vehicle expenses, like service costs, parking fees, and tolls.
There are lots of ways to save on gas prices now. We didn't even list all of the rewards programs and apps out there. So, get to downloading and never pay full price for a tank of gas ever again!
