19 Excellent Ways To Save Money On Gas Today

With gas prices up nearly 50% since last year, you might be looking for ways to stretch your gas mileage. Unfortunately, used car prices have increased substantially as well so upgrading to a more fuel-efficient vehicle may be out of reach for many of us. Our only options may be to utilize technology and proven techniques to save as much as possible at the pump. This post is essential for those who want to learn ways to reduce the cost of gas and improve the efficiency of gas usage. You will learn better driving habits, cost-saving options, and how to maintain your vehicle to increase efficiency.

Driving Habits

1. Travel Less

If you’re like me, you love road trips. However, these days, road trips can be costly due to high gas prices. A clear option to save on gas would be to take fewer trips whether for vacation or day-to-day errands. Technology has allowed us to schedule online doctor visits (telemedicine), order our groceries straight to our door, and deliver food from any restaurant you may desire. It’s safe to say that we have options when it comes to cutting back on our car usage. Here are some examples below.

For Groceries

• Instacart – Instacart pioneered a brand-new approach to easy home delivery and online grocery buying ten years ago. The way the world purchases, eats, and lives is changing because of their ideas.
• HEB – If you want to avoid spending hours in the grocery store, HEB offers home delivery right to your doorstep. Not to mention, you can benefit from exclusive deals by opting for home delivery.
• Costco – A convenient method to stock up is with Costco Grocery, an online grocery delivery service, whether you’re having a hectic week or organizing a party. Make a list and have your door-to-door delivery of the necessities.

For Food Delivery

• UberEATS – Find the top delivery restaurants. Get groceries, restaurant takeout, and more delivered contactless! either online or through the Uber Eats app
• Door Dash – You can find local, on-demand delivery or pick-up from nearby restaurants, groceries, and convenience stores.
• Grub Hub – Find food and get fast food delivery from your favorite restaurants and convenience store finds.

For Telemedicine

• Consult with your primary doctor to determine if tele appointments are available.
• Contact your insurance provider to discuss in-network doctors in your area that offer teleservices. 

2. Carpool

Do your coworkers live in your area? Do your neighbors travel near your job? If so, you should ride share. Ridesharing or carpooling is a great way to split the cost of travel. Not to mention, you can also rotate driving responsibilities; one person drives to work, and the other drives home. You will also be excited to know that there are ride-sharing apps available as well.

Carpool Apps

• Carma – With friends and coworkers traveling in the same direction, the app enables users to split travel expenses.
• Sidecar – The service offers a selection of vehicles in the area based on driver information such as distance, car quality, fare, rider ratings, and any other information the driver has provided.
• Ride Scout – As opposed to focusing exclusively on bike shares, carpools, and bus schedules like other services, RideScout compares all available options.

3. Public Transportation

According to the American Public Transportation Association “A household can save nearly $10,000 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.” This is substantial as gas prices are squeezing the pockets of most families today. Not only will public transportation save you on gas, but you can also avoid maintenance costs and insurance expenses.

4. Avoid Premium

When you go to fill up your vehicle, you might notice that there are few options; regular, premium, and diesel. For most of us, we have a choice between regular and premium gas. So many of us opt for premium as it is viewed as the superior option. However, as of 07/30/22, the average cost premium is about 70 cents higher than the average cost of regular gas. You will save significantly by opting for regular.

5. Avoid Traffic

You can reduce your driving time substantially if you plan your routes to avoid traffic. This may mean planning to leave before or after peak traffic times and choosing alternate routes. Avoiding traffic can reduce idle time and prevent excessive use of fuel.

Reward Programs

If you are on the hunt to find reward programs to save on gas, check out the list below.

Grocery Rewards

6. Kroger Fuel Rewards

To join this rewards program, you must obtain a shoppers card. Under this program, you can receive 10 cents off per gallon for every 100 fuel points you accumulate. With Kroger’s fuel program you can earn 1 fuel point on each dollar spent on groceries, 25 points for non-federally funded prescriptions, 75 points for each 90-day script, and 2 points for every $1 spent on gift cards. You can even receive a bonus and benefit from no limit to how many fuel points you can earn. You can read more here.

7. Costco Anywhere Rewards Program

The Costco Anywhere Visa card by Citi offers 4% cash back on eligible petrol purchases, up to the first $7,000 per year, only to Costco members. Following that, you get 1% cashback. Costco memberships cost between $60 and $120 each year, however, there is no yearly fee for the Visa card. 

Additionally, the Costco Anywhere card earns 3% cash back at restaurants and on qualified travel expenses, 2% cash back on all other Costco purchases, and 1% cash back on all other transactions. See more details here.

8. Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club members are qualified for a Sam’s Club Mastercard with the lowest yearly membership price of just $45 per year. With no yearly fee, Mastercard offers 5% cash back on gas up to $6,000 annually, anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Following that, you get 1% cashback.

Similar to Costco, Sam’s Club Mastercard offers 1% cash back on purchases made at Sam’s Club and 3% cash back on dining. See more details here.

Credit Card Rewards

Some of the best incentives, rebates and cash back for gas purchases are provided by the following credit cards. Remember that a lot of them also provide extra benefits for spending money at restaurants, traveling, and other things.

9. PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Card

With 5X points for every dollar spent on petrol purchases at the pump, the PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card currently provides one of the best rewards rates at gas stations. Additionally, not only do you receive substantial rewards at gas stations, but cardholders also receive limitless 3X points for grocery store purchases and there is no annual fee. See more here.

10. Blue Cash Preferred Card

At American gas stations, the American Express Blue Cash Card gives competitive limitless 3 percent cash back. Not to mention that cardholders also get 3% cash back on purchases made for public transportation, including taxis, parking charges, and more, making it ideal for commuters. Additionally, with a cash-back rate of 6% at American supermarkets, this card offers the best cash-back rate. In addition, there is a 1 percent cash back on all other transactions and an unlimited 6 percent cash back on a select number of US streaming subscriptions. This card offers money-saving Amex Offers that enable you to receive a statement credit or additional points at specific retailers in addition to the cashback.

11. PNC Cash Rewards Visa

PNC Cash Rewards Visa offers one of the highest cash-back rates at petrol stations, offering cardholders 4 percent cash back. A respectable 3 percent cash back is also available on dining expenses. Cash back at the gas station, restaurant, and grocery store, however, is only available on the first $8,000 in combined purchases. If you spend over $8,000 in each of those three areas, the cash-back percentage is reduced to 1%. Upon accumulating $25 in their PNC Cash Rewards account, cardholders may start redeeming rewards. If you receive rewards, you can apply them as statement credits or deposit them into your qualifying bank account.

Third-Party Apps & Rewards

Whether you are driving to work or taking a family trip, the gas cost may be a significant percentage of your monthly expenses. These apps may lighten your burden by making gas cheap and offering you other rewards as well.

12. GasBuddy

The goal of GasBuddy is to increase everyone’s access to and ease of use in fuel savings. As a result of providing real-time gas prices at more than 150,000 stations, offering cashback rewards on purchases with brand partners, and offering the Pay with GasBuddy cards, they have helped North American drivers save over $3 billion. With more than 100 million downloads in the Apple App Store, GasBuddy is among the top-rated apps.

13. Waze 

140 million people are using Waze, a software that is community-driven and provides information about more than just gas prices. With real-time traffic and road updates without using much data on your phone, the Israeli-made app is now owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. You can also use it to avoid tolls and to determine precisely when you should depart for appointments or other events on your calendar to arrive on time. One of Waze’s best features is that you can set a sound alert if you exceed the speed limit which helps you save on gas by limiting your speed limit. Not to mention, if you are looking to schedule your plans around traffic, Waze will help you choose the best time.

14.  Upside

Upside partners with over 50,000 businesses, offering you amazing deals you won’t find anywhere else. Since Upside works with each company on the deals they present, you get two to three times more money back. Additionally, businesses prosper when you do well. Using Upside at gas stations nationwide is a great way to save up to 15 cents per gallon. Reward points can be redeemed for cash or gift cards with a balance of $10 or more. As a free member, you can also save money at restaurants and grocery stores through the app.

Maintenance

Changing your driving habits is a great way to save gas, but maintenance is important as well. If you do it right, you can save a few dollars on your fuel bill.

15. Reduce Weight

According to the US Department of Energy, you should avoid keeping superfluous objects, especially ones that are weighty, in your car. Your car’s MPG could drop by around 1% if you carry an extra 100 pounds. 6 Smaller vehicles are more likely to experience the reduction than larger ones because it is dependent on the percentage of additional weight concerning the vehicle’s weight.

16. Check Your Tires

Underinflated tires reduce mileage by increasing the resistance for the engine to drive. Check them every time you fill the tank with an electronic gauge, which costs around $10. A manufacturer’s website or owner’s manual will list the best “pounds per square inch” ratings. Tire pressure recommendations are frequently shown on a label in the driver door jam. According to the U.S. Energy Department, every PSI decreases your mileage by 0.4%. It states that routine tire inflation can increase mileage by 3.3 percent.

17. Engine Air Filters

Air filters prevent dirt and debris from entering your engine. Your car’s engine consumes more gas if your air filter is blocked or dirty. While some drivers clean their air filters when they become dirty, this does not save gasoline. Acceleration and fuel efficiency are improved by new air filters. Additionally, air filter replacements reduce pollutants and extend the life of engines. If you notice the performance of your car is beginning to decline, it may be a sign that it’s time to change your filter.

18. Avoid Excess Idling

Depending on the engine size and use of the air conditioner (AC), idling might consume up to half a gallon of fuel per hour. When parking your car, turn off the engine. Your car can be restarted with just 10 seconds’ worth of fuel. You can save money by shutting off your engine when you park your car. The following advice will help you save as much money as possible.

• Limit your engine starts.
• Shut down the engine for more than 1 minute.
• Limit electric accessory use during a shutdown.
• Drive at least 5 miles before a new start cycle.

19. Observe the Speed Limit

Although each car has a particular speed range (or ideal fuel economy), gas mileage often drops down significantly at 50 mph. You can estimate that for every 5 mph over 50 mph you drive, you will need to pay an extra $0.29 per gallon for gas. Not to mention, it is safer to follow the speed limit.

Conclusion

Even if gas prices are at all-time highs, you can still cut your gas expenses by putting some or all of the gas-saving tips we discussed above into practice. The best ways to save money don’t just involve getting the cheapest gas in town, it’s crucial to keep in mind your driving style and the way you manage your car are other crucial factors.

To summarize, Americans have many options to save money on gas including rewards programs, utilizing food delivery services, using carpool apps, earnnig cash back on credit cards, and maintaining car efficiency with thorough routine checks.