Obviously, you’re glad to have bought your car, but probably not so crazy about the cost of actually using it. Gas eats up a pretty big chunk of most people’s paycheques, a chunk that will be even bigger for any car nuts. However, there are various tricks and tips you can employ to make sure you’re getting the best prices possible when filling your car…
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Fill Up Early in the Morning or Late at Night
The large majority of gas stations change their prices at various points during the day. If you make a point of filling up during your early-morning commute to work, or at some point late at night, you’re much more likely to pin down the prices before they’re changed. These days, due to the fact that “price change” usually means “price increase”, you always want to get there before the sign changes.
Check Prices Online
As with anything, the internet can be a huge help in making sure you don’t pay any more than you have to for petrol. Websites such as Gasbuddy will provide you with up-to-date prices for all the petrol stations in your region. Provided the best prices aren’t too out of the way, you can head over to this site, compare some prices, and then plan a route to stop off at the station with the cheapest gas. If you leverage these kinds of tools for a month or two, you’ll begin to notice trends. This will allow you to stick to the stations that consistently offer good prices, and avoid those where the prices seem to leap up.
Check your Credit Card Rebates
Various popular credit cards offer you dollars back, points, or rebates on the money you spend on gas, but only at particular stations. However, unless you originally set out looking for the best credit card for petrol, it’s pretty unlikely that your credit card gives you the best possible deal. As always, you need to read the fine print! A lot of cards will limit the rewards and rebates that you’re able to earn through their scheme. You may find that you’re winding up spending a little more just to get an almost non-existent rebate after you’ve reached the limit. However, regardless of the card you get, if you can tend towards the cheapest gas stations in your area and still earn rebates from it, you’re still into something good!
Keep Off the Highway
If you regularly have to drive down a highway, you may have the habit of stopping at a particularly large rest stop with a gas station every time you need to fill up. Although they’re close and convenient, you may be paying much more for gas than you have to for no reason other than the location of the station. Stations that are close to the highway are there to tempt drivers in with their convenience, and charge them that much extra for their location. By simply taking a slight detour for another station, you’ll save a lot of money over a short space of time.
