- Gas prices have soared over $1 per gallon in the past month.
- Simple changes can help to improve your fuel efficiency.
- Drivers can also take advantage of little-known discounts.
The national average price of a gallon of gasoline is hovering around the $4 mark, which is roughly 35% more than it was a month ago. That’s a dramatic increase in a short time, and it has drivers looking for ways to save a buck.
While that’s easier said than done, there are a few simple ways to save at the pump. Some of these are minor changes, while others are using discounts you might have overlooked.
Fill Up Your Tires And Slow Down
On the vehicle side of things, drivers should ensure their tires are properly inflated. This is super easy, and underinflated tires could quietly be costing you.
According to the Department of Energy, testing by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that a Toyota Corolla with tires inflated to 75% of their recommended pressure saw a 2-3% decline in fuel economy. When they dropped the pressure to 50% of the recommended number, fuel economy dropped 5–10%.
Another simple fix is to change how you drive. While hypermiling is likely too extreme for most people, accelerating slowly and not speeding can help improve your fuel efficiency. It’s also a good time to remove unused items from your vehicle, as weight is the enemy.
Plan Ahead, But Maybe Skip The Apps
A little planning can go a long way and reduce the number of trips you take. Instead of going to the hardware and grocery store on separate days, you can combine trips and eliminate an unnecessary excursion.
Drivers can also shop around for the best gas prices before even leaving their home. GasBuddy is one extremely popular way to do this, but you might want to skip the app and use their website instead.
While it’s not as convenient, lawsuits have claimed insurance companies – including Allstate – paid developers millions of dollars to integrate their software development kit into apps. This reportedly enabled them to harvest a ton of information, including “geolocation data, accelerometer data, magnetometer data, and gyroscopic data, which monitors details such as the phone’s altitude, longitude, latitude, bearing, GPS time, speed, and accuracy.”
This reportedly cost customers in the long run as Allstate allegedly used the information when people requested an insurance quote or had to renew their coverage. This ranged from denying or dropping coverage to justifying higher insurance premiums. Among the apps named in a lawsuit were GasBuddy, Fuel Rewards, and SiriusXM.
Amazon Prime And Walmart+ Gas Discounts
While most of these recommendations are familiar and common sense, there are a few ideas that people often overlook. One of the biggest is that Amazon Prime customers can save 10 cents per gallon at roughly 7,500 Amoco, ampm, and BP locations.
In order to do this, Prime members need to link their Amazon account to Earnify and find a participating station. The retail giant suggests this simple move could save drivers around $70 annually.
Walmart+ customers also get a similar 10-cent discount at Exxon, Mobil, Murphy, and Walmart gas stations. They can also get member prices on fuel at Sam’s Club, which – like Costco – is known for having cheap gas.
Rewards Programs
Another solid way to save on gas is to take advantage of rewards programs you already use. Kroger Plus is a prime example of a free membership that enables you to earn fuel points for every dollar spent at their stores.
This can save drivers up to $1 per gallon, and I recently saved 30 cents by filling up this weekend. That might not sound like much, but it’s hard to beat paying $3.46 per gallon.
