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After food and housing, gas can be a big expense.
Every fill up is over $50 in most places.
The average person can spend around $2400 a year.
There are many ways to cut gas costs though.
Some require paying attention to your driving habits.
Others involve reward programs.
Here is a list of twelve simple things you can do today to save money on gas.
12 Easy Ways To Save On Gas
1. Join a fuel rewards program
Most larger gas stations have a reward’s program.
You should definitely join one.
This will put some money back in your pocket.
It may not be a lot, but some is better than none.
I think you can save at least ten cents a gallon on gas.
This has made a difference to me.
You can even save fifty cents per gallon with Get Upside or even one dollar per gallon with Kroger and Shell.
Kroger will require spending $1000 a month (buy $250 worth of gift cards when they have their 4 times the fuel points offer which is often).
If that is too much effort, then at least save ten cents a gallon.
Most gas reward programs will give between ten to twenty cents off per gallon initially, so just do a whole bunch of gas programs sign ups until you find one that works for you.
When you stack these programs with other things it should be some decent savings or cash back.
It is best to use the same reward program to build more cash later though.
I kept using Marathon for the past couple of months and have built enough points for fifty cents off now.
Best gas reward’s programs include these stations:
- Speedway
- BP
- Shell
- Grocery store programs like
Kroger - Circle K
- Marathon
2. Use a rewards credit card
If you drive enough then a rewards credit card makes sense.
As long as you can pay your balance in full each month, then this is great.
If you are tempted by credit cards though, this may not be a good idea.
When you combine this with other methods like the rewards programs we discussed earlier, you should be able to save 5-10%.
The average good gas credit cards gives about 3% back.
Here are some good choices:
- American Express Blue Cash Preferred
- Bank of America Cash Rewards
- Wells Fargo Propel American Express
3. Use discounted gift cards
Discounted gift cards will only give no more than 5% savings.
Most are at 1-2 %.
Gas and groceries are not a huge savings on discounted gift card sites, so some people may not think this is worth the time.
Also, to use a discounted gift card, you cannot use a gas rewards credit card either.
Some people may prefer the convenience of just using a reward credit card for gas.
If you decide to go the discounted gift card way, I like Raise.com because there is always a cash back portal that has 1-2% back.
Then, use a credit card like the Freedom Unlimited to get 1.5 % back with the 5% from the cash back site.
That will be 2-4 % back.
Note that discounted gift card sites run out of gas card quickly though.
I usually just set alerts.
This particular method only worked with Raise.com too.
You can check cashbackmoitor.com to see what other gift card sites have cash back on cashback portals.
4. Carpool
If you can share a ride with co-workers, then great.
Many work places have carpools.
5. Accelerate slowly and brake carefully
Experiments done by Edmunds.com showed that people can save 30% by accelerating slowing and braking slowly.
So make sure to make this a part of your normal driving.
6. Plan your routes carefully
If you know your stops, use an app like Google Maps to find a shorter distance.
Always drive to minimize using gas.
Try to combine errands ahead of time that are close by.
7. Don’t keep the car running idle
When you have your car running idle like when you are waiting on someone, you are wasting gas.
Turn the engine off.
Even warming your car up too long can waste gas.
8. Use the heater and air conditioner less
Both the air conditioner and heater use more gas.
If you can roll down your windows in the summer or need no heat during the winter, leave both off.
9. Drive slowly
Speeding takes gas.
Drive as slowly as possible.
10. Keep an eye on your tire pressure
Under-inflated tires cause wear on your tires and burn more gas.
So keep your tires inflated properly.
11. Don’t carry a heavy load
Carrying extra items in your car wastes gas.
If you have your old sports equipment in the car, it is time to take it out.
12. Find the cheapest gas and shop on cheaper days
Use apps like Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas.
Shop on Tuesday and Wednesdays when gas is cheaper.
Mondays are when people are preparing for work.
Summary
There are many ways to save on gas.
Since gas is still a major expense, with a cost of at least $50 to fill up a tank, it is definitely an area where you want to save money.
Not everyone lives somewhere they can take public transportation or bike to work.
The rest of us need to save on gas.
Try some or all of these tips.