Fighting those high gas prices

[oruacat2]

Well, I've been working on ways to save money on gasoline purchases, and I'm on to one little scheme that's been saving mea bit of cash lately. I'm not sure other areas have these deals, but here in Lexington I've figured-out one.

Everyone is probably aware of Speedway/SuperAmerica's "Speedy Rewards" program...where your rewards card builds up points with each purchase to be used as future rewards, including discounts on gasoline purchases.

Well, in conjuction with the Speedy Rewards card, they also have partnered with our local Bluegrass AAA club and offer a Speedy "Gas Advantage Card", essentially a discount "gift card" that can be "charged" with pre-paid amounts to be used towards gas purchases. The card initially costs $4, and then is "charged" with whatever amount you want. The kicker is that through this AAA affilliation, anytime you "charge" the card, you receive a 4% discount. For example, I recently put a $100 credit on this pre-paid card, but it only cost me $96. Every little bit helps, right?

Now, anyone with a Discover Card knows about their "cash back bonus" program, where 1% of all purchases is rebated back to the cardholder. Every few months, Discover increases that cashback bonus reward to 5% for a select category. One time it was all restaurant purchses, another time it was any fitness-related purchase, another time was education expenses...etc. This time, until the end of June, automotive purchases earn a cardholder that extra 5% bonus, and that includes GASOLINE!

So here's the deal. I go to Speedway/SuperAmerica, and I tell the clerk to put $100 on my Gas Advantage Card. It costs me $96, which I pay for using my Discover Card. In one fell swoop, I've just saved 9% on gasoline, which adds up quickly these days. Plus, when I actually buy the gas at the pump, I use my Speedy Rewards card and get points credited towards future purchases. Just recently I "cashed-in" for a 50-cent/gallon discount, which saved about $9 with an 18-gallon fillup. Not too shabby.

You gotta take advantage while you can, right? I'm going to milk that Discover Card for all it's worth, and will probably use it to charge that Speedy Card with a couple hundred dollars just before the bonus reward period ends. Keep in mind though, it only works if you pay that balance in-full each month before Discover can hit you with that interest rate. That's the key.

So, what's your secret?

KD

[oruacat2]

Another thing....

I also have a AAA Visa card, which earns a 5% rebate on all gas purchases so long as gas purchases constitute at least 50% of all your Visa card purchases.

Kroger's has a rewards card program where for each $100/month you spend, your reward is a one-time savings of 10 cents/gallon of gasoline purchased at a Kroger's gas station (we have three here in Lexington).

I buy all my groceries at Kroger's anyway, so it's easy for me to achieve that $100 mark within a one month period. I use my AAA Visa to buy those groceries, thereby satisfying the required ratio of non-gas: gas purchases.

At the end of the month, I drive my car until that "low fuel" light blinks, then I go my local Kroger's gas pump and fill-up the tank at a savings of 10 cents/gallon. I pay for it with my AAA Visa card, earning back a rebate of an additional 5%. Thus I have saved 15 cents/gallon.

Again, this only works if you avoid finance charges by paying that Visa balance in-full each month.

Every little bit helps, redux!

KD

[BamaCat86]

Exactly what isyour majorKenny? That's some pretty good ciphering.

[sardiscat]

"So, what's your secret?"

Sleep in my officeseveral times a week instead of driving home and coming back in the morning.Compile throughout the week a list of items needed and make one shopping trip rather than running to Wal-Mart or Home Depot every time I need something. I'm spending less on gas now than I did when it cost $1.29 per gallon.

[oruacat2]

Geography, with an Associates in Environmental Science Technology.

No one ever believes me, especially others who participate in the political boards, butu I really do live my life quite conservatively. lol

KD

[oruacat2]

sardiscat wrote: "So, what's your secret?"

Sleep in my officeseveral times a week instead of driving home and coming back in the morning.Compile throughout the week a list of items needed and make one shopping trip rather than running to Wal-Mart or Home Depot every time I need something. I'm spending less on gas now than I did when it cost $1.29 per gallon.



Sure, but that's so OBVIOUS! ;)

Even with your system, and all the other tips offered (proper tire inflation, clean air filters, carpooling, alternative modes of transportation, etc)...you still have to buy gasoline eventually! lol

Just playin' with ya.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention: I usually fill-up twice/month at most. Mid-month I utilize my Discover Card/Speedway method of savings. End-of-month I go Krogering. For the occasional trip to NKY to visit Mom, I'm fortunate there are Speedway/SuperAmerica's on every corner, much like in Lexington. lol

KD

[Coldstream]

Instead of 3 days a week, I work 5 days a week from home. That eliminates $50 in gas a week. But vacation traveling, trips around town are another matter. :?

[BamaCat86]

We got rid of the V8's a couple of years ago and opted for V6's which get around 25 MPG (not great, but not bad).

One of the incentives that I bargained for when I changed jobs three years ago was a company gas card. I use my vehicle for company busness95% of the time so they cover all my fuel expenses. That deal is looking better every day.

My wife is like you Sardis, she tries to consolodate trips when she can. But with the kids having practice every afternoon it makes it hard.

Other than that keep your engine clean with fuel treatment every couple of weeks, check your tire pressure on a regular basis and keep the speed down / drive at a constant speed.

Like KD said....every little bit helps.

[WildcatDan]

I hired a rickshaw to get to and from work. It is cheaper than buying gas.

[sardiscat]

Okay, here's the driving tip that has gotten me 4 mpg more than the window sticker said I was going to get on every car and truck I have owned. Does more good than checking your tire pressure, coasting downhill, or any other tip I have read. Drive without using your brakes. Braking is counterproductive to gas mileage. It is a complete waste of gasoline. To drive without using your brakes, you must maintain a big gap between you and the vehicle in front of you. When you see the brake lights go on, simply take your foot off the gas and coast. 98% of the time you will slow enough that you never have to hit your brakes before he gets moving again, if you have kept a big enough gap between the two of you. Yeah, a lot of cars in the adjoining lanes pull in front of you because that's where the gap is, but you just take your foot off the gas and coast until you've opened the gap up all over again. Coast into stop lights so that you never come to a complete stop, or, if you do, you're going so slow you've almost stopped anyway. To drive without using your brakes, you also have to keep a wary eye on every car in adjoining lanes to anticipate when they might do something stupid.A bonus is that your brakes last a long time. A very long time. So doengines, because the only times I evertry to accelerate fastis when I'm merging onto the free way. I put over 300,000 miles on one set of brake pads in a Honda Prelude I owned for a very long time.I put 500,000 miles onit without ever having to replace the engine. Right now, I've got over 150,000 miles on a Saturn SL1 with the original brake pads on it. The engine runs like it's new.

[BamaCat86]

You must live in very flat country. I would be in the guys back seat in front of me if I tried that in Birmingham with all the hills we have. But good point about braking.

[BOURBON TOWN CAT FAN]

Yesterday I read about a gentleman in Minnesota who last year bought a gas card for $500 that locked in the gas price at $2.03 a gallon, so he's used it ever time the gas has been extremely high.

If some gas station around here has the same deal, I'd jump at it too when the price goes back down.