Paying cash for your gas vs credit card...

[Redbugdave]

All through the years I just go in and pay cash to fill up. Lately, I have used my credit card for convenience. Recently I compared the price per gallon between the two types of payment. Using a credit card, gas is 10 cents more per gallon than paying with cash. That's the cost of using the credit card.

20 gallons of gas at $3.45 cash price is $69.00. Using the credit card...$71.00. I will be sticking with cash for full fill ups.

Now if you have a credit card with a percentage back...that's another animal.

 

[Car-Guy]

I typically use a "name brand" gas credit card when buying gas. I get 10% off the total purchase price since I'm a retired employee of "that brand". One of the lifetime benefits as a retiree.

 

[Ian S]

None of the places I fill up at give a discount for cash. In a real pinch, I will use ARCO which typically charges extra for using debit/credit but then I use an ARCO gift card bought with a CC at Fry's (Kroger.) So I use my CC with 3% cash back at gas stations most all the time. Usually, there's another dollar per gallon discount because the stations I go to accept Fry's (Kroger) fuel points. Most of those fuel points are acquired by buying gift cards during Fry's 4X fuel points promotions.

 

[pb4uski]

We have a Sam's Club credit card that gives us a 5% rebate on all gas purchases, at any gas station and not just Sam's Club gas stations. The only catch is that you have to use the rebate for Sam's Club purchases but that is easy for us.

So if gas is $3.45 with a 3% surcharge for using a credit card after my 5% rebate I'm paying $3.376.

 

[badatmath]

You can't pay after pumping gas here (only before) so I always use credit. Same price either way.

 

[bobandsherry]

All through the years I just go in and pay cash to fill up.

Now if you have a credit card with a percentage back...that's another animal.

Credit card with 5% cash back, at $3.45/gal that's 17 cents in savings. And then couple that with using Upside for another 9 to 20 cents per gallon. I need to use a credit card with Upside as that is how they verify purchase. That's 26 to 37 cents per gallon in savings. So worth it for me that I NEVER pay cash, exception was one time at a in Miami that only took cash.

Info on Upside: Use promo code BOB3639 to get an extra $5 bonus on your first purchase. https://upside.app.link/BOB3639

I just looked at Upside offers near me and have 32 cents per gallon, then add 5% cashback for my credit card. [emoji3060]

 

[MarieIG]

DH uses a card for the cash back. I use cash (when DH is not staying with the grands. When he's home he fills up my car for me.)

 

[Jerry1]

I only use Costco. If I get caught needing gas and there’s a discount for cash (extra for credit card), I get something like $20 and use cash. I don’t like that you can’t fill up using cash without making two trips inside to the cashier.

 

[Midpack]

To each his/her own. I’ll bet I haven’t used cash for gas in at least 40 years. And is there anyone still using credit cards with no cash back? We get 1-5% off every purchase, varies from merchant and month all the time but often 2-4%. So the service charge is a wash more or less…

 

[Texas Proud]

We have a Sam's Club credit card that gives us a 5% rebate on all gas purchases, at any gas station and not just Sam's Club gas stations. The only catch is that you have to use the rebate for Sam's Club purchases but that is easy for us.

So if gas is $3.45 with a 3% surcharge for using a credit card after my 5% rebate I'm paying $3.376.

+1, but to be more correct it does not include gas sold at grocery store gas statioins... so Kroger and for me HEB is out...

 

[O2Bfree]

For gas I always use the Costco card for the 4% discount and also fill up at Costco whenever possible wherever we are.

 

[CardsFan]

Unless we are on a road trip, we always fill up at Sam's Club (less than 3 miles away). The price is almost always at least $0.15 cheaper than the others stations nearby. Last week it was a whopping $0.50 cheaper. And this is not counting any cash back. I can't remember the last time I used cash for gas.

 

[pb4uski]

+1, but to be more correct it does not include gas sold at grocery store gas statioins... so Kroger and for me HEB is out...

I didn't know that but never buy gas at grocery store gas stations so it doesn't apply to me.

 

[ERD50]

...

Now if you have a credit card with a percentage back...that's another animal.

And why wouldn't you? My Costco VISA pays 4% on gas, some do better. Even that is 16 cents on $4.00 gas.

I can barely picture myself ever paying cash for gas, it's been a long, long time.

-ERD50

 

[Midpack]

For gas I always use the Costco card for the 4% discount and also fill up at Costco whenever possible wherever we are.

We used to do the same, now Costco is our second choice as our local grocery store offers compelling fuel points that put gasoline below Costco for us with Visa cash back too.

I don’t prefer to use cash for any purchases, I only do it when it’s a very small amount or there’s no other choice. That’s increasingly rare nowadays, if anything I’m seeing more and more ‘no cash’ places and I’m fine with that.

 

[brett]

Where we live there is no difference in price...cash is the same price as credit card price.

We always use credit cards. It was very convenient way to keep track of expenses when I was writing one of our vehicles off for tax purposes.

We get a 3 percent rebate on our credit card. We do not have go into the store and pay...or line up to pay. Just tap and go at pump.

You cannot use cash at our local Costco gas bars. Tap and go certainly makes the line move much faster.

 

[pacergal]

We have two "name brand" cards that we use, get same as cash, plus two of them honor Safeway points, so even more off if we recently shopped!

 

[Alex The Great]

I use PenFed Platinum rewards credit card to pay for gas, with 5 points cashback (but point cost less than dollar at PenFed). Anyway it does not matter because I don't drive much (working from home for 3+ years) and fill it may be once a month.

 

[Gumby]

I haven't paid cash for gas in over 30 years, I'm sure.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Costco CC with and additional 4% off.

 

[CincyDave]

We have a Sam's Club credit card that gives us a 5% rebate on all gas purchases, at any gas station and not just Sam's Club gas stations. The only catch is that you have to use the rebate for Sam's Club purchases but that is easy for us.

So if gas is $3.45 with a 3% surcharge for using a credit card after my 5% rebate I'm paying $3.376.

We pretty much use Sam's Mastercard for everything. Probably haven't paid cash for gas in 40 years. Too much hassle to go in store and wait in line to pay, etc.
I didn't realize you had to use the Sam's cash at Sam's. You used to be able to go in and get actual greenbacks back, but I guess they changed. No problem using it at Sam's, as you say. Stations around here don't have a credit card surcharge, but have noticed it sometimes when travelling. Still use the card, however for convenience.

 

[OldConch]

None of the places I fill up at give a discount for cash. In a real pinch, I will use ARCO which typically charges extra for using debit/credit but then I use an ARCO gift card bought with a CC at Fry's (Kroger.) So I use my CC with 3% cash back at gas stations most all the time. Usually, there's another dollar per gallon discount because the stations I go to accept Fry's (Kroger) fuel points. Most of those fuel points are acquired by buying gift cards during Fry's 4X fuel points promotions.

No cash discount in our area. During 4x fuel points days, I buy at least $250 worth of Amazon/AirBnB/Delta/Southwest gift cards at Fred Meyer (Kroger) each month using a credit card that I'm working on a sign up bonus. That gives us $1 off up to 35 gallons. Once a month DW and I will drive down to the Fred Meyer and fill up both cars. That's a 25% discount at current prices plus $250 spend towards a sign up bonus. I've got a couple of 5 gallon gas cans that I bring along to make sure we get our 35 gallons.

 

[N02L84ER]

We usually fill up at Sam's Club. There is no cash price listed. The closest station that has a cash price that I know is 9 miles away. Sam's is only 3 miles and located near our favorite restaurants and stores. Looking at Gas Buddy, most stations are charging between $4.15 to $4.29 in our area, the cash gas station is listed as $3.89, and Sam's Club is listed as $3.73. We will continue to use Sam's Club.

 

[Sunset]

I regularly use a reward cc.
I think it's better as cash at a gas station only makes them a target for criminals.
Years ago the clerk was knifed to death during a robbery, at our neighborhood station.

 

[athena53]

I rarely pay cash for anything. I was pretty disgruntled when the Post Office where I went to send a package this morning had a malfunctioning self-service machine and then I found that the clerk I approached after waiting in line had a Cash Only sign (probably a related computer problem).

So yeah, I have the Costco card and use that 100%. I also like that on road trips when I buy snacks at the attached convenience store that typically gets classified as a gas purchase as well!

The Upside app looks like too much trouble. I don't want an app to tell me where to go- I want the most convenient place and, if I'm traveling, one with a convenience store that has healthier food choices. I see some now with discounts for cash- a few digital highway signs alternate between Cash and Credit prices- but I go for credit cards so I don't have to deal with the clerk inside.