Poll:Do You Actively Comparison Shop For Gasoline?

[Midpack]

Except on very long trips, we always use GasBuddy or another gas finder app to see where we can buy gasoline the cheapest every time we fill either of our cars. We know from experience which stations all around us usually have lower prices (like Costco) and there’s a limit to how far out of our way we’ll drive to save, say 5-10 miles since that offsets savings. And we’re in the habit of noting gas prices at stations near us whenever we’re out even when we don’t need to refuel.

I realize some folks never use apps or other tools just fill up wherever they are without much regard for $/gal other than maybe comparing stations within sight of each other. And I don’t know if it’s still common but I know some folks used to just go to their “regular station,” near home or work, without comparison shopping.

So I wondered how common it is to comparison shop for auto gas/diesel? I guess using apps or other software may be the best determinant?

I wanted to add saving by conserving gas (e.g. consolidating trips, high MPG cars, etc.) but I decided to keep this poll simple.

 

[RE2Boys]

I check a gas price app regularly, but will only go about two miles out of my way to save on gas. But I like to be aware of what parts of town have lower prices so if have other errands in that area, I'll stop to fill up if I'm down to a quarter tank or so. Our regularly lower price area is on my way to church, so most Sunday mornings I'll stop to fill-up. Only place currently lower is Sam's Club, but currently not a memeber (no Costco).

 

[DrRoy]

I have historically been a fanatic about finding cheap gas. Now, I am less so, as I realize that the difference is often no more than a dollar or two, and do not go to any trouble over it.

 

[Bestwifeever]

At this point in our lives we don’t comparison shop for much of anything. We’re not buying a lot of big ticket items, so we buy what we like. We buy gas at a small station in our town’s center or at Costco and we’ve actually never paid attention to the price.

PS your thread title is very different from your poll title. Be sure to tell us now if you only want gas app comments per your poll title.

 

[kitesurfer2]

gas apps only work for regular gas. My car REQUIRES premium, and top shelf premium at that! Most stations add $.60 to regular, some 65 and independents normally $.50. I've seen $.95 added to regular on the interstate.

 

[RunningBum]

I'm the opposite, around home I almost never use apps because I usually know the places that are generally cheapest and just go there, not bothering to save a couple cents based on which is the absolute cheapest. But when traveling and have no idea, I tend to use GasBuddy more especially if I'm near a state line where it could be a big price difference and I have no idea which is best. Not all the time though, especially when I can see prices from the interstate and they are within pennies of what I've been seeing.

 

[braumeister]

gas apps only work for regular gas. My car REQUIRES premium, and top shelf premium at that! Most stations add $.60 to regular, some 65 and independents normally $.50. I've seen $.95 added to regular on the interstate.

Around here, plenty of people note the price of premium gas in the Gas Buddy app, so it's useful.

 

[Red Badger]

We don't bother. Our fleet is two 4 cylinder and one (thrifty) 6 cylinder units. We do shun one BP station in the area that runs 12-15 cents per gallon above the competition. Not sure why anyone would buy gas at that place.

 

[Bigdawg]

I make a mental note of the prices. For the most part prices within a 25 miles radius are never more than 5 cents difference. My truck gets 18 MPG. If I am empty I need 20 gallons. If I save 5 cents per gallon that's a buck. So I drive 9 miles to that cheaper station and then 9 miles back. Cool, spent $2.65 in gas to save a buck. --So I don't do that.

My car get's 33 MPG. Usually put 10 gallons in. Same deal, drive 18 miles to save 50 cents. Spend $1.50 to save 50 cents.

I have worked hard and made good financial decisions on the big three (housing, transportation and food) so I don't have to pinch pennies.

I do know that Thurdays are discount days at the Shell station so If I am at a half a tank or below I will usually stop in there on the way home and fill up. Maybe add's 200 feet to my commute.

 

[Badger]

Back in the old days (in my time frame) when gas was 32 - 34 cents a gallon a 3 cent savings on a 15 gallon tank could save you enough for another gallon and a half of gas or a hamburger and coke or a dozen eggs.


Today that 3 cent savings might almost buy a senior coffee at Mickey Ds. Just not worth the trouble.


However, if I do see a lower price while out on errands I will stop for a fill-up. I just don't go out of my way to search for them. That 45 cents would not even buy 1/6 of a gallon that would only get me 4 miles down the road.


Cheers!

 

[bclover]

Nope.
I'm a creature of habit usually. since I'm doing the p/t thing I get my gas on the way home from church on Sunday for the entire week.

I've never understood the concept of going out of the way to save a few pennies.

 

[folivier]

Naw, I go more for convenience, easy in and out, not crowded, good boudin, etc.
My DW will fight the lines at Racetrac to save a $ or 2.
On trips I'll use gas buddy to find where gas is when we're in remote areas. Some places we've been they are infrequent.
Mostly we don't drive enough anymore to make a difference.

 

[Jerry1]

I use Costco if I’m there or in the area. Otherwise, I don’t shop for gas other than to stay away from the stations by the expressway because they tend to be more expensive. My main gas savings gig is Kroger. You get points for shopping there and can use them to reduce their gas prices in ten cent per gallon increments up to a dollar. We don’t buy enough food to do better that ten or twenty cents, but still, that’s a pretty good savings. The best trick is when they have 4X points on gift cards. When that happens, we buy $250 in gift cards. That gives us 1,000 points, which equals $1 off each gallon of gas. On empty, our cars are 16 and 20 gallons, so we save $16 or $20. It was a lot more fun when I had my truck an a fill up was closer to $25. I’ve taken my gas can with me at times to get an extra 5 gallons, but that gets to be a bit too much of a bother (mostly to remember to take the gas can). I’ve seen people pull two cars up, but that not within the rules. It supposed to be one car up to 35 gallons. So, if I have points, I go to Kroger, next is Costco and beyond that, stay away from the known higher cost places.

Oh, and I won’t pay more to use my credit card. Most places here are ten cents more for a credit card. I’ll use cash to save that much. Kroger doesn’t charge extra even if you don’t have points, neither does Costco. Yet another reason I use them most. With cash, I’ll just put in $20. With my credit card, I’ll fill up.

 

[athena53]

Nope. I have a gas-sipper Sentra and spent under $1,000 on gas last year, including tow road trips from KC to SC and several drives to Des Moines. Not worth it to spend extra time to save a few cents. The only exceptions: my local grocery store has promotions that give you discounts at their gas station and there are 2 convenient to me. I try to use one if I've accumulated a discount. If I need gas on my weekly Costco run I'll buy it there.

 

[Philliefan33]

I know which of my local gas stations usually have lower prices, so will use whichever of them is most convenient when I need to fill up. DH, on the other hand, will check prices online and drive (sometimes out of the way) to find the absolute lowest price. The DD’s and I like to tease him about driving 15 minutes to save 64 cents.

 

[REWahoo]

I do comparison shop for gas (and diesel) along our route of travel both at home and on the road. I won't go out of my way unless the savings is significant, as it was on a recent RV trip where I found diesel $0.40/gal cheaper by driving two miles - and with a 36 gallon tank, that adds up!

While Gas Buddy is OK, I've found this "fuel price mapping" website to be far more comprehensive and up-to-date as it uses actual CC receipts as the source of price information: Fuel Price Mapping

 

[Dtail]

I always use Shell. They have a rewards card where one gets 5 cents off and sometimes 10-30 cents off. The Shell near me was already the cheapest gas besides BJ's and Costco, which are further from me.
Additionally, I use the BOA CC whereby it is 5.25% back.

 

[Ronstar]

Nope. At home, I get gas at the gas station closest to our house. On the road I get gas wherever and whenever it is convenient. We try to couple gas stops with food stops and bathroom breaks along the road we are traveling

 

[pjm-7]

Don't use apps for local gas. I use grocery rewards points for discounts on fuel. I do like gas buddy for road trips to plan fill-ups. Also, I like it for deciding on prepaying for rental car gas. For a spring trip Denver to Portland OR the prepay price was $2.55 while gas in Portland was going for around $3.40.

 

[Car-Guy]

No. Life is to short to worry about pennies. Besides, I have a lifetime discount for a particular brand from a previous employer.

 

[Aiming_4_55]

I use GasBuddy when I travel on road trips or watch for a Flying J, Pilot, or Costco. It can range .25 - .40 cheaper per gallon than brand name stations. We do one or two 5k mile road trips a year, so it can save $50 to $100 per trip. Not a deal breaker on the trip budget, but the frugal mindset looks for reasonable savings. It's usually on the way, so we don't go out of the way for the savings.

 

[Midpack]

PS your thread title is very different from your poll title. Be sure to tell us now if you only want gas app comments per your poll title.

That’s why I attempted to explain in the OP. I can’t think of any better way to comparison shop for gas than using a gas finder. How else would you do it effectively, certainly not driving to many different stations every time you refuel? And I addressed folks who just look at stations within sight of each other, that’s not an effective comparison.

So I wondered how common it is to comparison shop for auto gas/diesel? I guess using apps or other software may be the best determinant?

 

[Midpack]

Gas prices are often $0.20/gal from high to low where we live, sometimes more or less. That works out to savings of about $3.50 with each fill up, or about $125-$150 per year. We don’t go completely out of our way, but tend the plan on buying gas along with other trips or errands, we almost always consolidate trips. Worth it to us. YMMV

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Generally I get gas at the grocery store where I get fuel points. My "comparison shopping" mainly consists of making sure I've maximized the points for the month and coordinating with DW as to which vehicle is closer to empty. Since my truck has a larger tank, I'll usually take the full reward and she'll take the $0.03 discount that doesn't require points.

But I use Gas Buddy to find out which of their local stores has the lowest price. It can vary by a dime per gallon, which doesn't make sense to me in this moderately-sized city.

 

[FIREd]

I don’t comparison shop for gas in the U.S. as it is cheap enough to not make a big difference either way on my budget (gas represents only about 2% of my budget). But in a few months, when I will be living in France, I will probably be more mindful of gas prices as they are 4x higher and gas will represent up to 7% of my budget.

But, except for large ticket items , I rarely compare prices when shopping. If I am happy with the price, I pay it, even if it is not the absolute lowest.