How To Save On Gas Prices
Gas prices keep going up, and in order to handle these costs rising, there are a few ways to save.
Buy the Cheapest Gas
One of the quickest ways to immediately save money is by finding the cheapest prices in your area. The most updated web site that can give you the cheapest local gas prices is GasBuddy.com.
Speed Optimization
Changing your speed in the car burns gas faster. So driving at a constant rate (such as on highways/freeways) will save you some extra gas. 35-55 MPH is the speed at which most cars burn gas most efficiently, so driving far above those speeds can burn gas much faster and cost you extra money.
Keep Your Car Happy
That's right - keep your car in tip-top condition, and it will run more smoothly and burn gas more efficiently. Change your oil regularly, keep your tires filled, and your car mileage will be better for it.
Get A Gas Credit Card
One of the ways to save money on gas that's growing in popularity is to start using a Gas Credit Card - that is, a credit card that gives you cash back bonuses when you use it to buy gas. Most of these cards start with a 0% APR for a limited time. The APR after this limited time will jump to anywhere between 10% and 20%, although the majority of these cards go above 13% APR. After some searching, the best card to get cash back bonuses for your gas purchases is the Discover card:
Discover: Platinum Gas Card
You get a full 5% back on your first $1200 in expenses on gasoline. With the prices where they are, that's 10-20 cents/gallon you can save. You can trade this cash back bonus in for a gift card to double your bonus amount. In addition to that, the 0% APR is offered for a full year, and then goes up to as low as 10.99%. The cash rewards don't expire.
How NOT To Save On Gas
Pre-Paid Gas Cash Cards
Have you seen any sites or emails that shout "Congratulations!" and offer you a $50 (or more) pre-paid gas cash card? Sure, you can get the card, AFTER you:
- Give your e-mail address - This is almost begging for spam. Your address will be used for future advertising bits, so if you sign up, be prepared for that. And if you give a fake address, you won't get the "free" card.
- Complete X number of offers - This means you have to try free trial offers, or sign up for and use a new credit card. Some of these offers actually require you to make a purchase.
- Print and mail in a voucher - This is AFTER you finish all the offers required, and it must be done within 90 days (or less). Then they'll send you the "gift" in 6 to 8 weeks.
BioPerformance Pills
You may have seen these around. It's often advertised as a way to save 25% on gas, or something similar. The ads are everywhere because this is one of the latest in MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) schemes taking advantage of people worried about gas prices. If you've never heard of MLM, it's just like a pyramid scheme. There has not been any proof yet that these pills do anything. The same results they claim? They can be achieved by taking good care of your car.
It's highly recommended you avoid these. It's best to use the methods we've listed above to save your gas money. If you sign up for a credit card (such as Discover), make sure it's one that you have a good reason to sign up for. The "free" pre-paid gas cash card gives a one-time bonus which is less than two tanks full, but a credit card builds cash back every time you fill your tank.
Be careful about how you save your gas money. You can lose time and money if you choose bad methods. But if you take care to use legitimate saving methods, you'll be regularly saving money on gasoline!
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