5 Easy Ways to Save on Gas

Being an RV enthusiast means you can hop in your rig, get out on the open road, and travel to your chosen destination, all with the comforts of home in tow or surrounding you. But an RV or a tow vehicle needs gas, and a lot of it. Now, the amount of gas that a rig consumes will depend on a great many factors: it’s size and how much it weighs, the type of engine it has, and the type of fuel it requires. Your gas mileage will even be reflected on how you drive your rig. Speeding and driving erratically are two surefire ways for your RV to burn more fuel than it needs to. And we all know that gas is not cheap these days.

So how can an RVer find ways to save money on filling up? Here are a few options!

Join a Warehouse Club

Getting a membership to Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s can give you access to discounted gas prices. Be aware, however, that you can only fill up at certain club locations and most stations are not open 24 hours. Also, there may be a minimum store purchase required. In most cases, the cost of membership and any purchase could be worth the discounted gas but do some math to determine if that will be the case for you.

Download an App

Companies such as GasBuddy operate smartphone apps and websites that help users find the best deals on gas. With a variety of ways to filter your search – for example, you can sort by price, by which stations are closest to you, and even by the type of gas you’re looking for – you can easily compare prices at multiple gas stations in a matter of seconds. The information is crowdsourced, so be sure to check when the last user reported a price for the most accurate numbers.

Buy Groceries

Many grocery stores offer rewards programs that tie back into gas purchases. The SE Grocers Rewards + Fuel Rewards® program, for example, banks a percentage of every purchase you make in store, allowing you to use the discount on gas at Shell stations or on more groceries in the future.

Enroll in Gas Station Loyalty Programs

Gas stations themselves have loyalty programs that can help you save money on fuel the more you shop with a particular brand. Signing up for one of these programs is relatively easy, and all you’ll have to do is swipe a card or enter a member number into the fuel pump every time you gas up. Most programs work similarly to the grocery store programs, where the more you shop, the more you’ll accumulate an amount that can be used to buy discounted gas in the future.

Apply for a Gas Rewards Credit Card

Another option that many RVers take advantage of are credit cards that offer cash back for or discounts on gas purchases. Typically, the more you buy gas (or things like groceries or even food at restaurants), the more cash back (or rewards points, depending on the card) you’ll accrue. Then you can use points to buy credit cards or apply the cash back rewarded to your overall gas budget. Be sure to carefully read the fine print when using credit cards, though, and make sure you understand how the rewards program works.

The good news is you can mix and match a few of these options together for even more savings! What are your favorite ways to save money on gas for your rig? Leave us a comment or contact us today!