Gasoline prices are still slightly cheaper than this time a year ago, but they\u2019ve been inching up this week. At about $3.51 as of Friday, a gallon of regular costs just a penny less than it did at the same time in 2023, according to AAA.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still some uncertainty ahead, given the record 60 million travelers who were expected to hit the road around the Independence Day holiday, driving up demand. And Hurricane Beryl is forecast to head toward South Texas, where major refiners are based.<\/p>\n
Whatever direction gas prices may take after the holiday weekend, there\u2019s no reason not to stretch your dollar as far as it will go at filling stations this summer. Here\u2019s where to look for savings.<\/p>\n
Many drivers can find fuel deals where they buy their groceries, said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the accounting and consultancy firm RSM. Retailers such as Target and Walmart announced a wave of discounting last month, and \u201cgasoline is part of that\u201d at many of those stores, said Brusuelas \u2014 who expects gas prices to trend broadly lower the rest of this year.<\/p>\n
Walmart has been heavily promoting its Walmart Plus annual membership, which includes fuel savings of up to 10 cents per gallon at more than 13,000 stations at Walmart, Sam\u2019s Club, Murphy Express and other retail sites. Last month it wrapped a weeklong promotion that doubled that discount for members filling up at Exxon or Mobil stations. And from July 5 to 18, new members can pay only $49 for their first year \u2014 half the usual price.<\/p>\n
Kroger, which has been quietly expanding its loyalty program, also launched a special through Tuesday in which customers get four times the \u201cfuel points\u201d when they use most third-party gift cards. Some have saved as much as 14% on gas.<\/p>\n
Savvy consumers might find ways to multiply those savings. For example, if a store or a gas station is running a promotion, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate, you can pay for that purchase with a credit card that offers rewards, taking advantage of two perks at once.<\/p>\n
Just be sure to check your cards\u2019 rotating cash-back categories, he said: Starting this month, for example, Chase Freedom Flex customers get 5% off gas purchases through September.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure that you are aware of when these categories fall, because then you can use the optimal card,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rossman acknowledged that \u201cnot everyone is an optimizer\u201d when it comes to coupons and discounts. If looking up gas promotions online or keeping track of numerous cash-back categories feels overwhelming, he advises defaulting to a 2% cash back card for savings \u201cacross the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do need to know yourself and how much complexity you\u2019re willing to take on,\u201d Rossman said. \u201cConsider it relative to cash or debit, where you\u2019re probably not getting any rewards at all. These things can add up over the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mobile apps can also help you save gas money, he said: Many stores offer their own to help streamline special offers, and other standalone apps, such as Upside \u2014 which can net users up to $20 per month from gas purchases alone \u2014 aggregate deals and reward customers accordingly.<\/p>\n
The days of printing out step-by-step driving route instructions from MapQuest are long over, but consider TripTik, AAA\u2019s travel-planning app: After you plug in your start and stop coordinates, it will display stations along the way, as well as their pump rates for the day.<\/p>\n
In many cases, \u201cthere\u2019s a huge difference in gas prices between stations\u201d that are very close to each other, said Andy Gross, a AAA spokesperson. \u201cIt\u2019s really quite something.\u201d<\/p>\n
The car will always do a better job at maintaining speeds consistently than your right foot, guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Ivan Drury, director of insights, Edmunds<\/cite><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Google Maps users can also switch on the app\u2019s eco-friendly route feature, which recommends more fuel-efficient paths that minimize hills and stop-and-go traffic patterns, which can gobble up gas. Most vehicles also come with an \u201ceco mode\u201d that limits how readily your car accelerates when you hit the gas and shuts off energy-consuming features.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that they\u2019re always tuning,\u201d Ivan Drury, director of insights at the auto research firm Edmunds, said of carmakers. \u201cEco mode actually smooths out your driving for you,\u201d helping stretch out gas mileage, he said. Cruise control \u2014 increasingly bolstered by autonomous technology \u2014 can have a similar effect.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car will always do a better job at maintaining speeds consistently than your right foot, guaranteed,\u201d Drury said, \u201cand it always has better fuel economy than if you were trying to do it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Much of the fuel economy wisdom that was yelled at you as a teenager still holds true, with some important caveats.<\/p>\n In addition to driving smoothly and not speeding, it helps to keep your vehicle in good repair, Drury said. The cost of vehicle maintenance remains high \u2014 it\u2019s still up more than 10% from a year ago, despite having ticked down slightly in May for the first time all year \u2014 but even minor issues like weak tire pressure, dirty air filters or low oil levels can drag down your fuel economy or devour any savings you might be finding at the pump.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a lot more costly to have to replace or repair major systems with your vehicle,\u201d Drury said. \u201cA little more pain now is going to save you a lot of pain in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Also consider what your car is carrying \u2014 especially things that interfere too much with its weight or wind shear. Lots of drivers might have cashed in recently on dealer specials, like pulling the trigger on customized SUVs with features like extra roof railings or crossbars. If you aren\u2019t using it, take it off, Drury said: \u201cAnything added to your vehicle that has wind resistance, those sap up fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n As it turns out, however, there is some parental guidance we can chuck. Driving with the windows up and the AC blasting? Not necessarily bad for fuel economy anymore. Not only have federal regulations created more efficient cooling systems, but driving faster than around 50 mph with the windows down can create more drag, Drury said.<\/p>\n And unless you drive a performance luxury vehicle or an actual race car, paying for premium gas probably isn\u2019t worth it. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t say \u2018required\u2019 or \u2018recommended,\u2019 don\u2019t do it. You\u2019re wasting money,\u201d Drury said.<\/p>\n For consumers who want the best fuel economy without going full EV, there are few better options than a hybrid vehicle. Sales of hybrids, once seen as a stop on the road to a fully electric future, surged 53% from 2022 to last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen a massive uptick in this humble hybrid,\u201d Drury said. \u201c[It has] all the conveniences of high fuel-economy ease, no change of lifestyle and none of the downsides that come along with EV ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of automakers are discounting models through the Fourth of July weekend, including Kia, with a lease rebate of around $3,000 for the 2023 Sorento Hybrid, and Ford, which is offering a cash rebate of up to $2,000 if you buy its hybrid 2024 F-150 truck. Terms and amounts vary regionally, so be sure to check the details with your dealership.<\/p>\n Those driving long distances in hybrids can face similar headaches as EV owners, like surge pricing at charging stations, Drury warned. Still, he said, \u201cif you plan out your trip accordingly, you can definitely save more money and frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gasoline prices are still slightly cheaper than this time a year ago, but they\u2019ve been inching up this week. At about $3.51 as of Friday, a gallon of regular costs just a penny less than it did at the same time in 2023, according to AAA. There\u2019s still some uncertainty ahead, given the record 60 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}