We gassed up at Sheetz in Tappahannock, VA recently and were able to fill up with the 88 for $2.89/gallon. Those wanting regular gas paid $2.99/gallon. We actually seem to get better mileage with the 88, so I don’t mind getting that for less.
Around here at home Sheetz has regular gas for $3.79 and the 88 for $3.59. PA has among the highest gas tax in the nation, so our prices are often higher.
We won’t drive out of our way for cheaper gas though. We’ll only get it if it’s on our way. Even the difference between Tappahannock and here (70 cents per gallon) is just $7 for 10 gallons - not a huge savings, but since we were there, it was appreciated.
If it’s a difference of 10 cents per gallon one is only saving $1 for each 10 gallons. Drive half a gallon further away for cheaper gas and it’s rarely a savings. If it’s on the way, by all means, buy cheaper.
I think the Costco gas savings varies from time to time - maybe region to region - but here at least is rarely even a few cents more than nearby gas stations and has in the past been up to 30 cents/gallon cheaper. More recently I would say the savings has been more like 10-15 cents cheaper.
I’m in the North County SD area. Costco is among the lowest price in gas, but not the lowest. For example, there are currently multiple gas stations in Escondido near $4.20 (see Best Gas Prices & Local Gas Stations in Escondido, CA ). The nearest Costco currently has gas at ~$4.50 (Vista = $4.45, San Marcos = $4.49, Poway = $4.49, Carlsbad = $4.55) . Escondido is much too far out of the way for me to make a trip for gas, but if I happen to be passing through I might choose one of the lower cost gas stations over Costco.
I suspect that Costco charges as low as practical for gas based on their supplier and expenses, rather than trying to price match/beat area gas stations. In contrast, some local gas stations do try match or beat prices of other area stations. Some gas stations go so far as to take a loss on gas. They make up that loss on other items, such as ones sold in convenience store, which often have a high markup. I suspect this contributes to why Son’s and C-stop in Escondido tend to have such low gas prices. They are across the street from one another and try to beat each others’ prices. The article at Escondido gas under $2/gal, lowest in SoCal - Escondido Times-Advocate mentions the 2 Escondido gas stations have “a penny-by-penny gas war” and at the time (2020) had the lowest gas prices in Southern CA.
On cross country trips, I love using the iExit app (free).
To be honest, we don’t focus much on the gas prices listed since there seems to be not much difference near the interstate exits, especially for Premium. But there certainly is potential to use it (or GasBuddy or other apps) to save on gas.
Mainly I use iExit to look 50 miles down the road, plot out our next food/gas stop. Ideally I find a food place my husband (the driver) likes close to the exit and in the same direction as a gas station he likes (he’s picky about using some of the lesser known brands).
I have that $95 Amex card you are referencing and can confirm that you are absolutely correct from experience. In our case, it makes sense because we have four people in our family, including one teen athlete and one entering a growth spurt. Our monthly grocery bill even on a budget is a small fortune. Short of that, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Once you have spent 6k on groceries in a year, you don’t accrue bonus points for the rest of the year. That’s a back-of-the-envelope way to see if it’s worth it to your family.
I’ll add some iExit screenshots/comments, with example of I25 South heading toward Denver. Note that I do this as navigator… would not be safe for driver to do it while moving. Could take a peek though before heading out.
Typically I start scoping out exits for food options “All Food” (In some sections of the country, the choices are few and far between)
Gasbuddy is better than iExit when you just want gas, especially near home. I don’t use it much though because Sam’s seems consistently lower, and we pass it a lot. A new Costco opened a few miles out of the way, and I see now that they are within a penny of each other, no surprise there.
Costco doesn’t have mid-grade (87 octane) gas in Colorado so I don’t go there very often. My mechanic told me to buy ‘better’ gas after my catalytic converter went out. He said like Conoco or Shell.
