Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Stretching Your Dollars / Gas Prices

Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 1 of 2

by

As the gas prices continue to rise, I am seeking options to lower the price I pay at the pump. To help stretch our dollars, I use the fuelperks! program at Bi-Lo, a local grocery store chain located in the Southeastern United States. Bi-Lo has joined forces with the The Spinx Corporation, a chain of gas stations serving North and South Carolina.

Bi-Lo and Spinx Promotion

Here is how our program works:

When I make a purchase at Bi-Lo, I earn fuelperks! for each dollar spent. For example, I go shopping at Bi-Lo and scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard at checkout. I purchase $47.55 of product, use $21.26 in coupons, and pay $26.59 (including tax) out of pocket. I receive a printed receipt stating that I have earned $26.59 toward my next fuel purchase.

After I have purchased $50 in product at Bi-Lo, then I earn $.05 per gallon in fuelperks!. At my next shopping trip to Bi-Lo, I scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard, purchase $56.76 in product, use $32.36 in coupons, and pay $24.46 (including tax) out of pocket. My receipt will print showing I have earned $.05 per gallon in fuelperks!, and I have earned $1.05 toward my next fuel purchase.

I can also stack my fuelperks! earnings. Bi-Lo runs fuelperks! bonuses where you can purchase a set of items in one transaction and earn additional cents per gallon. One such bonus was purchase $20 in Huggies diapers and earn $.20 per gallon. I paired the Huggies diaper sale with coupons and the fuelperks! bonus to increase my fuelperks! earnings. I had enough coupons for 2 transactions, so I earned $.45 the morning I shopped. (I earned the $.40 for the Huggies transactions. I then earned an additional $.05 since my out of pocket spent reached $50.) Having already earned $.10 per gallon the previous weeks, I had a total earned of $.55 per gallon in fuelperks!

By earning $.05 off or $.55 off per gallon, I am able to go to a Spinx station, and purchase gas at a discount. As my gas gauge lowers toward empty, I choose a nearby Spinx station to purchase fuel. At the pump, I scan my Bi-Lo BonusCard.

TIP: I must use the credit card sized version rather than the keychain version. The keychain version will not fit in the outside card readers. I just carry the larger BonusCard in my wallet. If you don’t have the larger BonusCard, then you will need to pay the cashier in advance. You will want to pay more than you plan to pay to be sure you get the full discount. You don’t want to pay $50 and find that to fill your tank would cost $60. You will only get the discount on the gas pumped with your $50 payment. When you overpay, you can return to the cashier for a refund of your overpayment.)

Once the gas pump computer recognizes my BonusCard, the display indicates a discount. (Unfortunately, I have not used a Spinx that displays the amount off at the pump.) I then swipe my credit card and pump the gas. After replacing the nozzle, I check my printed receipt. I will then notice that instead of paying $3.70 per gallon, I paid $3.65 per gallon ($3.70 minus the $.05 Fuelperks! discount) or $3.15 per gallon ($3.70 minus the $.55 fuelperks! discount). The result of my $.55 per gallon discount was a savings of $11.

The fuelperks! expire. I will lose my fuelperks! discount if I have not used them within 3 months. After earning your $.05, then you have 3 months to use them. If you earn an additional $.15 in 3 weeks, then you have 3 months from then to use them. It is possible to lose $.05, but then be able to use the other $.15. Having the savings at hand, I assume you would be using them sooner rather than later.

Fuelperks! is limited to 20 gallons. When I use the fuelperks! at the Spinx station, the pump will cut off at 20 gallons. If you need more fuel, you will need to start another transaction.

Fuelperks! can only be used in one transaction. Once you swipe your card or have the cashier access your fuelperks!, then that discount is gone. You cannot use 15 gallons in one transaction and then use 5 in another. Once you access your fuelperks!, your amount earned returns to $0. To stretch my dollars, I wait to fill up when my tank is almost empty.

When the program first began, I did not receive any information about the program. I just noticed the savings at the bottom of my receipt. As cashiers would indicate my fuelperks! savings, I inquired about the program. From numerous conversations and using the program, I have perfected my system for maximizing my savings with the resources at hand. Next week, I will share how I have used this program and found additional ways to stretch my dollars.

Do you have a fuel program near you? If you do and you don’t use it, try it! A little savings here and little there adds up. I hope you can fuel your vehicle with a little savings to help stretch your hard earned dollars.

Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 2 of 2

by


Bi-Lo and Spinx Gas Program

Last week, I shared the basics of the Bi-Lo/Spinx partnership program called fuelperks!. For each $50 purchased in products at Bi-Lo, I earn $.05 off per gallon. I can then purchase my fuel at Spinx to redeem that discount. The fuelperks! program is also available through Winn-Dixie, Martin’s, Copps, Pick ‘n Save, Giant Eagle and Rainbow.

To maximize my savings through the fuelperks! program, I give you these additional tips:

Purchase items in the fuelperks! bonuses. I can earn more fuelperks! by purchasing these items. I shared last week how I purchased the Huggies diapers and earned an additional $.40 in fuelperks!. I like to scan the fuelperks! bonuses, but I only purchase items that our family will use and that I can pair with coupons. For me, paying much more at the grocery store for a small savings at the pump is not worth it. Now if I can get the product at the same price I would normally pay and then get the bonus on top, then yes, I will pay at the grocery store for those items.

Not all Spinx stores are the same. I always use a credit card to pay for our fuel purchases. I do not like to carry cash, and I don’t want a hold placed on my debit card. Since my credit limits on my credit cards handle the holds on the accounts, I choose to use a credit card when purchasing gas. With that said, most of the Spinx stores charge an additional $.10 if you pay by credit card. If you purchase your fuel at one of these locations, then your savings decreases by $.10. Since I am visiting their location to use my fuelperks!, I am not going to fork over $.10 of my savings to their establishment to use my credit card. I have found that the Spinx/Sunoco stores do not charge extra for credit. Their gas prices are about $.02-$.04 more per gallon than the regular Spinx stores, but there is no surcharge for using a credit card. With this knowledge, I always choose a Spinx/Sunoco store when redeeming my fuelperks!.

Pump all 20 gallons. If your gas tank is smaller than 20 gallons, then get creative! When the low fuel indicator light comes on in my car, the tank will take 16 gallons of fuel. To take full advantage of the discount, I will pump my tank full and then pump the remaining 4 gallons into our portable gas container used for the lawnmower. Another option is for my husband to follow me to the gas station in his car. We could then fill up one car and use the remaining available gallons in the second car. By pumping all 20 gallons, we are assured of maximizing our savings.

Use before expiration date. If I have saved and earned these rewards, I do not want to lose them. I will build up my savings, and then head to the pump when my car is near empty. Since I can find gas less expensively at other stations, I only use Spinx to redeem my fuelperks!. To stretch my dollars, I will build up my fuelperks! savings, and then get a deep discount on one tank of gas. The rest of the time, I purchase fuel at another location that is usually $.05 to $.07 less expensive.

If you have a fuelperks! program or another similar program available in your area, I hope these tips and tricks that I have learned along the way can help you stretch your dollars as you fill your tank.

Gas: Murphy USA Coupon and gasbuddy.com

by

With the fluctuating prices of gas, most individuals are looking for ways to stretch their dollars at the pump. For the last two weeks, I have shared how I maximize the fuelperks! program to stretch our dollars: Part 1 and Part 2. Another option for saving on fuel is to find coupons. Though I have not found many coupons, there are some out there.

Jenny over at Southersavers.com posted how to get $2 off a $20 gas purchase at Murphy USA gas stations in her post Major Gas Discount from Murphy USA. To get this coupon you must register with Foursquare, a web site that allows you to ping back your location via a downloaded app on your phone. If you are comfortable signing up for this free web site to get the coupon, then go for it.

Since I don’t feel comfortable “checking-in” with my exact location and I want to stretch my dollars at the pump, I check www.gasbuddy.com. By searching by state and zip code, I can locate the best gas prices in my area. If you will be traveling this summer, this web site can help you stretch your dollars while you’re away from home.

Please leave a comment with other ways to save and stretch our dollars while filling up our fuel tanks.

Gas: Walmart Promotion

by

Photograph Credit: Walmart

Are you looking for ways to save at the pump? I am! With the fuelperks! program through our local Bi-Lo, I was able to save $.70 per gallon on my last refill. Of course, I pumped all 20 gallons, 16 gallons into my vehicle’s gas tank and the remaining 4 gallons into our gas container. Even with the promotion, I still paid over $50 for a tank of gas. Yikes! I’m probably dating myself, but I still remember when gas was $.87 a gallon. (I guess those days are l-o-n-g gone.)

With gas prices remaining above $3 a gallon (here in South Carolina, USA), every little bit of savings helps keep the out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum. In an effort to stretch hard earned dollars, Walmart is offering customers, at participating Murphy USA and Walmart gas stations, a savings of 10 cents a gallon. To take advantage of this deal:

  1. Visit Walmart’s announcement to find a participating location,
  2. Use a Walmart card: reloadable gift card, MoneyCard, or credit card, and
  3. Purchase gas between now and September 30, 2011.

This promotion requires a little advanced planning (purchasing or obtaining a qualifying Walmart card and finding a location), but using your time wisely to prepare for your visit can stretch your dollars at the pump.

Do you have a great tip for stretching your dollars? If so, please share in the comments.

Fuelperks!: Saving $17 at the Gas Pump without Coupons

by

Photograph Credit: fuelperks!

With gas prices rising again, I value the points I earn towards fuelperks! by shopping at Bi-Lo. The fuelperks! program allows us to  stretch our dollars as we fill up our vehicles.

Since the gas stations that accept the fuelperks! rewards tend to add a $.03 to $.05 fee per gallon for using a credit card, I choose to allow our points to build until the rewards are about to expire.

During March, I needed to use our fuelperks! before losing $.20. So, I waited until the van’s gas gauge indicator light dinged at me. Then I took our empty gas can, which we use to fill the lawn mower, and I headed to the gas station to redeem our fuelperks!.

After swiping my loyalty card and credit card, I filled the van’s gas tank and then pumped the remaining 3-4 gallons into our gas container. The total for our 20 gallons of gas came to $51.98 or $2.59 per gallon – a savings of $17! Our fuelperks! discount was $.85 off per gallon! By saving up our rewards, we continue using time wisely to stretch our dollars while filling up at the gas pump.

Click on Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 1 and Fuelperks!: Lowering Gas Prices at the Pump – Part 2 for more information on the fuelperks! program. Another helpful post is the Krazy Coupon Lady’s 5 Strategies for Saving on Gas.

As we continue to drive from place to place, consider ways you can stretch your dollars to gas up your vehicle while using time wisely. Happy savings!

Question: What gas programs are available to you?