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Save Money on Gas: Quick Tricks to Beat Price Spikes at the Pump

By Peter Butler | March 21st, 2022

Increased demand, seasonal requirements and the war in Ukraine have recently pushed gas prices to record highs. The US national average is now $4.25 per gallon, and California fares the worst at $5.86, according to AAA.

While you can't control the price of oil, you don't need to feel helpless in the face of burgeoning gas costs. There's never been a better time to improve your fuel efficiency or become a gasoline bargain hunter, and plenty of online sites and tools can help.

Read on to learn about methods for saving money at the gas pump, including gas trackers, discounted and free gas cards, improved fuel efficiency, rewards programs and club memberships.

Get Money Back from Gas Credit Cards and Fuel Rewards Programs
If you're spending $60 to $75 every time you fill up your gas tank, there's a benefit in receiving a percentage of that money back via gas station or credit-card reward programs. Check out CNET's best gas credit cards to find one that will work for you.

Major gas stations also offer credit cards and reward programs that promise to save you money with each fill-up by giving you a percentage back. For example, Speedy Rewards offers a $25 gift card for 500 points, which equals 50 gallons of gas. At $4.25 a gallon, that's nearly 12% back. 

Shell and BP claim you'll save at least 5 cents per gallon with their respective reward programs, and ExxonMobil says you'll get at least 3 cents off. Be sure to review the terms of each program to see exactly what percentage of your gas spending you'll be getting back.

Supermarket chains Safeway and Kroger also offer rewards programs that will save you money on gas. With both programs, for every $100 you spend on groceries you'll get 10 cents off gas the next time you fill up. Kroger works with Shell and Kroger Fuel Centers, while Safeway's program works with Chevron, Texaco and Safeway stations.
 

Increase Your Fuel Efficiency

Another way to save money on gas is to make sure you're maximizing the number of miles your vehicle travels per gallon. First, check your tires: the US Department of Energy estimates that properly inflated tires can boost gas mileage by 3%. At current prices, that level of improved efficiency could save you almost 13 cents per gallon.

Google Maps can also boost your miles per gallon by recommending certain routes that avoid hills and traffic, resulting ideally in more constant driving speeds. Fuel-efficient routes are available on the mobile Android and iOS apps, though the feature hasn't been rolled out to all users yet. To turn on fuel efficiency in Google Maps -- if it's not on already -- tap the three dots on the directions screen, then tap "Route options" and toggle the "Prefer fuel-efficient routes" option on.

Other fuel-tracking mobile apps like Fuelio and JerryCan provide methods for improving your fuel efficiency as well as tracking gas prices at stations. JerryCan claims that drivers using its app can improve their fuel efficiency by up to 20%, which equates to saving a whopping 87 cents per gallon at today's prices.

Finally, hypermiling (the practice of wringing the maximum distance from every gallon of gas) is no longer relegated to fringe enthusiasts. CNET Brian Cooley explains how regular drivers can adapt extreme hypermiling techniques to increase their own fuel efficiency.