The fastest way to find cheaper gas is a price-tracking app or website that shows you stations within a few miles
Gas prices change daily and vary by location, sometimes by 20 or 30 cents per gallon between stations just a few blocks apart. Rather than driving around guessing, you can check current prices at nearby stations before you leave home. Apps like GasBuddy, Waze, and GetUpside let you search by your location and sort by price. Many also show which stations are currently cheapest in your area and how recently the price was updated.
The trade-off is that you are trading time spent driving for time spent looking at your phone first. If the cheapest station is across town, you may burn more gas getting there than you save. A station that is 10 cents cheaper but three miles away is usually not worth the trip. Most people find the best balance by checking prices for stations on their regular route — the way they drive to work or to the grocery store anyway.
Key Takeaways
- GasBuddy, Waze, and GetUpside show real-time gas prices at stations near you, updated by other drivers or the stations themselves.
- Warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club often have lower per-gallon prices, but you need a membership and they may be farther away.
- Paying with a rewards credit card or fuel rewards program can save 3 to 10 cents per gallon, which adds up over time.
- Prices are lowest mid-week and highest on weekends and holidays, so timing your fill-up can save money even at the same station.
How price-tracking apps work and which ones to use
GasBuddy is the largest gas price database in the United States. You enter your location or allow the app to use your GPS, and it shows you prices at stations within a radius you choose — usually 1 to 10 miles. Prices are crowdsourced, meaning other drivers report them when they fill up, so they may be a few hours or a day old. GasBuddy also has a rewards program that gives you points toward discounts at certain stations.
Waze, owned by Google, shows gas prices alongside its driving directions. If you are already using Waze to navigate, you can see prices without switching apps. Waze updates are also crowdsourced and tend to be fresher in busy areas where more drivers are using the app.
GetUpside is a cashback app that pays you a percentage of what you spend at participating stations. You take a photo of your receipt after you fill up, and the app credits money back to your account. The cashback rate varies by station and time — sometimes 10 cents per gallon, sometimes less — but it stacks on top of whatever price you already found.
Warehouse clubs and membership stations
Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's Wholesale all run their own gas stations and typically charge 10 to 30 cents less per gallon than nearby commercial stations. The catch is that you need an active membership to buy gas there, and the membership costs money — Costco Gold Star membership is around $65 per year, Sam's Club Plus is around $110 per year. The savings add up quickly if you fill up regularly, but if you only buy gas a few times a month, the membership may not pay for itself.
These stations also tend to have fewer pumps and longer lines during peak hours, especially on weekends. If you are already a member for groceries or other shopping, the gas savings are a bonus. If you are considering membership only for gas, do the math: if you drive 12,000 miles per year in a car that gets 25 miles per gallon, you buy 480 gallons. At 20 cents per gallon cheaper, that is $96 in savings — more than the Costco membership but less than Sam's Club.
Rewards programs and credit cards that lower your per-gallon cost
Many gas stations run their own rewards programs. Shell, Chevron, Speedway, and others offer cards or app-based programs where you earn points on every gallon you buy, then redeem them for discounts. The savings are usually 3 to 10 cents per gallon once you have accumulated enough points. These programs are free to join and require no membership fee.
Some credit cards offer cash back on gas purchases — typically 2 to 5 percent depending on the card. If you pay with a card that gives 3 percent cash back on gas, a $50 fill-up earns you $1.50 back. Over a year, that adds up. The downside is that you need good credit to may have access to for these cards, and you should only use them if you pay off the balance monthly — interest charges will erase any savings.
You can combine strategies: use a rewards credit card at a warehouse club station, then use the station's own rewards program on top of that. The savings stack, though the benefit depends on how often you fill up and which cards and programs you have access to.
Why gas prices vary by day and time of week
Gas prices are lowest on Tuesday and Wednesday and highest on Friday through Sunday. This pattern holds most weeks because demand is lower mid-week — fewer people are driving for leisure — and higher on weekends. Prices also spike around holidays when more people travel. If you can shift your fill-up by a day or two, you may save 10 to 20 cents per gallon.
Prices also change based on crude oil costs, which fluctuate daily based on global supply and demand. A single refinery outage or geopolitical event can move prices across an entire region overnight. This is why checking an app the morning you plan to fill up is more useful than remembering a price from yesterday.
Strategies that do not actually save money
Topping off your tank — filling it completely instead of stopping at half — does not save money on gas itself, but it does mean you fill up less often, which can save time. However, carrying extra weight in your car uses slightly more fuel, so the math is roughly neutral.
Using premium or mid-grade gas when your car is designed for regular does not make gas cheaper; it costs more. Check your owner's manual or the inside of your fuel door to see what octane your car requires. Using a higher octane than required wastes money and provides no benefit.
Driving to a station across town because it is 5 cents cheaper usually costs more in gas than you save. A rough rule: if the cheaper station is more than a mile away, the savings probably do not justify the drive.
How to use this information without spending more time than you save
The most practical approach for most people is to check prices on your regular route before you leave home, using whichever app is already on your phone. If you pass a station that is noticeably cheaper on your way to work or errands, fill up there. If you are a member of a warehouse club anyway, buy gas there when you are already shopping. If you have a credit card with gas rewards, use it. These small habits compound over months and years without requiring extra trips or planning.
Spending 10 minutes a week hunting for the absolute cheapest gas in your area probably saves you $5 to $10 per month — less than the value of your time. Spending 30 seconds checking an app before you head out is usually worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do gas prices really vary that much between nearby stations?
Yes. In the same city, prices can differ by 30 to 50 cents per gallon between stations a mile apart. This happens because stations set their own prices based on their costs, local competition, and brand. A Shell station and a generic station on opposite corners of an intersection may have different prices.
Is it worth joining a warehouse club just for gas?
Only if you fill up at least once a week. If you drive 12,000 miles per year and get 25 miles per gallon, you buy 480 gallons. At 20 cents cheaper per gallon, that is $96 in annual savings. Costco membership costs about $65, so you come out ahead. Sam's Club membership costs more, so you would need to save more per gallon or fill up more often.
Can I use multiple rewards programs at the same time?
Yes. You can use a gas station's own rewards program and pay with a credit card that gives cash back on gas. The rewards and cash back both explore. However, read the terms — some programs exclude certain payment methods or cap rewards during promotional periods.
What time of day is gas cheapest?
Prices are set by the station and usually change once per day, often in the early morning. There is no consistent pattern within a single day. The bigger savings come from filling up on Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Friday or Saturday.
Do I need to use premium gas to get better mileage?
No. Premium gas costs more and provides no benefit unless your car's engine is designed to run on it. Check your owner's manual or the fuel door label. Using premium in a regular-fuel car wastes money and does not improve mileage or performance.