Thread: Speedway Gas Stations - Save 6 Cents a Gallon.

I like Bill's idea of not being skimmed. Although I am fortunate that it has not happened to me, Brian has had it happen twice so far. I tend to use credit at the pump (if I have to) BUT, the majority of the time, I only fill up at places that allow me to pump and pay inside after I pump. They are getting harder and harder to find though but they get my business most of the time.

For those that do specifically budget for fuel, it is actually a great idea. Almost like a savings account so to speak. In the end, you might just be able to fill your boat up one or two more times per year. Especially if you budget 100 bucks one week and only use 80. That adds up in just a few short weeks.

Thanks for the idea Aaron.

Rich, those that don't allow you to pump first will let you pre pay with credit. Give them a dollar amount, say 80.00, pump your gas say 75.00 worth, and the balance is automatically refunded to your card.

Originally Posted by spartannation

Rich, those that don't allow you to pump first will let you pre pay with credit. Give them a dollar amount, say 80.00, pump your gas say 75.00 worth, and the balance is automatically refunded to your card.

One of my biggest pet peeves at a gas station is having to walk in to the store, pay, and then walk back out to pump gas, then walk back in.

I asked a friend that owned a store how much money he lost after he changed to (pay first). He said "I never thought about it". A month later he changed is pumps back to allowing you to pump first. The reason is that he found, when requiring people to pay first or pay at the pump, many people would simply pump gas and leave. They would not go in to the store to purchase anything. Many people (myself included) would much rather have one transaction than two. We also don't want to waste time walking back and forth to the store. It was significant as to the amount of money he was losing.

He asked me how I came up with that and I told him (simple), when I am forced to pay first, I pay at the pump and drive away. Even if I want something from the store. You have now given me a choice to shop elsewhere where my money goes further. He isn't making much on gas, gas is the draw that gets people to the store to buy a soda, candy bar, etc.

Also, if you have not noticed, many places charge less money per gallon if you pay with cash. The reason is that they are often left paying for the credit card fee's associated with purchases. They pass this on to the customer in the form of gas increases now.

I've been noticing this more and more lately. I was talking to a local tractor dealership that I purchase stuff from and we were talking about credit card purchases. He tells all his customers up front that, if they are paying by card, he has to charge a 3% fee. He says he does this for a couple of reasons. One, if he put a 3% increase on all his stuff, then he would be punishing the people that pay with cash BUT, if he doesn't charge it, he is the one footing the bill for someone using a card. I pay with cash or a check and he loves it.

I see more and more stores getting ready to do this very thing. We have been forced to use credit/devit cards. Heck, kids don't even know what cash is. What Speedway is doing is keeping the money in house. They are basically turning your CASH into a card so that you don't have to walk in to the store BUT it is not a credit card that incures a fee thus they are knocking off the 3 cents per gallon (3%) increase for a card fee. The bad thing however is that, unlike other stations that are giving a discount for their gas with the 3% tacked on, Speedway is NOT doing this.

So, if you purchase with a card at speedway and gas is 2.80, you pay 2.80. If you pay with cash, it is still 2.80. They love cash payments because they just pocketed the 3% increase for card users that they already added to the price of the fuel (sneaky right)!