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Each time we cover fuel savings here at AwardWallet or in Award Travel 101, readers and followers make it clear there is a strong desire for more information. Paying at the pump is such a common transaction for the majority of us that over time, we're conditioned to accept the price of gas as displayed. I love the idea of challenging that conditioning with a simple way to save on personal fill-ups.
Today, I want to share a series of case studies on everyday drivers who plan to utilize the new Fuel Rewards PRO loyalty program. Hopefully, these personal examples will help clarify the potential savings from using both the personal and PRO version of Fuel Rewards. As a quick reminder, any employee who has their fuel paid for by their employer is a fleet driver and qualifies to use Fuel Rewards PRO. If you drive a company vehicle, drive a personal vehicle and receive reimbursement for gas, or drive a rental vehicle with fuel costs paid by your company, you are a fleet driver.
Here are five case studies of Award Travel 101 members who are varying types of fleet drivers. The savings they could earn are based on their individual work and personal fueling habits.
Name: Levi G.
Occupation: New Home Production Manager
What kind of vehicle do you drive for work? RAM Pick-up
How many times per month do you fill up for work? 10
How many gallons of fuel do you pump for each work fill-up? 28
How many gallons do you pump for each personal fill-up? 17
Monthly Fuel Rewards Savings Earned from Fuel Rewards PRO: 55 cents/gallon (10 fill-ups x 5 cents savings earned per fill-up plus 5 cents/gallon from Fuel Rewards Gold Status)
Monthly Savings on personal fill-ups: $9.35 (17 gallons x 55 cents savings per gallon)
Annual savings: $112.20
Name: Matthew D.
Occupation: Commercial Truck Driver
What kind of vehicle do you drive for work? Freightliner Truck
How many times per month do you fill up for work? 20
How many gallons of fuel do you pump for each work fill-up? 150
How many gallons do you pump for each personal fill-up? 15
Monthly Fuel Rewards Savings Earned from Fuel Rewards PRO: $1.05/gallon (20 fill-ups x 5 cents savings earned per fill-up plus Gold Status)
Monthly Savings on personal fill-ups: $15.75 (15 gallons x $1.05 savings per gallon)
Annual savings: $189
Name: Jason D.
Occupation: IT Consultant
What kind of vehicle do you drive for work? Rental cars
How many times per month do you fill up for work? 10
How many gallons of fuel do you pump for each work fill-up? 20
How many gallons do you pump for each personal fill-up? 20
Monthly Fuel Rewards Savings Earned from Fuel Rewards PRO: 55 cents/gallon (10 fill-ups x 5 cents savings earned per fill-up plus Gold Status)
Monthly Savings on personal fill-ups: $11 (20 gallons x 55 cents savings per gallon)
Annual savings: $132
Name: Julie W.
Occupation: Social Worker
What kind of vehicle do you drive for work? RAM Pick-up
How many times per month do you fill up for work? 8
How many gallons of fuel do you pump for each work fill-up? 12
How many gallons do you pump for each personal fill-up? 10
Monthly Fuel Rewards Savings Earned from Fuel Rewards PRO: 45 cents/gallon (8 fill-ups x 5 cents savings earned per fill-up plus Gold Status)
Monthly Savings on personal fill-ups: $4.50 (10 gallons x 45 cents savings per gallon)
Annual savings: $54
Name: Srinivasu S.
Occupation: Physical Therapist
What kind of vehicle do you drive for work? Subaru Outback
How many times per month do you fill up for work? 6
How many gallons of fuel do you pump for each work fill-up? 15
How many gallons do you pump for each personal fill-up? 25
Monthly Fuel Rewards Savings Earned from Fuel Rewards PRO: 35 cents/gallon (6 fill-ups x 5 cents savings earned per fill-up plus Gold Status)
Monthly Savings on personal fill-ups: $7* (20 gallons x 35 cents savings per gallon)
Annual savings: $84
* Remember savings for personal fill-ups are limited to 20 gallons. Even though Srinivasu uses 25 gallons per personal fill-up, he will cap out at $6 savings per fill-up with 30 cents/gallon savings on 20 gallons.
Maximize Your Savings
Remember, the savings demonstrated above require no more than 30 seconds of additional effort each time you head to the gas station. Simply fill up at a participating Shell station and enter your PRO ID into the pump before starting each work fill-up. In exchange for the amount of time it takes to enter the PRO ID you'll earn another 5 cents/gallon savings for your next personal fill-up and there are no limits on the amount of savings you can earn. If you really want to maximize your Fuel Rewards program savings, make sure you also follow these tips:
- Try and fill up as close to 20 gallons as possible. Once you use your personal Fuel Rewards savings, they are gone whether you pump one gallon or 20 gallons. Need gas for the lawnmower or edger? Bring a gas can.
- The savings earned from Fuel Rewards PRO stack with any savings you earn from the personal program. This means you should link a credit or debit card to the Fuel Rewards App and shop at participating local merchants to increase the savings on your next personal fill-up.
- Make sure your friends, family, and co-workers sign up for the personal Fuel Rewards program with your invite link. This gives you 25 cents/gallon savings on your next fill-up every time someone uses your link.
If your employer pays for your fuel, make sure to sign-up for Fuel Rewards PRO and download the Fuel Rewards PRO mobile app to start earning savings with almost no additional effort.
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Thanks for the advice. All use cases are interesting!
I thought this was a great program until I realized that Shell increases the cost per gallon by 10 cents per gallon when you pay with a credit card. Very deceptive in my opinion.
Very interesting and detailed point. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing!
I figured out this works at Circle K on Diesel fuel! YEAH!
With the smaller tank on many compact cards, its not that easy to wait as long between fillings (to reach the 10 gallon fill minimal threshold)
Would this program work at Shell stations in Canada?
Shell stations in my area are 30 cents/gallon more expensive than the cheapest competition. Shell is almost always the most expensive brand in town, so Fuel Rewards savings are either a wash or still not enough to make it the cheapest way to fill up.
Great information. Thank you. I’m going to do some research right now.
Good to know, thanks for the detailed write-up!
I only go to stations that are significantly more inexpensive than shell as it is. Or I ride a bicycle…
Often gas gift cards are on sale. Stock them up when you can.
Great to know about this. I’m in film production and am always renting vehicles and getting reimbursed on gas. As a freelancer, its great to learn nifty waves to save bits here and there. I’ll be learning where all the Shell stations are from now on!
Thanks for the information. Didn’t know about this program.
Wow that’s amazing savings.
I do love to save money at the pump. I don’t drive a lot so my Kroger saves me plenty. I now just have to get that electric car but only after my current car is a no go anymore. I won’t save any money with a new car payment right now.
BP has a program with United where they give you 3 miles for each gallon of premium fuel purchased. I use my AMEX Rose Gold card, which still has double points for gas.
The return on that program is really just awful; I think I did the math and it would take a few years of driving an 18 wheeler and filling up everyday to earn any number of United miles to matter. Its better than nothing I suppose.
Yes, here’s the AW post on that program for comparison: https://awardwallet.com/blog/earn-united-miles-for-filling-up-with-bp/
Problem with Shell in my area is that they are an average 30 cents more per gallon.
Also, can always get a Tesla.
It is really nice to have this simple way to get a five cents/gallon discount at any Shell station.
I am slowly figuring this out. It won’t add up to much for me, but if I can just get signed up and it is automated, why not?
I like the exxon mobil program much much better than Shell’s. I can earn points for work or personal cars and just redeem them on my personal fill-ups.
Fuel Rewards is much much much more expansive than the new Exxon-mobil program. You can earn Fuel Rewards across your everyday monthly spend in addition to now being able to earn savings on work fill-ups. Make sure you read our guides to the personal side of the Fuel Rewards program to understand how much easier it is to make gas cheaper with Fuel Rewards compared to the new EM program.
We normally don’t fill up at Shell stations. There are not very many around us.
always look for the discounts when buying gas. this article helps
The question to ask if whether it is worth the effort spent vs the gain. It seems like a lot of work for a minor gain.
17 gallons x 55 cents savings per gallon sounds good, but my tank only holds 16 gallons. Otherwise good option.
Interesting, I can do better than Costco.
Thanks for the advice!
The referral feature will bring in the serious savings.
I’m signed up for a lot of programs but for some reason not this one yet… Good deal. On it! Thanks, Awardwallet!
Those are pretty solid savings.
I should really start using it.
Ralph’s Rewards helps in SoCal too.
Love this! Every little bit counts!!
It’s not worth it to spend too much time thinking about saving pennies, but if you find one that works decently well, it can be awesome!
All it takes is 3 seconds to type in your PRO ID into the pump!
I like to get my gas at Costco. It is the best price in my area and I can still use my VISA for bonus points.
They have the best prices in my area too. Sometimes the lines are long though. It’s best to go at off times.
This is great information for people who use their vehicles for heir employment, eg. ride-sharing, deliveries, etc. I know some folks that drive for Uber that could easily benefit in these ways!
Interesting. I definitely need to try to keep my fill ups as close to 20 gallons as possible. Thanks for the reminder.
Since I only buy gas once a year or so,,,how much can I save? I would say, not much, Any Metrocard deals around?
I wish dosh or an app like it worked for gas. Would be nice to set up fleet cards on there.
Interesting strategy; that certainly would be nice.
A few more cases would be nice.
Have to figure out how you can tell which specific Shell stations it works at. Went to a Shell station to fill up. Opened the app which showed I should get 5 cents off, but despite putting in my phone number, it did not deduct the credit from the sale price.
Was this the Fuel Rewards PRO app or the personal Fuel Rewards App? Make sure you have 5 cents in personal savings. The PRO ID will always show the 5 cents you will earn after pumping at least 10 gallons of gas for a work fill-up.
The key is to and fill up as close to 20 gallons as possible. My tank holds only 16 gallons.
always have that gas can ready and lawnmower empty!
Thanks a lot, I even never thought about it!
The problem is that Shell is almost always $0.20 more expensive then other gas stations in my area. It’s just not worth it to me.
Nice to read about how this program has worked for these folks.
Or trade in your gas car and drive electric. If you’re really penny pinching gas savings, that’s what I would do.
At 10 cents/kWH, you can fill up a 75kWH Long Range Tesla Model 3 battery for about $8 for 320 miles range. Even more savings if you charge for free at your destination. Many hotels and work places have free charging stations.
Chevy, BMW, Nissan has smaller battery but it doesn’t matter since you’ll charge every night and wake up with a full “tank”, just like your cellphone.
I’ll need to factor in the purchase cost, maintenance cost, resale/trade-in value and distance between charging stations
This is a great point. Despite the initial cost, I think electric may really pay off long term.