When the subject comes up savings, it is customary to talk about efficient driving, more handy solution, and probably more effective to save money, enough money on fuel. But it is not alone. Less than a kilometer from my house I find gas stations where you can refuel diesel prices with differences of up to 10 cents a liter. Gas stations are even from the same vendor. That means filling a 60 liter tank would € 6 more in some stations than others. If I expand the radio, and seeking other stations, the differences may reach 20 cents. How can we take advantage of this knowledge (and other techniques) to save enough money on fuel? We 7 Ideas and none of them has to do with efficient driving.
The biggest savings we get with such a simple technique as old, compare prices. The differences between stations, sometimes from the same vendor, can become really important.
1. Compare the nearest stations to your home . The ideal is to have a reference station, possibly near a route commonly’s go through, or our home. Although with important differences as the aforementioned, divert our path to a cheaper gas station it can often be profitable. To compare prices between gas stations is not necessary we walk all looking for the cheapest. The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has a website (geoportalgasolineras.es) where we find the updated prices of all petrol stations and supplying fuels, since diesel and petrol to biofuels, GLP and CNG .
The comparator allows us even search to find the cheaper service stations in your city. For you an example, the nearest gas station to my home – in time for this article – offering diesel to 1.16 € / liter. to 8 kilometers I run a service station where the diesel trading at € 0.98 / liter. The difference between them when filling a 60 liter tank is € 10.8 per deposit.
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Deconstructing myths: hypermarket petrol vs traditional
2. Refuel hypermarkets . This debate has already given to speak at length. Generally, hypermarkets offer much more competitive than prices for traditional service stations. They have a great advantage of being next to a setting you may visit weekly, and allow us to take advantage of the weekly shopping and refueling. Which, in turn, is also a disadvantage because these establishments do not always necessarily have to be close to our home.
a few years ago and we debate fuels against traditional hypermarket. I recommend reading that article to clarify the matter. But we can simplify it into a fact: all the fuel you find in Spain are “equal”, ie, meet quality standards and treatment to be strictly adhered to. In fact, the suppliers of those hypermarkets are usually traditional oil.
In any case if there is a difference in that slight room for maneuver offered by the standards of the distribution of hydrocarbons in Spain. Leeway, and research and development that makes each oil to have its own “recipe”, as additives to improve the properties of fuels. If you see a truck reloading a major oil deposits a gas station in a hypermarket, that does not mean that this fuel has the same additives as those used in service stations of the oil itself. The additives are often added to the own station. But does it mean that the fuel hypermarkets less secure than the rest, or of poor quality.
Is it worth the expensive refueling?
3. Plan your trip well . If you’re going on a trip, the difference between route planning and the gas station where you can respostarás be really important. Look at the table above, in which the average price appears (in cents per liter) in June 2015 in the Spanish autonomous communities. The difference from one community to another can be really important, even in adjacent communities. If we add to the differences in their own service stations in the same community, it is easy to find us with greater differences at 20 cents a liter at service stations separated by just a few dozen kilometers.
If you do not want your portfolio through trouble, do not rush the fuel tank to the last drop
4. Effect Monday effect Friday? . Finding the right day to refuel, still interesting to save money on refueling. The top graph shows the daily evolution of PVP (average in Spain) A diesel in June 2015, the last month of the CNMC has offered a statistical report. Month in which, by the way, the prices were much higher than today. In the same week several cents differences are appreciated. So a good technique would be to take advantage of times when fuel prices have reached a minimum refueling. The problem is to predict whether the price will rise again, or continue to fall, it is very complicated.
Years ago we told you about the famous “Monday effect” and later the “Friday effect”. Suspicion that the oil companies to reduce prices, before tax, at the time that these should be communicated to the European Union, was approved by the National Energy Commission. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, that practice ceased to have effect back in October 2013, as the National Commission on Competition and Markets (see report October 2013) was found.
5. Loyalty has its rewards . To retain customers, many service stations have their own discount cards. These cards often offer distribution chains of hydrocarbons, usually – but not always well – have effect in all service stations in the string itself. When it comes to service stations associated with a sales area it is also very common that certain discounts offered to buy fuel in its supermarkets (sometimes listed on the back of the sales receipt, or an extra ticket). It is also very common in these gas stations to refuel entails a discount in your supermarket.
6. points Programs . There are also different loyalty cards outside the station itself. This is the case of the famous Travel Club, a card that allows us to get points in shopping centers attached to your program. We do not speak of a direct discount, or anything, but points that can be redeemed for discounts on travel, hotels, or products in its catalog. It is also true that to accumulate enough points to an interesting gift, or a trip, you have to make a really high cost, either in fuel or other purchases in their attached centers.
Another very peculiar case is that of the Iberia Plus loyalty card, and accumulated in the famous flight of Spanish airline Avios. Iberia Plus also offers the possibility to accumulate Avios when refueling at Repsol service stations. Obviously, at a rate of 1 liter 1 Avio, to get points can be useful for a flight, or a discount on a flight, the amount of fuel we consume each year we must be very high for us somehow take advantage of this advantage. For those already using the Iberia Plus loyalty card will simply be another incentive.
7. debit and credit cards . If you carry a credit card or debit card in your pocket, it is very likely that there is some advantage by using it to refuel. Sometimes these discounts are associated with a specific network of service stations. Discounts are rarely exceed 3% or 4% of spending, and often are settled at the end of the month. In any case, no matter how small the difference, sometimes we can get a small discount for the sake of using our card and not pay cash. It is advisable to consult with our bank agreements available to service stations and other establishments.
And you, what other techniques you use to save money on gasoline and diesel?
In motor:
If you do not want your portfolio through trouble, do not rush the fuel tank to the last drop
Is it worth the expensive refueling?
Deconstructing myths: hypermarket petrol vs traditional
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