4 Money Mistakes You Could Be Making at the Gas Station

Gas prices are finally trending downward after spiking earlier in the year. However, you could still be overspending at the gas pump if you’re not practicing the best money-saving habits.
By making some simple adjustments to your habits at the gas station, you can keep more of your money in the bank and less in the tank.
Check out the following four habits that may be preventing you from getting the most bang for your buck at the gas station.

Filling Up on the Wrong Day

Did you know that certain days are better than others for buying gas and maximizing savings? According to a recent study from GasBuddy (the leading fuel-savings platform in the country), Mondays offer the lowest average gas price across the majority of the United States – including Illinois. The first day of the week was also found to be the best day to buy gas in studies from previous years. The worst day to fill up? Thursday

Paying for Gas with a Debit Card

Swiping a card may be the quickest and easiest way to pay at the gas pump, but be sure you’re using a credit card instead of your debit card. Money experts always recommend paying for gas with a credit card because doing so

allows better consumer protections. Paying with a debit card makes it far more difficult to get your money back if there’s a problem. It’s also worth noting that every time you use a debit card at the gas pump, you increase your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft. Criminals will attach skimmers – illegal card readers that steal card numbers – to gas pump payment terminals, which are generally not manned by employees. Skimmers are becoming harder to detect and gas station fraud remains a prevalent problem across Illinois and the rest of the U.S.

Using the Wrong Credit Card at the Pump

If you’re not being conscientious about which credit card you’re swiping at the pump, you could be missing out on valuable rewards. Several credit cards offer cash back on gas purchases (and can help you earn cash back on everyday purchases as well).

Not Using the Fuel Type Recommended for Your Vehicle

Every vehicle has its own fuel type recommendation – this information can be found in the owner’s manual. If you’re not paying attention to the right fuel type for your car, you could be wasting money. If your car doesn’t specifically require premium fuel, for example, filling it with higher-octane gas (which can cost 40 cents more per gallon) is a pointless waste of money that offers no benefit to your vehicle. Do you have questions about your car’s fuel recommendations? Schedule an appointment with our friendly, highly trained service technicians to learn more.

Do you have questions about your car’s fuel efficiency? Our highly trained service technicians are happy to help.

Give us a call at 888-998-2392 or schedule an appointment with our Online Service Scheduler.