I don’t like to pay full price for anything. Not a single thing! So it was always painful for me to pay exorbitant amounts for gasoline--something I was just going to have to shell out for again and again and again. So I have been thrilled as more and more gas savings programs have been introduced. Below is a run-down of the ones that I use on a regular basis to save money. Just this year alone, I’ve paid as little as .62 a gallon for gas!

Remke bigg's Pump Perks is my favorite. For every $10 you spend at Remke biggs, you earn .01 a gallon discount. It's accumulative too–meaning that whatever you buy adds to your Pump Perks total. Buy $50 in groceries to save .05 per gallon. Items throughout the store also have Pump Perks attached to them. For example, Tide often will give you .08 in Pump Perks. So let’s say you buy $50 in groceries, and a bottle of Tide as a part of that list. You’d earn .13 in Pump Perks off your next fill up! Remke bigg's uses Speedway stations to redeem the Pump Perks. You can either use your Pump Perks right away, or let them accumulate over a couple of trips. They expire in the month after they were earned. They are valid for one fill up only, up to 20 gallons. In June, after a few trips through the store, I managed to save $2.17 in Pump Perks! As you can see in the photo above, I paid only .62 a gallon that week!   In addition to Pump Perks you'll also earn Speedy Rewards points--that's what I call double-dipping on the savings!  You will need a Pump Perks card--get your card at the service desk.  Kroger Fuel Rewards saves you .10 per gallon for every $100 you spend in store. Simple and quick, their receipts show you both how much you’ve earned, and how much you have remaining! Points towards fuel savings do accumulate up to a maximum of $1.00 per gallon. You can also save an extra .05 per gallon when using the Kroger credit card to pay for your gas, or double your fuel rewards when you buy gift cards at Kroger. So a $50 gift card will earn you .10 in gas savings–a good deal if you’re going to be shopping or dining out anyway! (Kroger and pre-paid credit cards are excluded from this offer.) Plus, for every 2 prescriptions you fill at a local Kroger pharmacy you will earn another .10 in fuel rewards! Kroger offers fuel discounts at Shell stations as well--but the maximum discount you may use is .10 per gallon.  To use the accumulated Fuel Rewards for higher discounts you must use a Kroger fuel station.  Bonus savings: you can double-dip on the savings! Your Kroger points also offer free minutes and other discounts on i-wireless cell phone service.  Even better, the points used for i-wireless do not reduce your fuel savings--you can use your points on both at the same time! For more details on the i-wireless program, check out our i-wireless reviews.

Meijer will often run fuel rewards on in-store promotions. Buy certain items to earn a coupon at checkout for fuel savings, as advertised in-store.  Also, if you sign up on their website for text alerts, they will text you a few hours before prices rise--a great heads-up to fill-up sooner rather than later!

Speedway gas centers have their Speedy Rewards, another of my favorite savings programs. Instead of offering a straight fuel discount program, they offer rewards for purchases at Speedway when you use your Speedy Rewards customer card. (A loyalty card, not a credit card) Some stations will offer a per gallon discount while others do not.  Check your local station for their rewards offers.  At most stations you accumulate points towards various rewards—fuel discounts begin at 1,750 points.  You can earn bonus points when you purchase Speedway gift cards and other items in stores! My favorite trick is to buy a $50 Speedy Cash gift card each month for my fill-ups, which earns me 1,000 bonus points. I earn 10 points for every gallon of gas I buy. Add in any extra purchases I might make–drinks, coffee, snacks–and I quickly get to the 1700 points I need for a .10 per gallon discount!  Each month they offer bonus points on specific items.  For example, for every two single-serve bags of Frito Lay chips I buy this month, I’ll earn 200 bonus points.  They also offer specific rewards on purchases like coffee, donuts, drinks, etc.  For example, for every 6 coffees or fountain drinks I buy at Speedway, I get one free.  Or for every six Krispy Kreme donuts I buy, I get one free.  Check their website for more details on Speedy Rewards and the current offers.

There are many, many ways to save in addition to these. If you have a credit or debit card, check with your bank to see what kind of loyalty programs they offer. Many will either offer cash back on certain gas purchases, or points you can redeem towards gas station gift cards! Schools often have fundraisers with biggs, Kroger and Meijer to purchase reloadable gift cards–buy a few and contribute to your school, which earning fuel rewards at the same time! As always, when saving money, try to combine as many layers of savings and earnings as you possibly can. It adds up VERY quickly!