For anyone who has been to the gas station recently, the panicked feeling that comes with watching that dollar number quickly rise has to be one of the worst feelings in the world, especially if on a budget. In this economy, every bit of money saved is worth it. So, I will let you in on one of my best secrets for saving money at the pump. Drum roll, please…Kroger Fuel Points!

What is the Kroger Fuel Points Program?

Everyone has heard of the grocery store Kroger. There are locations in 35 states so it is likely that this secret should help a lot of people. Kroger Fuel Points Program is a customer loyalty incentive where every time someone spends money at the store, they earn points to save money at the pump.

How Do Points Work?

It works like this, the store gives you a Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card, they are free and come with no hidden fees. When someone comes in and buys groceries, the cashier will scan the shopper’s card. This card will give you discounts on sale items to lower the overall bill. Once scanned, the customer will receive points equal to 1 point per dollar spent. These points can be redeemed at the Kroger Gas Station.

How Good is the Discount?

This discount may be the best I have ever seen, but it does take some hustling to get it. When spending $100 in Kroger, 100 points are added to the card. 100 points are equivalent to 10 cents off every gallon. The average American spends between $150 to $200 on groceries per month, so that right there is 15 to 20 cents off per gallon every month. Here is where the hustling comes into play, Kroger allows its customers to get up to one dollar off every gallon of gas if they reach 1000 fuel points. Now, not many people spend $1000 at the grocery store per month but they do spend money at restaurants, coffee stores, and other locations. Kroger sells gift cards. They sell gift cards for Visa, Chick-fil-a, MasterCard, etc. When these cards are purchased customers can get anywhere from 2 times to 4 times the fuel points. So let’s say I went during a 4x promotion and bought a Visa gift card for $250. I would get 1000 fuel points equal to one dollar off every gallon I spend at the pump and a $250 gift card I can spend anywhere just like a debit card.

Let’s Apply It

So I bought a $250 visa gift card, and I have received 1000 fuel points. I go to the Kroger Gas Station and I scan my Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card. This deal works for up to 35 gallons. My car takes 16.4 gallons, which means I can fill up my tank twice plus some with this discount. The average gas price in Georgia is $3.76 a gallon. With my discount, I spent $45.26 on gas. Without this discount, I would have spent $61.66 in total. That is savings of $16.4. Now, don’t forget, I can use this discount twice, so overall I save $32.8 on gas.

For all of the people out there on budgets, this deal cannot be beat. Save money on gas and get a Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card!