While gas is expensive, it doesn’t mean that you should go bankrupt because you’re trying get around town with your car. Here are 5 methods you can use to help you get free gas, ensuring you always have a full tank at almost no cost.
Do you spend a lot of cash on gas? Would having free gas cards from time to time help you save some money? The price of gas keeps rising, which means that most drivers would jump at any opportunity that will help them save some cash on fuel.
This varies from using a car that is fuel-efficient to driving to different gas stations looking for affordable gas prices so that you can save a few dollars. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways you can use to get great discounts on fuel, this includes finding free gas cards.
5 Legit Ways of Getting Gas Cards for Free
This article outlines some of the best ways you can fill your car for free. If you want to start saving some cash on fuel, look at these 5 methods so that you’ll be able to afford gas easily without needing to break your bank.
1. Get Free Gas Cards Online
There are many sites available that offer people with free stuff, however, most of them are scams. If you’re looking for a legit and reliable way to get gas cards for free, Swagbudocks is the best site to help you with this. It’s a site where users are rewarded with for participating in different types of easy tasks online, such as shopping, watching videos and taking surveys. Users can also be rewarded for playing games and using the site’s search engine.
The points you get on Swagbucks can be redeemed for gift cards. 100 points are equivalent to $1. Therefore, if you have 5,000 points you can redeem them for a $50 gift card to Chevron or Exxon Mobil gas stations.
If you’re patient enough, you can wait till you’ve gathered 10,000 points and get gas card worth $100. This will be enough fuel that can fill up a big SUV, and the best part is you won’t even spend a single dime.
Related: DollarSprout’s Swagbucks Review
2. Use Rewards & Cash Back Credit Cards
Most credit card companies offer their customers with different kinds of rewards for using their cards. If you always pay the full amount of your card on a monthly basis, be wise and use the rewards programs to your advantage. You don’t want to end up being charged a higher interest that what you get in rewards.
Having said that, there are several credit cards that will help you save some cash on fuel and you’ll even be able to get a full tank for free.
American Express’ Blue Cash Preferred Card
American Express’ Blue Cash Preferred Card offers some great cash back bonuses. You’ll get a 3% cash back bonus for all purchases you make at different gas stations (inclusive of gas).
The great thing about the card is that they don’t limit you from earning bonuses as well. If you use your car a lot or your car is a fuel-guzzler, this is the perfect card for you. Users are given a 6% cash back for purchasing items worth $6,000 from the supermarket every year and a 1% cash back for every other item they purchase.
Chase Freedom Card
If you have a Chase Freedom Card, you’ll get cash back for purchasing gas, but you won’t have an easy time when you’re trying to redeem your rewards. The card includes a rotating reward category at every quarter at which you’ll get 5% cash backs on all purchases worth $1,500.
At least one reward category per quarter each year features gas stations. The rewards can be activated through the card online, so ensure that you pay attention and ask for gas cash backs as often as possible.
Discover It Card
The Discover It Card and the Chase Freedom Card are very similar. The card is also operated through a quarterly rotating system that allows users to get 5% cash backs on transactions of about $1,500.
The Discover It Card just like the Chase Freedom Card also includes gas stations on at least one quarter each year, where you’ll be required to activate them online.
3. Take Part in Surveys
While Swagbucks is a great site since it provides customers with numerous ways of earning rewards, you can also find other sites online where you’ll be rewarded to complete different kinds of online surveys.
Since marketing companies look for feedback from consumers, they’ll don’t mind paying people for the information through online surveys. The sites are trustworthy and will pay you cash that you can use to purchase fuel in exchange of responding to their surveys.
Survey Junkie
One of the most popular used survey sites out there is Survey Junkie, especially for someone who’d like to get free gas. You can join the site for free and you’ll be paid for all the surveys you take.
One of the main issues you’ll experience when using survey sites is that before you’re able to take a survey, you’ll first need to spare 5 minute to complete your personal information and later be informed that you don’t qualify for the survey. At this point you’d have wasted some of your time and wouldn’t have earned any money. Fortunately, Survey Junkie pays is users even when they don’t qualify for a survey.
You’ll be rewarded with point every time you participate in a survey, where 100 points can be redeemed for $1. Once you accumulate 1,00 points, you’ll be able to cash them out. You can opt to redeem them for different free gift cards or money through PayPal. Since you won’t always be able to get gas cards from Survey Junkie, you can always opt for PayPal cash so that you’ll be able to buy gas.
Other Reputable Survey Sites
InboxDollars (You’ll earn a $5 Signup Bonus)
4. Buy Gas Cards Online at Discounts
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time participation in online surveys, you can always look for gas cards online at discounted prices. People get free gift cards every day that they don’t need or want, including gas cards.
There are people who’ll just stash them in a drawer and forget about them, but there are those who’ll sell theirs online for some extra cash. The following are websites where you can purchase unwanted gift cards from at discounted prices.
Gift Card Granny
If you’re looking for cheap gift cards, Gift Card Granny is the best site for this. Here, you’ll get discounted gas cards which will help you save at least 5% or even 10% on gas. They have a wide range of gift cards available, it all depends on what people are selling. However, the amount of money you’ll save when using this site can’t be compared by the gift cards you’ll find on other cards.
You’ll find different kinds of gift cards for major gas stations such as Speedway, BP and Exxon Mobil. If you don’t mind spending some money upfront, you’ll be able to save much more at the gas station by using these gift cards,
Raise
Raise is another site where people sell off the free gift cards that they don’t need or want at discounted prices. You can peruse the site for different types of gift cards such as gas cards for major gas stations such as Citgo, BP, Sheetz, Speedway and many others.
However, you shouldn’t expect to save a lot of money here. A lot of gas cards will only help you save at least 2% of the initial price. If you’re patient enough, you’ll be able to get better deals which will help you save even more money on fuel. Raise also offers users with a $10 discount on the first purchase worth $100 or more. This is a great deal even if you’re only planning on using the site once.
Related: DollarSprout’s Raise Review
5. Grocery Stores That Offer Gas Points
Most grocery stores today feature a certain loyalty reward card. The cards are meant to help unlock additional savings to shoppers and you won’t be charged anything to use the card. The stores hope to get loyal and frequent customers who will keep shopping with them. Some of these stores have great deals, like big savings on things including gas once you spend a lot of money in their facilities. Use this opportunity and shop frequently at these stores so that you can get extra fuel.
Kroger
If you sign up for a loyalty card at Kroger, you’ll be able to get more rewards than just saving money on groceries. You’ll as well get points which you’ll be able to redeem either at Shell gas stations or Kroger Fuel Centers. For each dollar you spend on your groceries, you’ll be rewarded with 1 point. If you have 100 points, they can be redeemed for a discount worth $0.10 for every gallon of fuel you buy in future.
This is a great deal, and there are also several other ways for you to save even more cash. If you’re planning on purchasing gas at a Kroger Fuel Center, you’ll need to have accumulated at least 1,000 points which can be redeemed for a $1 discount for every gallon. You’ll also be able to earn 2 points for each dollar you use on gift cards. This makes it easier for you to earn points that you can redeem for free gas.
Safeway
If you shop at Safeway, they also have a reward program which is similar to the one offered by Kroger that you can use to save a lot of money on gas. For every $1 you use towards your Safeway Club Card, you’ll be awarded with 1 point that you can use for gas rewards ay Safeway, Texaco or Chevron fuel stations. For every 100 points you collect, they can be redeemed for a discount of $0.10 per gallon. If you have a gift card, you’ll get double points making it easier for you to get larger discounts on fuel even faster.
Stop and Shop
Stop and Shop has a fuel saving program which is similar to the one offered by Safeway and Kroger. For every dollar you spend, you’ll earn a point which you can use via your rewards card and can be cashed in for a discount worth $0.10 per gallon once you’ve managed to get 100 points. With Stop and Shop, you’ll be able to save up to 1,500 point which you can then cash in for a $1.50 discount per gallon. Depending on where you live and the season, you’ll be able to save at least 50% on gas.
Winn Dixie
Winn Dixie is another loyalty program offered to customers for spending a large sum of money on groceries and would like to get some gas for free. The points can be earned by shopping for groceries at Winn Dixie. When you accumulate 100 points, they can be redeemed for a $0.05 discount per gallon.
The great thing about this program is you’ll be given bonus points for purchasing certain products, and you’ll get triple points for gift cards. Another great benefit of using this program is that there is no limit to the number of points one can use when redeeming them. This will enable you to gather enough points so that you can get a full tank of gas for free.
Other Ways of Saving Money on Gas
If you’re still using a lot of money on gas every month, you can try to reduce the amount of gas you normally use. This doesn’t mean that you should stop using your car. With a few changes here and there, you’ll be able to save some money without difficulty.
6. Go for a Fuel-Efficient Car
Nowadays, manufacturers are making more fuel-efficient vehicles than ever. There are different types of cars which feature new technology that can be used to help save on fuel. The cars that are eco-friendly, fuel-efficient, don’t have funny-looking hatchbacks anymore. Even SUVs ad trucks are no longer guzzle a lot of fuel and are now being manufactured in fuel-efficient or hybrid models.
The hybrid models make it easier for people to save money on gas, while plug-in hybrids made it possible for electric cars to be owned by the average driver. Plug-in hybrids make it possible for new models to have a combination of an electric car and fuel-efficiency and at the same time the convenience of a traditional car. while hybrid cars use electricity to run, they still have gas engines for when they run out of power and they can’t be charged.
Although it may seem unnecessary to upgrade your car, you’ll save a lot of money on gas. If you’re planning on buying a new car, it would be a great idea to invest in a fuel-efficient car.
Related: 10 Proven Ways to Save Electricity at Home
7. Carpool
If you can’t afford to buy a new car at the moment, try to cut back on your driving time. since most drivers use their cars to commute to work and back home, carpooling is a great option to ensure that you’re spending less money on gas. If you live in the same area with one of your colleagues, you can share a ride so that you can split the bill at the gas pump.
Parents can also choose to use carpooling. If you normally spend a lot of money on gas because you need to take your children to soccer practice or school, look for other parent who would like to share the costs. If you take turns driving, you’ll not only be saving money on fuel, you’ll each be able to have some time away from the kids.
8. Use Public Transportation
Some cities have better public transportation than others. If the public transportation system in your city is reliable, it can be an ideal way to cut costs. Subway or bus passes are more affordable compared to buying a full tank of gas. You don’t have to do away with your car completely, but opting to use public transport a couple of times a week will help you save some cash.
9. Ride Your Bike
If you live close to your office, you can decide to ride your bike to the office instead of driving. A lot of cities are focusing on being more bike-friendly, therefore adding bike paths and lanes which make it easy for people with bikes to cycle around the city.
Bike sharing programs are also becoming more popular. The programs enable people to rent bikes from one station, and when they are done with it, be able to drop it off to another station. If you live in a city with a bike sharing program, you can choose to cycle to work instead of driving.
Apart from being able to save cash on gas, cycling from on place to another has several other benefits. For instance, you don’t need to worry about finding a secure parking space. Also, when you ride a bike to work, you’ll be getting some cardio exercise during your daily commute.
Save Money in Other Areas to Use for Gas
If you spend a lot of money on gas, try to find other ways that you can save some cash from other areas. If you manage to save a good amount of money, you’ll be left with enough funds to fuel your car. As the old saying states, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Use the following tips to save money and prevent breaking the bank at the pump.
Use a Tool to Measure Spending
When you’re trying to save money the first step is to determine they areas in which you spend most of your money in. Tracking how you spend money allows you to see the areas that need cut backs. The tools below are great for measuring spending habits, creating a budget, and ensuring you adhere to it.
10. Trim
If you’re looking for an app that can help you save hundreds of dollars every without difficulty, Trim will sort you out. This is possible because Trim goes through your monthly expenses and finds the areas where you spend more than what is necessary, like subscriptions you don’t need or bills that cost a lot of money. The app may surprise you by unfolding the amount of money you spend on items that you can do without.
One great thing about Trim is that it actually helps people to lower their bills. When the app reveals all the subscriptions that you use money on, you can select some that can be cancelled and Trim will do the rest for you. Trim also has a feature that will help you identify the bills that are strangely high, it will then negotiate them lower on your behalf.
11. Mint
If you really want to trach your spending habits, Mint is the go-to app for this. The app gets connected to your bank account where it categorizes your expenditure, allowing you to see the amount of money you use on groceries, gas or shopping. You’ll then be able to set up a budget for everything so that you can avoid spending money unnecessarily.
However, Mint doesn’t help you save money on its own, you can only use the app to track your spending and know when you need to cut back. When you’re almost at the limit of your budget in a certain category, you’ll get an alert from Mint. You can also log into your account at any time and see how much money is remaining in your budget. The advantage of using Mint is that it’s a free app, meaning there aren’t any risks.
12. You Need A Budget
You Need A Budget (also known as YNAB), was initially invented as a way to help people save money by reducing their spending habits in different categories. Today, the company is popular because of its software that helps people create and stay within a budget. Unlike Mint, YNAB will help you do more than just monitor you spending. The app gives users suggestions as well as show them the YNAB system for saving cash.
The drawback of using You Need A Budget is that it’s not free. The company gives users a 34-day free trial period, and then you’ll need to pay $6.99 every month. However, YNAB claims that their users save more money than this, and the free trial period allows people to decide whether or not the program works for them.
Use Mobile Cash Back Shopping Apps for Fuel Cards
Like you already know, you can find fuel rewards for shopping at particular stores, but this isn’t the only way you can get rewards for shopping. There are a couple of nice rewards programs and apps where you can get cash back for purchasing items that you would anyway.
13. Ibotta
Ibotta is the perfect app to help you save money on things like groceries. Just download the app, click on store and look for the right deals. The deals are similar to coupons because they offer cashback for buying certain products. Also, getting such deals is a great way to shop for things you normally buy. When you finish shopping, you’ll be required to take a photo of your receipts and download it so that you can get cashback.
Most of the deals available on Ibotta can only be used for brand names, but there are quite a few exceptions. You can always find a $0.25 “Any Item” discount which will help you save on something when shopping. There are regular offers on “Any Brand” products, which allows shoppers to save more by purchasing items belonging to the cheapest brands and still earn cashback.
Related: DollarSprout’s Ibotta Review
14. Rakuten
If you do most of your shopping online, consider using Rakuten. Rakuten (previously known as Ebates), offers its users cashback for shopping from different stores, including those that have big names such as Nike, Walmart and Macy’s. The amount earned depends on where you shop, but there are numerous deals that will offer you 9% cashback.
Before you get rebate, you’ll need to follow the link belonging to your preferred retailer on Rakuten when shopping. The app will automatically do the rest for you. You can choose to receive your cashback via PayPal or check every three months. If you get the right deals, you can easily get a free full tank of gas.
Take a look at our Rakuten review here.
