I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but gas prices aren’t coming down any time soon. Experts say they’ll likely remain sky high through the summer, so it’s officially time to start taking advantage of savings wherever you can find them. Loyalty programs like Amazon Prime and wholesale clubs like Costco offer some of the best gas discounts at stations across the country, and when you use specific credit cards, you might pay even less. Read on to learn what memberships offer the best gas discounts, other expert-approved ways to save and why you’re paying over $4.50 per gallon on average nationwide as inflation surges.
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What memberships offer gas discounts?
Discount details: Prime members can link their Amazon account to Earnify, a free rewards app by Bp, and save 10¢ per gallon at participating Bp, Amoco, Ampm and Thorntons locations. Amazon is also hosting Fuel Up Friday now through May 29, a program that lets members save 20¢ per gallon every Friday.
How to get the deal: Once your Prime account is linked to Earnify, use the app to find participating stations nearby. At the pump, enter your registered phone number using the keypad, or use the app to activate the discount and pay through your phone.
Extra credit card savings: If you pay with a Prime Visa, you earn unlimited 2 percent cashback at participating gas stations. Limits apply.
Discounted membership options: Students and 18 to 24 year-olds are eligible for Prime for Young Adults. Qualifying government aid recipients are eligible for Prime Access.
Discount details: Walmart+ members save 10¢ per gallon at participating Walmart, Exxon, Mobil and Murphy stations, as well as get member prices on fuel at Sam’s Club.
How to get the deal: Activating the Walmart+ gas deal varies by station, but for the most part, you either use the Walmart app to scan a QR code at the pump and pay through your phone, or use the pump’s keypad to enter a discount ID code you get from the Walmart app. You can also pay in-store at some stations, but you’ll need a discount code or barcode from the Walmart app. See more details here.
Extra credit card savings: If you pay with a Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard, you get 2 percent cashback at Walmart and Murphy USA stations. Limits apply.
Discounted membership options: Enrolled undergraduate and graduate students who are at least 18 years old are eligible for Walmart+ Student. Qualifying government aid recipients are eligible for Walmart+ Assist.
Discount details: Sam’s Club and Sam’s Club Plus members get special pricing on gas at members-only fuel stations. You can use the Sam’s Club website and app to check fuel prices before you go to the pump.
How to get the deal: At Sam’s Club fuel stations, scan your physical or digital membership card to access fuel. You can also use the Sam’s Club app to scan a QR code on the pump screen and pay with your phone.
Extra credit card savings: If you pay with a Sam’s Club Mastercard, you get 5 percent cashback on the first $6,000 worth of gas you buy per year, then 1 percent afterward. This reward is valid at Sam’s Club fuel stations and most other stations nationwide. Limits apply — learn more here.
Discounted membership options: Members of the military; teachers; students and alumni; healthcare professionals; seniors (over 50 years old); qualifying government aid recipients; first responders; and government employees are eligible for a discounted Sam’s Club membership.
Discount details: Fuel savings are only available to Costco Gold Star and Executive members who have a Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi. Cardholders get 5 percent cashback on gas at Costco stations and 4 percent cashback at other participating stations. The 5 percent cashback offer applies to the first $7,000 worth of gas (and EV charging) you buy per year — after that, you’ll get 1 percent cashback.
How to get the deal: At Costco and other participating fuel stations, pay with your Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi. The cashback offer automatically activates. Learn more here.
Extra credit card savings: Savings are only available if you pay with a Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi.
Discounted membership options: None available.
Discount details: BJ’s Club members get special pricing on gas at members-only fuel stations — the retailer says savings are typically around 20¢ per gallon compared to filling up your tank at non-BJ’s stations. If you have a BJ’s Club+ membership, you get an additional 5¢ off per gallon. You can use the BJ’s website and app to check fuel prices before you go to the pump. BJ’s also has a Fuel Saver program: If you purchase specific products online and/or in-store (they’re marked accordingly), you accumulate a certain amount of cents off at BJ’s gas stations, which you can redeem in the following 30 days.
How to get the deal: At BJ’s fuel stations, scan your physical or digital membership card to access fuel, or scan your BJ’s One or One+ Mastercard.
Extra credit card savings: If you pay with a BJ’s One Mastercard or a BJ’s One+ Mastercard, you get 10¢ and 15¢ off per gallon, respectively, at BJ’s stations. Limits apply.
Discounted membership options: Veterans and active-duty military personnel; teachers, staff and educators; medical professionals; SNAP EBT recipients; first responders; government employees; and college students are eligible for a discounted BJ’s membership.
Discount details: All AAA members (Everyday, Basic, Plus and Premier) get access to exclusive discounts across categories, including fuel through two partners:
- Shell Fuel Rewards: AAA members who join the free program and link their AAA account save 30¢ per gallon on their first fill-up at participating stations. After that, AAA members get complimentary Shell Fuel Rewards Gold Status and save 5¢ per gallon on fill-ups up to 20 gallons at participating stations.
- Love’s Rewards: AAA members who link their account to the app now through July 2 save 13¢ on every gallon of gas, plus there’s diesel and bulk propane discounts.
How to get the deal: To get the Shell discount, enter your Shell Fuel Rewards Alt ID or scan your Shell Fuel Rewards card at the pump. You can also pay with a linked payment card at the pump or in-store. To get the Love’s discount, scan the barcode in your app, enter your account number or enter your registered phone number at the pump or in-store.
Extra credit card savings: If you pay with a AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature Credit Card, you get 3 percent cashback on gas at participating stations. If you pay with a AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature Credit card, you get 5 percent cash back on gas at participating stations. Limits apply — learn more here.
Discounted membership options: You can currently join AAA and get 50 percent off a membership, plus add two additional members to your account.
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What are the best ways to save on gas?
Here are a few ways you can pay less for gas beyond joining a membership program and paying with credit cards that offer fuel perks. Experts also share tips for cutting back on your gas usage.
- Compare local prices: “There can be substantial variation in prices at the pump across neighboring counties,” says Francesco D’Acunto, an associate professor of finance at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Use websites and apps like GasBuddy and AAA to track local prices, and take note of prices in surrounding neighborhoods while you’re driving.
- Fill up your tank on Sundays: GasBuddy found that Sunday is commonly the cheapest day to get gas nationwide, with Monday coming in second place. The worst days to get gas are usually Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Experts also don’t recommend getting gas directly before or after a holiday as prices tend to spike.
- Download stations’ apps and cashback apps: Some gas stations have apps that let you make a free account and earn cashback or other perks over time, like Earnify, Exxon Mobil Rewards+, Shell Fuel Rewards, Inner Circle and Speedway Speedy Rewards. You can also download GasBuddy, an app that helps you find cheap gas and potentially earn rewards as you spend.
- Pay cash: Some stations give you a discount if you pay with cash rather than with a credit card. “It’s pennies because they’re basically just not charging you the credit card fee, but it could save you a buck or two over time,” says Joe Adamski, a supply chain expert and senior advisory director at ProcureAbility. You’ll save more if you pay with a credit card that offers fuel perks, but if you don’t have one, using cash can help.
- Fill your tank with regular gas, not premium: Most car engines are designed to run on regular gas (87 octane), so filling your tank with higher-grade gas won’t give you better mileage, says Adamski. That said, look at the manual your car comes with — if it specifically says to only use higher-grade gas, follow those directions.
- Don’t put additives in your tank: There are some on the market that brands say can give you better mileage, but there’s not enough solid research about them to draw conclusive findings yet, and you don’t want to use something that could potentially damage your car, says Adamski.
- Check your tire pressure: You lose about 0.2 percent of gas mileage per every 1 psi drop in the average pressure of all tires, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Watch your speed: “Rapid decelerations and accelerations drive additional gas usage,” says Adamski. “Also, getting over 60 miles-per-hour starts to drastically increase fuel consumption on a mile-per-gallon basis.”
- Clean out your car: Driving with extra weight from trailers, roof racks or anything else you mount to your vehicle lessens your gas mileage, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Remove anything you’re not using to lighten the load.
- Cut down on driving: Not to state the obvious, but being intentional about how often you drive can stretch what’s in your tank.
Frequently asked questions
Gas is so expensive right now due to significant global supply chain distributions caused by the war in Iran and resulting blockages in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that’s critical to oil transportation, says D’Acunto. Tankers filled with oil are trapped in the strait, and because they can’t get through, global supply is restricted. That’s causing the cost of a barrel of oil to skyrocket, which directly relates to prices at the pump. “The price of gas is based on the overall global availability of oil, so even if there’s a shock as far away as in Iran, gas prices in the U.S. are affected,” says D’Acunto.
Gas prices won’t go down any time soon, experts told me. Economic and supply chain experts I talked to estimate that it will take about two to three months for costs to drop once the war with Iran is over and the Strait of Hormuz reopens— there’s currently no estimate for when that will be, so expect prices to stay high through at least the summer. That’s the case even though the cost of oil fluctuates daily in response to current events. “Just because the price of a barrel of oil goes down on a given day doesn’t mean it translates into the retail price going down,” says Adamski. “The price of gas tends to increase quickly with bad news, and it comes down slowly as things stabilize, an economic concept commonly called ‘rockets and feathers.’”
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On top of the federal gas tax, you also pay additional state taxes.
No, the federal gas tax is not currently suspended in the U.S. at the time of publication. President Donald Trump proposed suspending it, which would require congressional approval, but it’s never been done before. While suspending the federal gas tax would bring fuel prices down, they’d still be elevated compared to prices before the Iran war.
Yes, there are different gas prices in different states, says D’Acunto. How gas is taxed differs from state to state, which is one of the biggest reasons why gas typically costs more per gallon in California compared to Oklahoma, for example. But other factors play a role, like state-specific environmental regulations and transportation costs.
Groceries and air travel are the two main things likely to get more expensive in the coming weeks due to gas prices.
- Groceries: Farms and manufacturing plants run on a lot of diesel and other petroleum products, including fertilizer, much of which is transported through the currently blocked Strait of Hormuz. Since farmers and manufacturers will have to pay more for necessary supplies and transport products, shoppers will, too, says D’Acunto.
- Air travel: All transportation industries are impacted by increased gas prices, but air travel takes the biggest hit, says D’Acunto. “Jet fuel is based on very short-term price determinations, so every single shock that happens today will immediately spike up costs for travelers,” he says. “It will be reflected in the price of tickets, and it may even result in flight cancellations if it becomes unprofitable for airlines to run.” Adamski also expects airlines to raise prices on baggage, in-flight amenities and other add-ons as they try to make up for what they’re losing.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Joe Adamski is a supply chain expert and senior advisory director at ProcureAbility.
- Francesco D’Acunto is an associate professor of finance at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a reporter at NBC Select who has covered consumer savings for over five years. I write about topics like what to buy vs. skip during major holiday sales events, and how tariffs impact shoppers. To write this article, I talked to two experts about why gas prices are currently so high, how to save on gas and other tips for conserving fuel.
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