Fuel stop recommendations

eagle19952 · September 17, 2014, 11:03:59 AM

I will say it again, (i shop very little at WalMart/Sam's) but their MasterCard gives 5% cash back on fuel purchased any where. That seems to be as good of a deal as you can find.

Oonrahnjay · September 17, 2014, 11:21:00 AM

Quote from: Lostranger on September 17, 2014, 06:53:15 AMI'm not familiar with Maverick. Do they operate in the East? I loved the old Flying J.

Yeah, Jim, in our area of the country, Flying J was usually the price leader. Truck stops within 10 miles of FJ were usually 10-12-15-25 cents cheaper than ones on down the road. But when J Call was killed in an accident, the family lost control of the company and the "bean counters" drove it into bankruptcy. Within weeks, FJ prices were up to "average" and all their competitors went up too. They were my fave too, in the old days.

Quote from: eagle19952 on September 17, 2014, 11:03:59 AMI will say it again, (i shop very little at WalMart/Sam's) but their MasterCard gives 5% cash back on fuel purchased any where. That seems to be as good of a deal as you can find.

I put a fair amount of $$$ on my Wah*Mott card every month (only place with merchandise around me) and they gave me a 15 cent discount from Memorial day to Labor day. Even though that's expired, it's still 5 - 10 cents, dependent on location. And their regular pump prices are also way below the competition, which is already high here in "If is moves or if it doesn't, tax it" North Carolina.

luvrbus · September 17, 2014, 11:25:50 AM

Yep 5% is better than .10 cents a gal off the inflated prices at Loves's it's $3.53 at Sam's here take another 5% for their credit card or gift card it helps over a year. I know if you worry about the price of fuel you shouldn't own a bus which is true but I could save almost 3 grand a year by shopping

eagle19952 · September 17, 2014, 12:29:15 PM

agree, but my rebate checks pay my G-kids bills....

bobofthenorth · September 17, 2014, 01:12:26 PM

I agree with Clifford - I could likely save a lot if I bought fuel more wisely but most of the time I just can't be bothered. I do enter California and BC with a full tank and leave as close to empty as I dare to. I also like to use Google Streetview to "drive" the route ahead of time if we're going to an unfamiliar Wallyworld, which is our preferred overnight stop. I tend to buy fuel where its convenient on the interstate - usually at a truck stop but I have zero loyalty - whichever one has the tallest sign and looks to be the easiest access. Unless I'm in familiar country.

joel_newton · September 17, 2014, 09:12:06 PM

Got to say I've had my fill of filling in postage stamp sized fuel stops. Four wheelers blocking satellite pump, "clusters"... One place so small we had to drop our trailers to get in. Company looking for THE cheapest fuel!

I'm in retired mode now. We live a frugal life, but we pick our battles. We will have breakfast and lunch on the road (not while driving - CHP all over that). The money we save will pay for dinner and make up for whatever higher fuel prices we pay at convenient fuel stops.

We have no brand loyalty either. We do use a particular credit card for most purchases which provides us with nice cash back checks. And, much to our delight, fuel is 5% reward (not 5 cents) this month. Not all stops take it - we'll find out before planning the next stop.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

luvrbus · September 18, 2014, 06:31:03 AM

In Chino Valley there is a nice big Safeway easy pull in to and they take AEX what is trip in mileage 800 ? make Vegas your stop going and coming fuel is not bad there we fill at Searchlight sometimes

If you get off 40 I am 8 miles north of Needles you can stop and plug in for the night if you need a stop over then that will leave 200 miles to Prescott

joel_newton · September 18, 2014, 07:29:24 AM

Clifford, we will be coming from Atlanta area - 2600 miles. Would love to stop by and say "Hi" if Needles hasn't washed away by then. Probably be in your area Sept 28-29 depending on side trips. Thanks for the Safeway info.

B_K · September 18, 2014, 08:08:27 AM

I cross check gasbuddy.com (here is sample from Atlanta) http://www.atlantagasprices.com/index.aspx?fuel=D&area=Atlanta&dl=Y&intro=Y with http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?icid=sn8 (here is sample from Atlanta) http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=32401&x=13&y=10

And also watch the signs many times little stops that are not commonly used will be cheap trying to attract customers.

I try to avoid the big name trucks stops when possible.

OH yeah we have Mavericks in our area too. But they are owned by local company called Cox Oil who also run a chain of "Little General"s too! (not even closely related to the ones referred too above.

BK

Oonrahnjay · September 18, 2014, 08:39:53 AM

Quote from: B_K on September 18, 2014, 08:08:27 AM
I cross check gasbuddy.com (here is sample from Atlanta) http://www.atlantagasprices.com/index.aspx?fuel=D&area=Atlanta&dl=Y&intro=Y with http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?icid=sn8 (here is sample from Atlanta) http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=32401&x=13&y=10 ...

I haven't tried the others but I've found that Gas Buddy has a very useful "Diesel Fuel" section (reporting diesel prices only). One problem is that they want a location and it would really help to be able to put in something like "I-40, Tennessee" to get all the reports on the route. If you're running I-40, it doesn't help you much to know that a station in Chattanooga is 3 cents cheaper.
Thanks for those links, BK