A Travel App for Cheap Fuel (Maybe Even Free!)

It’s hard to be an Economical Explorer if you can’t travel around cheaply.  And part of traveling is driving.  Did you know there is a place in Florida where right this second people are paying on $3.10 for a gallon of gas?  Likewise, some people are forking over $4.49.

This is a picture from 2007 in San Francisco and some people
are actually paying less money for gas than back then!

 

I’ve done a lot of traveling around Florida the past couple of weeks and have figured out where to buy fuel to cut on costs.  For instance, that $3.10 price per gallon?  It’s in Central Florida, Leesburg to be exact, about a hour outside Orlando.  Leesburg also has stations selling gas at $3.13 and $3.15. 

 

On the other end of the spectrum, drivers are paying $4.49 in, none other than, South Florida.

 

That should come as no shock to anyone living down here.  When I travel basically anywhere in Florida, I do not fill up before I leave.  I run on fumes until I can make it to Central Florida, Ft. Myers, or Tampa, all known to have cheaper prices than my neck of the woods.

Helping me with my gas price decisions, this website.  The site is run by Gas Buddy, which produces the single-best gas reporting iPhone app around.  It was the first app I ever downloaded on my iPhone and consistently ranks as the number one download *free* travel application in the App Store.

 

And it’s ridiculously simple to use.

Just click on that little green gas pump and Gas Buddy shows you where to find the cheapest gas nearby.

Unfortunately, I don't have a Costco or
BJ's membership, so it looks like I'm
going to have to fill up in Lake Worth
for $3.39

 

Don’t agree with the gas price listed?  You can change it yourself by clicking on the station, then on “update.”

 

And here’s where the free part comes in.  After signing up for Gas Buddy, every time you report a correct gas price, you earn 150 points.  For every 1,000 points you earn, you can buy a “ticket” for a $250 pre-paid gas card.  Every week, Gas Buddy has a drawing for one lucky person to win free gas.

Now, this is a nationwide website, so I’m not really sure of your odds of actually winning.  But, I play the Florida Lottery and my odds of winning that are 1 in 22 million, so I figure, what the hey?  In reality, the odds of getting attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million (according to Discovery News), so unfortunately I’ll probably have to deal with that before I get any free money.

Anyhoo, you also get points if you refer a friend, so let's start a buddy system and explore economically together!

Total Cost: Gas Buddy App is free!

Best Deal: Figuring out gas is cheaper by my work (in West Palm Beach) than by my house (in Boynton Beach)

Where do fill up your tank for the least amount of money?