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The Fuel Rewards program is a gas rewards program for Shell gas stations and it’s one of the best programs out there. Joining a gas rewards program is one of the best ways to save money on gas and here’s why you should join one too.
Do you know how much you spend on gas for your car every year? Depending on if you have to commute a significant distance for work, whether you fill up with regular or premium fuel, and how much you drive in general, you can easily drive thousands of miles in a given year. That can quickly translate to thousands of dollars in fuel alone over the years.
And if you are one of those who are consciously aware of fuel prices, you might even go out of your way and drive around until you find a station with a cheaper price instead of opting for the more convenient stations.
I was one of those people…until I realized I live right near a Shell gas station and joined Fuel Rewards.
The Fuel Rewards program is often one of the most lucrative gas rewards programs. I’ve been using it for a year now and have saved $134.36 in gas in 2020. Here’s why you should join Fuel Rewards too.
Related Article: How I Saved Over $2,000 On Expenses & Purchases In 2020
What is Fuel Rewards?
Fuel Rewards is a gas rewards program that saves you money filling up your car at Shell gas stations and it’s exclusive to Shell.
Typically, you automatically get Silver Status and 3¢ off per gallon when you join and become a member of the program. After filling up at Shell 6 times (minimum of 5 gallons) within three months, you will receive Gold Status and get 5¢ off per gallon.
But right now, new members who enroll now will automatically get Gold Status for the first 6 months. This can be combined with other rewards from their program partners for even greater savings!
Fuel Rewards also has partner programs that give you even greater discounts on filling up your car at Shell.
Fuel Rewards
Sign up with my referral link and get automatic Gold Status and 5¢ off per gallon at Shell gas stations! You can also get Gold Status without going through my link but you will be helping me out if you do and it's very much appreciated!
Fuel Rewards partner programs
If you are already participating in one of Fuel Rewards partner programs, chances are you could be saving on your gas purchases from Shell!
Here is the list of their notable partner programs and how to earn more towards your gas savings at Shell.
| Partner Program | Gas Savings | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Dunkin |
10¢/gal |
Save at least 10¢/gal after every 5th beverage purchase using your DD Perks® app or card. Accounts must be linked to earn rewards. |
|
Fuel Rewards Pro |
5¢/gal |
Earn 5¢/gal on work fill-ups — ideal for fleets and anyone whose employer pays for fuel. |
|
Avis |
10¢/gal |
Earn 10¢/gal for every $50 you spend on rental cars through fuelrewards.com. |
|
Budget |
10¢/gal |
Get up to 25% off base rates and earn 10¢/gal for every $50 you spend on rental cars through fuelrewards.com. |
|
Choice Privileges |
20¢/gal |
Earn 20¢/gal for every qualifying weekday stay at participating Choice Hotels locations. |
|
Stop & Shop |
10¢/gal |
Get 10¢/gal for every 100 points received from shopping at participating Stop & Shop stores. |
|
T-Mobile Tuesdays |
10¢/gal |
Eligible T-Mobile and Sprint customers save 10¢/gal (up to 20 gallons) through T-Mobile Tuesdays. |
How I saved over $134.36 in 2020
I participate in two of Fuel Rewards partner programs. I shop at Stop & Shop every week for my groceries and T-Mobile is my wireless carrier so I get access to the offers from T-Mobile Tuesdays.
Stop & Shop Go Rewards
Since I shop at Stop & Shop and I have a Stop & Shop card, I earn their Go Reward points each time I buy groceries. I earn 1 point for every dollar spent with my Stop & Shop card. My wife and I typically spend about $100 on groceries each week so I automatically get a minimum of 10¢ off per gallon at Shell every week.
But wait! It gets even better!
Stop & Shop always has bonus Go Rewards points for many of their products. I’ve gotten over 300 Go Reward points from a single purchase of around $100 because of the bonus points.
Go Reward points can be redeemed for Stop & Shop gas, but I do not think this is the best redemption. Stop & Shop gas is not a top-tier gas brand but Shell is. Top-tier gas has higher levels of detergent which helps keep your engine cleaner and in theory, helps your engine last longer. The price is also often the same in my area and both are about the same distance from my house so I much rather go with Shell.
T-Mobile Tuesdays
I’ve been a longtime T-Mobile customer dating back to 2008 when I got my first cellular plan and phone. T-Mobile Tuesdays first rolled out in 2016, giving their customers freebies and amazing deals. I didn’t start taking advantage of these deals and freebies until January of 2020.
What a big mistake! I missed out on so many opportunities to save money, especially on gas. I could have been saving on gas for the past 4 years! Oh well…you win some and you lose some.
T-Mobile customers need to enroll in T-Mobile Tuesdays and download the app. They can then redeem 10¢ off per gallon (up to 20 gallons) each week on Tuesday and they have until midnight on Fridays to use it.
And because Sprint merged with T-Mobile, Sprint customers now also have access to T-Mobile Tuesdays deals and able to save at Shell!
Getting a minimum of 25¢/gal each week
Between T-Mobile Tuesdays and Stop & Shop, I get at least 25¢ off per gallon at Shell each week. That’s 5¢ for having Gold Status in Fuel Rewards, 10¢ from T-Mobile Tuesdays, and 10¢ from Stop & Shop.
I fill up 7-8 gallons of gas on average each week. With 25¢ off per gallon each week, I can expect to save at least $91-$104 on gas a year. That’s right in line with how much I saved in 2020. I did a little better with $134.36.
Fuel Rewards online shopping portal
Fuel Rewards has its own online shopping portal that allows you to save even more on your gas purchases at Shell. You can earn at least 5¢/gal and up to 30¢/gal for every $50 you spend.
This is not my online favorite shopping portal as there are better rewards with other portals. They also have a limited number of stores. I do not recommend using this portal unless on the very off chance it is the best portal to use for a specific store. Otherwise, I recommend using Rakuten for earning cash for shopping online.
Fuel Rewards dining program
Fuel Rewards has its own dining rewards program where you can earn 10¢/gal for every $50 you spend at a participating restaurant. This works for both dine-in and takeout orders. All you need to do is link a credit card to your account and use it at a participating restaurant.
It also looks like you need to opt in to receive their dining promotional emails about participating restaurants to earn gas savings. I’ve opted in and haven’t really been receiving many of these emails so it doesn’t seem to be too bad.
You can then search for nearby participating restaurants or you can not worry about it and just keep your credit cards linked and dine at places you want to. If you happen to dine in a participating restaurant, you’ll get a surprise the next time you fill up at Shell.
Spending $50 dollars on a meal does seem like a lot but if you typically spend that much for dinner at a restaurant and don’t mind receiving their emails, then it is worth it.
Shopping at the Shell gas station store
You can also earn gas savings from buying certain items in the store at Shell gas stations. Offers and items seem like they are limited in terms of selection and they may be different depending on the store you go to.
Shell Fuel Rewards credit cards
Shell and Fuel Rewards offer two co-branded credit cards through Citibank. Both cards give you 10¢/gal on up to 20 gallons and 10% in rebates on your first $1,200 spent on Shell non-fuel purchases per year. These are things you buy in the Shell gas station stores.
The Shell Fuel Rewards Mastercard gives you an additional 2% in rebates on your first $10K spent on groceries and dining per year, as well as 1% in rebates on qualifying purchases. You can find more information about both cards here.
Overall, these cards are not really worth it in my opinion. Both cards technically give you only 5¢/gal – the other 5¢/gal comes from your Gold Status, which you can get without the credit card. There are better and more versatile cards out there where the rewards are potentially worth much more than the savings you get with these cards.
Final thoughts
Joining a fuel rewards program is a great way to save money on gas, especially if you drive a lot and/or your car requires premium fuel. The Fuel Rewards program just happens to be one of the better programs out there. If you like to fill up at Shell, then Fuel Rewards is right for you.
Even if you do not normally fill up at Shell, you may want to consider it as long as there is one conveniently located near you and the cost is the same or similar to other stations. The savings you get from just having Gold Status alone can be worth it if it brings the price down to the same or less compared to other stations.
Furthermore, it’s a no brainer if you shop at Stop & Shop, go to Dunkin a lot, or are a T-Mobile/Sprint customer. The savings you can get from these partners can easily make filling up at Shell cheaper than any other station. Not to mention you’ll also be treating your car to some top-tier gasoline at a price lower than non-top tier gasoline. It’s a win-win!
With a bit of planning and a routine nailed down, saving at the pump is one of the easiest ways to save money on a monthly basis. The savings can add up quickly over the course of a year and you may even be surprised just how much you saved on gas.
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