There’s a reason millions of people are willing to shell out good money for a Costco membership. Costco is known for its competitive prices on just about everything it sells. And that extends to gasoline.
If you’ve ever filled up your tank at Costco, you probably gave yourself a pat on the back for saving money on fuel compared to the cost of buying it at another station. But while it’s pretty well-known that Costco’s gas prices are cheap, here are some less obvious benefits of filling up at Costco.
1. The gas is high in quality
The gas Costco carries holds the TOP TIER designation. When you fill your tank with Costco gasoline, you’re likely to get better performance out of it. The result? Savings on top of the lower price per gallon you’re probably paying.
TOP TIER gas is also designed to clean your engine and help your vehicle run like new. If you fill up at Costco often enough, you may find that it helps prolong the life of your vehicle and/or save you money on maintenance.
2. You can pump up your tires for free
A loss of tire pressure could result in poor performance. And that could lead to wasted money. Plus, for safety reasons, it’s best to have fully inflated tires at all times.
Unfortunately, sometimes all it takes is for the temperature to plunge overnight, and voila — you’ve woken up to the dreaded tire pressure warning on your vehicle first thing in the morning. The great thing about filling up your tank at Costco is that you can also find free air pumps in the parking lot.
If you fill up at a regular gas station, you might have to pay to put air in your tires. And even if it’s a small expense, why spend the money if you don’t have to?
3. You can save yourself money on gas by combining errands
You can save money on gas at Costco by virtue of the store’s lower price per gallon. But you can also save money on gas by combining a grocery run and a fill-up. If you don’t have to drive to a different gas station, you won’t have to use gas to get there. So it pays to time your gas fill-ups to when your fridge and pantry are also getting low.
In addition to saving yourself money, you can also save yourself precious time by adopting this strategy. And for busy people, that’s super important.
It may not exactly come as a surprise to learn that Costco’s gas prices are extremely competitive. But that’s not the only reason to fill up your tank there. You can also benefit from additional savings in more ways than one, not to mention getting to check two errands off of your list with a single trip.