To find the cheapest gas in your area while traveling can be tricky. In your hometown you probably already know where to find the cheapest gas or diesel, but when traveling it’s easy to feel lost in a new town. My wife and I used to drive to the nearest gas station thinking that the prices wouldn’t differ that much, but then I got an app on my phone and that has now changed. Now I can easily find out if it’s worth it to drive to the next gas station for a better price.
The app I am talking about and that I will review today is GasBuddy (Apple App Store / Google Play Store). It works in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
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Let’s go through the features
Search with filters
You can let the app find gas stations based on your location, or by entering a name of a city. You can then use the filters that show up to get more specific results. Right now these are:
- Sorting based on price or distance to gas station
- What kind of gas you need (regular, midgrade, premium, diesel, E85)
- Amenities like a car wash, propane, restrooms, ATM, etc.
- Brands
Results
Your results can be shown either on a map or in a list. On the map, you will see the location, brand, and price of the kind of gas you’ve chosen. If you click on one, it will tell you when the price was last updated, the address, directions, reviews, and you can also report the price if it’s incorrect. Your maps app will open when you click the Directions button.
Why would I report prices?
By reporting incorrect prices, you will not only help others but also be rewarded with points that you can use to enter giveaways that occur in the app every day. Like win a $100 worth of gas.
What I think about it
GasBuddy is an app that I use regularly, even when I am in my hometown. I have realized that there can be relatively large price differences every day at different gas stations. It has helped me save money, and it’s all free, so it’s an app that I recommend.
When traveling, it has been helpful to find gas stations with restrooms and propane. Being able to know before you leave, that you will be able to stop here and there to fill up on gas amongst other things in specific places takes away some of the stress with travel. If it’s something really important, it’s easy to Google the gas station’s address to get a phone number you can call to confirm availability of certain amenities. I wish phone numbers would be available directly in the app.
In any app where users report information, accuracy can be an issue, but I have not found that to be true with GasBuddy. I haven’t done any math to check my claim but I believe the prices on the app have been right about 9 out of 10 times. It’s important to check when it was last updated because prices fluctuate a lot.
The app can be less useful in smaller towns where there are not a lot of users. Sometimes a gas station shows “—” because it doesn’t have a “current” price.
What I don’t like about it is that it’s only available in the USA, Canada and Australia. So if you’re anywhere out of these countries, this app won’t be any help to you.
Is it worth downloading?
If you’re somebody that’s traveling a lot, you probably have to fill up your tank every week. This will quickly become a big expense and that’s why this app is helpful. I recommend using this app when planning a trip, not when the empty gas light comes on in your RV, truck or car. If you’re going to drive from one campground to another, and you know you’re going to be driving by a town or city, look up the best prices before you leave. This way you won’t be doing unnecessary driving and get discouraged to use the app again. I can open the app and have the best gas price in that city in 30 seconds. Is 30 seconds worth it to save money when you fill up a 34 gallon diesel tank? I believe it is.
My Car
In the app, you can add your vehicle based on VIN or brand, model, and year it is. You can then keep a fuel log to keep track of your fuel purchases and your fuel economy. In this tab, you can also see existing recalls on your vehicle and be notified about future recalls.
Pay with GasBuddy
GasBuddy has a system that will let you save money when filling up your tank. I have not tried this and have read mixed reviews about it so unfortunately I can’t give any information about it.
Download
GasBuddy can be downloaded for free through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.