Good afternoon all.
I have recently finished up a novated lease and now actually need to think about how to minimise the cost of petrol - it has been a while so keen to hear what others do.
I live in Victoria.
Is 4c (or more) off a litre from your food shop still an option?
I have found 4c off per litre at Shell in the Linkt app - does this stack with the food one?
Is the 7/11 lock worth it and what is the best way to use it?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
I don't understand why people love driving cars onto the beach. It destroys the car (unless you're quick to wash the salt off) and destroys the beach experience for everyone else.
Different strokes for different folks
It doesn’t ‘destroy the car’. Might shorten its life a little but modern corrosion protection is pretty good.
There’s a reason they only let you drive on certain beaches. Can’t just park on the sand down at Bondi but they allow you to drive several kms to get to a great swimming or fishing spot.
@Euphemistic: Indeed. If you go to more remote beaches, those that are away from population centres and are some of the best beaches in the World, being able to drive onto them makes for a much better experience and is a whole lot of fun too.
I have a 10yo Triton that's I've driven on the beach more times than I can remember and it doesn't have a speck of rust on it.
I use a combination of Petrol Spy or FuelWatch, in conjunction with ACCC Price Watch.
The ACCC website can indicate if the area you are in has a standard and solid price cycle you can lean on. For example in Perth, the cheapest day to buy fuel is a Tuesday and the price cycle is 7 days. I then use the other apps to find the cheapest petrol station along my way to work. It’s usually one of 3 so it’s not difficult and they are all along my route so no time lost or gained by going to a particular one.
I’m lucky that I burn just under a full tank per week so I can always manage to fill up on Tuesday. If it’s looking like I’ve gotta fill up prior I’ll fill up only a little bit of the tank to get me through to Tuesday.
I’ll then usually make sure I’m applying a 4c docket as well I’m working out which is the cheapest price.
Check ACCC for your local price cycle and see if you can fit in with it but as always, YMMV with how successful it is.
Unfortunately for the other states I'm pretty sure we are the only one with a 7 day price cycle here in WA. When they tried to change to a 14 day cycle was a PITA, so I'm glad it slid back to 7 days.
I don't think they have mandated 24h price lock in and reporting of it the day before either, though at least most (all?) have real time price reporting now.
+1 for the ACCC price watch. That and lots of jerry cans.
Petrol Spy App.
Use Petrol spy app example in the nearest town to me Shell is 189.9 and 300 meters away is a liberty and a united both at 177.9 (Diesel) i never make special trips just to get fuel.
People calculating cost as if its a trip just to get fuel who does that? If a detour is more that a couple klms its not worth just from a cost point of view but your time which is more valuable.
Use petrol spy so you dont buy the most expensive in your area the cheapest may be to far away but you can find a reasonably priced one.
Shell has always been the most expensive even with 4 cents off flybuys points and other deals combined.
In Victoria, Woolworths 4c shopping, Racv gives another 4c. Then 5% off Woolworths gift card reduces by a final 8c or so to give a total of 16c ish discount.
That’s my go to as well
Where are you getting the 5% woolies gift cards?
The best advice? Follow the petrol cycle in your city.
The ACCC monitors and reports on the petrol cycle in all major cities, use this to shape your petrol spending habits (where possible).
Buy as much as possible when coming to the bottom of the petrol cycle, and buy as little as possible when coming to the top of the petrol cycle.
Thanks for that. I just had a look at the Perth fuel cycle and it looks so much different to the other states. We in Perth have a 7 day cycle with the cheapest day being Tuesday and the most expensive being Wednesday.
100% this is the best advice!
E.g. AMPOL around me is cheapest and has lagged cycle compared to Sydney west. GCs and 4/6c discounts give ~15% off lows. Sometimes Sydney cycles are too long for a tank so use 7-11 to tide over.
Well done I though only me in this thread knew of the value of the comparison apps on your normal routes .
Going to state the blindingly obvious, but use the motormouth app.
Shopper docket places often have higher prices so you're not really saving in my experience.
Yes you can stack the Linkt 4c discount with the Coles 4c shopping receipts at Shell Coles Express.
(Also if you have NRMA 3c/4c discount you can stack that with Woolworths receipts at selected Ampol sites)
Personally I don't find 711 useful anymore as I don't own a chopper or want to install loads of apps to fake my location and then get banned constantly and 711 is never cheaper in my area considering you can get 8c off with the above Linkt+Coles.
Best thing to do is monitor your prices where you are and where you are going and fill up at the cheapest place - remembering you can save 8c with Linkt+Coles - and always fill up when prices are cheap and before the cycle goes up again.
Stack this with the carsales app? Extra 4c per litre saving.
carsales/linkt/etc discount don't stack, it's the same thing
Thank you all - especially for the laughs! Off I go to monitor…..#newobsession
You were paying for fuel as part of your lease, so you could have saved more and shopped around back then when you paid with a fuel card. . You would have got money back at the end of the lease for fuel paid but not spent. (Lease would have said how many km years, xx litres of fuel at xx per litre.)
Yes, see my comment above - did keep an eye on it and try to buy when cheaper with the fuel card I had :)
I wouldn’t be surprised if the fuel card means the lease co gets charged a cheaper rate based on monthly average or something similar. That is, fleet rates for fuel.
👍🏼
I use combination of Fuel Spy app, 7/11 fuel price lock and Costco.
The fuel price apps in all states except Victoria.
The current Victorian government refuses to introduce mandatory fuel price reporting like all other states have done .This means the fuel price reporting apps not very accurate in Vic compared to other states.
ACT currently does not have mandatory fuel price reporting either.
Yes, there is a six month trial of extending the NSW FuelCheck app to ACT, but the problem is that it is currently an opt-in scheme, and I can see a couple of independent service stations missing from it.
Buy an EV and youse nevar have ta pay fer petrol again!
every annoying EV owner, ever
Buy the cheapest they probably have dirty a f fuel tanks or dodgy pumps
The cheapest places would have the freshest fuel. Think about it.
Fuelwatch.
Costco is usually the cheapest for diesel but only if you live near one or drive past one.
Buying a EV is only half the equation. You also need a heavy duty extension lead to throw over the fence.
Use the 7/11 app in conjunction with
I pay $3 every now and then as I don’t use much fuel but it saves me money.
Am I missing something or is this similar to the 7-eleven app lock in… but you're paying for it? Instead of locking it in yourself, for free, at home?
The website uses your 7/11 account details to log in
to lock the price when you request.
It locks the current cheapest price in Australia, sometimes it’s not worth paying the fee to lock in so I won’t bother but regularly it’s definitely worth the price with the savings.
That really does sound a lot like what everyone else is doing for free, at home? Do you know what you are able to do this at home or have you been choosing to do the paid method, instead?
7-11 Fuel lock with ifakelocation on PC and ElevenMe to find the best prices in AUS
Hi lothus777, where can I find more detailed instructions on how to do this method?
Thanks, managed to get it working. I am new to iPhone so it was a bit of a struggle.
Drive to Malaysia and fuel up there
Only works if you're Elon Musk and own the Bond submarine car.
For foreign cars only 97RON allowed.
how do you know you are getting cheaper fuel?
I use terminal gate pricing as a reference:
https://www.aip.com.au/pricing/terminal-gate-prices
then use petrol spy to find a comparable price on my way to/from work
also if you can join costco their prices seem independent of fuel cycles and are lower.
remember an average car has a 60L tank therefore if you use a 4c/L coupon, the max you are saving is $2.40 on your fill up. You may find your groceries are marked up way more than this potential saving on just one item.
I drive a dedicated LPG vehicle.
i also use petrol spy to get an idea of cheaper locations on my normal commute.
paying 95c a litre at the moment.
Out of interest how many kilometers can you get from a litre of LPG?
it's about 20% worse than petrol.
Piece of hose and petrol can.
I just put in whatever colour has the smallest numbers. Red handle, green handle, yellow handle, black handle doesn't matter.
LPG?
.
Fake plates and get the pump furthest away from the cashier. Ooohhh….you mean legal tips. ;-)
Driving style can play a big role over time, there's no point getting the cheapest fuel if you're wasting the savings by not driving correctly. I'm not saying be a hyper-miling jerk cutting people off slowly and tailgating trucks to reduce your cars aerodynamic drag.
If you see a red light up ahead let go of the throttle and just coast, keep a respectable distance from the car in front of you when possible. When taking off at the lights don't rev the car too fast, you don't need to get to the speed limit as fast as you can with tyres screeching.
eBike
Since I don't have a 7 Eleven or Costco near my area, I just wait for the Coles 2000 Bonus Flybuys points with $100 Coles Mastercard deal since they have those often and use the GC to buy a bunch of Ampol gift cards for 3% off at Shopback and stack that with a myToyato 4c/L and Woolworths Rewards card.
PetrolSpy app works well.
1st and best method is driving less. If you don’t drive you don’t use any fuel. Walk, cycle, carpool etc
2nd is driving economically. Less harsh acceleration and braking (braking turns fuel into heat). Take your roof racks off. Etc etc. plenty of tips online.
3rd is finding the cheapest fuel you can. I haven’t bothered with 7-11 app, can’t be bothered tryi no to find super cheap and spoofing GPS and whatnot. Plus Costco is local and on our usual route. It’s often 10-15cpk cheaper than everywhere else. Pre-Costco there was two-three local servos that had the cheapest fuel, made sure I filled up when driving past. IMO it’s not worth going out of my way to get cheap fuel unless it’s 10spd or more plus not very far.
Wait.. who do you think was paying for the fuel for the whole duration you had a novated lease? Lol
I have a novated lease and never once used the shell/bp cards they sent me. Find the cheapest fuel and get reimbursed! The money comes from you in the first place and you should still try to minimise your car costs.
See my comments above - know I was paying for it and always kept an eye on the best price/cycles etc. for the fuel card I had = which included a discount - just trying to be a more more frugal where I can and everyone here has been helpful :)
Obligatory buy an EV? My friends will also tell you the best time to buy petrol is around 1-2days after I do, guaranteed price drop.
I lately keep a "good price" in mind ($1.78 atm- I usually set it as the price at either of two servos I drive past on the way to work), and if I see it at that or less wherever I am, I fill up up if the tank is less than half full. I also have avoided getting lower that one notch of petrol left in the car so I don't have to just settle for whatever price. Admittedly this is relatively recent and I've on the cusp of getting an EV, but that's the current trick.
I'd suggest try to find an independent servo around your home/workplace, or on the route of your daily commute, and then just go there everytime.
It saves you the trouble to think about it everytime.
For me, it's a servo called Metro.
Find an old phone, root it and install FakeGPS and lock the cheapest 7-11 price in the country. Instant profit!
Following the instructions in this thread I used iFakelocation and my iphone 12 running the latest iOS. No jailbreak required.
Fuel at night. Prices tend to be cheaper for some servos. Share 7-11 account barcode to get bonus reward quicker.
Driving to a bus stop rather than driving to the end location helps a lot
Walking to the busstop works even better
If only Aus suburbs were actually walkable (most aren't, due to car-focused town planning)…
I just use the app that shows all the prices in the area. Usually the same couple of servos are always the cheapest.
Buy a Tesla.
I install a throttle controller unit, it helps but my biggest trick is to sign up for ridesharing services and you can get GST deducted and also 10-12c/L off 7-Eleven or BP. Right now my Didi status gives me 2 12c/L off vouchers per day (it says 10c on the app but actually 12c on receipt) so if anyone needs a voucher, let me know! Voucher is only for 30 minutes so I'll try to get back to you asap.
My cheapest is usually Ampol, using myToyota app (4c off) + Ampol eGift card via RewardGateway (5% off).
It's cheaper than the 7-11 near me using Fuel lock (though I don't use a chopper).
Agree with this, cheapest way for me is some combination of cents off offers and % off discount gift cards from any memberships you may already have. E.g.
You should keep an eye out for when selected Ampol locations (presumably Ampol Foodary and Ampol Woolworths MetroGo) sells AmpolCash physical gift cards at a 5% discount, because you can use those at any Ampol in Australia with EFTPOS facilities (including EG Ampol).
Unfortunately, you may have to wait a while for this deal to roll around again, as the last deal ended last week and probably won’t happen again until early November.
I stack 4c from flybuys, with 4c from afl app with 10c for $20 purchase (soda stream refill + small coffee) I use the nsw fuel app to find the cheapest shell petrol station.
I stack 4c from flybuys, with 4c from afl app with 10c for $20 purchase (soda stream refill + small coffee) I use the nsw fuel app to find the cheapest shell petrol station.
Is 4c (or more) off a litre from your food shop still an option?
yes
I have found 4c off per litre at Shell in the Linkt app - does this stack with the food one?
T&C says yes. But in my experience every time I use the barcode, the coles express checkout guy says code already used.
Instead I've moved to Woolies 4c vouchers + RACV 5c discount codes.
start using public transport. Gives you biggest bang for your buck petrol price wise but depends on the distance and frequency.
Find a parked car, hose, suck, jerry can, mintie. Don't get the order wrong.
Thank you and welcome to my TED Talk.
Drive till half a tank left… Full it up to full. Always seems to be cheaper than filing up from empty…. You are welcome. 👌
4c off a litre. Even if you use 100L/week, you are saving yourself $4/week.
I personally don't think it's worth my hassle.
Make more money
Fuel price apps are good.. except in Victoria as the Victorian government refuses to introduce mandatory fuel price reporting like every other state has done …
Got a new 7-11 acc , locked the petrol and used it few days later ,did it 2 times , and today acc got banned with g09 error .
Driving off without paying?
Tips to lock it without acc being block ? My acc keep got blocked when j locked cheapest price in other states. I usually locked few days before j need to use it
@R4: Nope because I never drove on the beach previously, so not going to start doing it now. Plus its only a front wheel drive. Maybe the AWD of the Model 3 or Model Y may be more suitable.