SIGNING up to a petrol station loyalty scheme could bag you free diesel or unleaded and money off flights.
The cost of petrol and diesel has fallen since hitting an all-time high in July 2022, but still remains relatively high historically speaking.
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And with mortgage rates and food costs high, you should be looking for ways to save on fuel wherever possible.
Luckily, a number of petrol station chains run free loyalty schemes offering customers free petrol, money off flights and points which can be redeemed at major retailers including M&S, Asos and Costa Coffee.
Consumer expert Martyn James said: “Even for a cynic about fuel station loyalty cards, when it comes to buying fuel, they’re a no-brainer.
“We tend to be ‘station loyal’ and use the ones most local to where we live or work – so why not make them work for you?
“The range of offers, from freebies, discounts and deals on everything from food to flights are well worth it.”
But what do each of the loyalty schemes offer exactly? We’ve broken them down for you below.
Texaco Star Rewards
Texaco runs around 800 fuel stations across the UK which are owned and operated independently.
With the Star Rewards scheme motorists receive one point worth 1p for every litre of fuel bought.
Once you get to 500 points you can redeem them for £5 off your fuel or exchange them for a £5 Love2Shop Reward voucher code.
The £5 vouchers can be spent across a host of retailers and chains, including M&S, John Lewis, Argos, Just Eat, Asos and Costa Coffee.
You can also decide to donate your £5 to one of a number of charities including Age UK, FareShare and Action for Children.
Texaco is currently offering motorists double points per litre of fuel bought on their first three fill ups too.
The loyalty scheme is free to download on to your smartphone via Google Play or the Apple App Store.
If you want to find your nearest Texaco station you can use the chain’s locator tool on its website.
BPme
BP operates over 1,200 service stations in the UK, serving around seven million customers.
Under its BPme Rewards scheme, drivers can earn points on fuel or food bought and use them to get money off future trips.
You earn one point for every litre of regular fuel bought, two points for every one litre of ultimate fuel and one point for every £1 spent in-store.
You can’t earn points when buying tobacco, phone cards, baby milk, postage stamps, utility cards, e top-ups or the lottery in-shop though.
Each point is worth 0.5p meaning 200 points is worth £1.
You can redeem any points earned in-store or on fuel, or trade them in at one of BP’s partners including M&S and Amazon.
However, you can only start redeeming points once you have earned a minimum 25.
Drivers can also convert points into Avios points, with 40 BPme points worth 25 Avios.
You can sign up to the BPme scheme by picking up a physical card at a forecourt then registering it online.
You can also download the app for free via Google Play or the Apple App Store or order a fob to attach to your keyring.
Customers signing up to the scheme for the first time automatically get £2.50 worth of points for free.
You can find your nearest BP garage by using the chain’s online locator tool.
Shell Go+
There are over 1,000 Shell petrol stations in the UK with customers able to save money by signing up to the Shell Go+ scheme.
Drivers automatically get 10% off hot drinks, including Costa Coffee, deli items like sandwiches and engine oils.
Shoppers can also earn “visits” instead of points, by spending £10 or more on fuel or £2 or more in-store per trip, receiving a “reward” to spend on fuel on their 10th visit.
Rewards are discounts of between £1 and £50 off fuel, which vary depending on each customer.
Drivers can also pick up “surprise rewards” at random which include free drinks and food, or money off a car wash when swiping their app or card.
Those on the Shell Go+ scheme can also get added perks through Shell’s partners, including discounted breakdown cover and money off tech such as dash cams.
You can download the Shell Go+ app via Google Play or the App Store, pick up a physical card in-store or order a key fob.
Esso
Esso doesn’t have its own loyalty scheme but you can collect points if you’ve got a Nectar Card.
You have to download the Esso app and can then add your Nectar Card details.
You receive one Nectar point for every litre of fuel bought or two points for each £1 spent in-store or on a car wash.
How to save money on fuel
It’s worth checking out the PetrolPrices app and website where you can find out how much fuel costs at forecourts near you.
Comparison website Confused.com also has a petrol prices checker that lets you find petrol prices within a five, 10 or 25mile radius.
Fleet News and Allstar also let you check petrol prices across multiple counties to see how your area compares to others across the UK.
If you’re a Costco member, you can often pick up cheap fuel at its forecourts too
Three hundred points is worth 5p off a litre of fuel, up to a maximum of 60 litres.
Drivers signing up to the app also receive 1,000 points as a welcome bonus and bonus points on their second, fourth, sixth and eighth trips.
You can download the Esso app for free off Google Play or the App Store.
Meanwhile, you can find your nearest forecourt by using the chain’s locator tool on its website.
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