Gas stations are in everyone’s everyday life whether you like it or not.  The only people that generally don’t need to fill up at the pumps are the people who aren’t old enough to drive or just don’t use gas to get anywhere.  Since gas stations are no different than any other businesses, there are things that gas station owners do to get your to pull up to the pumps that may mislead you.

The car wash trick – Have you ever pulled by a gas station and the price looks too good to be true?  Well, it probably is.  What you don’t see in the fine print is, “with car wash purchase”  Generally, you’ll be able to save anywhere from .10-.15 a gallon with a car wash but it doesn’t add up in the long run and I’ll explain why.  Let’s say the car wash gas price is $3 a gallon but if you don’t get the car wash, it’s $3.10. 

If you pull up to the pump and fill up with 10 gallons, you’re going to be paying $30 plus $5 for the car wash.  Your toal is $35.  Now, let’s say you don’t get the car wash and fill up at $3.10, you’re going to pay $31.00.  So, without the car wash you’re saving $4 and you’re probably paying a little bit more than the gas station up the street.  This method is very common with stations that have car washes.

The credit/cash deal – Ever since gas prices have reach $3+ gallon, you’ve probably noticed a lot of stations offering two prices.  One price is for credit only and the other is for cash only.  The difference between the two is usually ten cents or so.  Make sure you pay attention to whatever you’re using.  If you’re going to use cash or the gas station’s credit card, you’re going to get the best deal.  If you’re going to use a credit card that isn’t affiliated with the station, you’re going to pay the higher price.

Broken pay at the pump/no receipt – Someone I knew of that worked a gas station before said the owner would intentionally put out of order signs at the pay at the pump machines because he would want all of the customers to come through the stores in hopes that they would purchase candy, soda, etc.  If you didn’t know, this is where most gas stations make their money.  Beware of some gas stations that have “broken” pay at the pumps for a long time.  They are probably trying to get you to buy other goods.

These are probably the three common methods on ways gas stations can mislead you.  Now, there are also ways gas station’s can scam you which I’ll write about in an upcoming series.  For now, make sure you keep your eyes peeled when you pull up to the pump to ensure you’re paying the cheapest price in the area.