How to Use Apps to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You
With fuel prices constantly fluctuating, knowing where to find the cheapest gas near you can make a real difference—especially for daily commuters, road trippers, or delivery drivers. Fortunately, there’s no need to guess or drive around aimlessly anymore. A handful of reliable apps can show you the lowest gas prices in your area in real time, and many also offer cashback or rewards to boost your savings even further.
Here’s how to use the best fuel apps to save money every time you fill up.
- GasBuddy: The Industry Standard for Price Tracking
GasBuddy remains one of the most popular and trusted tools for finding local fuel prices. It uses a combination of user reports and station data to display real-time gas prices across the U.S. and Canada. The app lets you sort by fuel type, brand, distance, and price—and includes helpful extras like a trip cost calculator and outage alerts during emergencies.
GasBuddy also offers a “Pay with GasBuddy” card that links to your checking account and provides cents-per-gallon discounts at participating stations, but even without signing up, the price comparison feature is worth using regularly.
- Gas Guru: Clean Interface and Direct Station Data
Gas Guru is another solid choice for price comparison, especially if you prefer a simpler interface. It pulls data directly from the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), which gives it a leg up in accuracy in some areas compared to crowdsourced apps. You can search by location or zip code, save favorite stations, and even compare regular vs. premium gas prices.
Gas Guru doesn’t include rewards, but it’s a great companion tool if you’re combining fuel price tracking with cashback apps.
- Upside: Get Cashback Where You Fuel Up
Upside not only shows nearby gas prices, but also gives you cashback at participating stations. Unlike GasBuddy or Gas Guru, Upside partners directly with specific locations to offer cash-back deals that vary by time and place. Just check in via the app before you fuel, upload a receipt or use the app-linked card, and get cashback directly to your account.
Upside works best in metro areas or along common travel routes, and you can stack it with loyalty programs and rewards credit cards for maximum benefit.
- Combine Price Tracking with Cashback Apps Like Ibotta and Rakuten
While apps like Ibotta and Rakuten aren’t built for fuel specifically, they offer cashback on purchases from convenience stores, travel stops, and retailers where fuel gift cards are sold. That makes them great complementary tools when planning fuel stops on longer trips or weekly errands.
For example, you can use Ibotta to get cashback at stores like Walmart or Kroger, then buy a fuel gift card from the same store. With Rakuten, online gift card purchases for gas brands may qualify for additional savings.
- Use Fluz to Pay Less at the Pump
To take your savings a step further, try pairing these price-finding apps with a reward platform like Fluz. Fluz lets you buy digital gas gift cards for brands like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and BP—and earn cashback instantly. The cards can be created in real time for the exact amount due, and used right at the pump or inside the station.
When used alongside a price comparison app like GasBuddy or Gas Guru, you can both pay less per gallon and earn rewards on top of it—without changing your route.
Save Smarter, Not Harder
The key to saving on gas isn’t just about finding the cheapest station—it’s about using the right tools together. Apps like GasBuddy and Gas Guru help you locate the best prices, while cashback apps like Upside, Ibotta, and Fluz make your purchase work harder. With just a few taps, you’ll be paying less at the pump and getting rewarded for the gas you were already going to buy.
