_savings   frugal

MyGallons.com Promises to Save You Money on Gas

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

01 Jul 2008 11:16 AM

Across the nation, gas prices continue to rise causing people everywhere to cut back on traveling or cut back on other expenses to afford the gas. There is a new service out there that promises to save you money on gas by allowing you to lock in the price. This means that no matter how much gas prices rise, you will still only pay the same rate for gas.

The service operates much the same way as other suppliers of home heating oil or natural gas. You agree to prepay for so many gallons of gas ahead of time. Then that gas is supplied to you throughout the year as needed.

With MyGallons.com, this management comes in the form of a gas card that is accepted at “95 percent” of all of the nation’s gas stations, according to MyGallons.com. You simply use the card to pay for your gas, and you’ll get the prepaid rate. If gas prices go up then you win. If they go down, then you will lose money. There are also fees involved with MyGallons.com. First off is a membership fee. It is $29.95 if you have your card reloaded whenever it goes below 15 gallons, or $39.95 if you choose to manually reload the card. There is a fee of $1.95 every time you use the card, and a $15 overdraft charge if you let your balance run out.

So, is this service worth it? I can’t give you a clear answer, yet. There is always the risk that you could be locked in to a higher rate if gas prices go down (which they show no sign of doing anytime soon). And because you have to prepay for your gas, you are tying up money that you might need elsewhere.

I am a big fan of the budget plan for our home heating oil. We can lock in a rate that will be stable for the whole winter. But this rate and the amount of oil we get is based on factors such as the number of degree days and how frugal our household is with oil. This is all calculated nicely by the oil company, and any balancing comes out at the end.

MyGallons.com is a bit different.

I would love to hear from anyone who is considering this service.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don't miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans
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Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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User Comments

DKL1340 (5) 05 Jul 2008 08:42 AM

Mary, It sounded nice to me to. That's why I did a little checking. I don't know if I can post a website for you to go to read about it, but if I can.. follow this link: http://www.besternews.com/related/Los+Angeles+Times+-+Business/Concerns+raised+over+online+gasoline+seller+MyGallons.com/?ref=bis

If not.. it tells of how the Better Business Bureau has found some flaws with the company. They gave them a F. Which is not good. They said the company does not currently have a bank, he's looking for a replacement. There are fee's for this service. 6,000 members are said to be waiting for a debit card to use this service, and the guy filled bankruptcy in 2001. It maybe some new glitches or something else, but that's a heads up.

Mary Ann Romans Online! (26886) 07 Jul 2008 09:38 AM

Thanks for the info DKL1340! Our readers can certainly use it. I did some more checking myself, and it does sound like a risky proposition. This is one very big reason to move cautiously.

heffEE (5) 23 Jul 2008 11:05 AM

2.5.3 MYGALLONS maintains the right to make and will make price adjustments to your Personal Account any time you redeem the MYGALLONS Services for a price at the pump that is at least 10 cents per gallon higher or lower than your MYGALLONS Price at the time of the redemption (not at the time you pre-purchased the fuel). For example if your available MYGALLONS Price at the time you make a redemption is $3.50 per gallon you will receive an adjustment credit to your Personal Account if the price you redeem for at the pump is $3.40 per gallon (or less) or an adjustment debit against your Personal Account if the price you redeem for at the pump is $3.60 per gallon (or more) at the time of redemption.

If I am reading this correctly, there is no way to save more than 10 cents a gallon.. Am I crazy or is that how this reads? I'd rather use my grocery savings to save 10 cents a gallon at my local Kroger. They give a 10 cent/gal that's good for a single-use up to 25 gal for every $100 you spend in groceries during any calendar month. It's calculated using their sale prices if applicable, but always PRE-coupon. ;)

Mary Ann Romans Online! (26886) 23 Jul 2008 12:32 PM

The Giant Grocery stores around here do the same thing. And, there is no risk or obligation. heffEE, thanks for reading into the price adjustment issue. 10 cents less certainly doesn't seem like anything special.

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