How To Save Money On Gas For Your Camper Van

If you are driving a big rig such as a camper van or RV then you know filling up the gas tank can get VERY EXPENSIVE. But there are a few good ways to save money on gas when traveling. Whether you are looking for a good app, credit cards with good rewards, or general tips and tricks to save money on gas, we got you covered. Let’s dive in to the best tips and tricks for how to save money on gas for your camper van. 

This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure policy.

---

Use Apps Like Gas Buddy:

Gas Buddy is one of the best apps for how to save money on gas for your camper van. It’s our go to app when looking for a gas station nearby. Whenever Jake and I are lower than a half tank we are looking on Gas Buddy to see where the best place is to fill up. 

Most of the prices are either entered by peers or sometimes by the gas station owner him/herself. So, with that being said, the prices aren’t always updated when the prices go up or down. But for the most part, it is a reliable way to find the cheapest gas around. 

---

Wholesale Stores (Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s):

Another great way to save money on gas in your campervan is to be a member of a wholesale store wuch as Costco, Sams Club, BJ’s, etc. If you use the Gas Buddy App mentioned above, then you have probably noticed there are always these wholesale store gas stations that have gas for a much lower price than the rest. But you do need a membership card to get the gas from that location. 

Membership fees differ depending on the store, but generally costs around $45-$60 for the lowest tier membership. So you must weigh the price to how much you will save over time.

For example, Jake and I travel full-time and often travel through major cities and towns that have a Costco. If we save around $.10 per gallon on average for our tank, we can save around $3.50 per fill-up with our 35-gallon tank.

Which would mean we need to fill up 17 times throughout the year to pay off the membership fee. And that’s generally the price difference on gas for a $60 membership at Costco.

But when we were traveling in California for a few months, we could sometimes save up to $.35 per gallon which equates to saving $12.25 per fill-up.

So ultimately you should weigh the price difference of gas and where you plan to travel to see if a membership will equal out or even save you money over the year. And that’s only gas, they also have great deals inside the store as well!

This is the best option if you plan to travel near cities/big towns, or at least drive through. But if you are often traveling through small towns, or off-grid locations, then you probably won’t pass by these gas stations as often. So, this option is not always the best way to save money on gas if it makes you travel out of your way, or you won’t make back up the cash in exchange for the membership fee. 

---

Pay Cash To Save Money On Gas:

Another way to save money on gas is to pay cash. Many gas stations will charge 10 cents less if you pay cash instead of using a credit card. The reason being is that they usually have to pay a fee for customers using their credit card, so it’s cheaper for the gas station to accept cash. But this also means you won’t receive credit card points, which is sometimes more valuable if you travel often. 

---

Travel Where Gas Prices Are Cheaper:

One of the best tips and tricks for how to save money on gas for your camper van is to travel in locations where gas is cheaper. Most of the south-central area has lower gas prices than the rest of the states in the United States.  For example, Texas usually has some of the lowest gas prices in the United States, so we traveled there this past winter to help us save money on gas and explore the adventurous side of the state.

---

Use Cruise Control To Save Money On Gas:

Using cruise control can help your vehicle hold a consistent speed, so overall it can save you gas. Because when you are constantly hitting the gas and brake, your vehicle will use more gas overall.

With todays technology, vehicles can maintain the vehicles speed with using less gas overall. This tip and trick is generally for flat highways. If you are cruising up or down mountain roads, you should use lower gears to help save money on gas. 

---

Consolidate Trips To Save Money On Gas:

The biggest way for how to save money on gas is to make less trips overall. If you need to go out for something, make all your errands at once. Because the less you drive, the less gas you will need, ultimately saving you money on gas. 

---

Keep Up With Necessary Maintenance:

You should always try to maintain your vehicle for it’s longevity. Don’t put off those oil changes or tire rotations! The more care your car gets, the better off the car will be (for the most part). But having the tires at the correct PSI and a fresh oil change will help keep your car running efficiently overall.  

---

Drive Slow To Save Money On Gas:

The rule of thumb is the slower you drive, the more you save. This is ultimately because the slower you go the less power your vehicle has to output to resist against wind, your tires, engine/transmission, etc. When your vehicle travels faster, the harder it has to work and the less energy efficient it is.

Our best suggestion is to plan ahead so you don’t need to speed. Our campervan doesn’t move anywhere too fast because it’s 8,000 pounds afterall, so whenever we are on a long road trip, we can almost bet we will get there later than expected. 

---

Use A Gas Station Credit Card:

There are a couple of different gas station credit cards that help you save a few bucks when filling up your tank. The top two credit cards are the Shell Citi Card and the Chevron Techron Advantage Card.

With your first five purchases with Shell you save 30 cents per gallon up to 20 gallons and 10 cents per gallon after that. 

With the Techron Advantage Credit Card you can save between $.37-$.47 per gallon in the first 90 days depending on the card you are approved for. And after the 90 day you can earn $.07 per fill up every time. 

---

Grocery Store Reward Programs:

Another great way to save money on gas is grocery store reward programs. Often times grocery stores have partnerships with gas stations that reward grocery purchasing points with discounts on gas. You can sometimes save 10+ cents per gallon when filling up with your grocery store points!

But, this means that you need to shop at the same brand of grocery stores, which can be tough if you are on a long road trip through multiple states. Lots of these programs work on a month-to-month basis, so you can strategically try to stick to one grocery store chain for chunks of time.

If you are traveling around the west coast, Safeway is a consistent grocery store that rewards grocery store purchases into gas points.

Here is a complete list of all the gas station / grocery store partnerships.

---

Avoid Traffic:

Last but not least, one of the easiest ways to eat through your gas tank is to sit in your vehicle at idle and not move to a new place very quickly. So if you are like us and basically get to choose when you travel, (because we live full-time in our campervan) then try to find non-traffic times. The best times to avoid would be when people are heading to work (8-9am) or when they are coming home (4-5pm). 

---

Takeaway | How To Save Money On Gas For Your Camper Van

Overall, saving money on gas in your campervan can mean you save tons of money over time. Even if you do one of these tips and tricks listed above, you will be saving some money on gas. But if you add in a few of these pieces of advice together for how to save money on gas, your bank account will be thanking you. We hope these tips and tricks for how to save money on gas for you camper van help! 

---

Help Us Share How To Save Money On Gas In Your Campervan On Pinterest: