FuelCard.org launches in the United States
Mimicking a similar project in the UK, a US-based organization has launched FuelCard.org to help drivers save some cash on gas. The idea is seemingly simple: get a bunch of people together and give them a gas discount card, promise a popular, nationwide gas station chain that the group of people will only buy their gas, and the card holders in question get 10-20 cents off per gallon of gas. The site evidently started up last week, so we're not sure who the gas retailer will be, but if this program flies, it could be a great thing for many of us looking at $50+ a tank.
Thanks to Bob for the tip.
[Source: FuelCard.org]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eric L. 4:33PM (6/13/2006)
Um, you can get similar savings with a Citibank Dividend Mastercard (5% back on gas, all the time), and you can buy from ANY gas station.
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chris 4:41PM (6/13/2006)
I agree you can get that Credit card discount anywhere, but I think you would still be able to use that credit card with this. As this is more of a loyalty type card I think. Kind of like a supermarket or pharmacy card.
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Bonita 5:14PM (6/13/2006)
Good idea.
Here's an even better one: If all Americans would band together and cease buying Exxon-Mobil altogether, they'll go under. Sounds good, eh? Pass it on!
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Brian 5:30PM (6/13/2006)
When I want to save 10 cents/gallon (which is everytime I fill up) I go to Costco. That said, Citgo might be a good partner for this. Hugo Chavez would be a big winner, he could help out all us poor Americans that are being economically oppressed by the system.
"Oppression apparent in the system! Help, help, I'm being oppressed!"
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Trenton Lipscomb 6:24PM (6/13/2006)
Yeah, it'd be great if ExxonMobil were out of business. There would be less competition among the remaining oil companies, so prices would be even higher. Oh, and we'd also have 85k people out of work.
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Jim P. 12:17AM (6/14/2006)
Ok guys (and gals too) I have one for you all. I have a customer who sells cars and on the side he is in this program where you can buy a membership for $300/year and you buy a $150 gas card every month(has discover logo on it, saw it) and it has a $200 limit on it. The card can only be used at gas stations, but he said you could buy anything at the gas station, not just gas with it.
It's a direct marketing program. Anyone familiar with this at all? He showed me 4 used cards he had in his wallet that he kept to show people that this is real. You get $50 a month in free gas (save 25%). Even with the membership amount figured in, you would still save $300 a year
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Albert 1:15AM (6/14/2006)
Jim P,
The gas program requires you to drive about 1,700 miles every month in an average car in order to see any savings. You can only buy 1 card every month. Driving too much then your discount became less then 25%, driving too little then you lose money on the membership fee. Cards expires in 6 months after ordering. And better yet, they were lodged with complaints of late dilvering of the cards ordered for as long as some 4 months wait, or even not sending out cards at all.
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Auto IT 8:54AM (6/14/2006)
The UK's Pipeline card, on which the FuelCard scheme is apparently based, has yet to secure a deal with a major fuel supplier despite having in excess of 100,000 members signed up and waiting. It seems the fuel companies are nervous about extending the discounts they regularly give to corporate fleets to a loose bunch of web-assembled consumers.
There have been fringe benefits for Pipeline members already, however, with a substantial discount on a popular satnav system having been offered to members just a week or so ago. It's likely that the buying power of FuelCard.org will also lead to good deals for its members beyond the price of gas.
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mike willard 9:25AM (6/14/2006)
I signed up, but I doubt any company would ever sign on with them. If gas companies wanted everyone to fill up at their stations, they could just lower the price 20 cents, and everyone would line up to get there gas... yet they don't do this. The reason? They lose more money by giving the discount than they gain by getting additional customers. The only way this could be profitable for a company would be if the company was able to find another way to make money off the cards, like grocery stores do by tracking (and selling) customers' order histories.
And if this does succeed, other companies will create their own cards in order to bring customers back, until eventually the cards won't be profitable anymore for any of the companies, and they'll stop giving the discounts.
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