Some of us have only one place to add diesel, and that's on the passenger side. Our procedure is for Jo Ann to go in and prepay. When she has done so she radios me and I begin filling. When I'm done I radio her with the cost and gallons. Since I'm at the master pump for those numbers it is easy to remember to hang up the hose.
Same fueling situation. Did it your way for the first year, then tried to simplify the operation. We now use "swipe & pump" cards that work most places we refuel. It's a lot quicker + DW doesn't have to put on her "street" shoes, and she doesn't get the opportunity to look around at all the over-priced "souvenirs" they sell in the truck stops (which saves me money). ^.^d
If using these truck stops, Flying J / Pilot have a Frequent Fueler card that give us "pump start", and we only go in to pay, so they never get their hands on our credit card.
Fuel Discount Program. (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=19243.0)
Use this at Love's, 10 cent discount per gallon, do everything from pump. Works at Flying J/Pilots too, but sometimes you get a discount, sometimes not,
Thanks for the link, Jim. Don't know if it would actually save us any money, as we've gone more than 300 miles on one fill exactly once - and that was to outrun snow and ice. Most of the time we keep it to 200-250 miles on a travel day, and I almost always fill the tank just before heading to the campground.
It sounds like we would register a credit card with the program, so that the program pays the station and we pay the program. Is that the way it works?
Don't know how it works now, but when I signed up,it was a withdrawal from a bank account the next day. You save the 10 cents at Loves no matter how many gallons you buy. Nice thing is that Proffit Tools sends you an email every time you use the card with the amount and discount, so easy to keep track of what you spend on fuel, if you want to.
I generally just keep enough in that account to cover fuel expenses for a couple of months. Its not really the money for me, it more the fact that you can do everything from the pump and not be tempted to buy all that bling for your coach if you go inside.
For Pilot/ Flying J it's called the "RV PLUS charge card. Swipe at the pump ,enter security code, pump fuel. Automatically gives discount. End of the month we receive a bill via email. DW goes on line to Flying J website and pays bill with whatever CC is giving us the best deal at the time. Flying J sends us an email letting us know they have drafted the CC. One thing to remember. Bill is due in full to Flying J. How you handle your CC is up to you but Flying J will not carry over balance. Works for us.
In addition to the RV Plus card mentioned above, we also have a Pacific Pride Advantage card. Details in Reply #1 linked below:
Card lock Gas Cards (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=33177.msg299983#msg299983)
FlyJ / Pilot free Frequent-Filler card's handy pump-start also gives RVers the lower cash-price when using a credit card, plus a few additional cents off. And our credit card has a 1% discount, further reducing our pump price another 3 to 4 cents a gallon.
I may be missing something here but I have found the FlyJ and Loves have much higher prices, even with their discounts, than what I can always find on GasBuddy. I also found that their truck stalls are covered in oil. So, I have stayed away from them.
I normally call ahead to verify gas buddies numbers. Maverick station in fillup Utah price on their interstate sign was 1 cent lower than the pump
Yea, lots of them are. I keep a pair of Crocs just for fueling. I just really like the convenience of truck stops when driving freeways and the probability of getting good fuel. I figure a few cents price difference doesn't make much difference overall.
jor
Mavericks are the deal, especially in Montana, Utah and Idaho. But many have Bio Fuel.
Chris
We have a flying J card, but it's bad (broken), they refuse to send a new one unless we pay for the RV Good Sam deal. Said it will work for a while. They have to scan it, so we have to go inside.Have tried at 4 different stations over 4 years. Same story
BTW, anyone coming north out of Vegas, the Moapa Indian Chevron station has a good price $2.84. 20 miles north of Vegas. Easy in and out. CC same price.
Truck Stop | 89025 | Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza (https://www.moapatravelplaza.com/)
Call ahead for price
Chris
I use Gas Buddy all the time. I've found Sam's Club to have better prices and I have no problem getting into most of the stations even with the toad. Along with various credit cards giving me 3 - 5 % off per gallon. For instance I recently fueled at at Covington, La Sam's Club at $2.539 gal. I used my Chase Card (this quarter 5% off) effective price per gallon $2.412. Surrounding stations were $2.699.
This particular station I was glad I was not towing, on the small side.
I'm a member of Good Sam, better deal on fuel than Flying J "LOYALTY" card. You would think "LOYALTY card would be better. IIRC (from my Class C days) better deal on gas than diesel.
But very easy to get in and out versus "most" gas buddy service stations. The card gives a discount price from full retail. I'm willing to pay a bit more for the easy in and out of a Truck Stop.
I have switched to google earth to see the actual location sometimes
Agree with that, and the chance of getting watered down or contaminated fuel from stations that have contracts with a lot of big trucking companies is probably a bit less.
I have an RV PLUS card for Pilot/ Flying J but stopped using it when Pilot joined with Flying J because they set their fuel prices across the country at 30 cents per gallon higher than surrounding stations. Also, paying the bill was awkward because the RV PLUS card in USA cannot be linked to a Canadian bank account the way MasterCard/Visa can be. I do not have a bank account in USA, but do have a USD account in Canada.
I plan my refuelling stops and often require 100 to 120 gallons, so am willing to drop the toad at the curb, fuel where backing up is required, then pick the toad up after.
I buy diesel with cash at Frys in Yuma AZ, at Fasttrip near Bakersfield CA, Spirit in Medford OR, and Northern Lights in Anacortes WA.
I have also found that the fueling gear at Truck stops is often covered in diesel - yuk!
I mentioned the Pacific Pride card in Reply #7 above. If you are traveling in the NW corner of the country, the Pacific Pride card lock automated fueling stations are really nice. I use their online directory to look for stations along our route, then use the street view on Google maps to check out the location. Every one I have used has been very clean, situated for easy drive through access, and I have never had to wait in line. They are definitely my first choice in refueling stops - wish they had more of them all over the country, but they are adding locations all the time.
Chuck, what is the secret of getting a Pacific Pride or any card-lock account?
My experience is that we have to apply to a local fuel company that contracts with Pacific Pride, and prefers to not deal with single vehicle owners.
I have not found a Pacific Pride application with the organization.
Also the station does not have prices posted as each card holder has an agreed upon pricing structure, with higher gallon purchases having lower prices.
Is the monthly billing charged to a debit or credit account? Thanks...
X2 on what Barry said!
You can request a card from Pioneer Fuel in Olympia, WA. See info and application on pages linked below. Print the application, fill it out, mail it to Pioneer. Might be able to fax it - I mailed mine. Any questions about the whole process, call the toll free number and ask.
Correct - the prices are not posted at the pumps, and you don't get a receipt. You can call a toll free phone number to get the "price for the day" at any fueling location. It will
not be the cheapest price in town, if that is your highest priority.
You are billed monthly - you pay by direct debit from your bank account or credit card. They email you a bill 7 days
before they debit account.
Your "PrideAdvantage" card will also work as a "Swipe & Pump" card at all Love's Travel Stops.
Been with them for 3 years. Great people to work with, very friendly, always answer the phone. Never had a problem with billing.
http://pacificpride.us
Pacific Pride Commercial Fueling Network (http://www.pioneerfuel.com)
Sams club and Costco are usually hard to beat price wise.
This discussion of fuel - where to get it, how to pay for it, and the physical condition/location of pumping stations - points out a interesting (to me) aspect of modern life. I saw a quote the other day: "Convenience has become a commodity in modern retail". I think that sums it up pretty well. People will usually pay more for a given product if they can get it quicker and with less hassle. For many cash-rich consumers, the selling price is less important that the speed and ease of delivery. People will fork over big money to avoid standing in line, waiting on production, or getting their hands dirty. In every purchasing decision we make - including filling our voluminous fuel tanks - we must each weigh the "cost of convenience".
What is it worth to you?
We don't buy all that much diesel per year, and the price varies so much from one area to another, so we don't pay all that much attention to the price. I really like using stations that have islands designed for big rigs. There is never any need to back up, and the nozzles are bigger, so it doesn't take all that long (important when it is 35* outside with a 20 mph wind coming at you).
How many of us have used the new truck stop in Nac? I think it is a Shell station, but might be something else. I tried to look it up on Maps, but the satellite image is too old (or else I'm not looking in the right place).
Hi David,
Rougly where in Nac is this truck stop?
Jim
2002 U320
The Shell truck stop is at the NW corner of the loop (Hwy 59 & NW Stallings Dr). We drove by last visit to NAC - looks pretty nice.
See if this link works:
Google Maps: Report Inappropriate Image (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x86378c642a65857d%3A0x5c195d58e7b7f07!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipORjnScr8US_hNBA-BsFLo4xVhRKnmbqR2hMgIk%3Dw86-h87-n-k-no!5sGoogle%20Search&imagekey=!1e2!2s2tydT0L0cX8FqtqH7kccVw)
Hi Chuck,
I can't get the link to open, but if it is at the NE corner of the loup, that's close enough.
Thanks,
Jim
2002 U320
Looks like a nice pit stop ^.^d
Just Google "Gateway Travel Plaza, Nacogdoches, TX" and you'll find the info.
Are we talking warped east coast, west coast news media BS. Or are service stations making a comeback at $1+ a gallon more to cover health insurance, while the demand for fuel gets less? I am guessing the only cash rich people occur on Friday, or are in the upper 10%. I do like Chuck's invaluable input and would certainly buy him beers and steak. PM me how Chuck.
They added a huge Shell sign since that photo in the link. Can't miss it from the loop.
Ed