I did not know how to fill my car with gas when I first arrived in the United States. In the Philippines, you just pull up next to a gas filling station. You don’t even need to get out of your car, an employee will go to you. Just roll down your window, tell them how much gas you want and they’ll do it for you.
In the United States, that is not the case. Filling your car with gas is a do-it-yourself process.
Pay with cash or card.
If your credit card is issued in the Philippines, you won’t be able to use it in the gas filling machine because it will require a US Zip Code. In this case, you need to go to the gas station counter and pay first before filling.
Even though you are getting a full tank, you’ll need to specify an amount for the gas. Depending on gas prices, $25-$40 will be enough for your car.
Same thing with cash, you need to pay at the counter first before filling up.
If you’re paying by card, insert your card into the card slot, then remove it quickly. The screen will ask you if you’re paying by Credit or Debit Card. The machine will ask for your Zip Code, which you can enter into the number pad.
Press Enter, then your choices will light up.
Choose Your Fuel Octane Level: Regular, Mid-range, and Premium.
Consult your owner’s manual before filling up your car with gas. Regular gas is the cheapest one available. But this may not be what your car manufacturer recommends. We tried putting regular gasoline into our 2012 Kia Forte and we felt its performance lag. It turns out, the octane level of the mid-range gasoline is what Kia recommends.
Premium gasoline is also great if you can afford it. But it is more expensive by as much as 50 cents, sometimes more. But you’d notice improvements in the performance of your car by using this octane level.
Fill your car with gas.
Press the trigger of the filling machine’s hose, and hook it to the ridges. It will automatically stop when it is full. Don’t top it up because it may cause some problems.
It’s that simple! The next time you fill your car with gas, it will be easier. Before long, you won’t even notice that it has become part of your usual routines.
Save some money with rewards programs.
I am able to save some money on gas cost through the Kroger card. By shopping grocery at Kroger, I can earn some rewards points, which can then be used to save some money. You can save at least 10 cents per gallon. You can save as much as 1 dollar per gallon, which is significant if you are going to fill up more than one car.
You can also save some money by signing up with Shell’s rewards programs, or the Plenti rewards program.
Download the Gas Buddy app.
If you don’t really care where you get your gas, sign up with Gas Buddy. It will help you find the gas station with the cheapest gas prices in your area.
