Monday, July 23, 2012
Hit the road and fill up for less with GasBuddy
Gas prices are down from their highs of a couple months ago, but they are slowly climbing back up. If you plan to take a road trip this summer, make sure you download the free GasBuddy app before you hit the road. It can help you save money each time you fill up, so you can spend your cash on other things that will make your vacation more enjoyable.
GasBuddy is a community of users working together to update gas prices. Anyone can join by installing the app, searching for gas, and reporting prices when they are found to be outdated.
The Good
Find lowest prices on any grade of gas: Filter prices by regular, midgrade, premium, or diesel.
Sort results by distance: Find the closest gas station to your current location or search by zip code.
Browse station features: Does that gas station have a car wash, air hose, ATM, restroom, or convenience store? GasBuddy lets you preview the detailed features of most locations.
Navigate to any location: Just press the Directions button on any location and it will quickly launch your preferred navigation app.
Win free gas: Every time you report gas prices, you earn points. Each week you can trade in your points for tickets in a prize give-away that could score you a $250 gas card.
The Not-so-good
Doesn't tell me how much I could save: Is it really cheaper to drive across town and fill up my tank? I wish I could save my vehicle tank size to my profile so the app could estimate my potential total savings.
USA and Life Canada only: Great service if you live in the USA or Life Canada, but wish they would support more locations.
Missing features found on the web site: Desktop website has a lot of features that are not present in the mobile app. I'd like to see the gas price charts, heat maps, trip calculator, and blog find their way to the small screen.
User interface is dated: It would be nice if the developer could update the UI to follow the newer Android 4.x design guidelines.
Final Words
It might not seem like much at first, but the savings from GasBuddy can add up over time. Most times when I search, I can find gas that is $0.20-0.30 cheaper per gallon, which saves me a couple bucks each time I fill up.
The app is not the best looking, but it gets the job done. I wish there were more rewards for being an active member of the community, but the savings make this an app that will always be found on my phone.
