Little-known way to get FREE fuel from Tesco and Esso
DRIVERS can save money on fuel through a major supermarket loyalty scheme.
Petrol prices have fallen from record highs last year, with the AA reporting a litre of unleaded currently costs 146.9p while diesel is 161.1p a litre.
But motorists will be still be looking to save money where possible.
You might not know you can earn and spend Tesco Clubcard points at the supermarket’s forecourts as well as 200 Esso filling stations with a Tesco Express on site.
You earn one point for every £2 you spend on fuel at these forecourts and then receive a £1.50 voucher for every 150 points you get.
You can use the vouchers to cover the cost of groceries, days out, or fuel.
Both paper vouchers and digital vouchers on the Tesco Clubcard app are accepted at the petrol stations.
You just have to present them to the cashier when you pay.
It’s worth pointing out the way you earn points by buying fuel at Tesco garages will change from June 14, when shoppers will collect one point for every two litres of fuel instead of every £2 spent.
The change excludes Esso filling stations with a Tesco Express store.
Customers will also see the value of their points drop if spending them with any of Tesco’s reward partners.
From June 14 vouchers will only be worth double their value rather than triple if spent with one of the partners.
But you’ll still be able to turn a £1.50 voucher into a £3 one to be used at places such as Pizza Express, Prezzo or Legoland.
You can sign up for a Clubcard on the Tesco website, where you can also search for your nearest petrol station.
You can also find your nearest Esso garage by using the petrol station locator on its website.
If you’re not a Clubcard user, there are other loyalty schemes you can use to cut your petrol costs.
Esso is partnered with the Nectar loyalty scheme and you can get 5p off a litre when you swap 300 Nectar points (which you can earn with your Sainsbury’s shop).
Drivers with a BPme rewards card will get one point for every £1 they spend in store or on a litre of regular fuel at a BP garage.
Motorists will get £1 off their fuel or shopping for every 200 points.
Texaco members can save 1p per litre of fuel with its Star Rewards scheme. You’ll get one point for every litre of fuel you buy, and you’ll get £5 off when you hit 500 points.
Motorists can sign up to Shell Go to get money off at the operator’s forecourts. You’ll get money off fuel for every 10th visit you make.
How else can I cut my fuel bills?
There are several ways you can save on your fuel, and that’s before even getting into your car.
Low air pressure in your tyres means they will drag, slowing the car and using more fuel.
So it’s worth keeping them topped up with air so they run smoothly and use less fuel.
Meanwhile, decluttering your car is another useful trick. The less weight you vehicle is carrying the less power it will need to move.
You can use websites like petrolprices.com to search the cheapest forecourts near you too.
Plus, planning your journey will save you any wasted twists and turns, making your trip more efficient and cutting down your fuel use.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk