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Saving Money

Apps to Help You Find Gas Stations

Maybe you’re the person who just so happens to be driving from Texas to Delaware during the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, and you’re stuck in Tennessee with no end to the journey in sight. Maybe you’re just hoping to have a backup for your regional trips, just in case finding gas proves more difficult than you anticipated. Either way, gas apps are a great way to insure your route.

Check out the gas app and website GasBuddy

GasBuddy shows you which stations have gas, how much their gas costs (based on which type of fuel you selected in the search), and whether they have electric charging stations.

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GasBuddy search results for 28105 zip code

When you search the zip code 28105 (in Charlotte, North Carolina, one location where the gas shortage is currently taking hold), you’ll see that a lot of gas stations are out of fuel. However, it looks like a few pumps have restocked their fuel supply.

By using GasBuddy, you can head straight to the stations you know have fuel. This means you don’t have to drive around wasting gas while looking for somewhere to fill up.

GasBuddy isn’t perfect. The app uses different data feeds with updates by the hours or days. That means some info might be outdated. Still, it’s decent when you’re trying to avoid driving in circles.

Use AAA TripTik Planner as a gas app

gas app

AAA TripTik was once a paper map service, but they’ve since transitioned to mobile

If you’re a AAA member or have ever broken down with someone who is, you know how helpful the service is (even if they sometimes take a long time to get to you). You can stay ahead of the curve with their app, TripTik Planner. It’s a multifaceted app with information on gas stations currently servicing customers, plus directions and a trip save feature.

Want location-specific details? Use insight from AAA travel editors and select lodging or restaurants based on in-app ratings.

Gas Guru, Waze and Geico also help you find stations

Gas Guru is best for finding affordable gas, so it’s great if you’re on a budget. Run by Yellow Pages, this app links to Siri so you can access results extremely quickly. Gas prices aren’t always 100% correct and may be off by a few cents, but you can report that in the app.

Waze updates gas prices at stations fairly frequently. If the results are recently updated, you’ll know that there was gas at the station at a particular time. To see gas stations, visit the search bar and select the gas icon.

gas app

A simple web tool from Geico works just as quick as a gas app on your smartphone

Even Geico has a web tool for finding available gas stations. Just type your location in the search bar (there’s an automatic location-finding feature if you need it) and set the search radius from 5–25 miles.  

What’s the best gas app out there?

In my opinion, GasBuddy is the most reliable during a shortage. Other apps have an emphasis on finding cheap fuel, but sometimes, availability is more important than affordability.

 

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Rachel Curry
"Hey! My name's Rachel Curry and I'm a full-time writer who loves telling the world's stories as much as hanging with my dogs (and that's saying a lot). A University of Delaware graduate, I've traveled extensively, living everywhere from Ireland to Thailand. Bylines include Matador Network and Delaware Today."

    2 Comments

    1. I used apps to help with gas before and this help out a lot too.

    2. I’ve actually been using Gasbuddy for a few years now and I have to say it’s a great app. I mostly use it when I’m in an unfamiliar area and I need to find a gas station or one with a carwash. The map they use is powered by Google so it’s easy to read. Also, the filter menu is very user-friendly. Great app!

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