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Clever fuel trick that gets you FREE petrol from Tesco and Esso
Plus watch our video on cheap fuel tricks
MOTORISTS can fill up for free using a clever fuel trick at Tesco and Esso.
Petrol and diesel prices fell in March for the first time since last summer, giving drivers a bit of a breather ahead of the busy Easter getaway.
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New data from RAC Fuel Watch shows petrol dropped by nearly 4p a litre in March, down to 136.03p, while diesel fell to 142.51p — saving motorists around £2 a tank.
But with prices varying by as much as 10p a litre, experts are urging Brits to shop around — and clever motorists are slashing even more off with a Tesco Clubcard fuel trick.
Shoppers earn points every time they spend at Tesco — and those points can be turned into money-off fuel vouchers.
They work at Tesco petrol stations and selected Esso forecourts that have a Tesco Express store inside.
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You can even earn them by sending parcels with Evri or shopping with Tesco’s reward partners.
To find a participating Esso garage, use the “Find a Station” tool and select the Clubcard filter.
Simon Williams from the RAC said: “Drivers are finally seeing some relief from high pump prices, which has come at a good time with the start of the Easter school holidays and one of the biggest bank holidays of the year for travel.
“It’s a shame prices on forecourts haven’t fallen further and faster, but this reflects the higher margins many retailers are now choosing to take.
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“We urge drivers not to presume the forecourt they’ve visited for years is necessarily the cheapest anymore.”
He also warned the cheaper prices may not last, adding: “Crude oil prices are starting to edge up again. If that continues, wholesale fuel costs will rise — and pump prices could follow.”
I charge my sister £5 to go to Morrisons - trolls call it 'greed' but I pay tax & MOT…if she doesn’t like it, get a bus
Last month, was offering new customers to the site £5 free fuel until March 31.
The money saving deal meant that punters got a fiver's cash back if they fill their car with at least £10 worth of petrol.
Other fuel saver schemes
If you never shop at Tesco, there are other schemes that can help.
For instance, if you have a Nectar card, you can use your Nectar points to get 5p off every litre of fuel bought at Esso when you swap 300 points.
You can also spend Nectar points at Sainsbury’s to buy fuel.
However, you cannot use Pay at Pump to redeem the points, instead you need to swipe your card at the kiosk.
If you regularly fill up at Shell garages, consider becoming a Shell Go+ member.
Every 10th visit you will get a fuel reward worth between £1 and £50 off.
The discount you get depends on your average spend over the last nine visits, so someone who spent £100 every time would get a bigger reward than someone who spent just a tenner.
BP also has a BPme scheme, where you earn points for money spent on fuel or in service station shops.
You get 1 point for each £1 spent in-store, 1 point for every
litre of regular fuel, or 2 points for every litre of Ultimate fuel.
Every 100 points you earn can be redeemed for £1 off your fuel or shop spend.
Other ways to cut fuel costs
It’s worth checking the RAC Fuel Watch average price to understand how prices are moving.
You should try to make sure you never pay more than this when you fill up.
It changes monthly so keep a regular eye on it.
Check out the prices at forecourts you pass often, and see which ones tend to be cheaper, aim to fill up at these when you can, as even small savings can mount up.
The Fuel Finder feature on the free myRAC mobile app can help you find the cheapest forecourts near you.
Alternatively, if you sign up at PetrolPrices.com, it will tell you where the cheapest fuel is – and you can set limits in terms of how far you’re willing to travel.
If you have a cashback credit card, you can use it to get money back on your fuel spend, which is a great way to cut costs.
However, you should make sure you set a direct debit up to pay off the card in full each month, otherwise you may pay more in
interest than you get in rewards.
The RAC also suggests you follow these rules carefully to cut costs down.
1. Maintain your vehicle: regular services improve efficiency, which means less fuel consumption overall.
2. Cut down on speed: Going at top speeds means burning more fuel, typically cars are most efficient at 45-50mph. Using the highest gear possible also increases your miles per gallon, bringing down costs.
3. Drive as smoothly as possible: Lots of accelerating and braking will increase your consumption.
4. Decrease drag: things like roof racks and boxes increase wind resistance, which will mean you use more fuel. According to the Energy Saving Trust an empty roof rack adds 16% drag when driving at 75mph.
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5. Ease up on air conditioning: Using the heater or the air conditioner uses up fuel, so only have them on when you really need them.
6. Reduce weight: The heavier a car is, the more fuel it will use. Make sure you declutter regularly and don’t keep unnecessary things in the boot.
Ways to cut down on your fuel costs
HERE are some tips on how you can slash the cost of fuel.
- Make your car more fuel-efficient. You can do this by keeping your tyres inflated, taking the roof rack off, emptying your car of clutter and turning off your air con when driving at lower speeds.
- Find the cheapest fuel prices. PetrolPrices.com and allows you to search prices of UK petrol stations. All you need to do is enter in your postcode and tell it how far you want to travel (up to 20 miles).
- Drive more efficiently. Some ways to do this, include:
- Accelerate gradually without over-revving
- Always drive on the highest possible gear
- If you can, allow your car to slow down naturally as your brake is a money burner
- Re-starting your car is expensive, if you can keep moving
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