Gas is the most expensive part of truck camping, apart from buying your set-up, but there are apps out there that can help you curb the price of fueling up your truck. And the more money you save on fuel costs, the more money you can spend on your truck camping adventures!
5 Apps That Will Save You Money On Gas While Truck Camping
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Obviously you can benefit from using these apps to reduce fuel costs no matter what type of vehicle you have, but since Jack and I make most of our weekend road trips with our Sunlite pop-up truck camper on the back of our F-250, I thought it would be fitting to write this post from a truck camper’s perspective.
1. The GetUpside App
What Is The GetUpside App?
GetUpside is an app that gives you cash back when you fill up your truck’s gas tank at participating gas stations. However, it doesn’t just work at gas stations. In some areas, you can use GetUpside at restaurants and grocery stores as well as gas stations. The app works only in the USA and is available at thousands of gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores across the nation.
How To Sign Up For GetUpside
Use this link to receive a one-time text to download the app.
The link above is my referral link, and when you use it, you will receive a one-time fifteen-cent per gallon cash back bonus that can be stacked on top of the cash back offer that the gas station is offering.
Or you can go to the app store on your smartphone, download the app, and then enter the code YG5ZB during sign-up to receive the one-time fifteen cent per gallon cash back bonus.
How To Use The Get UpsideApp
Step One: Get the app (if you didn’t grab it already when you read the “how to sign-up” directions).
Step Two: Click on the ‘My Wallet’ tab and enter the first six digits and the last four digits of the bank or credit card you use to pay for gas. This helps GetUpside verify that it is indeed you who paid for the gas. You can enter more than one card.
(We use our point rewards credit card so we can double dip and earn air miles as well as a cash back)
Step Three: Click on the map to see which gas stations near you are offering a cash back deal. In my area, there are several, and currently, the cash back values vary from 2 cents per gallon to as high as 6 cents per gallon.
I like that the app also lets me know what the gas price will be per gallon after the cash back so I can get the best deal on gas, which might not be the gas station offering the highest cash back.
Step Four: Click the “claim” button on the gas station you want to fill up at and follow the instructions.
Once when we used the app, we had to upload the receipt, and another time it worked with no receipt upload. So make sure to read the instructions carefully and grab a receipt just in case you need it.
Step Five: Wait for your cash back to process. If you look in the “help” area of the app, you will see under “How does checking in work?” that GetUpside says it can take up to a week for your cash back to be fully processed, but it usually takes two to four days.
So far our family has found it to take closer to two days than four.
Step Six: Cash out! Your balance will need to be at least $10 to cash out for a gift card, but it shouldn’t take long to reach that amount. There are various gift cards to choose from including Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Starbucks. If you don’t want a gift card, you can also choose either a PayPal deposit (takes 24 to 48 hours to receive) or a check that will be mailed to you (takes up to 21 days).
In just one fill-up of my husband’s F-250, we received $6.36 back!
Make sure you grab your one-time fifteen cent per gallon bonus by entering my referral code YG5ZB during sign-up.
There will be some overlap with gas station offers found in the GetUpside and other apps on this list. When there is, I would advise going with the highest offer or if there is a tie, go with the app where you are closest to a pay-out.
2. GasBuddy App
There are a few ways to use the GasBuddy app.
- You can open up the app when you need to fill up to find out the lowest price for gas near you.
- You can sign up for the free pay with GasBuddy card that you link to your bank card and use it to receive cash back when you pay at the pump with it. You can also use the card at participating stores to earn cash back that is then applied to your next fill-up (once the cash back clears).
- You can pay for a monthly membership ($9.99 when this was written) to GasBuddy Premium. This membership gives you higher cash back offers with deal alerts. It also states that you will save at least twenty cents per gallon on up to 50 gallons per month and five cents after that (see the app for more details). Plus, exclusive cash back offers from partner brands.
Right now they hubby and I are trying out the free pay with the GasBuddy card option. If you want to sign up, here is the link to go and sign-up for your card. When you use our referral code EEVPGSV, you should get a sign-up bonus.
3. Gas Station Specific Apps
Frequently the gas stations that offer cash back deals through GetUpside or GasBuddy are not located right off the major highway we are traveling on get to our truck camping destination. This is when we use the Pilot Flying J app to save three cents per gallon.
Our referral code for the Pilot Flying J app is victoriah1164. When you use it during sign-up, you get a free pilot coffee or fountain drink.
Pilot is not the only gas station brand with its own app. If there is a gas station brand you frequent often, check and see if it has an app that offers discounts on fuel.
Some smaller brands might not have an app, but they may offer discounts for paying in cash. A chain of gas stations near us does this, and we happily make sure we have cash in our wallets before filling up if their price is the cheapest in our area (we can find out by using the GasBuddy app).
4. Checkout51 App
Checkout51 is an app that has a “gas” tab where you can grab cash back on your fuel purchases. However, you do need $20 in your account to receive a cash out and it is available only by mailed check. Those last two things make it a last resort app for our truck camping adventures.
5. Apps That Pay You To Snap A Picture Of Your Gas Receipt
These two apps are for truck campers who want to stretch the dollar to the maximum. You won’t see a significant payoff per fill-up, but over time these apps will pay you back for the minute it took you to upload your receipt with a gift card or two. Plus, as far as I can figure out you can submit your receipt to these apps below as well as one of the ones above and receive the rewards at both.
Fetch
Most people think Fetch is just for grocery receipts, but it gives points for gas receipts. Plus, you get points for fast food restaurant receipts and clothing retailer receipts.
It takes 5,000 Fetch Rewards points to cash out for a $5 Amazon gift card, and it doesn’t take long to earn 5,000 points if you are fairly diligent about taking a minute here and there to upload your receipts.
Here is my referral code for signing up for Fetch: RE9FU. When you use it during the sign-up process, you receive bonus points after your first scan.
CoinOut
CoinOut offers you a few cents for every receipt you upload. There are a few receipts they don’t accept, and you can find out about those in the app. CoinOut has an Amazon gift card option as well as a PayPal deposit option for payout.
Use this link to sign up for CoinOut and start earning money from your receipts.
Bonus Tip: A Program Where You Can Earn Gift Cards To Gas Stations
What if I told you that there are ways to earn gift cards to gas stations doing things you already do online like performing web searches, shopping, and printing coupons? You can do just that when you become an active member of Swagbucks.
Swagbucks
You can sign up for Swagbucks here.
Here is a tutorial I wrote about how to use Swagbucks to help you get started earning SB points that you can convert to gift cards for the following gas stations: ExxonMobile, Sunoco, and Chevron.
I hope this article helps filling up your truck tank for your next truck camping adventure stink just a little less.
Join us on Instagram to see pictures of our latest adventures!
Are you looking for an alternative to busy and expensive campgrounds and one-night Walmart stops on the way to your destination? Check out our post about our first time using Boondockers Welcome.
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