What are the best (and worst) days to buy gas?
Gasoline prices have come down, but filling up at the pump still costs you a hefty sum. When petrol prices are high, it pays to know where and when to fill up.
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Fortunately, GasBuddy has you covered. The Gas Saver Navigation app provides drivers with real-time pricing data searchable by city, state and brand at over 150,000 gas stations across North America. GasBuddy has published its latest report on the best and worst days to buy gas on its website.
Best day to buy gas: Monday
Analyzing gas price statistics from January 1, 2021 to December 16, 2021, GasBuddy found that Monday consistently had the lowest average gas price and was the best day to buy gas in 17 states. These results are not surprising – Monday was also the day with the cheapest gas prices in GasBuddy studies from 2017, 2018 and 2019.
However, the report’s findings showed that Friday, routinely one of the most expensive days to buy gasoline, is now one of the cheapest. This unexpected discovery contradicts previous reports and common assumptions that people want to fill up on Friday in preparation for the weekend’s activities and errands.
“Although daily gas prices vary in different states, the consensus is that filling up at the beginning or end of the work week, on Monday or Friday, is the best way to save money,” said Patrick De Haan, head of the petroleum division Analysis at GasBuddy. “After Monday, Sunday is the cheapest day to refuel. But even if you can’t always schedule your fill-ups, the golden rule is to always look around before you fill up.”
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Worst day to buy gas: Thursday
Historically, the weekend – particularly Saturday – has been the worst day to buy fuel. So it’s unusual to find out that Thursday was by far the most expensive day to buy gas in 2021. According to the figures, 28 states had Thursday as the day with the highest average gas price.
Saturday is still an expensive day for gas stations, plus it’s a busy day for lineups and traffic. However, the study results clearly show that you should avoid the pumps during the week, as Wednesday is now the second most expensive gas price day after Thursday.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The best and worst days of the week to buy gas may surprise you
