When the Tom Thumb supermarket moved in roughly 14 miles away, I wasn’t excited about the attached gas station. It was one of the more expensive stations in the area. The three cents per gallon discount I would get just for using my Tom Thumb rewards card wasn’t worth it. I could get cheaper gas on my way to somewhere else.
I don’t remember when Tom Thumb decided to change its price structure, but the gas was more affordable. A three cent a gallon discount after shopping for groceries was a nice perk. I could save three cents a gallon at the Murphy USA in the Walmart parking lot, but I would have to plan ahead and load a Walmart gift card or use a Walmart credit card. Saving three cents with a free rewards card was cheaper and easier.
Tom Thumb started a gas and grocery tie-in before I started doing the majority of my shopping there. Every time you spent $50 in the store, you got a $.20 discount at the pump. When I started taking advantage of it, I got quite a few of the $.20 discounts. A nice bonus was that when I bought Baby E’s formula using WIC, it counted. The promotion ended in mid-June and a new promotion started.
Shoppers shop and spend to earn points. Different shopping transacations have different point values. Once you reach a point tier you get a specific savings on gas. After I did a mega shop that would have gotten me at least two $.20 discounts with the old promotion, I saved $.10 a gallon before going back to three cents. Ultimately, I could save a dollar a gallon.
Kroger is doing a similar promotion in its stores. Kroger shoppers can use their rewards cards at Shell stations too.