This Is the Best Day of the Week to Buy Gas

save gas money
Shutterstock
Shutterstock

It's finally summer. That means weekends "up north," long road trips, and idling for hours in Friday traffic headed out of town. It's possible (probable?), in all your excitement for a getaway, you didn't think about filling the gas tank until the last minute. The crowdsourced gas pricing app Gas Buddy thinks that's a big mistake. 

The company recently conducted a study to determine the cheapest day of the week for you to fuel up. Gas Buddy found that the best day changes year to year, though it's almost always a day toward the start of the week. In 2017, Monday has been the best day to snag gas on the cheap. 

While it's exciting to save a few bucks on gas, don't hold tight the wisdom of a single day. The big takeaway should be it's worth filling up at the start of the week. Mondays were the cheapest on average in 2017, 2016, and 2015, according to the company's study. However, it's a shifting target and it's not the same in every state. In 2016, Monday was the cheapest day in 36 states and Tuesday was cheapest in another eight. 

best day to buy gas
Gas Buddy

The study found that Thursday has been the most expensive day to fill up this year and Saturday is almost as bad. We're talking about pennies per gallon, but that can add up quickly. "To put the amount of savings into perspective," the study reports, "if every U.S. motorist bought gasoline on Thursday for an entire year, they’d collectively spend an extra $1.1 billion versus filling up on Monday."

Naturally, the company also recommends shopping around for the lowest price in your area. They unsurprisingly suggest using their app, which provides crowdsourced information on gas prices around town so you can drive straight to the station with the cheapest fuel. It's not a bad idea, and they aren't the only app that can help you save money on gas. GasGuru offers a similar service, and apps like Automatic can help you find other ways to save money on gas. (Read a bit about Automatic in Thrillist's tips for getting better gas mileage.)

It's just a little savings, but who would turn down a little extra beer money?

h/t Money Talks

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record but has never met the fingernail lady. Follow him @dlukenelson.