Safeway Gas Prices: Everything You Need To Know
Photo by Mehluli Hikwa on Unsplash
Nowadays, millions of Americans buy fuel from superstore chains and grocery centers. Not only is it convenient because they can fill up before or after their store errands, but the gas prices are generally affordable too.
Is this true with Safeway gas prices?
With over 900 locations across the United States, Safeway is one of the largest supermarket chains where you can get your groceries, prescription drugs, and of course, gas. Are Safeway fuel prices competitive? Is it good quality? What’s the best way to save on Safeway gas?
For today’s post, we’ll highlight Safeway gas prices and determine if they’re worth your money or not. Let’s get to it.
How Much Does Safeway Gas Cost?
*UPDATE (6/5/2022): Fuel prices have since reached the national average of $4.848 per gallon since the article was written.*
Grocery chains are known for their cheaper than average gas prices, especially when compared to traditional fuel stations like Chevron or Shell. Is this true with Safeway gas prices? To find out, we’ll use GasBuddy to find out the prices in specific locations across the U.S. Then, we’ll compare it with other fuel companies in the area. Let’s take a look.
In Catonsville, MD, Safeway offers a per-gallon price of $3.39 for regular gas and $3.74 for premium. Safeway is the cheapest gas seller for this location, followed by Crown at $3.53 per gallon and Shell at $3.55 per gallon. However, when you look at the whole state of Maryland, Safeway doesn’t even break into the top ten cheapest prices.
Moving over to Mount Vernon, WA, Safeway offers a $3.69 per gallon price of regular gas and $4.09 for premium. Safeway manages to squeak into the top ten barely and competes with 76 at $3.47 per gallon and Costco at $3.47 per gallon. Again, looking at the state of Washington, Safeway fails to make it to the top ten, where Costco gas stations dominate.
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In Pleasant Hill, CA, Safeway offers regular gas at $4.41 per gallon and $4.82 for premium. In the state with the highest gas prices, Safeway’s $4.41 price is the lowest in Pleasant Hill – competing with Arco at $4.53 and Speedway at $4.75. Safeway once again didn’t appear for the entire California state, and the top ten is dominated by smaller stations like Fastrip convenience stores at $3.97.
Overall, Safeway gas prices are relatively affordable and the cheapest available fuel you can get in some locations. With that said, you can slash the prices even more if you participate in Safeway’s rewards program (more on that later).
Is Safeway Gas Bad Quality?
One of the most prevalent notions about cheap gas is that there will be compromises, mainly with fuel quality. However, according to the automotive experts of the American Automobile Association or AAA – gas is gas, and there’s no such thing as fuel that’s bad for your car. At least, provided you’re getting fuel from retail gas outlets.
Retail gas must meet all sorts of federal, state, industry, quality, and environmental standards. Therefore, unless you’re filling up your car in a shady gas station or a friend’s backyard, you’re probably fine.
That principle applies to Safeway gas quality.
Safeway gas isn’t Top Tier certified for starters, unlike retailers like Chevron, Costco, and Shell. However, Safeway gas was approved by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) and was deemed perfectly acceptable for the average commuters.
Safeway sold regular, mid-grade fuel and was reportedly sourced from tank farms like Kinder Morgan – but that’s an unverified claim. Also, the chain carries unbranded fuel, and when it’s compared to Top Tier certified products, it’s a lot less clean and may yield more carbon deposits in your engine.
Overall, Safeway gas may not be Top Tier, but it’s more than serviceable for the average driver. Safeway gas is safe to use and won’t cause long-term damage to your vehicle.
How to Save on Safeway Gas Prices?
Safeway stores don’t directly provide gas discounts but rather through the Safeway Club Card or Just For U program. The rewards program works by swiping the Safeway Club or Just For U card every purchase in a Safeway store.
You can earn points by purchasing eligible groceries, prescription drugs, and gift cards. You earn 1 point for every dollar you spend, and earning 100 points will get you a 10¢ discount per gallon when buying gas from Safeway or participating Chevron and Texaco locations. You can rack up to 1,000 points and get $1 off per gallon in a single fill-up.
To illustrate, the point system will look like the following:
- 100 points = 10¢ off per gallon in one fill-up
- 200 points = 20¢ off per gallon in one fill-up
- 500 points = 50¢ off per gallon in one fill-up
- 1,000 points = $1 off per gallon in one fill-up
Signing up for the program is as easy as visiting the Safeway website and filling up the short registration form. Once registration is complete, you may link your phone number, which you can use to earn points and redeem fuel rewards. There is no need to carry membership cards; enter your phone number when checking out or redeeming your rewards via the pump.
With the rewards program and its already low gas prices, Safeway offers one of the lowest prices available. Joining the rewards program is absolutely free, so there’s no reason not to join, especially if you’re a frequent Safeway customer.
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Are There Limitations?
Although you can earn unlimited points each month, your points won’t carry over to the next month – meaning each month is a separate earning period. Also, you can only receive 1 reward with 100-point increments. All points less than the 100-increment will expire at the end of each month.
Unfortunately, points expire at the end of the month in which they were earned. For example, if you have 250 points by March 25th, your excess of 50 points will expire at 2 a.m. April 1st.
In addition, Chevron and Texaco pumps will only honor up to 20¢ off per gallon with a single fill-up. If you want more discounts, make sure you get your gas from Safeway.
What’s the Deal with the Gas Prices? [UPDATE 10/24/2022]
After a tumultuous start of the year with record high gas prices, consumers have experienced a good deal of relief as prices went down during the summer months. In about 100 days or so, gas prices have dropped significantly from record highs during the first quarter of the year. However, it’s still higher than the gas prices last year.
As summer comes to an end, prices are beginning to creep back up which, according to experts, is due to rising oil prices and limited inventory. As of this writing, the national average price is $3.793 per gallon as per AAA. According to a report by CNN, there’s not much we can do about the rising gas prices but if this keeps up, a recession may happen that could bring prices down.
However, it’s not all bleak news when it comes to fuel prices. In some states, gas prices are somehow decreasing. This is despite the prediction of OPEC experts that prices will increase some more before they decrease – but that’s clearly not the case in some states. Ultimately, experts predict that the December 5 European Union sanction on Russia will likely cause a lot of noise.
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