# Anyone buy gas at Costco?



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

I filled up last week and I saved a few dollars. I wouldn't drive too far out of my way though.


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## canehdianman (Apr 7, 2009)

I've started getting gas there when needed.

There are a ton of pumps, rarely a lineup and I save about $0.05 per litre.

Although 1/2 the time I then proceed to go into Costco and come out with $300 worth of stuff, so it's not exactly saving me money.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

canehdianman said:


> Although 1/2 the time I then proceed to go into Costco and come out with $300 worth of stuff, so it's not exactly saving me money.


I see my husband has started posting on CMF!


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

Here in Courtney BC, the local Costco started selling gas at under a dollar. All the other stations had to compete, and for several months gas was 20 cents cheaper here than Vancouver. Competition... you gotta love it.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

Until deep-pocket COSCO puts the others out of business, and then corners the market. It's called predatory pricing.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

I have bought gas at Costco in the US but they are just now starting to put pumps in at our local Costco. Will definitely be filling up there if the price is significantly better. 

Agree that one then has to avoid the temptation of going inside the actual store. Unless of course it is to get a hot dog and pop for 1.50!


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

OhGreatGuru said:


> Until deep-pocket COSCO puts the others out of business, and then corners the market. It's called predatory pricing.


No I think it is more a low cost model. The pumps in the US are fully automated with no person in the area and no related services at all. Also the footprint is quite small and on land that Costco already owns.


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

I fill up at Costco whenever I'm in the neighborhood. The cheaper gas is only part of the benefit as I also rack up points on my Costco American express card.


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## canehdianman (Apr 7, 2009)

OhGreatGuru said:


> Until deep-pocket COSTCO puts the others out of business, and then corners the market. It's called predatory pricing.


I'm not sure Costco's pockets are all that deep compared to the big oil companies...


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## canehdianman (Apr 7, 2009)

Addy said:


> I see my husband has started posting on CMF!


LOL! Hi Honey!!!


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## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

Yes, thats another good point I forgot you get the points and little cash back thingy too.


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## lb71 (Apr 3, 2009)

The Costco I frequent usually has some long line ups, although it varies with the time of day. The line ups can be quite long that they back up traffic on the main road entering the parking lot. I'll wait it out if the line is only about 4-6 cars deep, with about a 10 minute wait. The savings are about $0.10 a litre in the Toronto area.

There was an article in the Star last summer about the traffic build ups at the Scarborough location. Local residents hated it. Costco needed to bring in paid duty police to control traffic.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1001001--neighbours-fuming-over-chaos-at-costco-gas-bar


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I find the best time to buy is 9:30 after people are at work and before most travelling salesman and work-at-home people make their first run.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Retail margins on gasoline are only about 7 cents, so if it is 10 cents lower, they are selling at a loss. Maybe it's a viable pull if it convinces people to shell out for a membership. $55 makes the breakeven for the membership 550 litres, or about 6,000 km per year/11 fill-ups.

I'd consider it if I did not have to drive out of my way or wait for a pump.


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## fraser (May 15, 2010)

No. We live in Calgary and belong to the Calgary Co-Op. For the past several years we have been getting a yearly rebate of 6-8 cents a litre on each litre we buy (profit sharing) as well as a 3 percent cents off coupon for the grocery store. Prices are the same as everywhere else (except Costco) and it is full serve.


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## lb71 (Apr 3, 2009)

lb71 said:


> The savings are about $0.10 a litre in the Toronto area.


I filled up at Costco on the weekend for the first time in months. Looking at the bill afterwards I realized the savings from other retailers was only about $0.04/litre for regular. The $0.10/litre was based on premium, which I was using for my older car. Not sure if it is worth the wait anymore.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Superstore gas pumps offer 4 cents store credit/L when you use a PC mastercard. No membership. No thanks, Costco!


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## cityandcolor (Jan 24, 2012)

*Buying gas at Costco*



Spidey said:


> I fill up at Costco whenever I'm in the neighborhood. The cheaper gas is only part of the benefit as I also rack up points on my Costco American express card.


I agree. Whenever I'm in the general area near Costco, I like to stop by to get some gas. Even better, time it so that you can get gas and all your monthly Costco shopping needs done at once! Grab some free food samples and tasty deals at the food court. I love Costco for all these great perks.


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## SoCon (Oct 23, 2011)

*Gas from Costco*

I go there on occasion, but not out of my way...Superstore gas bar in BC offers a 7.5 cent per litre coupon toward in-store purchases....(if paid by PCF MC or Debit, 5 cents via other payment) Their per litre gas price is always equal to the lowest in town.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

SoCon said:


> I go there on occasion, but not out of my way...Superstore gas bar in BC offers a 7.5 cent per litre coupon toward in-store purchases....(if paid by PCF MC or Debit, 5 cents via other payment) Their per litre gas price is always equal to the lowest in town.


That's much better than the offer in Ontario. It's 4 cents with PCMC/2 cents otherwise. 7.5 cents is a pretty incredible discount.


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## dave2012 (Feb 17, 2012)

Wish we had discounts like in upstate NY. Go to the Price Chopper several time for groceries and you can very quickly get up to $1.10 off per gallon (20gal max) at any Sunoco station. Considering gas is about $4 a gallon thats a great deal. Wish we had something like that here in Ontario. Needless to say we buy a lot of our gas in upstate NY (we're close enough).


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

With the price difference for premium (91 oct) gas approaching more than 16 cents, it makes costco's 8 cent difference for premium seem like a deal, especially considering their prices are already 4 cents cheaper than the street price for regular (so 12 cent difference in total). I usually go when it isn't busy, not more than 1 or 2 cars in the line.


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## Echo (Apr 1, 2011)

I fill up at Safeway - get 5 cents off, plus I use my Smart Cash MasterCard and get a 3% rebate. Bonus, I don't have to go out of my way, as the Safeway gas bar is a few minutes from home/work.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

travelgeek said:


> With the price difference for premium (91 oct) gas approaching more than 16 cents, it makes costco's 8 cent difference for premium seem like a deal, especially considering their prices are already 4 cents cheaper than the street price for regular (so 12 cent difference in total). I usually go when it isn't busy, not more than 1 or 2 cars in the line.


Agree. The price difference on premium is striking. Our local Costco sells premium for no more than 1-2 cents/L more that other stations are selling regular. I actually fill up with the recommended premium when I go there.


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## Homerhomer (Oct 18, 2010)

Not a costco member currently, but if I can I fill up at Pioneer, on regular gas you get between 2 to 15 cents lower than other stations in town, usually difference is about 5-6 cents, plus pioneer cash and whatever points you get on your regular credit card.

There are places offering decent prices on gas, unfortunately if it's not on the way that it kind of defeats the purpose.


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## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

I fill up at Costco on the way to work in the morning. No lineups at around 8:45 AM. The differential with the next cheapest could be as much as 4c/litre on regular or as little as 0.5c/litre but Costco is almost always the lowest in Ottawa along my driving route.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

You can't always go by the posted price. Superstore often has the cheapest price for gas, and if you buy with a PC Mastercard you get 4 cents/litre in in-store credit.


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## liquidfinance (Jan 28, 2011)

I use gasbuddy to look up the cheapest fuel. 

Costco Ajax is usually only 1c cheaper than than either the Canadian Tire, Ultramar or Pioneer by my house so it really isn't worth joining the crazy line up and waiting half hour to save 60ish cents on a tank.


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## FrugalTrader (Oct 13, 2008)

It's our luck that the Costco gas station is the closest gas station to our house. While they have the cheapest gas in town, they also have the longest line ups at any time of day. What's great about Costco is that it creates competition and drives down the price of gas in near proximity. The closest gas stations to Costco are generally $0.02 - $0.03/L more than Costco, but up to $0.06 less than other stations.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

Totally agree. God bless competition!


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

gasbuddy rocks. i always check it to get the best deal. of course, I only hit the stations that sell marked....


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## margarita (Nov 25, 2012)

I fill up every week at Costco... it's definitely worth it as it's always cheaper. But, as others have said, don't go out of your way to do so.

They also have some kind of cash back feature on their credit card I think? That's probably something worth looking into as well.


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