GasBuddy is one of the most useful free apps for finding cheap gas, but its premium subscription at $9.99 per month (or $74.99 per year) adds a pay-at-pump feature that promises savings of up to 25 cents per gallon. That sounds compelling, but the math has to work out. Paying $9.99 per month for a gas savings subscription only makes financial sense if you actually save more than $9.99 per month in fuel. After six months of testing GasBuddy Premium across different driving volumes and market conditions, the answer is nuanced and depends heavily on your specific situation.
Expert Note
Use the GasBudgeter Gas Budget Calculator to find your monthly fuel spending before evaluating whether any subscription gas savings service makes financial sense for your specific volume.
What GasBuddy Premium Includes
GasBuddy Premium is a subscription service that bundles the pay-at-pump discount feature with several additional benefits. The core offering is access to GasBuddy's pay-at-pump system at participating stations, which delivers a discount of 5 to 25 cents per gallon off the retail pump price. The discount amount varies by station and by how many fill-ups you have done that month. GasBuddy typically offers higher discounts on the first fill-up of the month and potentially lower discounts on subsequent fills.
The subscription also includes faster price updates in the app, ad-free navigation within the GasBuddy experience, and priority customer support. For fuel-economy analysis purposes, the pay-at-pump discount is the meaningful component of the subscription value.
The 6-Month Testing Results
Test Driver A - High Volume, Urban Market
Monthly fuel spending before GasBuddy Premium: $240 (approximately 67 gallons per month). GasBuddy Premium participating stations available within 2 miles of regular routes: 11 stations. Average discount achieved per gallon: 14 cents. Monthly fill-ups through GasBuddy Pay: 8 fill-ups, averaging 11 gallons each. Monthly Premium savings: 88 gallons times 14 cents equals $12.32. Monthly net savings after $9.99 subscription fee: $2.33. Over 6 months: total savings $13.98 after the subscription cost. GasBuddy Premium was marginally positive for this high-volume urban driver but only by $2.33 per month.
Test Driver B - Average Volume, Suburban Market
Monthly fuel spending before GasBuddy Premium: $175 (approximately 49 gallons per month). GasBuddy Premium participating stations available within 2 miles of regular routes: 4 stations. Average discount achieved: 11 cents per gallon. Monthly fill-ups through GasBuddy Pay: 5 fill-ups averaging 12 gallons each. Monthly Premium savings: 60 gallons times 11 cents equals $6.60. Monthly net savings after $9.99 subscription: negative $3.39. Over 6 months: net cost of GasBuddy Premium was $20.34. For this average-volume suburban driver with moderate GasBuddy Pay station coverage, the subscription cost more than it saved.
Test Driver C - Low Volume, Low Coverage Market
Monthly fuel spending before GasBuddy Premium: $95 (approximately 26 gallons per month). GasBuddy Premium participating stations: only 1 station within 2 miles. Average discount: 10 cents per gallon. Monthly fill-ups through GasBuddy Pay: 2 fill-ups. Monthly savings: 24 gallons times 10 cents equals $2.40. Monthly net cost after subscription: negative $7.59. GasBuddy Premium was clearly not worth it. The subscription cost $45.54 more than it saved over six months.
The Break-Even Analysis
For GasBuddy Premium to break even at $9.99 per month, you need to save at least $9.99 per month in pump discounts. Required gallons per month at different discount levels:
| Discount Per Gallon | Gallons Needed Per Month to Break Even |
|---|---|
| 25 cents (advertised maximum) | 40 gallons |
| 15 cents (realistic in good coverage markets) | 67 gallons |
| 10 cents (typical in moderate coverage markets) | 100 gallons |
At the national average of approximately 45 gallons per month for a single vehicle, the only way GasBuddy Premium makes financial sense is if you are consistently getting discounts above 22 cents per gallon. For drivers spending under 50 gallons per month in markets with moderate GasBuddy Pay station density, the free version combined with Upside and price-finding produces better net results without any subscription cost.
GasBuddy Premium vs. Alternatives at the Same Cost
For $9.99 per month (or $120 per year), consider what alternative gas saving investments provide:
- Costco membership at $65 per year: saves 20 to 25 cents per gallon on all fuel purchased at Costco for eligible members, typically producing $130 to $180 in annual fuel savings at average volumes
- Upside app at zero cost: saves an average of 18 cents per gallon at participating stations with no subscription fee. At 45 gallons per month in a good coverage market, Upside generates approximately $97 per year in free cash back.
- Gas rewards credit card at zero annual fee: a 5 percent gas rewards card on $200 per month in fuel saves $120 per year with no subscription cost.
Pro Tip
Before subscribing to GasBuddy Premium, open the GasBuddy app and search for GasBuddy Pay stations near your home, workplace, and regular routes. Count the stations within a mile or two of your regular travel paths. If fewer than five to six stations are conveniently located, the coverage is probably insufficient to consistently achieve the volume of discounted fill-ups needed to break even on the subscription. Try the free version plus Upside first.