Costco Santa Cruz Gas Prices (2024)

FAQs

What is the best day to buy gas at Costco? ›

Gas stations can get busy (avoid weekends)

Avoid weekend fill-ups if you can. Buying gas on a weekend could be a nightmare, as waiting times could take hours. To avoid this, the best time to get gas at Costco is on weekdays between 10-11 in the morning.

Q: Where does Costco get its fuel? A: Costco buys fuel from major refineries and distributors in each area. All Kirkland Signature™ Fuel is guaranteed, just like the merchandise we sell inside the warehouse.

Most recently I saved 38 cents a gallon at Costco compared to the other gas stations in the area. That adds up to me saving a few hundred dollars a year on gas by choosing Costco. Sometimes the lines to get gas at Costco are long, but I can see why. Fortunately, I find they usually move pretty fast.

It's a well-accepted fact that Costco gas is cheaper than the fuel at most other places. While the exact amount of savings you'll get depends on factors like where you live and which club you visit, you can reasonably expect to save around $0.15 to $0.20 per gallon.

Buy Gas on Monday or Tuesday

Be strategic about the days you fill up at the pump. “For gas, Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be the cheapest days to fill up your tank as demand is lower at the beginning of the week,” Anderson said.

Our Kirkland Signature Fuels include additives designed to minimise engine deposits that are harmful to a vehicle's performance and emissions. All Costco fuels contain deposit control additives that have been tested and are proven to have positive effects on your vehicle's engine performance.

Costco fuel stations are well-maintained by our capable attendants so you may be confident that the fuel going into your car is clean. Costco uses fuel filters in the petrol pumps to catch particles or debris larger than 10 microns in diameter. For comparison, the average human hair is seventy microns thick.

The short answer is that unlike pretty much every other retail business that sells gasoline, Costco doesn't care about making money from its gas pumps. In fact, Costco typically sells its gas at a moderate loss. Why would Costco do this? It's not an act of charity.

Gas purchases, for example, do not earn you cash back as an Executive member. Neither do cigarette purchases or alcoholic beverage purchases in certain states. Additionally, Costco Shop Cards (Costco's version of a gift card) won't be eligible for cash back, and neither will postage stamps.

To reach that total, they divided the cost of the membership by the 20 cents per gallon they estimate a driver will save by filling their tank at Costco. The resulting figure, in the case of the $60 Gold Star membership, is 300, or the number of gallons of gas you'd need to purchase to achieve $60 in savings.

Is the $120 Costco membership worth it? ›

Calculating if the $120 Executive Membership is worth the upcharge is simple. Because you get 2%, you'll need to spend $3,000 to receive $60 in cash back. At that point, your effective annual membership rate is back down to $60.

But the one thing that tops the list for the majority of their customers is the low Costco gas price. If you're looking to save money on gas—or anything car-related, including tires—Costco is the way to go. In fact, Costco's gas prices are the lowest in many states.

Buying gas at Costco can save you money -- typical savings are around $0.20 per gallon. It makes stopping at the warehouse club more convenient -- you can buy groceries and fuel up your car. The higher quality of Costco gas could help your vehicle run more smoothly.

You can often save money by purchasing bulk grocery items at Costco. It's probably unrealistic to do all of your grocery shopping there, since there are apt to be many items you don't need to buy in bulk. You may also find that your local supermarket has a better price than Costco when an item you need is on sale.

In general, gas prices tend to be lowest at the beginning of the week, on Monday and Tuesday, GasBuddy's lead petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan told Nexstar. As the week goes on, gas prices tend to rise until they reach their most expensive point on the weekend – especially on Friday and Saturday.

Even though the state's reliable price cycle suggests Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to fill up, Derecki told 7NEWS.com.au: “This doesn't mean all fuel retailers will be cheap on that day, but most are.”

Fill Up in the Morning or Late at Night (Temperature Matters) Filling up your gas tank in the morning or late at night might save you a few bucks over time. This is due to how temperature affects the gas stored at the pump.