With the war in Ukraine raging, gas prices are going through the roof. Prices on groceries are also sharply up. You can however ease the pain, at least a little with BP me rewards app and a cash back credit card.
All you do is install the app on your phone and link it to your credit card.
How BPme Rewards Works
1. Download the BPme App.
2. Register your BPme Rewards account.
3. Add a payment card.
4. Visit a BP or Amoco gas station.
5. Use the app to select your pump and pay.
6. Save 5¢ per gallon on every fill-up.
7. New members save 5¢ per gallon through the next month after registration.
8. The 5¢ per gallon reward is sustained after spending $100 on fuel at participating BP and Amoco stations during the prior calendar month.
How to use it
Instead of giving your credit card to the attendant, you tell him that you are paying with the phone. Open the app and select Pay for Fuel, the app automatically locates gas station you are at using GPS in the phone and ask for a pump number that are clearly marked. Once payment confirmed, pump unlocks. You will not be able to specify an amount so it only works if you need to fill up the tank. Discount is giving automatically and you also get a digital receipt.
BUT IT IS NOT ALL
Doctors, nurses, hospital workers, first responders, veterans, service members, teachers and students get an additional discount, — simply verify your information with ID.me to get up to 15¢ off every gallon, every time you fuel up, for 60 days!, then it is stays at 10¢ off. You don’t even need to fulfill minimum $100 a month requirement
Multiple family member can use the same login so parents and students both get the discount once you link your BP me account to to your student or professional credential through ID.me
More info at Rewarding Community Heroes
For .99¢ a month you can also opt-in to the program where they will guarantee lowest price for a gas within 2 miles radius.
Bundle it with cash back credit card
Best is to bundle it with the credit card that already gives you cash back on gas purchases. I use Old Amex Blue Cash card that gives 5% cash back which I love but unfortunately it is no longer offered. The closest I could find is Blue Cash Preferred® Card
It offers :
- 6% cash back On Groceries Up to $6,000 per year in purchases at U.S. supermarkets
- 6% cash back on streaming
- 3% cash back on gas
- 3% cash back on transit, including taxis, rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses
- 1% on everything else
- If you used it to pay for Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com you will receive $10 in monthly statement credits.
New members also get $300 reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months . Card carries $95 annual fee but first year is free.
One other thing that I like about Amex cards is that they all come with Extended Warranty protection. It is often overlooked and always surprises me how few people are actually taking advantage of it. I used it plenty of times and it literally saved me thousands of dollars. It is so convenient that I made a rule that when I buy anything that can break, especially computer equipment and electronics – I use Amex card.
How to use Extended Warranty protection
The way it works is really simple. It doubles any manufacture warranty up to a year automatically. In other words, if your manufacturer warranty is a year and device fails within 12 month you go to manufacturer for repair and replacements but if it fails after 12 month and 1 day, you send a claim to Amex. As it covers you for an additional year. Often, you would be better off waiting for manufacture warranty to expire since Amex service is so much easier to use and often will save you more money in the end. Also the amount you get back from Amex is not prorated or discounted and electronics tends to get cheaper and better every year. Reliability however is another matter and that’s is why it is so handy.
All you need to do is
- Send a claim to Amex via online form or by calling them
- Provide a date of purchase, price paid and receipt (print out from Amazon works great by the way)
- Describe the issue
Most of the time they will just send you a check within a week. FOR THE FULL AMOUNT! Sometimes, they may ask you to bring it to local store like BestBuy for an estimate (for which they also pay) and also cover the repair cost. But If items can not be repaired or repair cost more than a new one, they will just mail you a check – no questions asked.