Hitting the road for the summer holidays will come at a higher cost this year with petrol prices up around 50 cents per litre on this time last year.

In December 2021 the average price for 91 octane was around $2.20 per litre. Today prices are sneaking back up to the $3 mark for 91, despite the Government's temporary fuel tax relief continuing.

Oil price commentators predict New Zealand's petrol prices will surpass $3 a litre for 91 octane fuel in early 2023 due to multiple geopolitical and domestic reasons.

But there are ways to stay ahead of the game according to an industry expert.

AA Smartfuel co-founder Ian Sutcliffe says many Kiwis are missing the opportunity to cut the cost of the weekly fill-up.

"We know the Government can only hold off returning the extra $0.25 a litre to the price of petrol for so long. But savings can be made at the pump just by thinking about how you buy your gas, if you're a cardholder."

The AA Smartfuel programme works around the accumulation of fuel discounts each month.

Cardholders shop with participating retailers and each time they receive a fuel discount it adds up on their card. When they fill up at either bp or GAS stations they swipe their card to receive the accumulated cents per litre fuel discount off the pump price.

Since AA Smartfuel's inception 11 years ago more than $900 million of fuel discounts have been issued to kiwi motorists. Savvy drivers have collected over $67 million in fuel discounts in 2022 alone with thousands of cardholders saving 50 cents per litre or more off their pump price when redeeming their discount balance.

"Every cent counts," says Ian. "Twice as many cardholders buy their petrol on Wednesdays as they do on other days of the week to capitalise on the 10 cent per litre discount rather than the six cents per litre on other days, so try to fill-up on Wednesdays.”

‘Save' or ‘use now' is the simple question asked at the checkout when filling up at bp and GAS and giving the right answer will deliver more savings. Saving the fuel discount is better than taking it immediately (if you play the game!). Cardholders who ‘save' are saving two thirds more on fuel than those who use the discount immediately.

"The trick is to put $40 of fuel in the vehicle and then ‘save' when asked. If you keep doing this and fill up on the 10 cents off per litre Wednesdays, your savings will rack-up very quickly. When you come to redeem your discounts, it is important to let your tank run low, so that you can fill-up as close to 50 litres as possible to maximise your savings."

The fuel loyalty programme which partners with bp and GAS has more than 1200 retailers across New Zealand and online that provide fuel discounts to AA Smartfuel card holders (including AA Members).

AA Smartfuel retail partners cover numerous sectors and shopping activities, including the weekly grocery shop, ordering dog food online, paying the electricity bill or using an ASB credit card.

"In order to be able to offer the most generous fuel loyalty programme, we have partnered with many different types of businesses that offer a diverse range of products and services. This year we've also added some great new redemption partners including EV charging network, ChargeNet, Uber and Uber Eats, to help New Zealanders save on the things that matter," concludes Sutcliffe.

Hundreds of thousands of people around New Zealand depend on their fuel savings to keep on top of the weekly budget.

Find out how to keep more bucks in your back pocket at: www.fillupforless.co.nz