What saves the most on fuel, loyalty points or buying cheap?

Buying at the cheapest forecourt near you saves far more than any loyalty scheme. The gap between the cheapest and dearest forecourt in one area is often 10p a litre or more, worth about £5.50 on a 55 litre tank, while most supermarket point schemes are worth around half a penny a litre. Use the price search first, then stack a loyalty scheme on top for a little extra.

Do supermarket fuel loyalty cards actually save money?

A little. Tesco Clubcard, Sainsbury's Nectar and Morrisons More each earn around half a penny a litre in points on fuel, so a typical driver saves roughly £15 to £30 a year. The bigger wins are the occasional spend and save vouchers, for example money off a litre when you spend a set amount in store, which the supermarket apps push from time to time.

Is Costco fuel worth the membership?

Costco fuel is members only and is often several pence a litre below the local average, so for higher mileage drivers the saving can outweigh the annual membership fee. It only works if a Costco filling station is convenient for you, and the membership also has to make sense for your shopping.

Fuel offers and savings

The extra ways to shave money off a litre

Loyalty schemes and spend and save offers stack a little more on top of a cheap pump price. Each brand's scheme now shows next to its price in the forecourt search, so you see the full picture. Here is what each one really gives you, checked and compared, with the honest truth about where the big saving actually is.

Find the cheapest forecourt near you

First things first

The cheap forecourt beats every points card

The gap between the cheapest and dearest forecourt in the same area is often 10p a litre or more, which is about £5.50 on a 55 litre tank, every single fill. Most supermarket point schemes are worth around half a penny a litre. So the order that saves the most is simple: find the cheapest forecourt near you first, then add a loyalty scheme on top for a little extra. Do not drive across town for points.

The schemes, compared

What each loyalty scheme gives you on fuel

Slide the table sideways for every column.

Scheme	What you get on fuel	Roughly worth
Costco	Members only pumps, usually several pence a litre below the local average. No points, just a low headline price.	the biggest saver if it is convenient
Tesco Clubcard	Points on the fuel you buy, plus the regular spend and save fuel vouchers Tesco runs in the app.	about 0.5p a litre in points
Sainsbury's Nectar	Nectar points on fuel at Sainsbury's and at Esso, and occasional money off a litre coupons.	about 0.5p a litre in points
Morrisons More	More points on fuel, and the My Morrisons app often pushes a few pence off a litre when you spend a set amount in store.	about 0.5p a litre, more on offer weeks
Asda Rewards	A small amount into your Cashpot at participating stations, on top of Asda's usually low base price.	a low pump price plus a little cashback
Shell Go+	Points on fuel and shop, ten percent off selected shop items, and the odd fuel reward.	most value is in the shop, not the fuel
BPme Rewards	Points per litre, double on BP Ultimate, redeemed against fuel or shop.	about 0.5p a litre in points
Texaco Star Rewards	A point a litre where each point is worth a penny, one of the higher value schemes if a Texaco is near you.	up to about 1p a litre

Point values and offers change; these were checked on 28 August 2026. Follow each link for what the scheme gives today. A neutral guide worth a look is MoneySavingExpert on cheap fuel.

The one to watch

Spend and save is where the real money is

The point schemes above are small. The offers that genuinely move the needle are the rotating supermarket promotions, usually a few pence off a litre when you spend a set amount in store in one go, for example money off when you spend around sixty pounds. They come and go, so they are worth checking in the supermarket apps before a big shop and fill up. We cannot list a live offer here that would be out of date by next week, so the honest thing is to point you to each retailer and let you see what is running today.

2 to 5p

A litre off

The typical size of a supermarket spend and save fuel offer when one is running.

£1 to £3

Per tank

What that is worth on a 55 litre fill, on top of already buying at a cheap forecourt.

Min spend

The catch

Most need a set spend in store in one visit, so they only pay off if you were shopping there anyway.

Beyond points

Three habits that save more than any card

Search first

Every fill

Check the cheapest forecourt near you before you fill. It is the single biggest saving and it is free. Do that here.

Drive smooth

Ease off

Gentle acceleration, keeping to lower motorway speeds and taking the roof box off can cut what you burn by more than a loyalty card ever gives back.

Tyres up

Check monthly

Under inflated tyres waste fuel and wear faster. Two minutes at the air line pays for itself.

Bigger motoring savings than any fuel card

Fuel is the daily cost, but insurance, breakdown cover and tyres are where the real money moves. These are advertising links to partners we think are worth comparing. We may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you, and it never affects our fuel prices.

Compare car insurance

Loyalty rarely pays on insurance. Run your details through a comparison site at renewal and switch if it beats your quote.

Compare quotes

Breakdown cover

Roadside help and recovery from a few pounds a month. Compare cover levels before you renew with your current provider.

Compare cover

Tyres, fitted

Order tyres online for a fixed price and book fitting at a local centre, usually cheaper than buying at the counter.

Price up tyres

Fuel cards for business

Run a van or a fleet? A fuel card can cut pump prices and simplify VAT. Compare the main UK cards in one place.

Compare fuel cards

Advertising links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, which helps keep Petrol Tracker free. It never changes the price you pay, and our cheapest-fuel rankings are never influenced by it. How this works.

The easy win

Let us tell you when fuel near you gets cheaper

We watch every forecourt within five miles of your postcode and email you when the cheapest one drops or jumps. Free, no account, one click to stop. It saves more than any points card, without you lifting a finger.