Kiwis have mastered the art of redeeming fuel savings at the pump. Figures just released by BP show that more than
$23million has been saved by New Zealand drivers using AA Smartfuel cards at BP sites across the country since the
beginning of the year. This has been redeemed by AA Smartfuel’s customer base of 2.6 million Kiwis.
To celebrate the joy of saving and to offer Kiwis some fuel-saving tips, BP has run a six-week experiment with five of
the savviest savers from across the country. The participants were asked to record their regular transactions at BP
sites and AA Smartfuel village partners like Countdown and Contact Energy, taking notes on the discounts accumulated and
how long it took to redeem their savings.
One savings master, who lives on a farm in Canterbury, redeemed a full tank of gas for just $8.48 after four weeks,
saving a total of $73.50. Anne Thompson is a Llama farmer and part-time teacher and regularly redeems big discounts on
her fuel by accumulating savings each month through her Contact Energy account, regular shops at Countdown, and frequent
trips to Placemakers for farm supplies.
“I think most people would have no knowledge of being able to save money simply by using the card. My son is always
impressed when I get a free fill,” says Anne.
Super savvy saver Catherine Olsen is a mother-of-two, from Palmerston North, and in just under six weeks, she
accumulated $2.07 off a litre. When she filled up her vehicle, she saved $103.50, paying just $2.45 for 50 litres of
fuel.
In a Lower Hutt suburb, retired local, Christine Thimbleby, redeemed her savings after a month and used the $35.29 she
saved to buy a meal of Bluff oysters to enjoy with her husband overlooking the Wellington waterfront. A self-employed
panel-beater in Auckland saved $84.52 through his discounts which were accumulated over five weeks, while Fraser
Coulthard, a young warehouse manager in Christchurch, saved $73.50 on a 50-litre fill-up.
“When I redeemed my savings, the surprised attendant said ‘wow, well done’ and it made me feel good to save so much on
fuel for the week,” says Fraser.
Speaking about the challenge and latest savings data, BP Communications & External Affairs Manager Leigh Taylor said it was clear BP customers valued New Zealand’s biggest fuel discount
programme enormously.
“We are conscious that fuel can be a reasonable proportion of a household budget and belonging to the AA Smartfuel
village is a great way for us to offer additional value to our customers. We’re really thrilled to see how much Kiwis
have redeemed by simply swiping their AA Smartfuel cards. BP has been a proud partner of the AA Smartfuel programme
since 2011, and in that time New Zealanders have redeemed more than $239 million in fuel savings at our sites,” says
Leigh.
These everyday Kiwis understand how the AASF loyalty programme works and take simple steps to maximise their savings on
fuel while changing none of their usual spending habits. The top tips that have been uncovered are:
• Fill up your vehicle in increments of $40 and accumulate the fuel savings at the pump – for example, you can get
12c off if you do two separate transactions on regular 6c/litre discount days at BP. Using this principle, you can get
20c off if you do two transactions on special 10c/litre discount days at BP.
• Get into the habit of accumulating rather than instantly redeeming.
• Bolster your savings by using the 1,300 AASF village partners such as Contact Energy, Countdown and the latest
partner, ASB, to help accumulate your fuel savings.
• When you redeem your accumulated fuel discount, time it so that you can fill your tank up to the max (50 litres)
and make the most of your savings.
• Link multiple cards across your family to increase the fuel discounts you accumulate – any cardholder can then
redeem them.