Cheap fueling in New Zealand

How to save money at the pump as a backpacker

Overview

Intro
Step 1 - Earn points
Step 2 - Geographical comparison
Step 3 - Apps
Step 4 - Miscellaneous
Frequently Asked Questions

With your own car, you can explore New Zealand best. However, a vehicle isn’t cheap, and regular fueling can really burn a hole in your budget.

Unlike Germany, the prices at petrol stations in New Zealand are relatively stable. Often you see the same price for several days in a row.

But when a hike comes, it’s really steep. And that hurts, especially in your wallet. We have the best tricks for you on how to fuel up cheaply in New Zealand.

Intro

Free Lollies!

Getting paid to fuel up? Great, right? This is really great in New Zealand. At the beginning, I got countless free lollies with loyalty programs.

Now the programs are a bit more developed. I love it when I get a free tank once in a while. That leaves more money for the fun things in life.

Pretty cool, right?

- Mara Schneider

Fueling up in New Zealand

Aside from the 5 major petrol chains, there are also many smaller chains scattered throughout the country, where you can sometimes save a lot, but often end up paying more.

cheap refueling in New Zealand bp petrol station

BP gas stations are usually slightly more expensive but well-equipped. You save here with the OneCard.

cheap refueling in New Zealand caltex petrol station

You also collect points with the OneCard at Caltex. However, they are a bit more expensive as well.

cheap fuel in New Zealand gull petrol station

Where there is Gull, there is cheap fuel. The chain presses prices nationwide. Service rather lacking.

cheap refueling in New Zealand mobil petrol station

At Mobil, you can often refuel more cheaply than at competitors and also collect points on top of that.

cheap refueling in new zealand waitomo petrol station

While Waitomo is not one of the major chains, the prices are truly unbeatable!

affordable refueling in new zealand z petrol station

Z is a New Zealand corporation and is one of the big players. Save here with FlyBuys.

Step 1 - Earn points

Almost every petrol station chain in New Zealand has its own loyalty program, which allows you to save a lot of money while fueling up. Signing up is free everywhere, so it’s worth participating.

AA Smartfuel - Caltex & BP

If you have an AA Smartfuel card, you get a 6-cent discount every time you buy at least $40 worth of fuel. You can either redeem the discount immediately or accumulate it until the end of the following month and get a tank of fuel practically for free.

Note:

How it works

Pick up your free Smartfuel card at a BP or Caltex station. Follow the instructions and register the card. It’s best to also download the Smartfuel app. This way you always have access to your points and know when they expire. Now you just need to scan the card each time you fuel up and the points are automatically credited to you.

Note:

Our tip

Instead of filling up completely each time, buy exactly $40 of fuel, so you can get points more frequently and accumulate them over several weeks. The more often you fuel up, the more points you get. If you fuel up on average three times a week, you’ll get more than $1 per liter discount after four weeks.

Mobil Smiles

Like Smartfuel, you also get a 6-cent discount for every $40 tank fill-up at all Mobil stations. However, these are immediately credited to you. Plus, you collect points for every liter. At 300 points you get a $5 discount on the next fill-up, at 500 points you get $10.

Note:

How it works

Grab your free Mobil Smiles card at a Mobil station and register it online. Then just scan it when you refuel and collect points.

Note:

Special discount

Mobil often has special promotions. If you buy certain items, you get even more discount on fuel.

FlyBuys - Z

With a FlyBuys card you can collect points nationwide with various providers and then exchange them for rewards. At all Z stations, you additionally get a 6-cent discount on every tank fill-up.

Note:

How it works

You can get your FlyBuys card either in participating stores, including Z and New World, or order it online. Register your card and collect discounts.

Goody Card - GAS

With the Goody Card, you can’t save on fuel, but you get points that you can exchange for groceries or coffee.

Note:

How it works

Grab a Goody Card, register it, and scan it every time you fuel up at a GAS station. The Goody Card app shows you all other providers where you can get discounts.

Step 2 - Geographical comparison

Nowhere else do you notice geographic price differences at petrol stations as extremely as in New Zealand. The country may be small, but prices can differ up to 30 cents per liter depending on where you are.

Really cheap

Fill her up, please.

00tiamuri (Waikato) - cheapest Gull station in the country (-30 cents per liter)
Taneatua (Whakatane) - fuel up at Gull
Te Ngae (Rotorua) - fuel up at Mobil
East Coast North Island - Gull and Waitomo are the best

Ridiculously expensive

Better pass through here.

Auckland - extra expensive due to fuel tax (+11.5 cents per liter)
Wanaka - outrageous prices at BP and Caltex
Queenstown - major tourist rip-off
Waiheke Island - it doesn't get worse than Z

Step 3 - Apps

If all the loyalty programs are too much for you but you still want to fuel up cheaply in New Zealand, try these apps. You’re always up to date and won’t miss any price drops.

Gaspy

Price spies help save money.

With Gaspy, you'll always and everywhere find the cheapest petrol stations. The app is currently used by more than 270,000 price spies who regularly report, update prices, and share them on social media. You can become a price spy yourself and actively contribute to ensuring that every driver in New Zealand can fuel up cheaply. The more active you are, the more Spy Coins you get. These in turn increase your chances of getting one of the weekly lottery fuel vouchers.

Mehr dazu

PriceWatch

Nationwide average.

The website shows a 24-hour snapshot of all fuel prices in New Zealand. The data is based on actual transactions and is regularly updated.

Mehr dazu

Step 4 - Miscellaneous

In general, Gull and Waitomo are the cheapest nationwide, and the fuel is of the same quality as elsewhere. Also, several times a month, you’ll find specials where certain stations reduce their prices for 24 hours by up to 10 cents per liter. Then it’s time to strike!

Note:

Fuel vouchers

When you buy groceries, check your receipt. Here you often find fuel vouchers that grant you up to 6 cents per liter discount. Pak & Save often works with Mobil and sometimes has its own pumps. Countdown cooperates with BP and Caltex and New World with Z or its own fuel stations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What other KiwiQuesters wanted to know...

User question:

Is the fuel in New Zealand the same as in Germany?

Basically, yes, it’s just called differently. In New Zealand, you will only find the octane number at fuel stations. Most petrol engines run on 91 (regular unleaded). There is also 95 (premium unleaded), and at some stations 98 (premium plus). The latter two are significantly more expensive and not available everywhere. Diesel engines run on diesel.

User question:

How long are petrol stations open in New Zealand?

Most petrol stations are open 24 hours. However, after 10 pm you can only use the night counter. In smaller towns, petrol stations close in the evening. However, many pumps are now equipped for immediate payment via Eftpos or credit card. This is especially true for Z and Mobil.