This is arguably the quickest and easiest money-saving activity you can do. It literally takes just one second to check the ‘FGPNow!’ app on my iPhone to see where gas prices are heading for the next day.
If you often find yourself asking, “Where are gas prices heading tomorrow?” or “Should I fill up today or wait?”—there’s an app for that!
FGPNow—standing for ‘Future Gas Prices Now’—is available for the iPhone, with a new version also available for BlackBerry. The app’s main advantage is its accessibility; you can check gas prices anytime, anywhere from your mobile phone, helping you make the most informed decision about when to fill up.
The forecasts are accurate and reliable, allowing you to base your gas purchasing decisions confidently on this app. I’ve been using it for over a year now, and I can confidently say it has saved me hundreds of dollars. It might only save you a dollar or two per fill-up, but every bit helps and adds up over time.
For example, if the app predicts gas prices will rise, I’ll choose to fill up that same day before the increase. Conversely, if the prediction is for a price drop, I’ll wait to refuel. The app doesn’t just tell you the direction of the price change; it also tells you the exact amount. So if it predicts a decrease of just 0.2 cents, you’ll know it’s not really worth waiting.
While the original version covered only three Canadian cities, the newer version now includes many more, such as Calgary, Kamloops, Kitchener, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo, and Winnipeg.
The app also provides price forecasts for diesel, but only for select cities.
One feature I’d love to see added is the ability to set ‘alerts’ for price changes. For instance, you could create an alert to be notified through your phone or email as soon as the price for tomorrow becomes available. This would save you even more time.