The Queensland Consumers Association says many Queensland consumers could save hundreds of dollars a year by using fuel price apps and websites to compare fuel prices, and switching to cheaper servos.
Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says fuel prices can vary greatly between servos, even in a small area, and there are now many fuel price apps and websites providing up-to-date information about fuel prices.
The dollars saved made each time you fill up soon mount up into serious amounts of money.
By using the apps and websites, and favouring servos that offer the best value for money, consumers benefit themselves and also put downward pressure on prices, which benefits all consumers.
The apps and websites can help consumers to be price makers not just price takers.
They can be particularly helpful when consumers are unfamiliar with the location of servos and with price differences, as will be case for many consumers during the coming holiday season.
Ian says that in addition to showing prices at servos in a chosen area, some apps and websites also show where prices are at in the SEQ petrol price cycles, and prices at servos along a chosen route.
So, it’s a good idea to check out a few apps and websites to see what they offer, and which best suits your needs.
The apps and websites using the Queensland government’s fuel price data can be accessed here.
The prices available to these apps and websites are provided by the Queensland Government’s 2-year trial of mandatory fuel price reporting by servos that started in early December 2018.
The trial’s impacts will be evaluated prior to decisions about whether it will continue after December 2020.
With the trial now about to enter its second and final year, to ensure that servos continue to have to provide up-to-date fuel prices for use by apps and websites after December 2020, more Queensland consumers should use them to save themselves money and put downward pressure on fuel prices.
