3 Biggest Benefits of Buying Gas at Costco

Signing up for a Costco membership comes with many perks. One of them is the ability to buy fuel at Costco gas stations.

Costco gas offers a lot of advantages over other gas stations, including those run by Sam's Club. In fact, here are three of the biggest benefits of buying gas at Costco that you should know about.

1. Costco gas is offered at a great price

The single biggest benefit of buying gas at Costco is that you can get your fuel at a much cheaper price than you would be able to if you shopped elsewhere.

Although the exact amount of savings you'll get varies based on your location and the specific club you're shopping at, you'll typically save around $0.20 per gallon at Costco according to most online reports.

Most cars hold between 10.5 and 18.5 gallons of gas. If your car is somewhere in the middle of this range and you fill up a 14-gallon tank, you'd save about $2.80 every single time you gas up over the course of the year. That can add up to a hefty sum -- close to $150 if you gas up every week. That's a lot of extra money in your bank account.

2. Costco gas is higher quality than many competitors

So, gas at Costco is cheaper, but is it decent fuel? Absolutely.

In fact, the quality of Costco's gas is another big reason why you should fuel up at the warehouse club. Kirkland Signature Gasoline is TOP TIER™ certified, which means it meets stringent performance standards.

Using TOP TIER™ gas can reduce valve damage, sticking valves, and fouled plugs. It can help you maintain a clean engine, and it can help in preserving your vehicle's fuel economy. It's even better for the environment.

Sam's Club, unfortunately, is not TOP TIER™ and the gas at many other stations you'll visit also doesn't have this classification. While gas certified to meet the TOP TIER™ performance standards usually costs more, that's not the case at Costco. And car experts have reported it's worth the extra money to buy this certified gas. So getting it at a price that's actually discounted is a real steal.

3. Buying gas at Costco can make shopping at the warehouse club more convenient

Finally, the last big benefit of buying gas at Costco is that it's convenient to do so.

Costco gas stations are located by Costco stores, and Costco has taken pains to make it more easily accessible by setting up the stations so the traffic flow is one way, making it faster and easier to get in and out.

You can pop into the gas station, then run into the club to pick up a hot dog and soda combo for lunch or to grab some bulk household items that you'd been running out of.

Since you'll probably visit the warehouse club more often if you're buying gas there than you would otherwise, this makes it easier for you to take advantage of the savings that Costco provides on other products. You'll get more value from your membership and perhaps slash your grocery bill, since you'll be buying more items at the discounted prices on offer.

For each of these three reasons, Costco members should try to fill up their tanks at Costco as often as they can. It doesn't pay to go miles out of your way to do so -- but if you can plan strategically to get gas there when you happen to be in the area, doing so is undoubtedly a smart move for your budget.