Costco Gas Price Santa Maria (2024)

FAQs

What are the best times to go to Costco gas? ›

Gas stations can get busy (avoid weekends)

Avoid weekend fill-ups if you can. Buying gas on a weekend could be a nightmare, as waiting times could take hours. To avoid this, the best time to get gas at Costco is on weekdays between 10-11 in the morning.

So why is it so much cheaper than the competition? The short answer is that unlike pretty much every other retail business that sells gasoline, Costco doesn't care about making money from its gas pumps. In fact, Costco typically sells its gas at a moderate loss.

Most reports seem to indicate that Costco gas tends to be about $0.20 less on average than traditional gas stations in the same area, although there are reports that estimate the savings at nearly double this amount. To be conservative with the analysis, we'll use $0.20 per gallon in savings.

The company is one of the largest gasoline sellers in the country, at about 17 million gallons a day, or roughly 5% of the U.S. market.

Buy Gas on Monday or Tuesday

Be strategic about the days you fill up at the pump. “For gas, Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be the cheapest days to fill up your tank as demand is lower at the beginning of the week,” Anderson said.

Best Day of the Week

According to a GasBuddy petroleum analyst, Monday and Tuesday is when gas prices are typically at their cheapest. As the week goes on, prices steadily tend to rise while finally culminating in the highest price during the weekend.

Costco is listed as a TOP TIER™ gasoline retailer. Find out more at www.toptiergas.com. Kirkland Signature™ Gasoline contains five times the EPA detergent requirement in both regular unleaded and premium grades, and is formulated to clean your engine and help your vehicle run like new.

Costco fuel stations are well-maintained by our capable attendants so you may be confident that the fuel going into your car is clean. Costco uses fuel filters in the petrol pumps to catch particles or debris larger than 10 microns in diameter. For comparison, the average human hair is seventy microns thick.

Q: Where does Costco get its fuel? A: Costco buys fuel from major refineries and distributors in each area. All Kirkland Signature™ Fuel is guaranteed, just like the merchandise we sell inside the warehouse.

Gas purchases, for example, do not earn you cash back as an Executive member. Neither do cigarette purchases or alcoholic beverage purchases in certain states. Additionally, Costco Shop Cards (Costco's version of a gift card) won't be eligible for cash back, and neither will postage stamps.

Why do so many people use Costco gas? ›

Costco opened its first gas station in 1995 with a commitment to members to provide high quality gasoline at the lowest possible prices. Members will find regular and premium grade fuel – and in some places, diesel. High quality fuel – it's another benefit of a Costco membership.

Most recently I saved 38 cents a gallon at Costco compared to the other gas stations in the area. That adds up to me saving a few hundred dollars a year on gas by choosing Costco. Sometimes the lines to get gas at Costco are long, but I can see why.

Key Takeaways. Costco makes some of its profits from its merchandise, but the bulk of its profits come from membership dues. Only members can shop at Costco. The membership business model allows Costco to undersell the competition by offering products in bulk at lower prices to ensure customer loyalty.

“Consumers see this as a customer-friendly convenience, but in truth, they help reduce congestion at the pumps, which allows more cars to pass through the pumps, which allows Costco to sell more gas,” says Bines. “It's a win-win, but only because it first benefits the consumer.”

Costco gross profit for the twelve months ending May 31, 2024 was $31.706B, a 11.18% increase year-over-year. Costco annual gross profit for 2023 was $29.704B, a 7.73% increase from 2022.

If you are filling up in the middle of a hot day, the gasoline may expand, causing you to get less gasoline in your vehicle, which means you pay more for less. Filling up in the morning when it is cooler can help ensure the gasoline has contracted, and you get a larger amount of fuel for the same price.

“In general, though, the best time to shop at Costco is going to be when they first open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as generally that's the least popular time for shoppers to be out,” Ramhold said.

Try Shopping Midweek

While answers about the busiest days of the week varied, and factors like location come into play, most Costco staff agreed that the weekdays, especially Tuesdays through Thursdays, were the least busy days. And that makes sense.