President Joe Biden has proposed a three-month federal gas tax holiday for the busy summer travel season, but analysts are skeptical that it could really save you money. One way you can cut down on the pain at the pump? Fill up on Mondays, according to a report by GasBuddy.com.
As inflation continues to strain everyone's wallets and the Russian invasion of Ukraine pushes gas prices to record highs, finding the lowest-priced gas has become increasingly important — especially since gas prices are 50% higher than they were a year ago, GasBuddy notes.
According to the study, which analyzed 2021 gas prices using data from the company's app, average gas prices were generally the lowest at the beginning of the week, continuing a trend that favored Mondays in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The most recent data showed prices were lowest on Mondays in 17 states including Illinois, Michigan and Virginia.
The next-best day to fill up was Friday, a big change from 2019 data that showed it was one of the worst days to get gas. That about-face may stem from the prevalence of people working from home this year, GasBuddy speculates, with fewer commuters needing to fill up at the end of the week.
The day you should avoid filling up, if possible: Thursday. It had the highest-priced gas by far in 28 states, followed closely by Wednesday. In other words, to avoid spending more than you need to on gas, don't make hump days into pump days.
