FAQ Friday: What Are Mobile Options for Finding the Cheapest Gas?

Used to be that if you wanted to find cheap gas in a specific area, you had to go to your desktop computer. But that doesn't help if you're already on the road. Fortunately, the increase of mobile Web browsing and satellite-based technology has made getting the lowest prices easy. We'll highlight a few of today's options:

Gas Buddy Mobile offers the latest gas prices through your cell phone's text message or email function, or you can point your browser to GasBuddyToGo.com. There's no charge other than your cellular carrier's usual charges. You can get Gas Buddy's new $2.99 iPhone app, from Bottle Rocket, at the iPhone app store. Gas prices are supplied by Gas Buddy users around the country.

MSN Direct includes features like local gas prices, traffic, weather and stocks. The service works with MSN stand-alone receivers and aftermarket navigation devices with a built-in receiver, especially Garmin's. Three - twelve-month trials are available; after that there's an annual fee of $49.95 or one-time payment of $99.95 for the whole shebang. But the service is available only in major cities at the moment.

Ford offers Sirius' Travel Link as part of its onboard nav system on Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles. The data service comes in two flavors: traffic only (which includes gas prices from approximately 120,000 stations across the country) and a larger package that adds movies, weather, and sports scores. The first six months are free; after that it's $5.99/month, though longer-term packages are available.

You can also go to your local AAA web site and search for "Navigation Solutions" under the Automotive tab. There you'll find several solutions for your cell or Magellan unit that offer local gas prices, as well.

Have you tried a moblie gas pricing service? Which one, and what did you think of it?

Posted by

Joanne Helperin October 9, 2009, 11:00 AM

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Fuel Economy