Costco Gas Hours Monterey (2024)

FAQs

What is the best day of the week to buy gas at Costco? ›

Buy Gas on Monday or Tuesday

“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.

Drive in between 10 am and noon on a weekday for shorter waiting times in line. Most people tend to pull up during their lunch breaks and after work in the evening on weekdays. Traffic is one-way only at all Costco gas stations to keep it moving quickly.

The takeaway: Costco gas is cheaper for members

However, if you'd have to go out of your way to get to a Costco and you shudder at the prospect of waiting in extremely long lines for marginally cheaper gas, then the savings simply might not be worth it for you.

“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.”

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.

Kirkland Signature™ Fuel has been certified to meet the Top Tier™ performance standards and is available in each product we sell. If you have a question about the station, fuel or safety please email us at KirklandSignatureFuel@Costco.com.

“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.

Mid-week afternoons

Shopping at Costco on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon has been cited as another good time to visit.

Where does Costco gasoline come from? The gasoline from you local Cosco comes from the same terminal as the rest of your local gas stations. The only difference is that is doesn't get the proprietary additive package added to it that you pay extra for from Shell or Chevron or whatever your local options are.

The fact that gas is cheaper at Costco doesn't mean it's lower in quality. The company offers Kirkland Signature gasoline, which is formulated to improve vehicle performance and fuel economy. Costco says the gas also reduces emissions, making it better for the environment.

Why is Costco gas cheaper than everywhere else? ›

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.

If you're able to save $0.17 on 14.5 gallons of gas, each fill-up at Costco saves you around $2.47 compared with getting gas elsewhere. If you're looking to cover your membership fee with gas alone, you'd need to get gas at Costco between 24 and 25 times per year. If you go around twice a month, you'll easily do that.

This is a safety mechanism which prevents the gas from coming out and spilling when filling up the tank. Typically, this indicates that the tank is full.

This is a temporary hold that assures Costco will be paid for fuel dispensed. The "pre-authorized" amount is approved by the card issuer and may be up to $150. After fuel is dispensed, Costco IMMEDIATELY sends a "completion transaction" message to the card issuer with the actual purchase amount.

Regardless though, AAA estimates that most Americans will fill up their tank anywhere between 45 and 55 times a year on average. So, yes, we can VERIFY that it is worth getting a wholesale membership to save on gas prices.

The lowest average gas prices are found on Tuesdays. Mondays and Fridays are the worst days to head to the pumps. GasBuddy used their app to analyze gas price data by province from Jan. 1 - Dec.

In general, gas prices tend to be lowest at the beginning of the week, on Monday and Tuesday, GasBuddy's lead petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan told Nexstar. As the week goes on, gas prices tend to rise until they reach their most expensive point on the weekend – especially on Friday and Saturday.

That's because Costco loyalists know there's no better place to buy gasoline than at the wholesale giant's pumps, which regularly undercut the competition. “You save approximately 20 cents a gallon at Costco over other local vendors,” says David Schwartz, who together with his wife Susan authored “The Joy of Costco”.

Mid-week afternoons

Shopping at Costco on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon has been cited as another good time to visit.