Flying J

[d2rtr]

Crossing the country these past 2 weeks, we discovered that we can use the truck pumps for diesel fuel and even though we used our credit card, we still paid the cash price. This is true!! The only catch is you must have a Flying J RV REWARDS card -- not just a plain Flying J card. Also, the 1 cent per gallon discount is only good for the first 300 gallons of fuel each month. However, if you and your spouse each have a Flying J Rewards Card, then you can get it on 600 gallons per month. Hopefully, you won't use that much within a single month. All this was explained to me when I first went to the RV pumps and later asked about the truck pumps. Later I didn't receive my 1 cent discount and asked why. That's when I learned about the 300 gallon/month limit. Always ask for an explanation of your receipt -- one station even had lucky numbers! If your receipt matched the lucky number, your fuel would be free. Guess what!! Mine wasn't.

Happy Traveling,

Jay & Donna Blumenthal F230605 -- now on the west coast.

[tbutler]

Welcome d2rtr,

I have several credit cards that give a 3% to 5% cash back on fuel purchases. One has a $300 limit per year, another has a $5 a month limit. The Flying J 300 gallon limit is $3 per month. A 3% rebate on diesel at $2.50 a gallon is a 7.5 cent per gallon discount. For this reason, I use the RV pumps where I can use these credit cards and also get the 1 cent per gallon discount from Flying J. As a result, I'm getting cash price plus something like a 8 to 9 cent discount per gallon. I obtained these credit cards several years ago and they have been whittling away at the rebate in the last year or two. Still, I'm going to work them for all they are worth! The 5% Discover Card is the one with the $5 limit so that amounts to $100 of fuel which is fine for the toad. I use the Citi and Chase rebate cards for my diesel fuel. They are both 3% cards and have higher limits on a per year basis. The per year basis allows me to take advantage of the greater travel in the summer without losing benefits while parked at our winter resort.

Lately I've found that diesel is often available at prices lower than Flying J. Recently I purchased diesel at a Wal-Mart for 5 cents less than at Flying J. So there I was saving 12 or 13 cents per gallon over the Flying J price with no rebate. It used to be that Flying J had the best price hands down but this is no longer true. Yes, I did have to get in and out of "car style" pumps but I didn't have the toad and it was not a problem. There was a grocery store here, HEB, that had diesel at even lower prices but their awning over the pumps looked like it might be too low for the motor home so I didn't try it.

[kingfr]

I try to use Flying-J for several reasons, the 1 cent per gallon being the least of them. The main reason I use them is because I appreciate them catering to the RV crowd by making special lanes, offering the RV discount, the cash price on credit cards etc. Oh, yes, they don't turn the pump off after $50 or $75 on a credit card purchase like most fuel stops seem to do these days.! Any time that a business makes a real effort to get my business, and is fair about it, I will patronize them. I just hope that Flying-J's being bought by Pilot doesn't change things. I don't consider Pilot very RV friendly.

[tbutler]

kingfr,

I agree with you regarding the amenities offered to RV'ers at Flying J and I too feel some loyalty for their willingness to address the needs of the RV market. However, many years dealing with businesses has put limits on that loyalty.

Having said that, I usually will purchase my diesel fuel at Flying J when we are on the road. When we are in a locality where we spend considerable time then I find out where other fuel stations are and compare prices and shop according to price. Flying J gets most of my business but not all unless they have the best price.

The change in Flying J's price leadership does coincide with their bankruptcy and the Pilot takeover. I like you don't feel that Pilot or any of the other truck stops offer any advantage for the RV'er.

[Guest Wayne77590]

I have a 1% return on my credit card, unlimited. Some times the return is greater. So I don't have to patronized any particular fuel stop. I have been using Love's quite a bit, and Flying J occasionally.

[kalynzoo]

When on the road with the MH convenience at the pump far outweights the cost of fuel. I tend to look for Flying J because they have made it a policy to be RV friendly. That said, some Flying J's have a less than wonderful layout for a MY with toad. I've had to wait for customers to move their cars from the store parking area to make a clean turn. One J, can't remember which one, seems to have had a disagreement with the neighbor, and a concrete abutment blocks the exit if you make a wrong turn. But then again, you can't have everything. They do try. When it is time to search for fuel I will look up a location of a Flying J, however, once off the freeway, if the other truck stops appear to have an easier access and egress, I will use the most convenient. At a nickel a gallon difference in neighboring stations, it is not worth making tight turns to save $5. Just my opinion. Happy Trails.

[Guest Wayne77590]

I have to agree with Cookie and Gary. For the same reason I don't use regular gas stations that I am not totally familiar with for ingress/egress. I use nothing but the truck pumps and I have never had a problem. A 40 foot MH and a 20 foot TOAD on a 3 foot tow bar is 63 feet of monster that is just easy as anything to pull through a truck stop pump. I have never had anyone say anything to me for using those pumps.

When I walk up to the cashier to give my credit card before pumping, I just say "Private." And some times I say "Private motorhome."