To celebrate the joy of saving and to offer Kiwis some fuel-saving tips, BP has run a six-week experiment with five of the savviest savers from across the country. The participants were asked to record their regular transactions at BP sites and AA Smartfuel village partners like Countdown and Contact Energy, taking notes on the discounts accumulated and how long it took to redeem their savings.
One savings master, who lives on a farm in Canterbury, redeemed a full tank of gas for just $8.48 after four weeks, saving a total of $73.50. Anne Thompson is a Llama farmer and part-time teacher and regularly redeems big discounts on her fuel by accumulating savings each month through her Contact Energy account, regular shops at Countdown, and frequent trips to Placemakers for farm supplies.
“I think most people would have no knowledge of being able to save money simply by using the card. My son is always impressed when I get a free fill,” says Anne.
Super savvy saver Catherine Olsen is a mother-of-two, from Palmerston North, and in just under six weeks, she accumulated $2.07 off a litre. When she filled up her vehicle, she saved $103.50, paying just $2.45 for 50 litres of fuel.
In a Lower Hutt suburb, retired local, Christine Thimbleby, redeemed her savings after a month and used the $35.29 she saved to buy a meal of Bluff oysters to enjoy with her husband overlooking the Wellington waterfront. A self-employed panel-beater in Auckland saved $84.52 through his discounts which were accumulated over five weeks, while Fraser Coulthard, a young warehouse manager in Christchurch, saved $73.50 on a 50-litre fill-up.
“When I redeemed my savings, the surprised attendant said ‘wow, well done’ and it made me feel good to save so much on fuel for the week,” says Fraser.
Speaking about the challenge and latest savings data, BP Communications & External Affairs Manager Leigh Taylor said it was clear BP customers valued New Zealand’s biggest fuel discount programme enormously.
“We are conscious that fuel can be a reasonable proportion of a household budget and belonging to the AA Smartfuel village is a great way for us to offer additional value to our customers. We’re really thrilled to see how much Kiwis have redeemed by simply swiping their AA Smartfuel cards. BP has been a proud partner of the AA Smartfuel programme since 2011, and in that time New Zealanders have redeemed more than $239million in fuel savings at our sites,” says Leigh.
The following five AA Smartfuel cardholders often experience the joy of gaining a tank of fuel, for just a few dollars.
Kai Wang – Self-employed panel-beater Glenfield, Auckland
• In five weeks, he accumulated $1.80 off a litre
• When he redeemed the discount, he saved $84.52, paying just $61.23 for a full tank of fuel
• Used discounts accumulated at BP sites and through Contact Energy
Catherine Olsen – Mother of two Palmerston North
• In just under six weeks, she accumulated $2.07 off a litre
• When Catherine redeemed the discount, she saved $103.50, paying just $2.45 for 50 litres of fuel
• Used discounts accumulated at BP sites, Countdown, and Contact Energy
Anne Thompson – Llama farmer and part-time teacher Canterbury
• In four weeks, she accumulated $1.37 off a litre
• When she redeemed the discount, she saved $73.50, paying just $8.48 for 50 litres of fuel
• Using discounts accumulated at BP sites, Countdown, Contact Energy, and Placemakers
Fraser Coulthard – Warehouse manager Christchurch
• In five weeks, he accumulated $1.36 off a litre
• When he redeemed the discount, he saved $73.50, paying just $48.50 for 50 litres of fuel
• Using discounts accumulated at BP sites and through Contact Energy
Christine Thimbleby – Retired local Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt
• In four weeks, she accumulated 80c off a litre
• When she redeemed the discount, she saved $35.29, paying just $65.24 for a full tank of fuel
• Using discounts accumulated at BP sites, Countdown, and Contact energy
These everyday Kiwis understand how the AASF loyalty programme works and take simple steps to maximise their savings on fuel while changing none of their usual spending habits. The top tips that have been uncovered are:
• Fill up your vehicle in increments of $40 and accumulate the fuel savings at the pump – for example, you can get 12c off if you do two separate transactions on regular 6c/litre discount days at BP. Using this principle, you can get 20c off if you do two transactions on special 10c/litre discount days at BP. • Get into the habit of accumulating rather than instantly redeeming.
• Bolster your savings by using the 1,300 AASF village partners such as Contact Energy, Countdown and the latest partner, ASB, to help accumulate your fuel savings.
• When you redeem your accumulated fuel discount, time it so that you can fill your tank up to the max (50 litres) and make the most of your savings.
• Link multiple cards across your family to increase the fuel discounts you accumulate – any cardholder can then redeem them.
-Ends-
For further information contact: Leigh Taylor | Communications & External Affairs Manager | BP New Zealand| Phone 021 715 986
About BP and AA Smartfuel: BP’s everyday fuel offer of 6 cents per litre requires a minimum spend of $40 on fuel. Discounts are redeemable up to a maximum of 50 litres of any one fuel purchase when a registered AA Smartfuel or AA Membership or card is swiped. Discounts cannot be applied in conjunction with fuel card or discount fuel vouchers. Discounts must be redeemed by the end of the month following the month in which they were awarded. Redeeming a discount uses all discounts accumulated at that time. Discounts cannot be redeemed at un-manned self-service sites. AA Smartfuel terms and conditions apply, see AAsmartfuel.co.nz/bp
The BPMe app can be downloaded and used in conjunction with AA Smartfuel to accumulate and redeem savings when you pay from your car or in store at BP sites around the country. AA Smartfuel cards are free and collected from any BP store from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
About BP and BPMe app: BP was the first fuel retailer in New Zealand to offer an app with pay in car technology and coffee pre-order. The BPMe app was the recipient of the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards 2018 Energy Technology of the year award. BP is the only fuel retailer to offer integrated fuel payment, loyalty and instant fuel discounts from a mobile app. BPMe terms and conditions apply, see bpme.co.nz. The BPMe app can be downloaded from www.bpme.co.nz/download
About BP New Zealand: BP strives to be a world-class operator, a responsible corporate citizen and a great employer. We have operated in New Zealand since 1946 and we continue to invest heavily in our assets, our infrastructure, our people and the community. We believe in strong, enduring partnerships and we are unique because we have the opportunity to leverage the benefits of global experience whilst remaining a local New Zealand organisation. We currently operate 104 BP Connect stores and Wild Bean Cafes in New Zealand. We also have a national network of 105 BP branded independent retailers, as well as distributor partners, truck stops and a terminals and logistics operation. Our wider operations include a leading Castrol lubricants business and an aviation (Air BP) business. Many of our retail sites are owned and operated by Kiwi business people with approximately 3,000 New Zealanders employed across our wider operations. The key to our success in New Zealand is, and always will be, our people, our customers and the communities in which we operate. BP has also been a proud partner with Surf Life Saving New Zealand for the past 51 years. During this time, Surf Lifeguards have saved more than 55,000 lives and more than 22,000 of those have been rescued using a BP Surf Rescue Inflatable Rescue Boat.
Contact: bp ANZ Media team
Phone: 0800 800 027
Email: bppressANZ@bp.com