Three unexpectedly costly mistakes many people make at gas stations

Nobody likes the expense, especially at gas stations when you have to fill up an empty tank. But you can easily make things worse by making a few simple and common mistakes. Some of these mistakes are especially bad for your budget, especially if you make them repeatedly. We've probably all done at least one of them at least a few times. What are these errors, the publication said Money Talks News.

Photo: Shutterstock

1. Buy drinks

Let's say you bought a 16 ounce bottle of water for $ 1. Of course, convenience shopping is harmless when it only costs a dollar, isn't it? Not really.

You just paid $8 dollars a gallon—far more than you would ever pay for gas. This is a very costly mistake.

Get a reusable water bottle and never overpay again.

Then start adding whatever dollars you would spend to your savings or retirement account.

On the subject: Gas boilers and gasoline cars may be banned in the world: what's the matter

2. Pay for petrol with a debit card

Every time you use a debit card at a gas station, you effectively increase your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft.

Criminals love to attach skimmers (illegal card readers that steal your card numbers) to gas station payment terminals because they are generally not manned by employees.

If you pay in cash, this is not a problem. If you're paying by credit card, this isn't much of a problem, as credit card transactions are subject to federal law that limits your liability for unauthorized payments to $50.

However, a debit card does not have this protection. You must report data theft in a timely manner in order to get the most of your money back.

If a criminal steals your debit card numbers from a gas station and uses them to buy hundreds or thousands of dollars before you figure it out, there is no guarantee that you will ever see that money again.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

Also, debit card scams usually allow the thief to directly connect to your checking account. If someone steals all the money from your account (even temporarily) will you have enough money stashed away in an emergency fund to cover your bills while you wait for the stolen money to be returned.

3. Buy premium gasoline

If your car requires high octane gasoline, you should buy it. But if premium gasoline is just recommended, you're better off saving money.

However, many drivers do neither. According to a 2018 AAA report, Americans collectively spend $2,1 billion a year on high-octane gasoline when it's not needed or even recommended for their cars.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Eight dangerous things that are illegal to throw away in the USA

Four inexpensive things I love in the USA

Our response to Tesla: electric cars and supercars produced in Russia and Ukraine

Personal experience: not everyone is allowed to save people drowning in the USA

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.