How I Saved Money on My Orlando Family Road Trip!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shell. The opinions and text are all mine.

Summer is in full swing and that means I am taking full advantage of my Instant Gold Status from Shell and the Fuel Rewards® program, and hitting the road to make some amazing family memories!

How I Saved on My Orlando Family Road Trip

This month we did an Orlando Family Road Trip and I saved big time at the pump. Remember Shell is currently giving members of the *Fuel Rewards® Program “Instant Gold Status” which rewards members with an automatic 5 cents a gallon reward on every fill-up, up to 20 gallons, for at least 6 months. However, by using my Mastercard that is linked to our Fuel Rewards® card before and during our trip, I was able to earn additional rewards and then stack them to get the most savings. You can sign up for the Fuel Rewards program and start saving with Instant Gold Status here (it’s free, no credit card required!).

Tips for Saving with Fuel Rewards® card

Book your hotels ahead of time. By planning out your road trip stops and hotel stays ahead of time, you are able to get the best-valued hotel. Book your hotel through the Fuel Rewards® website, powered by Priceline, and you not only save from pre-booking, you also earn 20 cents a gallon (up to 20 gallons) off your next fill-up for every $300 spent. When I was booking our hotel a few weeks ago, there were over 400 hotels to choose from, so finding a hotel that fits your needs is a piece of cake!

Choose restaurants that allow you to earn rewards. Taking a road trip and vacationing with children can be a lot of work. I try to pack snacks for the road, and quick options for our hotel room, but when it comes to full meals the last thing I want to do on my vacation is to cook for 3 picky kids. Within a 5-minute drive of our hotel we found several pizzerias, a full Italian restaurant, a lobster house, and my husband’s favorite a Brazilian Steak House to eat at. Don’t feel like pizza or steak? No problem, there were 133 restaurants in my search of Orlando alone. At the Sinha Brazilian Steak House, we earned 10 cents per gallon rewards on our next fill, up to 20 gallons, not too shabby for the food we would have tried anyways!

Stock up on your vacation must-haves before you leave. Shopping at hotel gift shops or grabbing a poncho from a kiosk in a theme park will easily drain your budget. Instead, plan ahead, the best part of road tripping is that you aren’t limited to a small suitcase. Do most of your shopping ahead of time at stores that allow you to earn rewards. Before our last trip, I stopped at Winn-Dixie for snacks, drinks, refillable cups, clip-on fans, and all sorts of things that I knew I would find myself buying at a theme park. I saved on the cost of everything, plus I earned 3 cents a gallon on our next fill, up to 20 gallons, for every $100 I spent.

Plus, every woman knows the need to shop for new clothes or accessories before a vacation, right? Head over to the Fuel Rewards® site for a list of online retailers that let you earn points as you shop online. These are stores you already shop at, and more than likely already doing it online, so why not put some savings in your pocket while you’re at it!

With all these ways of earning rewards on top of the 5 cents a gallon Instant Gold Status reward, it is so easy to earn rewards, stack them and save at the pump. Don’t forget to sign up for the Fuel Rewards program here.

Tips to Remember:

There’s a 20-gallon limit on fill-ups. Get the most out of your rewards by filling up when your tank is low.

Fuel Rewards savings earned through Mastercard Offers could take up to 5–7 business days to post to your Fuel Rewards® account.