AA Smartfuel scheme too smart for some users

The key to maximising AA Smartfuel’s accumulated discounts is to make several smaller fuel purchases, according to AA.

But many AA Smartfuel card users are unclear about how the scheme works and are suspicious that AA is overstating the benefits, judging by numerous letters to newspapers.

Spokesman Liam Baldwin said AA Smartfuel discounts can be accumulated for up to two months and then redeemed to provide a larger benefit at BP or Caltex.

There are a large number of participating retailers using AA Smartfuel as a platform to provide fuel discounts to their customers.

Countdown is the latest retailer to join others in the scheme, which potentially has more than 3 million users, rivalling Fly Buys.

Baldwin said the simplest way to use the card is to redeem the 6 cents a litre discount instantly when buying fuel at BP or Caltex.

However, more can be saved if users bought the minimum qualifying purchase of $40 petrol or diesel and accumulated the discount. For example, with instant redemption on say, $40 worth of fuel, the discount would $1.20 with the usual 6c per litre discount offered (assuming a fuel cost of $2 per litre, which means the would buy 20 litres of fuel).

If that discount was accumulated or saved up then the 6c discount could be applied against a maximum of 50 litres of fuel later.

‘‘Let’s say you buy $40 worth of fuel today and $40 worth of fuel three days from now and accumulate each time,’’ Baldwin said.

‘‘On your next visit you topped up with 50 litres of fuel – which also attracts the discount – and $40 redeemed the accumulated You’d save $9.

‘‘Using the same purchasing pattern, if you were an instant redeemer, you’d save $5.40 with the same volume. You save both ways, but accumulating means you can save more.‘‘

Baldwin said it was possible for a dedicated bargain hunter to use several fills to save up to nearly two-thirds of a $100 final purchase over eight weeks. discounts.