Gas prices in the United States have a way of eating into a household budget faster than almost any other expense. Unlike a subscription you can cancel or a grocery item you can swap for a cheaper brand, most people simply have to keep filling the tank. The good news is that two very different savings tools — the cash-back app Upside and supermarket loyalty programs like Kroger Fuel Points and Safeway/Albertsons Just for U Gas Rewards — can often be combined. Used together, they can knock a meaningful amount off your monthly fuel bill without changing where you shop or how you drive.
This post walks through how each program works on its own, how to layer them for maximum benefit, and what it actually looks like in dollars for a few different types of drivers.
👌Why Two Separate Programs Even Work Together
It helps to understand that these two savings tools operate on completely different mechanics:
- Upside is a third-party cash-back app. Gas stations and convenience stores pay Upside to send them customers, and Upside shares part of that marketing budget with you as cash back — usually 10 to 25 cents per gallon, occasionally spiking to around 30 cents during promotions. You claim an offer in the app before you pay, fill up as usual with a linked card, and the cash lands in your Upside account within a few days.
- Supermarket fuel points (Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, and similar chains) reward you for grocery spending, not for choosing a particular gas station. You earn roughly one point per dollar spent on groceries, and every 100 points is generally worth about 10 cents off per gallon, up to a cap of around $1.00 off per gallon.
Because one program is triggered by where you buy gas and the other is triggered by where you buy groceries, they don't cancel each other out. In fact, there's a specific overlap worth knowing about: Kroger's fuel-point discounts are honored at Kroger-owned fuel centers and at partner Shell stations in many markets, while Safeway/Albertsons rewards extend to partner stations including Chevron and Sunoco in some regions. If one of those partner stations also happens to be listed as an Upside offer, you can use your grocery-earned fuel discount to lower the price per gallon and still collect Upside's cash back on the same fill-up, since Upside's payout is a fixed amount funded by the station's marketing budget rather than a percentage of what you paid.
👉A Closer Look at the Upside App
Because Upside is doing most of the "gas station" side of the stacking strategy, it's worth understanding it in more depth before you rely on it.
Where it came from. Upside launched in 2016 under the name GetUpside, built specifically around gas station cash back before expanding into groceries and dining. As of 2026, the company says it has paid out more than $1 billion to users, and the app now covers more than 100,000 locations across all 50 states.
Who participates. On the fuel side, Upside partners with major chains including BP, Circle K, Shell, Exxon, and Marathon, plus thousands of independent stations. It has also expanded well beyond gas: grocery and dining partners include names like Giant Eagle, Price Chopper, Taco Bell, and Domino's, so the same app can pay you cash back on a grocery run or a fast-food order, not just a fill-up.
👇How an offer actually works, step by step:
- Open the app and browse nearby offers — participating stations show a per-gallon cash-back rate or a discounted "live" price.
- Claim the offer before you pay. This step matters; cash back is only paid on purchases made after an offer is claimed.
- Pay as usual with the card you linked to your Upside account — no special code or coupon needed at the pump.
- Upside verifies the transaction (usually within a few days) and deposits the cash back into your in-app balance.
What you can typically expect to earn. Most everyday gas offers run 10 to 25 cents per gallon, with occasional promotional spikes to around 30 cents. Users who fill up a standard 12–15 gallon tank a couple of times a month tend to see a modest but steady trickle of cash back; heavier drivers — commuters, road-trippers, and rideshare or delivery drivers — can clear $40–$80 a month simply by checking the app before every fill-up.
Cashing out. There's no minimum balance required to start earning, and you can transfer your balance to a bank account, PayPal, or a gift card whenever you like. Gift card cashouts carry no fee; bank cashouts under $10 and PayPal cashouts under $15 carry a small $1 fee, so it's often worth letting a few dollars build up before cashing out to a bank account.
A useful bonus for rideshare drivers. Upside has a standing partnership with Lyft: drivers on the Lyft platform who link a payment card can earn extra cash back per gallon on top of the regular Upside offer at eligible stations, with the exact bonus amount changing periodically as a limited-time promotion. If you drive for Lyft, it's worth checking your driver app for current terms.
No membership fee. Upside is free to download and free to use — there's no subscription. Participating businesses fund the cash-back offers as a form of marketing spend to bring in customers, which is also why offers and rates vary so much by location and change from day to day.
👉How Kroger Fuel Points Work
Kroger's rewards program (which now covers Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, Smith's, and other Kroger-family banners) works like this:
- Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible groceries, in-store or online.
- Every 100 points = $0.10 off per gallon, stacking up to a maximum of $1.00 off per gallon at 1,000 points.
- Discounts apply to up to 35 gallons in a single fill-up, for a maximum single-visit savings of $35.
- Points reset each month, and unused points typically expire at the end of the following month, so there's no reason to hoard them.
- Kroger periodically runs 4x Fuel Points weekends, where featured purchases earn quadruple points — a good time to stock up on non-perishables.
- As of mid-2026, Kroger also lets members redeem the same points for grocery discounts instead of fuel (up to $10 off per day), so households that drive less can still get value from the program.
👉How Safeway / Albertsons "Just for U" Gas Rewards Work
Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Star Market, and ACME Markets share a single loyalty backbone called Just for U:
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on eligible groceries and eligible pharmacy purchases, and 2 points per $1 on qualifying gift card purchases.
- 100 points = $0.10 off per gallon, redeemable in increments up to $1.00 off per gallon at 1,000 points.
- Discounts can be applied at company-owned fuel stations and partner stations (Chevron, Sunoco, and others depending on region).
- Points are earned and must be redeemed within a rolling monthly window, so — just like Kroger — it pays to use them rather than let them expire.
- Safeway also periodically offers 2x or 4x gas reward points on specific purchases, most commonly gift cards.
👇Putting It Together: A Simple Monthly Routine
- Do your normal grocery shopping with your Kroger or Safeway loyalty card as usual — no extra effort required.
- Once a month, redeem your accumulated fuel points on one larger fill-up, ideally at a fuel center or partner station.
- On every other fill-up during the month — especially at independent stations or convenience stores near your commute — open the Upside app first, claim the best nearby offer, and pay with the card you linked to Upside.
- If your loyalty program's partner station overlaps with an Upside offer, claim the Upside deal and redeem your fuel points in the same transaction.
👉Real-World Examples
Sarah Mitchell, a mother of two in Cincinnati, Ohio, does her family's grocery shopping almost entirely at Kroger, spending around $650 a month. That earns her roughly 600 usable fuel points, which convert to $0.60 off per gallon on one large fill-up — a $21 savings if she fills a 35-gallon range in her SUV. On the two or three other fill-ups she makes that month at non-Kroger stations along her commute, she uses Upside and typically earns another $8 to $10 in cash back. Her combined monthly savings land around $30, or roughly $360 a year, just from habits she was already doing.
Miguel Ramirez, who lives outside Sacramento, California, shops at Safeway and fills up at a Chevron station that also happens to be listed in the Upside app. His household spends about $500 a month on groceries, earning 500 points — good for $0.50 off per gallon. Because his Chevron station accepts both the Safeway discount at the pump and an Upside offer on the same card transaction, he stacks both: the fuel-point discount lowers his per-gallon price, and Upside separately deposits 15 cents per gallon in cash back into his account regardless of the discounted price he paid. Across roughly 45 gallons a month, that's about $22.50 from fuel points plus $6.75 from Upside — around $29 a month.
David Thompson, a rideshare driver in Phoenix, Arizona, burns through nearly 150 gallons of gas a month and doesn't have time for extensive grocery shopping, so fuel points play a smaller role for him. Instead, he leans almost entirely on Upside, checking the app before every fill-up and often driving a few extra blocks for a better per-gallon offer. At an average of 18 cents per gallon, he earns roughly $27 a month in pure cash back — proof that even without the grocery-store side of the equation, consistent app use adds up for high-mileage drivers.
👇What the Numbers Look Like Side by Side
| Approach | Typical monthly gallons | Average savings per gallon | Estimated monthly savings | Estimated yearly savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No rewards programs | 50 | $0.00 | $0 | $0 |
| Upside only (average driver) | 50 | $0.15 | ~$7.50 | ~$90 |
| Supermarket fuel points only (moderate grocery spend) | 50 | ~$0.35 blended | ~$17.50 | ~$210 |
| Stacked: Upside + fuel points | 50 | ~$0.55 blended | ~$27.50 | ~$330 |
| Heavy-mileage driver, Upside-focused | 150 | $0.18 | ~$27 | ~$324 |
👇A simple way to visualize how the savings scale as you combine methods:
The exact numbers will vary with how much you drive, how much you spend on groceries, gas prices in your region, and which stations participate in each program — but the direction is consistent: layering the two costs nothing extra and rarely conflicts.
⭐A Few Practical Tips
- Check the Upside app before every fill-up, even at a station you already planned to visit — offers change daily, and claiming takes seconds.
- Time your bigger grocery trips before a planned road trip, so you have a large fuel-points balance ready when you need it most.
- Watch expiration dates. Both Kroger and Safeway-family points typically expire at the end of the month following when they were earned — set a phone reminder if your balance is building up.
- Link the same card to your Upside account and your grocery loyalty card's linked payment method if your bank allows it, so you're not juggling multiple cards at the pump.
- Don't change your grocery store just for points. The savings are a nice bonus on spending you're already doing — they're rarely worth switching stores or paying more for groceries to chase a bigger discount.
💢Summary
- Upside pays you cash back (typically 10–25 cents per gallon) for choosing participating gas stations, funded by the stations themselves.
- Kroger Fuel Points and Safeway/Albertsons Just for U Gas Rewards convert your everyday grocery spending into per-gallon discounts, usually up to $1.00 off per gallon at 1,000 points.
- Because one program rewards where you buy gas and the other rewards where you buy groceries, they can be combined, and in some cases used on the exact same transaction at overlapping partner stations (like Shell for Kroger or Chevron/Sunoco for Safeway).
- Real households combining both approaches are commonly seeing an extra $25–$35 per month, or roughly $300–$400 per year, without changing their shopping habits.
- The strategy costs nothing to try — both the Upside app and supermarket loyalty programs are free to join.
※Sources
- Upside App Review (2026), The Penny Hoarder — thepennyhoarder.com/save-money/upside-save-gas
- "How does Upside work? A step-by-step guide," Upside — upside.com/blog/how-does-upside-work-a-step-by-step-guide
- "Upside Gas Rewards App Review 2026," Firstcard — firstcard.app/learn/upside-gas-rewards-app-review
- "How Do Kroger Fuel Points Work?," Kroger Krazy — krogerkrazy.com/how-do-kroger-fuel-points-work-2
- "Kroger Rewards Program Expands with New Ways to Save," The Kroger Co. Investor Relations — ir.kroger.com
- "Kroger makes changes to Fuel Points program to help shoppers save in-store," WXIX (June 2026)
- "Safeway Gas Discount 2026 (Rewards, Points + How It Works)," QuerySprout — querysprout.com/safeway-gas-discount
- "Program Details," Safeway For U — safeway.com/foru/program-details.html
- "Safeway for U Account FAQs," Safeway — safeway.com/faq/foru.html
- "How to Save On Gas with Safeway U Points," AutoSlash — blog.autoslash.com/how-to-save-big-with-safeway-gas-rewards
💣Note: Cash-back rates, point values, and participating stations change over time and vary by region. Always confirm current offers in the Upside app and your grocery loyalty program before relying on the figures above.
