Road Tripping This Summer? 5 Ways to Save Money
KEY POINTS
- The right credit card can save you money on your current trip or help you earn points for a future one.
- Bringing a well-stocked cooler will save you on food and drink costs while you're on the road.
- Road trips don't have to involve thousands of miles -- consider exploring your state or region.
This is my favorite time of year -- I live for flip flops, late sunsets, and road trips. I'm not alone in my love of road trips -- according to The Vacationer's Summer Travel Survey, over 75% of Americans intend to take one this year.
What's so great about road trips vs. plane travel? Well, you can roam on your own schedule. Road trips can be as short or as long as you want -- you could hop in your car and drive to the next state over, or drive until you run out of road! If you try some of my tips below, you'll shave money off your vacation tab.
1. Be strategic with credit cards
The right credit cards can do a great deal for your road trip. Consider these options.
Hotel cobranded cards
Many of the major hotel chains have credit card options. Since I'm a Hilton fan, I've considered the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. It would give me a higher status with Hilton automatically, and I could earn a lot of points at Hilton properties (terms apply).
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: n/a
Balance Transfers: n/a
APR
20.99%-29.99% Variable
Rewards 12x points on Hilton purchases, 6x points on U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. dining, 3x points on other eligible purchases
3X - 12x points
Annual Fee
$150
Welcome Offer Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points
-
Automatic Hilton Gold status is one of the many lucrative perks, including sky-high points for Hilton stays and for restaurants, groceries, and gas.
-
- Big welcome offer
- Automatic Gold elite status
- Airport lounge access
- Earn an annual free night award
- Bonus rewards in several spending categories
- U.S.-centric bonus categories
-
- Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club® program is required. Terms apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $150 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
Gas credit cards
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a favorite of mine, and it comes with me on road trips because it earns 3% cash back at gas stations, as well as on tolls (terms apply, see rates and fees).
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
On American Express' Secure Website.
Terms apply
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: 0%, 12 months
Balance Transfers: 0%, 12 months
APR
19.24%-29.99% Variable
Rewards 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%). 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations. 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more). 1% Cash Back on other purchases. Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
1%-6% Cash Back
Annual Fee
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Welcome Offer Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
$250
-
This card offers market-leading cash back at U.S. supermarkets. The welcome bonus and intro APR offer sweeten the deal. Terms apply. If you spend a lot on groceries (excluding wholesale clubs and superstores like Costco and Walmart), this card is worth considering. Read Full Review
-
- Big welcome offer
- U.S. supermarkets rewards
- U.S. gas stations rewards
- Streaming subscription rewards
- Travel and purchase protections
- Annual fee
- Foreign transaction fee
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- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
- Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%.
- 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
- 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
- 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
- 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
- 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- $84 Disney Bundle Credit: With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
- Terms Apply.
General travel rewards credit cards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent option that offers 5X points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X points per $1 on dining purchases, and 2X points per $1 on other general travel expenses.
Ready to hit the open road? Any money you save by following my tips can free up more cash in your vacation budget for souvenirs, museum visits, or another trip later this year.
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee N/A
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
-
The enormous welcome bonus (worth $750), bonus travel and dining rewards, and $50 annual hotel credit alone make this card well worth the annual fee. This card’s points are valuable and easy to use, as you can redeem them at 25% more value for Chase Travel bookings, giving it less of a learning curve than other travel cards. It also has a strong list of travel protections you don't see often from such an affordable card, including primary rental car insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Read Full Review
-
- Big sign-up bonus
- Travel rewards
- Dining rewards
- Flexible travel points
- Consumer and travel protections
- Annual fee
- Limited-time perks
-
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- Member FDIC
2. Bring a cooler
The prospect of paying $3 for a single bottled water at a gas station is offensive to me -- perhaps because I can buy a pack of 35 of them at my local grocery store for less than $6. This is why I own two coolers and usually bring one of them when I take a road trip vacation -- the small one holds a few drinks and ice to keep them cold, while I can pack sandwich fixings, fresh fruit, and drinks (and ice) in the big one.
In addition to saving you money on road food, this move also gives you a healthier vacation experience -- a freshly made turkey and cheese sandwich and fruit salad is undoubtedly better for you than a fast food cheeseburger. Plus, you won't have to wait in line at the drive-thru when you could be burning up the miles on the way to your destination.
3. Explore your home state or region
As an adult, I've taken multiple road trip vacations of 1,000 miles or more. But longer trips come with higher gas costs, more hotel stays, and more time off work.
If you've got the itch to travel and want to do it in a cost-effective manner, consider planning a road trip to destinations in your state or region. I'm pretty fortunate to live within several hours of multiple world-class cities both in the U.S. and Canada, and getting away for a weekend is often a lot more achievable than planning a trip of a week or more.
4. Book hotel stays before you leave
I've never been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants road tripper. I like to have a destination (and stops along the way) set, and I especially like booking overnights in advance. I appreciate knowing how long each day's drive will be -- and I really like checking out all my options for hotels in a given area so I can get a good deal.
This makes for a much better travel experience than driving until you're cranky and exhausted, then trying to find a hotel with a vacancy. You're going on vacation -- be kind to yourself by booking your stays ahead of time.
I'm a Hilton Honors member, so I tend to default to searching for Hilton properties first, as they are reliably good and I can earn points on my stays. If you tend to stay with the same hotel chain often, joining its rewards program is a good move -- and usually free.
5. Maintain your vehicle
Sometimes, you've got to spend money to save money. Getting your vehicle in for a tune-up before your road trip won't be free. According to AutoZone, costs for a tune-up could range from $40 to $150 for a very basic one, all the way up to $500 to $1,200 or more for an older or classic car.
That said, getting a professional's eyes on your vehicle before taking it out of town can save you the cost and hassle of having your car's transmission die while you're in a strange town. This happened to some friends of mine, and they had to spend an unscheduled night in said town and then pay to have their vehicle towed back home while they proceeded on their trip in a rental.
Our Research Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
For rates and fees for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here
For rates and fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, click here
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