The news: The national average gas price has dropped 11% MoM but remains 86 cents above its level on February 26, just before the start of the Middle East war, according to AAA. The elevated prices are giving several retailers an opening to turn fuel savings into a powerful loyalty lever.

• Amazon, which typically offers Prime members a 10-cent-per-gallon discount, is rolling out a one-time 50-cent-per-gallon offer from July 2 to 5 at more than 7,500 Amoco, bp, and participating ampm and Thorntons locations across the US.
• Walmart says its members are increasingly relying on Walmart+ fuel benefits, which include a 10-cent-per-gallon discount, to offset higher gasoline prices, per Retail Brew.
• Warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club are also drawing increased traffic to their gas stations, with Sam’s Club noting in mid-May that it sold 12% more gallons of gasoline than a year earlier—a sharp contrast to the 5% decline across the broader industry.
• Even JCPenney is getting in on the trend by hosting a one-day “Fuel Up and Save” promotion on July 3 that offers customers who bring in any gas station receipt $10 off a $10 purchase.

Why it matters: Elevated gas prices are making loyalty benefits tied to recurring household expenses more salient.

As fuel costs rise, discounts through programs like Amazon Prime and Walmart+ become more valuable. Amazon has found that the more consumers engage with Prime’s benefits—whether it’s streaming music, filling prescriptions, ordering food delivery, or fuel savings—the more they tend to spend, while nonmembers’ spending often remains flat or declines over time. It's a similar story at Walmart, where members spend roughly four times more overall than nonmembers and visit its ecommerce site seven times as often.

Fuel is also driving store traffic. Consumers are seeking out warehouse clubs to fill up, and many shop while they’re there. Sam’s Club, for example, notes that many members who buy gas also venture into the store, spending 1.6 times more on other items than those who don’t purchase fuel.

Those touchpoints reinforce the value of membership while giving retailers more opportunities to collect first-party data and improve ad targeting.

Implications for retailers and brands: With brand loyalty under pressure, it’s not enough to offer loyalty benefits—brands need to focus on the perks that will drive ongoing engagement. For those with membership programs, fuel discounts are an effective way to reinforce value.

But what works for one brand may not work for another. For example, Kroger’s loyalty program already offered fuel rewards but recently added grocery savings to broaden its appeal. Lowe’s introduced concert perks for its MyLowe’s Rewards and MyLowe’s Pro Rewards programs. The common thread is finding ways to deepen connections—whether through exclusive pricing, free shipping, or unique experiences—that make the relationship feel indispensable and turn occasional shoppers into more frequent higher-value customers.