Motorists earn $35 million in fuel discounts

Media Release: 7 November 2012

Motorists earn $35 million in fuel discounts

AA Smartfuel has announced that New Zealand motorists have earned more than $35 million in fuel savings over the first twelve months of the programme.

AA Smartfuel is a joint venture between the Automobile Association and Smartfuel New Zealand Limited. Launched on 7 November 2011, it enables motorists to combine fuel discounts from different retailers and use their total value to reduce the cost of fuel at BP and participating Caltex service stations. Motorists can swipe their AA Membership card, or a free AA Smartfuel card, to combine the discounts and get a maximum of 50 litres of discounted fuel each time they fill up.

Ian Sutcliffe, general manager of AA Smartfuel, says the first year of operations has been an outstanding success.

“Over 1.2 million Kiwi motorists have used AA Smartfuel this past year to reduce the cost of their fuel purchases, with active cardholders each saving an average of $29.18. We have also increased the number of places where motorists can earn the fuel discounts. 1,750 retailers now participate in the programme across New Zealand - that’s a 65% increase on the number of retailers we had 12 months ago.”

“We are focused on continuing to improve AA Smartfuel and are committed to growing the number of places where cardholders can earn fuel discounts, especially national brands and local community retailers.”

Dougal Swift, the AA’s general manager of Membership & Brand, says the fuel discount programme is delivering real savings to AA Members.

“The decision to replace the old AA Rewards programme with AA Smartfuel has certainly paid off. Members have earned approximately five times the value in fuel discounts under AA Smartfuel than what they earned under AA Rewards, and many Members have earned more in fuel savings than the cost of their annual AA Membership.”

For more information about AA Smartfuel, visit www.aa.co.nz/smartfuel

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The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.

ENDS

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