Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

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Boatguy
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Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by Boatguy »

Does anybody use a fuel card or belong to CAA for fuel discounts? My single doesn't burn that much, but at times the price discrepancy is enormous. Recently at KMRY they wanted over $7/gal, while I pay about $4 at my home airport. Of course KMRY would charge less if I had a fuel card.

I'm just wondering what others do as this is probably more of an issue for the twins.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by janders »

I've been using CAA. My rough back of the envelope before i signed up looked like this

(100 hours / year)*(50% of refuel gals at CAA fbo (home base included))*($1 mean discount / gal)*(15 gal / hour) = $750 discount / year

I think i've been averaging over the 50% of time at CAA fbo and i think the average discount has been greater than $1.
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chili4way
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by chili4way »

I signed up for the CAA and Phillips 66 programs. CAA is $500/year (but you can get a six-month free trial) and the Phillips program is free. Both discounts populate ForeFlight (nee JetFuelX) information. CAA members participate in the nomination and selection of the FBOs enrolled in the program. Like Jon (N157DA), our home FBO is a CAA member and that makes that participation easy to justify. It can be more difficult if your home FBO isn't a member (or doesn't become one) and you don't do enough XC flying with stops at participating FBOs. CAA membership is limited to Part 91 operators, and you have to be clear about whether or not you qualify for special excise tax treatment (I don't).

On the Phillips program, you have to check to see if there is a surcharge per fueling below some large number of gallons as this can eliminate the value of any discount. The Phillips program is a direct billing arrangement and features a smaller number of FBOs. There are usually different airports and FBOs, but some FBOs participate in both and you can pick which gives you the better discount.

I also signed up from the Avfuel tracking program (for points), but not their contract program.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by Colin »

I'm on CAA and AvFuel and one more that I can never remember.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by Jroseund »

I use CAA and AvFuel also.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by MackAttack »

We use CAA for our M600 and I plan on adding my DA62 to the program on delivery. In the M600, CAA paid for itself in one trip … either way, in the long run, the $500 is well worth it IMO.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by MackAttack »

Resurrecting this thread - just applied for my CAA trial membership on my new DA62. Didn't want to add it to my current M600 membership as it's owned with a partner via another entity; so now I will get the chance to vote twice on all FBO items! I think the fuel calculation savings above is about right. My own calculation, assuming 150 hours and a $2 discount on average, 15 gph and half my fuel away from the home airport, is about a $2250 savings with the card before the $500 cost. Even if it's not that much, I think you get back the $500 over the course of a year if you are religious in looking for CAA FBOs. In my recent experience, the savings range from about $1 to over $3/gallon. If I had moved a little quicker off the mark instead of waiting to put 25 hours on my plane, I would have started those savings already. Just over the last week, I was at CAA FBOs in Gulfport and New Orleans and would have likely saved 125-150 ... and that's what prompted me to get going. During my 15 hours of insurance transition training, I was mostly getting fuel at my home drome which isn't CAA but once you start to travel, that's when you save ... I do think it's a much closer call for DA40 Jet-A drivers however ... and perhaps not worth it if you don't travel too far with it.

Hopefully, CAA will let me and my new orange bird into the cool kids club!
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by CFIDave »

I wasn't smart enough to join CAA back when we owned a JetA-burning DA42 and then DA62, but you can bet we joined right away with an Epic single-engine turboprop that burns 50 gph in cruise.

In calculating benefits, don't forget to factor in that CAA members also obtain reduced handling/overnight fees at CAA FBOs -- these are published in the easy-to-use CAA app along with fuel prices.
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Re: Jet-A buyers - fuel cards and CAA

Post by MackAttack »

I bet you did!!! I've been a happy CAA member in our M600. And yes, those are added benefits to membership for sure. Well worth considering if you travel cross-country frequently ...
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