BP produces winning Big Petrol Switch offer that will save consumers 5.5 per cent

JOHN ROLFE
JUNE 30, 2014
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA
THE people, united, will get 5.5 per cent off fuel.
Using collective buying power nearly 25 times greater than the initial goal, the Big Petrol Switch has delivered an even bigger saving than had been hoped for.
News Corp can reveal the winning offer is from BP and is the first fuel discount deal not contingent on the purchase of nappies in a supermarket, a credit card or bottled water in a service station.
As a new type of discount, the Big Petrol Switch campaign has intensified competitive pressure in the $40 billion Australian fuel market.
The 112,000 people who have thrown their weight behind the Big Petrol Switch will soon receive an offer to purchase a prepaid fuel card or cards.
A $50 card will come with a bonus $3 of purchasing power.
A $500 card will have an extra $30 on it.
The additional value is equal to a discount of 5.5 per cent – or about 8.5¢ per litre. The card, which is valid for 12 months, can be used to buy any type of fuel or make purchases in-store. Supporters are not obliged to take up the offer.
The initial goal of the campaign – a joint initiative between consumer movement One Big Switch and News Corp’s moneysaverHQ – was to bring together consumers interested in buying a collective $1 million worth of discounted prepaid fuel cards.
However, nearly $25 million of combined buying might has been amassed in the month since the campaign began.
With that extraordinary leverage, the offer extracted from BP has exceeded the original discount target of 5 per cent.
Boondall’s Nicki Gibbs is pleased with the outcome as she tries to minimise her driving, spending about $50 a week on petrol.
She said the Big Petrol Switch initiative would be worthwhile, leaving more money available for her and husband Damien to spend on their 10-month-old baby, Blossom.
Originally published as Race to bowser for huge discount