AAA TripTik application will let drivers find cheapest fuel around
AAA already tells drivers how much they'll pay at the pump with its Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Now the auto club will help drivers find the cheapest, closest fuel prices through a smart-phone application.
AAA on Thursday said its free TripTik Mobile app, available for the Apple iPhone and 3G-network connected Apple iPads, will offer free access to frequently updated gasoline prices. In a statement, AAA said the app will use global positioning satellite technology and Navteq mapping data to render maps showing fuel stations locations and updated prices for gasoline grades. Users can use set app preferences to sort stations alphabetically or by distance and see their preferred gasoline grades, AAA said. The app will also map hotels, restaurants and attractions near a user or at any user-specified location.
AAA said TripTik Mobile will provide turn-by-turn directions to AAA offices and approved auto repair shops and to addresses entered by users.
AAA said its new app will integrate with the auto club's existing online products. Travelers can use TripTik Travel Planner at AAA.com to create and save routes. Saved routes will generate a unique AAA TripTik ID; users can then use the phone app to download the maps and directions linked to the ID. Users must register on AAA.com and may need to join AAA to save routes.
The app will also work on Apple's iPod Touch and non-3G iPads linked to Wi-Fi.
TripTik Mobile is AAA's third free iPhone app, joining AAA Discounts and AAA Roadside. AAA said its Discounts app has been downloaded more than 1 million times.
Users may find the TripTik mobile app particularly useful with gasoline prices rising. AAA on Thursday said the average price for a gallon of regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in Las Vegas is $3.715, up 0.4 percent from $3.697 a week ago. The local price has risen 11.9 percent from $3.322 a month ago and 28.5 percent from $2.892 a year ago, AAA said.
Thursday's average national per-gallon gasoline price is $3.551, AAA said.
Contact reporter Matthew Crowley at
mcrowley@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0304.
