With gas prices hovering above $5 a gallon, wireless carrier T-Mobile is turning back the clock and rolling back pump prices Tuesday to $1.99 per gallon at one Chicago Shell station.
Decked out for the day in a T-Mobile magenta makeover, the station at 4357 W. Belmont Ave. on the city’s Northwest Side will offer the $1.99-per-gallon price on any grade fuel, to any vehicle short of a boat, semi, RV or vocational truck. No gas can fill-ups either.
The promotion runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., or until it runs out of gas.
The wireless giant is pumping up a similar one-day promotion at select Shell stations in Los Angeles and Houston as well to celebrate the 10th anniversary of T-Mobile Tuesdays. The weekly program, administered through the T-Mobile app, offers customers a 10 cents-per-gallon discount at all Shell stations, as well as other perks.
“We wanted to go big this time for our anniversary and then open it up to everybody,” said Katie Frey, a T-Mobile spokesperson. “We know that gas is a line item on many people’s budgets these days, so hopefully this is good news.”
Gas prices have been skyrocketing since the Trump administration launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response, cutting down global oil supplies. Crude oil prices have doubled, raising prices at the pump across the U.S.
In Chicago, the average price of regular is $5.05 per gallon as on Monday, up from $3.81 on the same date last year, according to AAA. Premium gas averages $6.19 per gallon, up from $4.88 last year.
For a typical 16-gallon U.S. vehicle, the $1.99-per-gallon price represents a fill-up savings of $50 to $70, depending on fuel grade, which should make the T-Mobile promotion Tuesday worth the drive for many Chicagoans — even if they have to burn some fuel to get there.
T-Mobile chose the $1.99-per-gallon price, because that’s what gas cost when they launched the weekly Tuesday discount promotion for customers in 2016. While T-Mobile is hoping the 10th anniversary promotion will attract new customers to sign on with the wireless carrier, the $1.99-per-gallon gas price is open to every driver, regardless of cellular affiliation, Frey said.
Vehicles can begin lining up at the Shell station, which is located at the corner of Belmont and Kostner avenues, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The promotion is limited to one vehicle per person, while supplies last. Frey believes the gas will hold out through the five-hour promotion.
“The promotion ends when fuel is exhausted or when 2:30 hits,” Frey said. “We are not anticipating running out of gas, but should that happen, unfortunately, the promotion would end.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
