Washington, D.C. Area Consumers Can Save Big at the Pump With New Fuel Rewards Network™ Program

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Drivers are increasingly concerned about the price they pay at the pump and consumers in the greater Washington, D.C. area will now have the opportunity to pay significantly less. The Fuel Rewards Network™ program or FRN™ is a new cents per gallon rewards program available at Shell, the No. 1 selling gasoline brand in the U.S., and offered by Excentus, the market leader in cents per gallon loyalty programs. The FRN program is currently available in more than 100 U.S. markets and will expand to nearly 200 markets coast-to-coast by the end of the year.  

The FRN program is different from other loyalty programs currently available as it offers consumers a variety of ways to earn rewards through everyday purchases of things like food, clothing and household goods which can be redeemed for fuel savings at participating Shell stations. While the different ways to save vary by market, some consumers already using the program have paid as little as 1 cent per gallon at participating Shell stations by redeeming Fuel Rewards^® savings they've earned through the FRN program for big savings[1]. The average consumer savings are $0.33 per gallon.[2]

According to a national survey about loyalty rewards programs sponsored by Shell, consumers are interested in expanding the ways in which they can save money. And with online shopping increasing in popularity and a convenient option for many consumers, nearly 90 percent would like to earn rewards from their online shopping[3]. Beyond earning rewards by shopping at hundreds of online merchants from the Online Mall including Bass Pro Shops, BestBuy.com, Sears.com and many more, consumers can also earn them at many of their favorite local restaurants like Romano's Macaroni Grill, Kaz Sushi, Bistro RFD, Pesce, Le Chat Noir, Bazins, Willow, Cafe Oggi, Chadwick's and many others.

Local consumers can also take advantage of this unique program by combining their multiple rewards offers – or cents per gallon savings – together for potentially huge savings instantly at the pump. The savings can be redeemed on all grades of Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines including Shell V-Power® Premium Gasoline, and Shell Diesel at participating stations, up to 20 gallons per purchase, per vehicle.

To participate in the program, Washington, D.C. consumers just need to pick up a free FRN Card at any one of the nearly 250 participating local Shell stations and activate it by visiting fuelrewards.com and following the easy steps to start earning rewards on fuel. Consumers can also request an FRN Card online at fuelrewards.com.

Washington, D.C. consumers can currently save with the FRN program in the following two ways:

• Online Mall – Access nearly 700 brand name online merchants offering 5 cents per gallon for every $50 spent. Some online merchants may offer 2x, 5x, 10x rewards or more – so consumers can multiply their savings!
• Dining – Earn 10 cents per gallon for every $50 spent when dining at more than 10,000 participating restaurant locations nationwide.

"Shell knows more consumers are looking for a smart loyalty rewards program that can help them save money at the pump without having to jump through hoops or sacrifice their quality of fuel," said Dan Little, Shell North American Fuels Marketing Manager. "That's why teaming up with Excentus on this revolutionary rewards program is so exciting because it empowers Washington, D.C. consumers to never pay full price at the pump again!"

"Excentus is excited to introduce the outstanding savings potential of the Fuel Rewards Network program to Washington, D.C. consumers," said Dickson Perry, Chairman and CEO of Excentus. "By teaming up with Shell, local consumers who participate in our program will be able to set their own price for high-quality fuel simply by choosing to buy the things they normally buy through one of our participating retailers and programs. These are trying times for many families, and we're proud to be able to offer relief through the Fuel Rewards Network program."

To celebrate the launch of the FRN program in the greater Washington, D.C. area, local consumers are invited to participate in a series of customer appreciation events which will include cents per gallon savings on fuel at participating area Shell stations, giveaways, refreshments and more. Local consumers can learn more about the customer appreciation events by going to the Shell on the 'On the Road' tab on Facebook at facebook.com/shell.

To learn more about the FRN program and to watch their fuel savings add up, consumers can visit fuelrewards.com or the Fuel Rewards Network™ program page at facebook.com/fuelrewards.

About Shell
Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining, Inc.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. [(NYSE:RDS.A) and (NYSE:RDS.B)]

About Excentus
Excentus Corporation is the market leader in providing marketing and promotional programs and services utilizing price rollback discounts at the pump as the ultimate consumer reward. Through its patented Fuel Rewards^® systems and methods, the growing Fuel Rewards Network™ program provides its members with the opportunity to earn free gas simply by purchasing the things they normally would at more than 1,000 retail locations, nearly 700 online merchants and 10,000+ restaurants, and redeeming their rewards at participating fuel stations across the country. To date, Excentus has helped over 10 million consumers save hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel. In addition, Excentus licenses various uses of its patent portfolio and through its business unit, Centego II, LLC delivers private-label fuel discount programs. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Excentus Corp. was founded in 1996 and is a privately held company with over 150 employees. For more information please visit www.excentus.com.

Cautionary Note

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[1] According to fuelrewards.com 'Leaderboard of Savings' (September 4, 2012)
[2] According to fuelrewards.com 'Leaderboard of Savings' (September 4, 2012)
[3] Data from StrategyOne's loyalty rewards survey (June 8, 2012)

SOURCE Shell Oil Products US