HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Good news, the price of gas is falling, but if you are not careful you could be paying more than you have to anyway.
Falling prices have us all smiling at the gas station, but a local driver says a confusing sign left him paying more than expected.
"$2.68 was the lowest price regular," driver Emil Pucci said.
With gas prices going down, Emil Pucci thought he was getting a great deal when he saw unleaded listed for under $3 at a corner Texaco, but it turns out he was charged nearly a dollar more for gallon on his credit card. So Pucci went back to the store to find out why.
"That low price was if you bought a gift card or paid cash and that was the price," Pucci said.
Texas law says the price at the pump has to match the advertised price, but stations can advertise a cash or gift card discount, which the Texaco is doing. It's up to consumers to read the fine print.
"I told her I thought it was a bad business practice," Pucci said.
Pucci is not the only driver fooled by the signs. While he's paying more attention now energy expert Andy Lipow says lower prices for fuel are in our future.
"In Texas I expect to get to $2.70 a gallon by Thanksgiving," energy analyst Andy Lipow said.
The reason? Oil prices are falling due to increases in global supply and a slowing world wide demand for gasoline. There is a down side for Houston. Much of our economy is based on oil and gas exploration, which becomes less profitable when the price at the pump falls.
"There is going to be lower investment in the production area out in the Permian basin and Eagle Ford and we have a lot of jobs that are tied to those production areas," Lipow said.
But keep in mind, if the price on the sign seems really low, be sure to check the price at the pump so you can avoid a nasty surprise.