‘STILL WORKS TO THIS DAY’: Shell customer pays with 1 penny, gets ‘free’ gas

A TikToker has gone viral after getting cents of free fuel after paying for just a penny on the pump. In the clip, which has amassed 1.5 million views, TikToker Thom the Troll (@tomthetroll) repeatedly asks for a penny on Pump 7 from the visibly confused gas station attendant. Between telling the attendant he was a "little bit geeked," Tom explains that he was just doing the "3 cent hack."

Tom then goes outside to Pump 7 and films himself putting the gas in the car—except the screen automatically skips to 3 cents, suggesting that he got 3 cents worth of gas for one penny.

In the description of the video, which was posted on June 16, Tom claims that it "STILL WORKS TO THIS DAY." The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify this.

Users were impressed—and a little bit confused—about the life hack. One joked that it was a "Buy 1 get 2 free ahh gas station.” Another said, "That’s like a 200% return on investment."

Meanwhile, a Canadian commenter admitted that they were a little puzzled by the whole thing. "I never understood paying before you get your gas what if you pay to much?" they asked. "In Canada we get what we need and go pay inside."

@tomthetroll STILL WORKS TO THIS DAY????BACKSH????TZ? #troll #trolling #trolls #trolled #troller #ihavenothing #seveneleven #711 #gasstation #penny #100views ♬ original sound - ThomTheTroll ????

Commenters also shared similar experiences they had the gas station. "I did 3 quarters and some how it rounded to a dollar," one wrote, while another shared how "one time [I] confused the cashier [by] putting $50 and then $20 and she accidentally put $520 on my pump."

The TikToker is known for his antics

It's worth noting that Tom has made a name for himself on TikTok by conducting similar "life hacks" at various gas stations. He's gone viral numerous times before, and between sharing these life hacks, he has become well-known for catchphrases like "I'm so geeked" and "lowkey." He's amassed 90,900 followers and achieved a cumulative 9.3 million likes across his videos. He didn't immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment, and Shell didn't immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via email.

As fuel prices continue to rise, the correlating rise in "life hacks" like this should be expected. But these aren't the only gas station antics that have gone TikTok-viral. Most recently, a DoorDash user went viral after falling victim to a ghost kitchen based in a gas station. “DoorDash is honestly doing us so dirty with those stupid ghost kitchen restaurants bc why did I just learn that the $30 salad I’ve been buying for months is actually being made at a gas station,” the creator wrote in the video's overlay.

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