Gasoline and diesel prices increase at YPF, but its differentiated pricing scheme begins to apply.

Starting this Tuesday, July 1, the oil company YPF is implementing a 3.5% increase in the prices of gasoline and diesel . This increase is officially called a "price update" and is based on international oil prices, the exchange rate, fuel taxes, and biofuel prices.

At the same time, the state-owned company announced that it is implementing a new pricing scheme at all its service stations, which includes differentiated prices by service type and time slot.

Specifically, it's a system that will implement a differential price at all of its outlets across the country during the night, between midnight and 6 a.m. , with a 3% discount for those who pay using the oil company's app.

Thus, taking as a reference an average gasoline charge of between $50,000 and $60,000, the discount for customers who meet this requirement would range between $1,500 and $1,800.

Meanwhile, those who use self-service at designated stations will receive an additional 3% discount , reaching a total discount of 6% overnight, also by paying through the app. From now on, this self-service option will be extended to 24 hours a day at those same locations.

In this regard, YPF reported that it plans to cover 50% of its stations with self-fueling service in the coming months, as there are currently only five. It clarified that, for the time being, the provinces of La Pampa, Jujuy, and Buenos Aires are exempt, due to local laws prohibiting it.

In a recent pilot test, a 5% reduction in gasoline and diesel prices was implemented overnight, from 0 a.m. to 6 a.m., at the stations on Figueroa Alcorta and Echeverría Avenues, Díaz Vélez and Yatay Avenues, and Córdoba and Dorrego Avenues in Buenos Aires City; the Ovidio Lagos and 27 de Febrero stations in Rosario, Santa Fe; and the Mariano Boedo station, Acceso Sur, in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza.

The state-controlled oil company is the largest player in the market, with a 55% share across more than 1,600 stations.

At the beginning of last week, Axion, Puma, and Shell adjusted their pump prices by 5% , initially to anticipate a rise in international oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, given that Iran is the ninth largest oil producer in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.