Only high compression engines require premium gas. The vast majority of cars won't benefit from high octane. Unless you drive a performance car you're wasting money. And if you do drive a performance engine you're also wasting money, because you are still only going from point a to b.
"And if you do drive a performance engine you're also wasting money, because you are still only going from point a to b." Everything can be considered a waste of money if you dumb it down that much. Playing video games is a waste of money because you paid to watch pixels on a screen. Tabletop gaming is a waste of money because you paid for miniatures or a core rulebook. As an enthusiast of cars, video games and tabletop games I think it's a little silly to call them wastes of money if you're not a hobbyist in that certain area. Some people simply enjoy a different feel for driving, in many cases a lot of us go on cruises or track days, making it our daily driver is hardly a stretch.
This much is true. My last three cars have been used Mercedes, they all require premium, and I always use regular. They love it. I had an organic chemistry prof that convinced me how inconsequential the difference is. I always use synthetic oil, however. If you are lazy about oil changes, it makes a big difference.