Understanding How A Gas Rebate Card Works

A gas rebate card can appear to be a great way to save on gas. This is very appealing, as the price of gas has been increasing. However the actual savings are not what they appear to be and you need to read all of the fine print to completely understand what you can get from gas rebate cards.

Many times a gas rebate card will offer savings of between 5-6% as an introductory offer. However for the vast majority of all cards this savings will only apply for the first few months. Then after that period is over the savings will drop to between 2-3%. The terms and conditions are also variable as they are not fixed and they can change on you in an instant. Make sure you read all of the terms and conditions before accepting the card.

Gas rebate cars also tend to be paired with specific gas stations so you will only receive a gas discount if you purchase gas from the specified dealers. Many times this is not a problem but determine if that dealer is one you would regularly go to or if you have to drive further. The extra driving may add more gas onto your drive, which would erase any savings. Additionally gas rebate cards tend to have very high interest rates so you do not want to carry a balance on those cards.

A few gas rebate cards are tricky in that you need to actually send in a request to receive your rebate wither as credit or in the form of a check. Many times you will need to reach a specific limit or the rebate will disappear. This is how frequent flier miles have recently changed, as you must use them within a year.

It is possible to get some good savings from gas rebate cards but you will have to be very creative, such as purchasing a pre-paid discounted gas card using your gas rebate card, so you get a combined savings on gas.