Gas Credit Cards: What Are They For?
August 21, 2008 – 6:43 pm
If you drive a car you have noticed the price of gas. And chances are they have not reached the peak yet. Every night we hear how the price of oil has risen so the price of gas will continue to rise. What are we suppose to do to get back and forth to work or other places we need to go?
If you don’t already have one, chances are you are considering a gas credit card. How will that help you may be saying? With a gas credit card you can pull into the gas station and not have to empty your wallet into the gas tank. With a gas credit card you can buy gas and put it on the credit card and pay for it later. Also, gas credit cards have descent cash back rewards or points for pumping gas. Consider, that you could save up to 5% on gas, using gas credit card. Also you can earn up to 5 points per dollar spent, that you can redeem on gas or vehicle service later.
You need to know, that gas credit cards are not the same. They can be divided on 2 categories: “gas station brand name cards” (no visa/mastercard/amex logo on it) and gas credit cards issued by banks with visa/mastercard/amex logo. What it the difference?
Gas station brand name cards let you buy gas or merchandise only from any particular gas station, like BP or Sunoco, for example. You cannot use this card anywhere else. Consider applying for this card if you know exactly that you going to use any of these particular gas stations for buying gas. But discounts and cash backs usually better with these credit cards, because they work like “Fidelity card”, that forces to be loyal to any particular gas brand.
There are also gas credit cards issued by banks. They let you buy fuel everywhere you want. Sometimes gas price could be better across the street, and you going to have you discount anyways. These cards give you more freedom in making decisions, where to buy gas for your car. Also it’s useful for trips: you have no idea, at what gas station you going to pump next. At the same time, gas credit cards issued by banks have visa/mastercard/amex logo on it and accepted for any purchases, not even gas.
Many top name gas stations offer their own credit cards. You can apply at the station you use most often or you can go online to a credit card comparison site and compare the gas cards side by side to see what is the best one for you and apply for it right there on the internet. A gas card is also good for keeping track of how much gas you spend each month and sense many homes have more than one car you can know which car is using most gas.
A gas credit card is a welcome sight when you see the price signs at the gas station these days. However as with all other credit cards they should be used with caution and keep track of what you are spending so that you are still able to pay it off when you get the bill. It is much easier to swipe a card than it is to walk into the gas station, wait in line, then pay the cashier, then go out and pump your gas. Go to your favorite station or visit a website like http://www.credit-cards-accepted.com and apply for your gas card today.
Gas credit cards at http://www.credit-card-accepted.com