1. Rewards

Gas credit cards work just like ordinary credit cards only that you save more if used on gas purchases. Rebates are offered for every gas purchase and this is how you save from gas credit cards. When looking for gas credit cards, find out first how much you will be saving from your gas purchases. Rebates are usually at 2% to 5%, so you may want go with a card that offers the highest percentage. And if you plan to use your card on other purchases, look for cards that offer rebates on non-gas purchases.

2. Fine Print

Read the fine print; don’t just go for the highest percentage rebate. Look into the card’s rebate and rewards offers, and the process of redeeming them. Consider in particular cash back rebates that don’t expire or if they do, consider longer expiration periods. If you are a frequent flyer, cards that convert rewards points into airline tickets may appeal to you. Also, look into how rebates are redeemed. Sure, every card offers rebates but make sure you will be able to redeem them. Lastly, read the card’s fine print for rebate caps. Stay away from cards that limit your savings.

3. APR

The APR is the annual percentage rate that will be charged on the maintaining balance on your card. To max up savings from gas credit cards, the balance should be paid in full every billing period. If not, the balance is charged with the APR. Even if you originally planned on paying your balances in full, there may be instances when you won’t be able to. So, choosing a card with the lowest APR will be preferable.

4. Fees

Credit cards usually have annual fees but most gas credit cards don’t. Consider credit cards that don’t have annual fees, save for those that offer other benefits that negate these fees. If you’re not meticulous in looking for cards, fees could easily eat out your savings especially if you don’t spend that many miles on your car.

5. Introductory Period and Rates

Several cards offer higher percentage rebate during introductory periods-often from 90 days to 12 months. Introductory rebates are usually twice the regular rebate, from 6% to 10%. While it is okay to go for cards that offer introductory rates, the rebate that you get during regular months should be considered. Introductory rates can sometimes be too sweet.

Using gas credit cards is a sure win as long as you know how your card works. Be wary of fees and interests as they can easily negate your savings.

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1. Drive at a speed below 60 mph

Not only will driving below the limit save you from getting speeding tickets it will save on gas too. Your car’s engine eats up more gas for every mph over the 60 mph limit.

2. Ease up on gas and brakes

Avoid aggressive driving-ease up on the gas and brake. Hard braking and quick accelerating decreases your engine’s fuel efficiency and is therefore detrimental to your gas mileage.

3. Use you car’s cruise control tool

For highway driving, maintaining your speed can help improve your engine’s fuel efficiency. Most cars have a cruise control tool that automatically maintains the speed of which your car is going.

4. Maintain proper tire pressure

Always make sure the tires of your car have the proper pressure level. Tires that are not properly inflated are harder to roll requiring your car’s engine to work harder and more gas consumption. When tires are not properly inflated, think of your engine as screaming from the hard the work and gulping down gas, fast!

5. Drop the excess weight

Heavy cars are harder to roll, despite properly inflated tires, requiring more work from the engine and more gas. That’s why bigger cars generally eat more gas than smaller cars. To get better gas mileage, drop the excess weight-unload the unnecessary things from your car.

6. Replace dirty air filter

A car’s engine uses oxygen, which is filtered by the air filter, to burn fuel. A dirty air filter will lower the amount of oxygen and consequently lowers the engine power. This all leads to lesser gas mileage. To avoid this, always check your car’s air filter and replace if needed.

7. Follow octane requirements

A higher octane gas generally improves engine performance and saves on gas. Some cars have higher octane requirements and complying does improve gas mileage. However, if you car do not have octane requirements, it would be best to just use regular gas. Using higher octane gas won’t likely improve your car engine’s performance and higher octane gas costs more than regular gas.

8. Avoid Idling

Even though your car do not run while in idle, it eats up gas, so, avoid unnecessary idling. If stopping requires more than five minutes, then it would be best to turn off your engine and restart once it’s time to leave.

9. Check you gas cap

Always check gas caps-close properly and replace damaged ones. Open gas caps will eat up on gas since it causes your gas to evaporate.

10. Plan trips

Planning trips also improves gas mileage. Do all errands in one day so doing errands won’t be on a daily basis, thereby reducing driving time. Planning road routes also helps. Avoid high terrain routes since it requires your car’s engine to work harder and requires more gas.

There you have it, the top ten tips to get better gas mileage without the discomfort!

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“You want to save money?” She laughed one time while she was driving us to school. “I’ll let you in a secret: get gas card for yourself.” At first, I didn’t know what gas cards are. Although I am very much familiar with credit cards, but never have I heard of gas cards before. So she told me the perks and what good will it do to me.

One of the features of a gas card, my friend says, is that it I’d earn money for myself. When I asked her how, she explained it’s through those rebates, cash backs, and those reward points. Whenever I use my gas card, I’d instantly earn those benefits! These earned cash backs and rebates can be redeemed in any form that I want: it may be cash, a merchandise, free gas, or gift cards. I was taken by surprise on how a gas card can do wonders for such a person!

My friend kept on insisting to get gas card for myself, and I promised her I will after I have to know more benefits from these gas cards. After doing some researching, I found out that there are actually two kinds of gas cards: a repaid gas card and a credit gas card. Both have the same purpose, but they vary only in rates. So in short, gas cards can be accessible from the lower class to the higher class.

After doing a lot of thinking, I finally decided to get gas card. Besides, I need more money now and I’m now regretting the times when I was wasting money, thinking that I won’t have problems later on. Still, it was a lesson learned for me. If it weren’t for my friend, my life would have been in total shambles by now.

For more info See: Gas Credit Cards

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