$4 gas?! Here's how to get it free

Save on your drive: Golfers can drive a bit more cheaply, getting gas cards ranging from $50 to $100 from Dick's Sporting Goods when they purchase certain Calloway drivers.

Sleep on it: Many resorts, lodges and hotels are offering gas cards to entice road-weary travelers.

BedandBreakfast.com's "Tanks a Lot" promotion features mostly $20-$25 gas cards for each night of lodging at some of its member establishments. Hotels.com has mail-in rebates, mostly for $25 gas cards for each night that travelers book. BnBFinder.com also can direct travelers to gas-card lodging deals, linking those to its "One Tank Trip" destinations.

Bear Mountain Lodge in Bethlehem, N.H., is offering $100 gift cards for three-night stays.

Some state tourism offices are helping connect travelers with those looking to stay closer to home and save on gas. For instance, you can log on to Travel Michigan's Web site for more gas deals.

Clearing the air: Commuters in certain regions of the United States can cash in on incentives and help clean the air at the same time.

Cumberland, a business district in metropolitan Atlanta, is aggressively looking to cut pollution by offering car pools of three or more $40 in monthly gas cards and $60 a month to pools of four and more. Over three years, poolers can earn 12 gas cards. Commuters also can earn $3 a day to stop driving, up to $180 for a 90-day period.

The Clean Air Campaign is something of a pioneer in the field, said Brian Carr, the director of communications, but seemingly every urban area facing pollution and congestion issues has incentives commuters can cash in on. Check your state, county and city transit or environmental agency for information. For instance:

• Those starting a van pool in Contra Costa, Calif., can receive $1,000 bonuses.

• Portland, Ore., municipal employees can get $30 a month by walking or biking to work.

• In an area of central Pennsylvania, motorists willing to skip driving 10 days over the summer can earn $20 shared-gas cards, $5 Starbucks cards and transit tickets. "We can't give them money, but we can certainly give commuters practical things," said Mike Ridgeway, a spokesman for the Air Quality Partnership of Susquehanna Valley.

• Residents or employees in Solano County, Calif., can receive 60% of the cost of a new bike, up to $100, if it is used for commuting to work. New van pools receive $100 gas cards for each seat they fill.

• NuRide links commuters who wish to share rides and uses a points system that rewards users with discounts on items from a range of local and national sponsors. The program can be found in these areas: Washington, D.C.; Houston; Minneapolis-St. Paul; New York City; Connecticut; and Hampton, Va. The site grades drivers and riders to better ensure safety, compatibility and reliability.

Don't be fooled

Consumer advocates stress doing homework before committing to deals that could be predatory and take advantage of those desperate to ease the gas pinch on their wallet.

"Definitely read the fine print," said Linda Gorman, the public-affairs manager at AAA Arizona.

Will an offer of free gas cause you to spend money you otherwise wouldn't?

To get a gas card from a hotel or resort, you could wind up paying the rack rate, which typically is much higher than the savings from a $25 gift card. For example, Circus Circus in Las Vegas has a deal for a $50 gas card, but shop around because there may be deals off the strip that will save you more than that, Gorman said. If you'd planned to stay at Circus Circus anyway, the deal might make sense.

Similarly, Gorman said, some credit cards' annual fees and interest rates could outweigh any gas-savings advantages that the cards' issuers promote.

A bigger problem that's likely to grow worse is gas-related scams.

Your e-mail inbox might be flooded with offers of free gas cards simply for returning a survey or giving the names of six friends. You might get a phone call saying you've won a free tank of gas, coupons for discounted gas or gas as an incentive for a free-trial offer.

Keep your bank and credit account numbers to yourself. Any offer that requires them is a scam.

Published June 3, 2008

< previous |  1 | 2 |