Getting the Most Benefit from Your Gas Credit Card

By admin on Sep 16, 2008 in Reward Credit Card Articles

Ever wonder how you can get more benefits from your gas reward credit card? If you own a gas card or have recently applied for one, there’s more that you can do to save your budget than just using your card for purchasing gas. This article presents useful tips and practical suggestions especially for gas credit card holders.

Pay your monthly balances in full. This is an important advice not only for people who use gas credit cards but for all reward credit card holders. Generally, credit cards with reward programs charge higher interest rates than non-reward cards. If you’re in the habit of paying only the minimum and carrying your balance from month to month, a reward credit card may not be the best choice for you at all.

Imagine how much it would cost you if you need to pay the additional interest rate charges on your account each month. On the other hand, by paying off your monthly balances in full, you get to save on the interest fees as well as possible late penalty charges.

Understand what “qualifying gas purchases” mean. Most credit cards offer to give rebates on “qualifying gas purchases”. What does this imply? Clearly, not ALL your gas purchases would automatically earn you points or rebates. Only QUALIFYING gas purchases would be counted for.

Thus, it’s very important to understand what exactly those “qualifying gas purchases” include. Perhaps only gas purchases made from affiliate gas stations would entitle you to earn rebates. If that’s the case, you need to make sure that you completely agree with the credit card’s conditions.

Never pay late. Submitting late credit card payments is an utter waste of cash. Why would you pay more than what you originally owe just because you did not hand over your payment on time? To avoid additional charges, always be aware of your due date and do everything you can to pay off your debt on schedule.

Review your credit card contract. Consumers are always advised to read the fine print before signing and submitting their applications. Even if you’ve been using your gas credit card for some time now, it’s still a good idea to review the Terms and Conditions of your card. This way, you’ll know exactly how the reward program works so you can enjoy the benefits of your gas reward credit card even more.

Redeem your rewards before they expire. Does your credit card impose limits on redeeming the points of earned? Some gas reward credit cards give specific time frames when you can collect points while other gas cards don’t allow you to carry over your unused points unto the next year. If that’s the case, be sure that you can claim your much-deserved reward points before you lose them. To avoid this hassle, it’s best to choose a gas reward credit card with no blackout dates and no limits on the amount of rewards you can earn.