Other articles by Candice Choi:

Consumer's guide to online photo-sharing sites Heed your credit card for changes Bank blues 101: What do stress tests mean for me? Five costs to consider before buying first homeHealth costs for jobless to ease a bit Be honest with spouse about money matters 2009 resolution: Shape up your credit report Pension, 401(k) should survive if company fails How to give a financial gift without seeming tacky Some points to remember for holiday Net shopping

General
A1 Communications
Cable Techs Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION

NEW YORK — With fuel prices taking a bigger bite out of budgets, and no sign of an imminent price drop, you may be considering an offer for a gasoline rewards card.

These cards let cardholders accumulate points in exchange for a gift card or receive cash back on purchases. The savings typically run from 3 percent to 5 percent of your gas bill. As with any credit card, you'll find considerable differences, so be sure to read the fine print.

Take the time to go beyond the savings rate and check out savings limits, interest rates and other features.

What's more, before you sign up, investigate whether a general rewards card, which you may already have, offers discounts for fuel purchases.

If you don't like toting around multiple cards, a general rewards card may be your best bet. But the savings on fuel with a general rewards card may not be as high.

"The advantage of gas-based cards is that you lock in a savings rate," said Doug Miller, senior analyst at Corporate Insight, a market research and consulting firm.

In contrast, if you rely on a general rewards card, the issuer can change the terms for fuel savings or place other limits on when you can save.

Bankrate.com offers a useful comparison tool for gas rewards and other types of credit cards.

If you're on the road a lot, a gas card is definitely worth considering. One benefit is that the rebates usually are automatically credited to your account, or a gift card is sent, Miller said.

There are potential traps to keep in mind, however:

● For starters, make sure that you're not being enticed by an introductory offer in which the terms will change after a set period. Some issuers may give double the rate of savings for the first few months.

● Keep in mind that gas reward cards typically don't offer as high a rebate on non-gas purchases — often around 1 percent. So these cards may not help quite as much with other purchases.

● Another option is the universal gas card, which lets let consumers reap rewards at any station and may seem tempting because of their flexibility. The major drawback of these cards is that they often cap rewards.

For example, Discover's universal gas card, the Open Road card, offers 5 percent cash back — but only for the first $100 you spend each month.

In other words, you'd save $5 at most every month on gas and auto maintenance.

Assuming you stop at the same gas station most the time, a card that's tied to a particular gas retailer probably is a better deal. These cards generally don't limit rewards, and they typically offer savings of 3 percent to 5 percent.

● Make sure savings rates aren't "up to" a certain level. That means your savings are at a lower rate until you spend a certain amount of money.

● Avoid interest payments: Don't carry a balance.