AskMrCreditCard.com Publishes Devaluation of Gas Rewards

WAYNE, Pa., Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AskMrCreditCard.com has just published a study highlighting the trends of gas rewards given by gas stations through their reward programs and their affinity credit cards.

In our study, we looked at the reward programs and affinity cards issued by national brands and found that the rewards and savings given to consumers have, for the most part, declined over time.

The study also found there has been a move from offering fixed percentage rebates for gasoline purchases to a system whereby consumer savings are based on absolute savings. For example, a gas station might have allowed consumers to get a 5% cash back rebate when they purchased gasoline at their stations with their reward cards in the past, but at the moment, the consumer is more likely to earn 15 cents per gallon rather than the fixed percentage he or she used to earn.

This change in method means that consumers will earn a higher level of rebates as gas prices go down and vice versa.

"What we have also found is that gas stations are now increasingly adding tiers to their reward program. That means that the more you spend, the more your rebates will be. This tiering system is a new phenomenon and previous reward schemes did not have any such restrictions," said Lily Voon, Director of Marketing and Research for www.askmrcreditcard.com.

We also found a decline of the absolute level of rebates offered by cash back credit cards that allowed consumers to earn cash back on gasoline spending. "Prior to the financial crisis in 2008, it was not uncommon for cash back cards to offer consumers the opportunity to earn up to 5% cash back on gasoline spending. Today, the figure is more like 2%," said Lily Voon, Directory of Marketing and Research.

You can view the full report here:

www.askmrcreditcard.com/research/gas-rewards-devaluation-10-2012/

About www.askmrcreditcard.com
Ask Mr Credit Card was founded in 2004 and has been covering credit card news and writing extensive reviews on credit cards since then.

SOURCE AskMrCreditCard.com