I've Tried That - We lose money so you don't have to!

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Read previous entries in our ongoing review of saveongascards.

Search engines continue to throw people our way when they search for information about gas cards, free gas, saveongascards.com, and other related terms. The organization pitching these coupons is generating a lot of interest, that’s for sure. And no surprise: gas is $3/gallon where I live and is a significant chunk of my family’s monthly budget (about $175 if you’re curious). Wouldn’t it be great if that money could go somewhere else? Anywhere else besides ExxonMobil’s pockets!? And, ohhh! does it piss me off! (Don’t tell Steve I said “piss.” He’s surprisingly Pollyanna-ish in his use of language. Not sure why.) I grit my teeth every time I pull up to a pump. If these certificates work like they’re supposed to, I will soon receive debit cards with $200 preloaded on them, having already paid about $36 to buy the booklet and processing fees.

But there’s more to the certificates booklet than just gas. That’s why I remain intrigued by this program and have high hopes that it will deliver as promised. It’s why I stand out by the mailbox every day waiting for them. Here’s what else is included in the booklet:

• 2 certificates for $1000 each in restaurant savings (the back side claims this certificate brings deals from about 60 of the most popular national chains, ranging from Applebees to Wendy’s)
• 2 certificates for $2000 each in air and cruise travel checks (several popular airlines and cruise lines are listed on the back)
• 2 certificates for $1000 each in grocery savings (listing categories of groceries on the back, like cereal, soups, canned fruit, laundry care, and so on)
• 1 certificate for a $300 hotel check “worth $300 at face value” for use at popular national hotel chains. Sorry, Steve, Paris Hilton is not listed.
• 1 certificate for $1600 in “platinum vacation savings” at popular destinations in Florida, California, and Hawaii.

I understand preloaded gas debit cards, but I have no idea how these others are supposed to work. They’re like the others in that I have to fill out my address, pay a $4.95 processing fee, and mail it in. But you know me—someone says “free money” and I just have to try it out. Oh, please, mailman! Be good to me!