Gasoline prices: One tool for the thrifty traveler’s toolbox

If your head and your bank account are reeling from the run-up in gasoline prices, take heart.

That is, after you absorb the shock of a 55-cent-a-gallon increase in the price of a gallon of gas in California in the last month. The AAA Fuel Gauge report from Sunday shows that an average gallon price is $4.28. Last month it was $3.73.

We’ll leave the “why” to energy analysts.

But here’s one “how,” one way to save in the war against high prices: using a credit card that gives you cash back.

The Discover card, which usually offers 1% back, is offering 5% back through the end of March. (This also applies to movies and museums.) If you’re paying $4.28 a gallon for gas, if you use the Discover card, you’re paying about $4.07.

The card is expected to run the offer again from July through September at the height of the summer vacation driving season, said Dana Traci, vice president of rewards at Discover.

Info: Discover