It must be a good idea, because the two top online hotel reservations companies -- Hotels.com and Expedia -- are offering deals that give you back green dollars to lower the price of filling your gas tank.
Hotels.com will give you a $50 gas card rebate for every three night reservation. Stay six nights, and you get $100 green back for gas travel. But there are restrictions. Surprise. There are always restrictions.
- The Hotels.com gas rebate deal is only good for stays between July 6 and September 1. That means no two-night getaway weekends are eligible, and the free gas deal does not apply over the popular July Fourth and Labor Day holiday weekends.
- You have to apply for the gas rebate card, and it will be mailed to you after your eligible three-night stay. But Hotels.com doesn't say how long after. By Thanksgiving, hopefully.
The gas rebate program from Expedia is a bit different. It still gives you $50 back for a three-night stay, but this program gives you a prepaid Mastercard you can use at any gas station. And, of course, there are restrictions.
- The Expedia program is for weekday stays only, no weekends.
- The gas rebate program is over August 31, just before the Labor Day holiday.
Are these gas rebate deals hype or help? Will giving you back $50 green dollars for your summer travel mean the difference between going to grandma's house and not?
