Get the Edge with Free Oil Changes

January 31, 2008 By Debbie Dragon

There’s a way to get $30 rebates for your oil changes- and it’s easier to get than you might think.

While most rewards credit cards aren’t overly rewarding because of how much you have to spend to qualify for the rewards, and the amount of interest you pay when you carry a balance from one month to the next, the Citi Driver’s Edge Credit Card- targeted to college students- lets you get rebates for oil changes without even using the card.

How to Get Free Oil Changes

When you get the Citi Driver’s Edge Credit Card, you are able to earn $.01 a mile that you drive using the vehicle you enroll on the card.  You are only allowed to enroll one vehicle for your card.  You get your oil changed and then submit a miles submission form with the invoice from the service; and Citibank gives you the rebate.  It’s that simple- and you aren’t even required to spend anything on the credit card to qualify for the rewards.

The card itself has lower standards for getting approved, slightly above average interest rates and no minimum income requirements because it’s targeted to the college community, but if you do decide to use the card after you get it, you will also be able to qualify for some other rewards related to your car- like gas rebates; and who couldn’t use a little savings on the amount we pay for gas these days!  Whenever you use the card at the supermarket, drugstore or gas station, you’re purchases will earn you 3%, while your other purchases earn 1% towards your rewards program.

Keep in mind, that as with any credit card with a rewards program, the only way you will actually be “rewarded” with the Citi Driver’s Edge Credit Card (other than the free oil changes just for submitting your mileage and invoices for service!) is if you pay your balance off in full each month to avoid paying interest and finance charges on your balance.

There are ways to make credit cards work for you instead of against you, and this is a perfect example of that.  Getting the card for the free oil changes only will save you around $120 per year, assuming you spend $30 on each oil change every 3,000 miles and get an oil change once every 3 months.  If you have financial discipline and are able to use the card at supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores (and pay it off before you get hit with fees and interest each month), you can easily increase your rewards to reduce the amount of money you pay for gasoline, too.

Posted in autos, credit cards