Rising Gas Prices

Essay by saskiwi4Middle School, 6th gradeA+, September 2009

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With gas prices pushing $4.50 for a gallon of regular gas in some places, many people are looking for the cheapest gas they can find. If you see a sign that says $3.90 and the station next door says $4.00 you'll probably think, cool, cheap gas. Then you'll go swipe your credit card and think you just got a good deal; at least until your receipt comes. The price of a single gallon can be up to 50 cents higher. But if you knew this happened, you could have come with cash and gotten the $3.90 a gallon. So pay with cash.

Many Americans don't think before swiping a credit card. They jus assume that it's the same as cash. You just pay one bill at the end of the month. But every time you swipe a credit card, either you or the owner has to pay 2% or greater of the total price to the credit card company. For a long time, the place you bought from paid the fee, and most places still do. But recently, with the rising price of oil and the falling economy, gas companies can't afford to keep paying it so now, they just charge you and hope you don't notice. But they don't all only charge the 2%, some charge 20 or even 50 cents a gallon in order to increase their profit margin.

(Show Video ABC GMA http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5338007)Do you want to pay $4.35 or $4.27? Well I'm pretty sure I know which one. You might be saying 8 cents, big deal. Well think of it this way; you have a 50 gallon tank, and you fill it up with a credit card. The total comes to $217.50. While with cash the total comes to $213.50 that's $4.00 with just 8...