Gas Money Available: Happy Travels!

It's not just the travel business giving drivers a break. A week ago, Chrysler Corp. started its gasoline offer, which is set to go through July 7. Chrysler will give customers a card linked to a Visa or MasterCard, which will adjust charges to account for the $2.99-a-gallon offer. Chrysler will honor the offer for up to 500 gallons per customer per year, equal to about 12,000 miles of driving. The card can be used for any automobile owned by the customer -- not just the newly purchased vehicle.

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Chrysler, which is using sophisticated hedging of prices on the futures market, says the promotion is pulling in potential buyers. Sales leads are up 25 percent, and showroom traffic rose as much as 20 percent last weekend, when compared with the weekend before, said Jim Press, president of Chrysler, in a press conference Monday.

"It has clearly resonated with the needs and concerns of our customers," he said.

Some companies are plugging gas cards for Father's Day or as graduation gifts. One of those, RoadCare Plus, which offers vehicle assistance, is offering $40 of free gasoline to individuals who sign up for a $59.95 membership.

"We wanted to do something to help the motoring public, give something back," says David Fleming, CEO of the firm in Pompano Beach, Fla.

One church in Richmond, Va., saw the public's need for a gasoline price break as an opportunity to evangelize. Earlier this month, Bishop Daniel Robertson Jr. of the Mt. Gilead Full Gospel International Ministries decided to give away $10,000 in gasoline and gas cards. Some went to needy organizations, such as a children's hospital. But some fuel was simply given to people who lined up outside the pumps at a Kroger supermarket.