Smart Spending: 5 Ways to Score Free or Discounted Gas This Summer by Brad Tuttle | @bradrtuttle | July 6, 2011 | + Tweet Getty Images Supermarkets, retailers, and cereal producers are trying to lure customers with giveaways everyone seems to have, while gas remains high: discounts and freebies at the pump. Here’s a look at five campaigns promising free or discounted gas, including how much you can save, as well as how hassle-free each program is. Kellogg is now through the end of 2011 offering a rebate for $10 gas cards to consumers who clip 10 UPCs from Kellogg's cereals, fill out forms, and mail it all in postmarked by December 31. There's a limit of five cards per household. Potential savings: $10 to $50 How much you need to spend to save: Depends on how cheaply you can buy 10 boxes of cereal (10 ounces or larger) required for each gas card. Hassle factor: Depends on how much cereal is eaten in your household, and how much it would bother you to stock up and possibly eat stale cereal for the next couple of years. Also, if you're the type who loves the idea of saving but forgets to send in rebates and discount requests, this promotion probably isn't for you. Kroger The supermarket chain's fuel program knocks 10 cents per gallon at Shell stations for every 100 points earned on a Kroger Plus card. $100 worth of groceries equals 100 points, two prescriptions equal 100 points, and $50 spent on certain gift cards equals 100 points. Customers can redeem no more than 100 points—and receive no more than a dime-per-gallon discount—each time they fill up. Potential savings: $1.50 on a 15-gallon fill-up How much you need to spend to save: $100, most likely, but potentially less Hassle factor: If you already shop at Kroger, no hassle at all. But savings aren't substantial enough to justify special trips to Kroger. Publix This grocer's current weekly ad contains a coupon for $10 off a $50 gas card, as long as the customer spends another $25 or more buying groceries. Potential savings: $10 How much you need to spend to save: $25 Hassle factor: Minimal, although Publix's gas card campaigns typically have short lives. Stop & Shop Like Kroger, Stop & Shop's gas-savings program reduces gas prices by 10 cents per gallon when customers earn 100 points (likely by spending $100 inside the store). But Stop & Shop shoppers can save much more than that. Compile 200 points on a Stop & Shop loyalty card, and you'll save 20 cents a gallon, 300 points equals 30 cents off per gallon, and so on, maxing out with a discount of $2 per gallon. Potential savings: $33 on a 15-gallon fill-up How much you need to spend to save: $2,200, though you could also spend much less ($100) and get a smaller discount on gas ($1.50 off 15-gallon fill-up) Hassle-free factor: If you shop regularly at Stop & Shop, non-existent. But to save a significant amount, you'd need to spend an astronomical amount. Walmart Now through September 18, when you pay for gas at a Walmart or Murphy USA station with a gift card, MoneyCard, or Walmart credit card, you'll get 10 cents off per gallon. The deal is valid only in 18 states in the South and Midwest. Potential savings: $1.50 on a 15-gallon fill-up How much you need to spend to save: Nothing beyond the cost of gas Hassle factor: While no separate purchase is required, a trip inside Walmart is necessary if you get the 10 cent discount via reloadable gift card payment, and as with any trip inside Walmart, it's always possible you'll end up at the cash register holding more items than you had planned to buy. Brad Tuttle is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @bradrtuttle. You can also continue the conversation on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME. 'Heil Jane Corwin' Congressional Candidate Focus 'Spotify' Free Music Service Launches Today in Afghanistan 0- to -3 in Stopping Human Trafficking