Free Gas, Sort Of

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You didn't think the travel industry would let fears of $4-a-gallon gas get in the way of summer travel plans, did you? As expected, gasoline rebates are starting to creep into promotional offers.

If you haven't seen any yet, you're just not looking hard enough.

• Expedia's (Nasdaq: EXPE) Hotels.com is offering $30 rebates for summer travel bookings of at least two nights.
• Gaylord Entertainment's (NYSE: GET) ResortQuest -- the vacation home rental specialist -- is offering $50 credits for four-night stays at select properties.
• Even the town of Springfield, Mo., is getting in on the act, with the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau offering $40 Visa gift cards in the form of "We'll Buy Your Gas" rebates for qualified travelers. 

It's not just faraway places realizing there is pain at the pump these days. Last night I got an email from CEC Entertainment's (NYSE: CEC) Chuck E. Cheese, offering a coupon for a $3 gas rebate -- in the form of a dozen Chuck E. Cheese tokens.

Obviously you weren't born yesterday. When an automaker or a regional amusement park offers a "free gas" promotion, it's really just a discount in a crowd-pleasing wrapper. A company like CEC packages token freebies in many ways -- like online chore calendars for kids -- but it's really about marking down the price of the experience to draw traffic.

As gasoline prices inch higher heading into next month, don't be surprised if you see more companies spring up fuel-related offers. So keep your eyes peeled for the bargains. Yes, even if you don't own a car or can just walk over to the discounting merchant.

CEC Entertainment is former recommendation of the Hidden Gems newsletter. A free 30-day subscription offer is available if you want to learn why the grinning rat got the boot.  

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has been to his local Chuck E. Cheese way too many times, and enjoys playing the high-end games that kids avoid for a token. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy.