Hawai'i drivers seeking relief from soaring gasoline prices are finding credit cards can take some of the sting away by delivering rebates or discounts on purchases at the pump.

Discover Card Platinum Gas Card delivers cash-back rebates ranging from 1 to 5 percent on gasoline purchases. Aloha Petroleum Ltd.'s Save-A-Dollar charge card gives a 2-cents a gallon discount to consumers. A number of other cards are available, including those from Tesoro Petroleum Corp. and banks.

Drivers are seeking ways to cope with Hawai'i gasoline prices that jumped 39 percent in the past year and 54 percent in the past two years. Besides looking at more fuel-efficient cars, cutting back trips and tuning up cars, residents can also use the credit-card discounts to their advantage.

"Every little bit helps," said Don Bache, 55, who as branch manager for Terminix Commercial Hawaii, uses Aloha Petroleum's program to help cut his gasoline bills. The discount amounts to "hundreds of dollars a year. It's a substantial savings for us."

A 5 percent rebate would equal a 15-cent discount on a $3 gallon of gas. For a driver traveling 10,000 miles a year in a car getting 24 miles a gallon, the rebate would work out to $62.50 on an annual gasoline bill of $1,250.

To be sure, consumers using credit cards for gasoline purchases end up spending more for their fuel if they don't pay off the entire balance on time and incur finance fees. Any savings from rebates could be quickly eaten up by interest, so it's not advised to use credit cards for gasoline unless you plan to pay your entire balance each month.

Another pitfall is late fees. If you are prone to paying bills late, you may want to stick to cash for your gasoline purchases. Aloha Petroleum, for example, has a late-payment charge of 1.5 percent per month.

But those who pay bills diligently can use the cards to save more. The American Automobile Association offers a gasoline-reward credit card to its members nationwide, including the more than 100,000 who are in Hawai'i. The VISA card issued with partner MBNA Corp. has no annual fee and features a 2 percent rebate for holders who use it only to buy gasoline.

The gasoline rebate can increase to 5 percent, depending on how much the holder uses the card. The discount is shown on the monthly card statements.

"We all look back wistfully to when gasoline was $2 a gallon," said Paul Gonzales, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association of Hawai'i. "Now when gasoline is $3 and higher, this is a way to get money back."

Gonzales said AAA doesn't say how many people hold the card for competitive reasons. But he said there's been a noticeable increase in applications for the credit card in recent weeks.

Gasoline rebate cards are the fastest-growing specialty card at Discover, based in Riverwoods, Ill., said spokeswoman Jennifer Kang-Born. The card, introduced in November 2004, offers different rebates rates depending on the level of gasoline purchases. Users get up to 1 percent back on nongasoline purchases.

Discover issues a rebate once the card holder's refund exceeds $20. Holders can elect to receive a check, have it applied to their next bill or donate it to charity. They can also turn the rebate into a higher amount in the form of gift cards or certificates that can be used at stores, hotels and other retailers, Kang-Born said.

Discover's rebate recipients can get gift cards from partners that include Gap Inc. stores, Hyatt Hotels and Sprint. A rebate recipient can call Discover's toll-free telephone line or go online to request the cards, which can add $5 to $20 to the rebate's value. For example, Discover can send recipients a $40 card for Sharper Image purchases when they are due a $20 rebate.

Kang-Born said most major gasoline retailers accept Discover cards.

At Aloha Petroleum, consumers can get a 2-cent a gallon discount provided they pay the full balance on the charge card bill on time, spokeswoman Sharla Montvel-Cohen said. The company's programs for business owners gives discounts up to 8 cents a gallon and gives groups or organizations discounts of as much as 4 cents.

Each month, Aloha Petroleum card holders are sent a statement where the discount is subtracted from the total owed.

In addition, Aloha Petroleum gives those who apply for its new Save-a-Dollar card a $30 gasoline credit that is spread over three months, Montvel-Cohen said. Save-A-Dollar applicants pay a $5 one-time fee for processing their application.

The cards should take some of the sting out of regular-grade gasoline prices, which on Tuesday averaged $3.271 a gallon here, according to New Jersey-based Oil Price Information Service. They were $2.349 a year earlier and $2.13 two years earlier.

Yet the discounts and rebates aren't enough to entice some drivers who typically shun credit cards. "I wouldn't use it," said Mark Browning, 50, as he waited in his car, cash in hand, for a fill-up at Lex Brodie's in Kaka'ako. "I don't like using credit cards because of interest rates."

AAA spokesman Jeff Spring said drivers need to make sure they understand each of the offerings, because they typically have different qualifications for rebates or discounts.