When Chrysler announced its "Let's Refuel America!" gas price guarantee, it was met with a mixture of praise and doubt. Those in favor of the program called it the right incentive at the right time. Detractors called it a game of smoke and mirrors to distract car buyers from Chrysler's lower than average fuel economy ratings. What neither talked about were the actual details of the program. There are some terms as conditions the program sets forth, but overall it is quite simple.
To determine the most favorable deal on a new Chrysler, all the car buyer has to do is compare the money saved by the Let's Refuel America program with the money that would be saved by taking the alternative rebates or special financing offers. You can find out what the current rebates and incentives are right here on Autotropolis.
Here is how the Let's Refuel America incentive works:
- Purchase or lease a qualifying 2008 or 2009 Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep vehicle through July 7, 2008. To qualify, you must have a valid MasterCard or Visa credit card.
- Select the MasterCard or Visa credit card to use with the program.
- Receive a Let's Refuel America card that you will use to purchase fuel. Each year for the next three years, you will receive an allocation of gallons that qualify for the $2.99 per gallon offer.
- Fill up. In each of the next three years, when buying fuel with the credit card you specified, you will never be charged more than $2.99 per gallon for qualifying purchases -- regardless of the price at the pump.
Sounds simple, but here are some additional details:
- The plan is an alternative to traditional incentives offered by Chrysler, and can be taken in lieu of consumer cash, lease cash, or special interest rates. If you chose the gas price guarantee, you give up the rebates or special financing. However, there is a bonus cash incentive attached to some vehicles covered under this incentive. The bonus cash ranges from $0 to $3,000, depending on model. For instance, the Dodge Caliber has $0 bonus cash, whereas the Dodge Ram has $3,000 bonus cash.
- The plan covers only regular 87 octane gasoline, E85, and diesel fuel. If the car you purchase from Chrysler runs on regular 87 octane gas, your discount is not valid toward diesel purchases, and vice versa. Participants can opt to upgrade to a higher grade of gasoline, but will pay an increased per-gallon cost for doing so.
- If you use the Let's Refuel America card to purchase fuel that is priced less than $2.99 per gallon, you will not be charged $2.99, however that purchase will count toward your annual allotment.
- All SRT models, Sprinter, Viper, Crossfire, Wrangler, Wrangler Unlimited, Ram Chassis Cab, and Challenger models are ineligible to participate in this program.
- The total fuel allotment is determined by the model of vehicle purchased. The fuel allotment is calculated by multiplying the average MPG totals by 12,000 miles per year over three years. For instance, a Chrysler Pacifica gets an average of 17 miles per gallon, the total fuel allotment is 36,000 miles divided by 17, which equal 2,118 gallons. The least amount of fuel allotted is 1,500 gallons with the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass. The most fuel allotted is 2,400 gallons with the Dodge Ram, Dodge Durango, Jeep Commander, and Chrysler Aspen.
For more information and a complete chart of bonus cash and fuel allotments, visit Chrysler's official Let's Refuel America site.