As Oil Prices Climb, Fleets and Businesses Turn to Fuel Discount Codes and Promotional Coupons

Pittsburgh, PA, May 03, 2008 --(PR.com)-- In Feb. 2007, the International Herald-Tribune reported that gasoline prices in the United States were expected to hit 4 dollars per gallon by Spring 2008. Rapidly rising oil prices could be a death knell for the economy as Americans cut back on consumer spending to offset the costs of gasoline.

Desperate times call for innovation. And while fuel-efficient hybrid cars are available for purchase and alternative fuel sources are constantly being explored, some companies are offering consumers more immediate relief from gas price hikes – in the form of discount codes and promotional coupons.

Allied Business Network, a business discount membership club headquartered in Monroeville, Pa., is one such company. Allied Business Network has partnered with BP to offer a business fleet discount card and a discount promotional code for gasoline purchases. The card and the promotional code work like a fuel coupon, offering participating businesses savings of 4.5 cents per gallon on fuel purchases.

The BP promotional discount code and card can offer significant fuel savings over time. If a business fleet uses 5,000 gallons of gasoline each month, the company saves $2,700 each year. The fuel discount card also offers employers the option of monitoring or restricting fuel purchases while giving fleet drivers the ability to choose from 13,000 fueling locations across America.

Using discounts, coupons, or promotional codes to save money on fuel liberates employers from the pernicious effects of recession. Less constrained by high fuel prices, employers have more money to spend on employee benefits, paid lunches, bonuses and other amenities that make the working environment more pleasant. And, boosts in consumer spending are key to economic growth.

Allied Business Network's impressive list of business partnerships includes CDW, Office Depot, 4imprint, 1-800Flowers, FedEx-Kinko's, UPS, and more. Member businesses can apply various discount coupons and promotional codes to products and services ranging from computer hardware to office supplies to shipping. Savings range from five to 80 percent of items' original purchase price.

Consumer spending is a cornerstone of the American economy. A May CNN Money report stated that consumer spending is up slightly for the spring, and the fractional increases, though largely inflation-driven, are imperative for economic health. Consumers who can purchase fuel and other items at discounts have more surplus cash for spending.

As Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff told the International Herald-Tribune, “The effect of high oil prices today could be the difference between having a recession and not having a recession.” Business discount memberships such as those offered by Allied Business Network might help buffer the effects of economic downturn.

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