Using the right credit card to fill up your tank could help offset rising petrol prices and save you cash.

Even when the current petrol strike is over, drivers across the UK still face the increasing burden of higher fuel prices - which are significantly pushing up the cost of keeping a car on the road.

Research from insurance.co.uk found that, in light of rising fuel costs, 25% of motorists have decided to leave the car at home and fare their luck on public transport. And no wonder when the price of petrol is currently at 117p a litre and diesel at 130p a litre.

But the plastic you use to pay for your petrol could help. There are a number of deals out there that aim to reduce the burden of higher petrol prices.

Shell MasterCard claims to be able to save drivers £130 each year by offering 3% cashback on Shell fuel purchases. It also offers 1% cashback for using your card elsewhere.

The card, which is funded by Citi Bank, has a typical APR of 16.9% but offers 0% interest on balance transfers for 12 months, subject to a 3% fee of at least £5.

If you tend to fill up your car at the same time as you do your weekly food shop, then it might be worth considering getting a credit card from a supermarket.

Asda’s credit card customers can save 2p off every litre of fuel they buy. It also offers 0% on balance transfers for nine months and 0% on purchases for three months, but after these periods the typical APR is 17.8%. Another bonus of the card, however, is that you can use it to earn points in exchange for Asda vouchers and to receive a 5% discount at ASDA Living Stores.

Rival supermarket Tesco also offers petrol savings on its Business Credit Card, which promises savings of 2p per litre on Tesco petrol and diesel. The card, designed for sole traders who want to keep their business expenses separate from their personal savings, has an APR of 14.8% on purchases and balance transfers.

Another way to save money on your petrol and other purchases is to use a general cashback credit card. These tend to offer cashback of up to 5%, so if you pay off the balance in full each month you can actually make money.

The American Express Platinum cashback card offers 5% back on an annual spend of up to £4,000 for the first three months, after which time it reduces to 1.5% cashback. The card has an APR of 18.9% on purchases.

Or Barclaycard Platinum cashback card offers an introductory 4% cashback up to £750 a month, after which this reduces to 0.5% up to £6,000 a month. The card also offers 0.5% cashback on supermarket and petrol spend until 1 January 2010.

Reward credit cards can also be used to save money on petrol.

The AA credit card offers customers one point for every £1 spent, which can be redeemed against renewal or upgrade of AA membership, AA insurance or AA European breakdown cover. And you'll receive double points when the card is used to buy petrol. The APR is 15.9% and you can benefit from 0% interest on purchases for six months and on balance transfers for nine months.

Finally, MBNA reward credit card allows users to earn points when shopping for anything from food to petrol. For every £1 spent you receive one point, and these can be used to pay for flights, wine and high street vouchers. The APR is 15.9%.

• motoring costs
• credit cards