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Americans
to Fuel Up for Summer’s End with Labor Day Road Trip
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Last Hurrah
for Family Fun? MasterCard SpendingPulse™ Shows an Increase
in Amount
of Gas Pumped this Summer Compared to Last Year
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Purchase,
NY – August 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / A look at gas pump demand so far
this summer reveals that Americans have been taking advantage of the long
holiday weekends and hitting the road. A recent MasterCard (NYSE:MA) SpendingPulse™
report also indicates that many are likely to close the summer season with
one last trip over the Labor Day weekend. And that’s a good thing. Recent
research reveals that only
about 51% of Americans who get vacation days actually use them which
affects the productivity of the employee.
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The
latest SpendingPulse data reveals that so far this summer, Americans increased
their gas consumption by 1.6% over 2013. Additionally, “a look at sales
from Memorial Day week and July 4th week shows the amount of gas being
pumped is steadily increasing, with 4.4% and 3.7% year-over-year changes,
respectively,” according to Sarah
Quinlan, Senior Vice President of Market Insights for MasterCard Advisors.
Many
of the road trippers are families who use the time to bond with their children
before the start of school year. Car shopping site, Edmunds.com,
recently surveyed 1,000 Americans and found 40% of respondents will definitely
plan to take a road trip by Labor Day while another 34% are considering
it.
Where
are they going? According to the more than 3 million trips planned on Roadtrippers.com,
the nation’s top road trip destinations for the 2014 summer travel season
are the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
Yet
for many, the stress of planning a family vacation can be a deterrent to
taking time off work. We know that some families prefer
not to travel rather than going through the often painful and time
consuming planning of a family trip.
“As
someone who spends 80% of my time on the road, I know firsthand how important
it is to be smart about your travel plans,” said Carlos
Menendez, Group Executive of Global Consumer Products, MasterCard.
“Taking time off helps us to recharge; improves our productivity and health;
supports better relationships; and even helps our brain function. This
is why it is so key to find a trusted travel resource to coordinate from
the dreaming of the vacation to the return home with great memories.”
Here
are some useful tips to enjoy that much needed family getaway with peace
of mind:
-
Save money
with fuel
rewards
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Enjoy
the deserved rest from the home routine with the help of hotel upgrades
and tailored family services
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Take advantage
of MasterCard concierge
services for help from finding the right deals to booking a table at
a child-friendly restaurant
-
Pack your
MasterCard for the ride knowing your funds are safe and secure with the
benefits of emergency card replacement to Zero
Liability fraud protection
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Pack your
smartphone preloaded with MasterCard
Nearby mobile app to help when you’re looking for a place to use your
contactless device, or to reload your prepaid card, get cash back with
your purchase, or just to locate the nearest ATM
About
MasterCard
MasterCard
(NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com,
is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the
world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial
institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries
and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce
activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing
finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow
us on Twitter @MasterCardNews,
join the discussion on the Cashless
Pioneers Blog and subscribe
for the latest news on the Engagement
Bureau.
Contacts:
MasterCard
SpendingPulse
Marisa
Grimes, 914-249-2024
or
MasterCard
Travel Benefits and Tips
Flor
Estevez, 914-249-2118 |