World News: The Daily Money: Don't get too comfortable with current gas prices

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Wednesday, December 28

Hello, Daily Money readers! I'm Elisabeth Buchwald, here with the stories you need to know to kick off your day.

Did you receive a gift card over the holidays? Even if the gift card displays how much money was loaded onto it, you should check its balance ASAP. That's because scammers may have already spent the money on your gift card.

In some cases, it's possible to recover the money depending on the type of gift card and where it was purchased. But as a general rule of thumb, it's best to spend gift card funds quickly to minimize the chances that a bad actor will get to the balance first.

Gas prices are set to rise

Gas prices these days feel like a bargain compared to June, when they hit a record high of $5 a gallon on average nationally.

Twenty-six states currently have gas prices below $3 per gallon, according to the fuel-savings app GasBuddy.

That could soon change. GasBuddy expects average gas prices in June to rise to between $3.79 and $4.19 as the summer travel season kicks in. The average cost per gallon could go as high as $4.25 per gallon in August and then drop closer to $3 a gallon by year's end.

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About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer news from USA TODAY. We break down financial news and provide the TLDR version: how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

Elisabeth Buchwald is a personal finance and markets correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on Twitter @BuchElisabeth and sign up for our Daily Money newsletter here