This brings to mind a gas card deal I saw last year. Supposedly, you pay $100/yr then buy as many gas cards as you'd like and whenever you'd like throughout the year. The gas cards sold for $15 each but had a value of $20 each. The cards worked like any other debit or credit card at the pump.
Do you remember seeing anything like this?
When I saw it my BS detector overheated. First, what's with the $100/yr fee? Second, why would anyone sell you $20 of purchasing power for $15?
I haven't seen that(gas cards).
On the phone cards there is no carry or monthly service charge. The only purchase is for minutes.
The gas thing sounds like a real scam. Might not be bad if the purchase would be at a fixed price on the gallon though, so that if it went up you would still be entitled to get gas at the original price. But I think I would saee pigs fly before that happened.