Money expert Martin Lewis has urged drivers worried about the rapidly increasing cost of petrol and diesel to use a credit or debit card to pay instead of using cash.

The Money Saving Expert founder and editor returned on Tuesday, March 17 with a round of fiscal suggestions in the wake of the rapidly worsening Middle East crisis which has already seen energy prices, oil and petrol and diesel costs spike.

But savvy drivers could save some money by using plastic to pay instead of cash by taking advantage of top cashback offers either by debit card or credit card.

Speaking on the ITV show, Martin said: “Get paid to pay for your fuel. And lots of other things too. By using a top cashback card.

“So the sort of all round one that’s a winner at the moment is a Lloyds Ultra Credit Card, you get 1% cashback for a year on all spending on it in the UK and abroad, and it has a near perfect exchange rate overseas so it’s really good for spending abroad.

“It’s a credit card though so make sure you pay it off IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit or the interest cost dwarfs the cashback gained.”

For those who don’t fancy a credit card, you can also opt for a Chase debit card.

Martin continued: “If you don’t want a credit card or you feel you might not pass the credit check, and there is one and it’s a relatively strict one, the Chase debit card gives you 1% back up to £15 a month on petrol, diesel and groceries and UK transport, buses and trains but not on everything, so nowhere near as wide ranging as the Lloyds card.

“It’s easier to get as there’s no hard credit check, you don’t have to switch banks to get it, you can just get its app and use it, it’s also got the top easy access savings rate at the moment at 4.5%.

“So look if you’re spending £3,000 a year on petrol and you put it on a 1% cashback card, you’re getting £30 back, and you’re also getting back on your other shopping, that could be hundreds of pounds a year.”

Martin also urged drivers to take some simple steps to cut their fuel use down, such as removing heavy roof racks, avoiding running the aircon and accelerating and braking more smoothly, which uses less fuel.

The Martin Lewis Money Show Live March 19 episode is still available to watch via ITVX.