Both Coke and Pepsi are running specials right now (and have been for a while) that encourage you to collect points with which you can purchase, among other things, free mp3's. But if you, like me, enjoy both Diet Coke and Pepsi One, you may be wondering, "Which is the better deal?"

First off, the greatest difference between the two would be the variety of merchandise. Coke's MyCokeRewards.com promotion includes a lot of physical merchandise, but it's all emblazoned with the Coke logo or other sponsors, and to get anything of real value, you have to use about 1000 points, or 100 12-packs. That's about $300 for a t-shirt, and you become a walking billboard. (Yes, you get the soda, too.) They also have add-ons for games, like Coke seats for your online basketball game, which I consider an even bigger rip-off, since you'll stop playing the game after about a year or so. In fact, the best deal is probably free 12-packs of any Coke product.

But let's look at something we can compare: mp3's. Both offer mp3's as prizes. From Pepsi's PepsiStuff.com promotion, you need 2.5 12-packs to get an mp3. From Coke, you need 4.3 for the same. Both are DRM-free mp3's. Pepsi's are offered through Amazon; Coke's, Real Networks' Rhapsody service. Amazon is cross-platform, but you'll need a Windows PC to enter your Rhapsody codes. Also, it takes a lot more steps to download the music via Coke than Pepsi.

So all things being equal, I recommend the Pepsi Stuff for cost and ease, but remember that you're still paying a lot for that mp3, so in Coke's words, "Obey your thirst."