In 2008, we saw gas prices rise to nearly $5 per gallon in some areas of the country. Gas prices have fallen significantly, but it still highlights a problem. Across the globe, countries that weren’t as industrialized are becoming so. Citizens that weren’t driving before, now are. As a result, millions more vehicles are on the road, raising the demand of gasoline. As such, all we can do is anticipate the coming changes and adapt our businesses. In the long term, this may mean automated electric vehicles. But for now, it means using fleet fuel cards.
There are several actions you can take to reduce fleet fuel consumption or its associated costs. One is to invest in fleet fuel cards. But what are they? And what is the best fleet fuel card? We’ll cover all that and more below.
What are Fleet Fuel Cards?
A fleet fuel card allows drivers to purchase fuel within a network of gas stations. Within this network, they receive discounted fuel or other perks for their purchases. This allows fleet managers to more easily see purchase details. It also helps keep drivers from making unauthorized purchases. These cards typically use an identification number, securing purchases even further. Another great benefit is that many cards include automatic accounting. This means sales tax, mileage, and more are electronically logged. If you link your fuel cards with a telematics system, you may even get trend reports and analysis.
Finding the Best Fleet Fuel Card for Your Business
There are dozens of fleet management fuel cards. Some are issued by well known, top brands and others come from companies you’ve never heard of. But there are only a few fleet fuel cards with discounts that offer you significant savings.
Below, we cover the best fuel cards with discounts that every fleet should take advantage of. We considered the following factors in our selections:
- The number of stations in their network
- How much of a savings is possible
- Other perks offered
It’s difficult to claim which card is the best fuel card for small business fleets or which has the best perks. Each card serves its own purpose and each fleet has its own needs. However, we have narrowed our selections down to help you find the card that’s right for your business.
WEX
Wex is the first card on this list because it is one of the most widely used. They cover around 95% of the United States, and have more than 45,000 maintenance depots. At each gas station, you get 3 cents off per gallon. Used properly, the card cuts 15% of your fleet management costs for fuel and maintenance. It does this largely through rebates, but that cut is significant. There is a $2 monthly fee, but the savings justify it. If you don’t integrate the card with your telematics system, WEX has a fuel finder app. This helps ensure you always find an in-network gas station along the route.
In addition, WEX offers multiple cards, each designed for different types of fleets. Whether you’re a government fleet, small business, or enterprise, WEX may be right for you.
Fuelman
Fuelman is also known as one of the best fuel cards with discounts. It covers 50,000 gas stations across the nation, as well as 20,000 maintenance stations. This card offers massive savings of up to 6 cents per gallon with the Universal Fleet Card. Their regular fleet card saves you up to 10 cents per gallon. The card also offers tax and IFTA reporting, which saves you time and money.
One downfall of their regular fleet card is that it doesn’t cover many gas stations in the Northeast. This can be a big problem for many fleets. One way around this is to use their Universal Fleet Card. The savings is lower, but it covers 160,000 gas stations across the country. Like WEX, Fuelman offers ten different types of fuel cards. There are basic advantages, such as flexible payment terms and transaction controls. But the cards do vary on savings and coverage. Despite this, the various options ensure they have a card that will work for your fleet.
ExxonMobil
We’ve all heard of ExxonMobil, and have likely fueled up at their stations thousands of times. But did you know that fueling at their stations (11,000 across the country) can save you 6 cents per gallon? This is true for their Business Fleet Card. Their Fleet National Card works at 95% of our nation's fuel stations. While these are the only two cards Exxon offers, they work well for many fleets.
Benefits of the cards include no fees, vehicle performance tracking, and purchase restrictions. In the first 6 months with the card, you get 10 cents off per gallon at fill up. The downfall is that there are few Exxon stations on the west coast. If you have their business card and operate in the west frequently, this could be an issue.
BP Business Solutions Fuel Cards
The BP Solutions Fuel Card is a fleet credit card with a huge network of 175,000 fueling stations. At these stations, you’ll receive a discount of up to 6 cents per gallon through rebates. However, your discount depends on how much you fuel up each month. If you purchase less than 3,000 gallons each month, you’ll only earn 3.5 cents per gallon. To reach 6 cents off per gallon, you’ll need to purchase 10,000 gallons or more each month.
Because this card acts as a charge card, it does not incur interest fees and payments are due monthly. There is also a $10 monthly fee, but it’s waived if you purchase more than 5,000 gallons of fuel each month.
Shell
Shell offers two great cards for small fleet companies. These are the Small Business Card and Fleet Plus Card. The network with these cards is fairly small, covering only 14,000 shell stations. However, if you serve a smaller area, this may be all you need. There is also the Fleet Navigator Card, which covers 95% of fueling stations. It’s a great option for national and larger fleets. The Fleet Navigator Card offers 5 cents off every gallon of fuel. The other two cards offer 6 cents per gallon.
There are some coverage gaps in the Midwest and Southwest. To compensate, the card has no fees, and offers purchase monitoring and rebates.
Other Fleet Fuel Cards with Discounts
There are many great fleet fuel credit cards, but the ones above offer a little more than most. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that there are dozens of other worthy cards out there. Some may be better suited to your fleet than those above. Honorable mentions include:
- Comdata
- Pilot Flying J Fleet Card
- Arco
- Chevron Texaco Fuel Card
- U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard
Finding the right business card is about knowing your fleet’s needs. The type of coverage and savings you need will determine which card is best for your fleet.
Whichever fleet card you choose, integrate it with your telematics system. Doing so helps your fleet with route optimization, fuel savings, tracking, and more. Learn more about how integrating your fleet with telematics can save your fleet money with Azuga.
