The Basic Benefits of a Fuel Card

It is no secret that fuel cards get "hyped up" a lot, especially by the companies that offer them. And, to be honest, you can’t really blame them. It’s their job to make you see the good things about fuel cards- there are definitely many- and to encourage you to get started with them. And, while these companies may be hoping to turn a profit and/or gain a new client, they definitely are right about one main thing: fuel cards have a wide range of benefits over other methods, such as old-school cash or standard credit cards, for paying for fuel and related fleet expenses.

Control

One of the major and most important benefits of a fuel card over any other method of fleet fueling management is that it gives the fleet manager absolute control over his or her fleet and all spending done by that fleet.

Managers can determine how much can be spent on each card or across all cards if they prefer, allowing them to keep within their allotted budgets. They can also require a pin number and odometer reading for all fueling jobs to protect card security and to ensure that only the correct person is using the card assigned to him or her. These are just two of many ways in which fuel card users are put into (and stay in!) control of their own business accounts.

Access

Another nice benefit of a fuel card is that it can be used at "in network" stations, meaning stations connected to and/or approved by the fuel card provider, for a sizable discount and/or rebate, depending on the card and its terms. Typically, these savings are offered for every single liter pumped, which can really add up over time, especially for those with medium to large sized fleets.

Not only is the ability to access discounts nice, but what’s also nice is that the businesses that fuel cards tend to partner with are usually very prolific, meaning that cardholders can almost always find a fueling station where they can receive discounts just for getting gas when they need one.

In fact, many providers of fuel cards are even offering apps and programs these days that can help cardholders to easily and instantly locate nearby fueling stations in their network and that will even provide detailed directions to the closest in-network station.

Management

Most fuel cards can easily be managed online for the convenience of the fleet manager. And not just "managed online" the way standard credit cards or bank cards can be. No, with fuel cards, managers can typically view all transactions, as well as trend reports and summaries about those transactions, making analyzing trends, reporting information, and other important jobs and required tasks so much easier.

Most cards also allow managers to limit controls and set up other specialty features, whether for certain cards or all cards, all from a computer or mobile device. What could be simpler than that?

These are just the most basic benefits of fuel cards. In fact, they don’t even really scratch the surface of all of the benefits that do exist. If you’d like to experience these and other benefits for yourself and your business firsthand, why not start looking into available options- FleetCor is a great one!-for a fuel card that will work for your business and its needs? The aforementioned FleetCor offers cards for use in the United States, Europe (where the value added tax is refunded via rebate!), and beyond. Its cards include many great and well known ones too, such as the popular EuroShell Card Kompakt, FuelMan cards, The Fuel Card Company cards, and FleetCardsUSA cards, to name a few.

Once you have one, you can start enjoying these.benefits, as well as the countless other benefits that go along with a fuel card, so what are you waiting for?

This article is written by Tom Nutt, a public relations consultant of PR Point. PR Point is a leading global public relations and communications firm dealing with major oil companies and providing counsel and program development.