Specialized fuel cards for fleets assists in cost control for businesses operating vehicle fleets. The leading fuel card providers offer substantial savings through discounted network rates, with some cards reducing diesel and gas spending by 10-35 cents per gallon.
The best fleet fuel card choice delivers maximum savings and efficiency based on a fleet’s size and needs, from basic fuel-only cards to full-service options with automated data capture and accounting software integration.
Quicklook: 5 top fleet fueling cards for reducing costs
- Best for price matching: Fuelman Fleet Card
- Best for fuel analytics: Coast
- Best for gallon rebates: WEX Fleet One
- Best for rotating deals: Shell Fuel Card
- Best for maintenance and repair discounts: Comdata Fuel Cards
Best fleet cards for reducing vehicle fleet management costs
Commercial fleet fuel cards offer more ways to save costs than you may realize. The following fleet fuel card comparison explains several potential benefits to truck fleet fuel programs.
Fuelman Fleet Card
Fuelman offers one of the best fleet management fuel cards for reducing costs. They do this in part by pledging a maximum price match guarantee to commercial fleets, reimbursing the difference whenever a competitor has a lower posted retail rate. This allows drivers to reduce fleet fuel costs by always paying the absolute lowest price at the pump.
It also notifies cardholders of stations with the cheapest fuel in their area to further optimize savings, using the price parity alerts feature. This level of price transparency and protection ensures bottom-line fuel savings.
Best for: Price matching
Features:
- Package flexibility
- Deepest rebates in the industry
- Credit option available
Benefits:
- Rebates of up to 10 cents per gallon
- Carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly options
- Available to use at any gas station
Disadvantages: Coverage gaps in some states outside of the Midwest
Pricing: $39-$99 a month for all the fuel cards in your business
Coast Fuel Card
Coast Fuel Card technologies amount to a robust truck fleet management system focusing heavily on data analytics to drive fuel saving decisions, setting them apart from competitors. Their online platform transforms volumes of fuel data into actionable optimization strategies for fleet managers and identifies waste reduction opportunities.
Coast’s algorithms enable fleets to understand spending and usage trends better while prescribing specific purchasing changes expected to lower costs. The fleet fuel management system analytics and insights ultimately guide users on how to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize expenses.
Best for: Fuel analytics
Features:
- Discounts at select businesses
- Rewards on non-fuel purchases
- Easy controls and security settings for all fleet cards and users
- Spending reports
Benefits:
- Centralized fleet spending on one account
- No personal guarantee
- Efficient customer service
- Purchase and expense tracking
Disadvantages: No published APR
Pricing: $4 per active card, per month
WEX Fuel Card
For high volume fuel customers, WEX issues attractive cash back rewards on gallons purchased, sending quarterly rebates up to $0.15 per gallon. As an industry leader in fuel payment processing, their commercial purchase leverage enables aggressive rebate structures not viable for smaller providers. The greater the monthly or annual fuel expenditure, the larger the rebate payouts, which can drastically offset overall net fleet cost and care outlays.
Best for: Gallon rebates
Features:
- Mobile payments through DriverDash
- Fuel spending reports generated by ClearView
- Employee spending controls
- Automatic fuel expense tracking
Benefits:
- Helpful fleet tracker app
- Specialized cards for various fleet sizes
- Ease of payment
Disadvantages:
- Unlisted fees for some services
- Low rebates
- WEX cards that allow you to carry a balance have high interest rates
Pricing: No setup or annual fees
Shell Fleet Fuel Cards
To spur smarter price shopping behaviors and decisions, Shell frequently updates discounted rates available across their vast station network. Discounts ranging from $0.02 to $0.10 per gallon will be attached to different Shell locations every week on a rotating basis.
Drivers are compelled to consult Shell’s retail analytics app, ensuring they select the station with the best weekly deal before filling up. This discount rotation system incentivizes savvier purchasing, resulting in a lower fleet management cost per vehicle.
Best for: Rotating deals
Features:
- More than 14,000 Shell locations across the U.S.
- No monthly fees
Benefits:
- One of the best small fleet fuel card options
- Monitoring features, and online account management
- Itemized purchases on card statements
Disadvantages:
- No coverage in Montana
- Coverage gaps in the Midwest, Southwest and Mountain states
Pricing: No upfront costs; small monthly card fees depending on the number of cards issued to the account
Comdata Fuel Cards
Comdata Fuel Cards offer discounts and rebates on fuel purchases at thousands of gas stations across the U.S. But their truck fueling cards also offer access to a network of maintenance and repair service providers, helping you to also lower fleet maintenance management costs. Pricing options vary depending on the size of your fleet. With customized solutions for smaller operations, they offer one of the best fuel cards for small fleets.
Best for: Maintenance and repair discounts
Features:
- Truck fuel card is accepted at more than 8,000 locations nationwide
- Savings up to 65% on tires and retreads at over 3,000 locations
- 24/7 driver support
- Online account management and fast track gas station membership
Benefits:
- Cash price plus additional $.25 off per gallon at TA Petro
- $.10 off per gallon at Pilot Flying J
- Up to $.08 off per gallon at Love’s, AMBEST, Speedway and 7-Eleven locations.
Disadvantages:
- Subject to a $8/card per month fee after a one-time $50 account setup fee
- Additional fees may apply for optional services, late payments, and/or credit risks
Pricing:
- No transaction fee at in-network locations
- $3 transaction fee at out-of-network locations
The importance of choosing the best fleet fuel cards for reducing costs
Sifting through the best fleet fuel card companies in order to help with reducing fuel costs is crucial because fuel remains one of the largest controllable operating expenses for fleets. With intense competition and tight margins in the transportation industry, reining in fuel costs can determine overall profitability.
The most competitively priced fuel card options provide discounts of $0.15 per gallon or more across vast fueling networks through negotiated wholesale rates and high-volume rebates.
Over the course of a year, these savings add up enormously by collectively lowering total fuel outlays. Additionally, the best fuel card analytics promote better usage visibility to combat waste while tools like spending alerts and controls rein in excess costs.
Given fuel’s proportion of total fleet spend, maximizing fuel savings via the strongest discount programs and cards optimizes the bottom line.
The difference between average and outstanding fuel card discount levels can save tens of thousands in expenditures annually for mid-sized fleets and hundreds of thousands for larger operators.
Take advantage of fleet management cost savings with a fuel card
Choosing the best fleet cards for fuel is crucial for anyone struggling with how to reduce fleet fuel costs. These cards offer detailed insights into fuel usage, enable efficient monitoring, and often provide discounts.
Making growth decisions that include optimal fleet fuel management solutions lead to streamlined operations and enhanced budget oversight. Ultimately fleet fuel management systems including fleet fuel cards with discounts significantly decrease overall fuel expenses, promoting financial sustainability.
FAQ
Fleet fuel cards work by allowing employees to purchase fuel for company vehicles at gas stations, with the charges going directly to the company for payment instead of the employee having to be reimbursed. The fuel card provider partners with gas stations to facilitate the transactions and provide reporting to the company.
Fuel cards can be a good idea for companies with multiple vehicles because they simplify fuel purchasing and provide centralized billing and detailed analytics on fuel spending. However, controls need to be in place to prevent misuse of the cards.
The main risks of fuel cards are employees purchasing non-fuel items, allowing others to use their card, or buying fuel for personal vehicles. This can lead to unauthorized charges that are difficult to dispute. Companies also risk spending more on fuel if there are no controls on where employees purchase gas or limits on amounts.
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