Fleet cards are credit or debit cards that drivers of fleet vehicles may use at certain gas stations to pay for petrol and perhaps other items, depending on the rules of the fleet card programme. Fleet cards can be loaded with a predetermined amount of money. Fleet managers can provide their drivers with standard corporate credit cards, which can be used at gas stations. However, fleet cards often come with additional perks, such as gasoline savings and specific fleet management statistics that drivers can access online. There is a potential savings of up to seven cents per gallon for businesses participating in this programme and provide their fleet drivers with 76 fleet cards to use at petrol stations. These discounts are valid at 76, Conoco, and Phillips 66 gas station locations.
How the Use of Fleet Cards Operates
When a corporate fleet begins using a certain fleet card programme, the fleet manager will distribute cards for that programme to all of the drivers of the cars that are included in the company fleet. The drivers are responsible for paying for the gasoline and any other costs associated with the vehicle using the fleet cards. This makes the process much easier for drivers. Fleet managers can watch their drivers' fuel consumption and other vital indicators that help them make business choices using fleet cards. Fleet managers can also establish spending limitations for their drivers using fleet cards.
Record of the drivers
The fleet card software records the drivers' purchase history, which fleet managers may use to keep tabs on their drivers. They have access to various dashboards and data that can be seen online, which will provide them with more information about where their drivers are using their fleet cards and how they are using them. Limits on spending and other activities may also be placed on the cards by the managers and owners of fleets. Paper receipts are no longer necessary for fleet owners to collect since they can see the specifics of their drivers' fleet card spending on an internet dashboard. The driver will also find this to be to their advantage.
The Shell Fleet Plus Card programme, for instance, provides savings on gasoline purchases at Shell gas stations and a discount of fifteen per cent at Jiffy Lube, where the card is also accepted. Conversely, 2 WEX fleet cards are included in the WEX Edge Savings Network. This network provides savings to participating fleets on gasoline, tyres bought at Bridgestone retail operations, hotel stays, cellular purchases, and fleet management software.
Brand-Specific Fleet Cards vs Universal Fleet Cards
Fleet cards special to a brand are often branded with the name of a particular gas station chain, such as ExxonMobil or Shell. The use of universal fleet cards, such as those provided by WEX or U.S. Bank, does not restrict you to a single chain of gas stations. Universal fleet cards may normally be used at most petrol stations across the United States. However, brand-specific fleet cards can typically only be used at the gas stations that sell that particular brand's fuel.
However, certain brand-specific fleet card programmes also provide cards that may be used at establishments that are not associated with the brand. For instance, Circle K provides two fleet cards: the Circle K Fleet Card and the Circle K Universal Fleet Card. The former can only be used at Circle K locations, while the latter may be used at 95% of all gas stations in the United States. 78 Fleet managers responsible for sending drivers through areas of the country where some gasoline suppliers do not have branches should consider this consideration.
Comparison between Gasoline Cards and Fleet Cards
Fleet cards are credit cards issued to companies operating more than one vehicle at a time. They are not credit cards for consumers. This option may interest consumers who are also interested in the benefits of fleet cards.
How To Get a Fleet Card
Suppose you own or manage a company that operates a fleet of cars and believe that a fleet card may benefit your fleet. In that case, the first step you should do is to research the many fleet card programmes available to choose the programme that best meets your needs. For instance, the responsibilities of a fleet manager for a huge organisation will be quite different from those of a business owner who manages a small fleet of vehicles. You may contact the fleet card programme to apply when you have decided. Some fleet card schemes, like Circle K's card, let applicants submit their applications online.