Fuel cards are an ideal way for charities to manage their fuel expenditure. They have the potential to reduce costs while saving administrative time as well, leading to greater efficiency for the organisation and thus more funds for beneficiaries.
Many charities incur fuel costs during the course of their work, whether collecting and delivering donations, or travelling to fundraising events, meetings and conferences. As every penny counts for charitable organisations, a simple and cost-effective solution for managing fuel expenditure is absolutely essential.
How do fuel cards for charities work?
A fuel card is issued by the charity to each employee or volunteer who needs to drive as part of their work for the organisation. These fuel cards can be presented as payment for petrol or diesel at any participating petrol filling station. Find out more about how fuel cards work.
The cost of the fuel is then charged to the charity’s account at a later date, effectively providing a form of credit. This process avoids the need for workers to spend their own money and later reclaim, which also reduces the administrative burden of processing and refunding such claims.
What are the benefits of fuel cards for charities?
The fuelGenie fuel card offers a host of key benefits to charitable organisations, all of which help with costs, cash flow and operational efficiency.
No fees
fuelGenie cards are free to own, with no annual or monthly fee, and no other costs normally incurred besides the price of fuel purchased. Other fuel card providers may charge a number of different additional fees, including a network service charge, annual fees, charges for replacement cards, change of details fees and risk-based fees.
Low-cost supermarket fuel
fuelGenie partners with three providers – Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s – to provide users with access to a network of more than 1,370 conveniently located petrol stations across the country. The average fuel price at these is over 3 pence per litre cheaper than the national average.
Competitive credit
When spending on fuel, charities can take advantage of competitive credit periods before the expenditure is charged to the organisation’s account. This credit window is particularly generous compared to other fuel cards and is beneficial for cash flow.
Easy VAT reclaim
All of the charity’s expenditure on each of the fuelGenie cards in use is combined automatically into one single invoice, in an HMRC-approved format, ready for VAT reclaim. This means there is no need to collect and process individual invoices, significantly reducing the administrative burden.
No minimum spend contract
Some fuel cards may impose a minimum spend, but fuelGenie is entirely flexible and can be used as much or as little as required, with no penalties or extra fees linked to usage.
Manage my account
Manage My Account is an online account management system that allows fuelGenie to digitally access and administer their fuel card usage. With the facility to track spending, set credit limits and access invoices online, the system is efficient and paper-free.
