Fuel cards offer a way for driving instructors to control and manage the ever-present cost of petrol or diesel. See how they can work for you in this guide covering:
- How do fuel cards work?
- Why are fuel cards a good idea for driving instructors?
- How do I choose the best fuel card?
- fuelGenie – the free fuel card
Life as a driving instructor can be a bit unpredictable, not least when it comes to the different levels of progress that your students may or may not be making! Then you have the constant ups and downs, with busy times and quiet times making it hard to know exactly how much you’ll be earning from week to week.
One thing, however, is very predictable: you always need fuel to keep your show on the road. Without it, your livelihood would (quite literally) grind to a halt.
With fuel prices often as unpredictable as driving students, one way to stay on top of these costs is to use a fuel card. This is a special payment method designed to help self-employed people and businesses manage and control petrol and diesel expenses.
How do fuel cards work?
Fuel cards act as a method of payment for petrol and diesel at petrol filling stations. Instead of spending your own money, or putting it on a business card, you present the fuel card at the till.
The cashier swipes the fuel card to take payment, and this is later charged to the account registered with the card, providing a run of credit. Find out more about how fuel cards work.
Why are fuel cards a good idea for driving instructors?
They can save you money
Depending on which fuel card you select, you can keep your costs down. Different fuel cards partner with different networks of petrol filling stations, and average prices vary from company to company. Because of this price differential, you can ensure lower fuel costs over time by choosing a fuel card that partners with cheaper petrol stations.
They can save you time
Modern fuel cards like fuelGenie track and record all expenditure on a central online system, which you can access to pull off invoices for accounting and VAT reclaim. This means less time spent collecting, recording and reconciling receipts.
They help you stay in control
Fuel cards can only be used for fuel and, if authorised, some other car-related purchases (e.g. oil and car wash). This means that you can keep a close eye on fuel spending and keep it separate from other outlay, including personal spending.
fuelGenie – the free fuel card
fuelGenie could be the best choice for you, because it brings all the following advantages:
- Savings of over 3p/litre by consistently directing drivers to low-cost supermarket fuel stations*
- No fees to pay for normal use
- 24/7 online dashboard for easy admin and management
- HMRC-approved invoices for easy VAT reclaim
- Competitive credit facility with no minimum spend
- Unlimited number of free fuel cards
- It allows drivers to gain reward points on supermarket loyalty cards
