Choosing the Best Fuel Card: Which Fuel Card is Best?

How to pick the best one for your business

There are many fuel cards available to businesses in the UK so it’s important to make the right choice for your company. We take a look at the features and benefits and advise on how to select the best fuel card.

• Comparing cards for UK businesses
• What to consider when comparing fuel cards
• More about choosing the right one
  
  

Comparing fuel cards for UK businesses

On the surface fuel cards might appear to be very similar in the way that they operate and the benefits they provide to UK businesses. This isn’t the case as there are many fuel card options, each with a slightly different offer around costs and benefits. The way your business operates, the size of your fleet and type of vehicle will all have a say on the type of card that's best for your business. 
The best provider will help you save on expenses by offering a range of options that meet the business needs of fleets of all sizes. They provide competitive prices and excellent customer service, making it easier for businesses to manage fuel costs efficiently. Choosing the right card from the best provider is crucial in making savings and streamlining operations. We take a look at how you can choose the most suitable UK fuel card for your business.

What should you consider when comparing which fuel card is best?

There are a number of key factors to investigate:

• Fees – it's essential to consider the account fee as part of the overall cost. fuelGenie stands out by offering no account fee, transaction fee or other standard fees. Careful consideration of account fees can help you select the best fuel card for your needs while keeping costs in check.
• Replacement fees – fuelGenie is the top choice for small business fleets due to its affordability and cost-saving features. There's no replacement card fee, annual fee or transaction fee, so it gives complete control over fleet expenses. That is critical when volatile fuel prices make financial planning difficult.
• Fuel costs – this is a major factor in choosing the best card for your needs and fuelGenie is a top pick for UK small businesses. It allows access to a large number of fuel stations with diesel and petrol consistently at an average of 3 pence per lite less than the national forecourt average.
• Online account management and financial reporting – the best card for expense management should offer a wide range of expense management options beyond fuel purchases. It should provide convenience and security in tracking and managing related expenses and help you streamline financial tracking processes to give greater control over spending. It will also help with controlling and monitoring fuel expenses by encouraging efficient driving practices that reduce fuel costs and improve overall fleet management.
• Pricing – when selecting the best business fuel card, consider factors such as pricing models, credit periods, fuel station access and fuel management features. That is where fuelGenie stands out as a top choice for small businesses due to its ultra-low-cost pricing structure and easy to follow dashboard.
  
  

Costs of fuel

Supermarket petrol stations linked to the fuelGenie card are 3 pence per litre cheaper than the national average, which is why fuelGenie focuses exclusively on these to bring crucial savings. By consistently directing drivers to lower cost petrol stations, businesses using fuelGenie can benefit from the lower pump price and keep expenditure down.

Other cards may focus on a particular brand or chain of petrol stations while fuelGenie and fuelGenie+ offer access to a wide range of forecourts around the UK. The amount spent will vary, being dependent on the rises and falls in pricing at these different companies but major brand supermarkets tend to be cheaper. Prices also vary by region and location with motorway service stations charging higher rates than towns and cities.

Locating UK Eligible Petrol Stations

Finding the perfect fuel card with a good network of eligible petrol stations can help drivers save time and money as they won’t need to go far out of their way to fill up. fuelGenie has over 1,370 petrol stations across the UK, so there is always a filling station nearby. The fuelGenie app shows drivers their nearest fuelGenie eligible petrol station and the prices at stations nearby and across the UK fuelGenie network. Find out more information on the fuelGenie app.

Fees – and how to decide which fuel card is best?

Many UK fuel cards charge a fee to companies for using them so they are not a great choice. These charges are on top of the costs of the fuel itself, which naturally varies depending on the companies and forecourts where the fuel cards can be used.

Additional fees charged at fuel sites which need to be considered when thinking about which fuel credit or debit card is best for you, can include:

• Annual card charge
• Network service fee
• Replacement card charge
• Convenience charge
• Change of details fee
• Invoicing fee
• Direct debit administration fee
• Risk-based fee

For more details on these fees, visit fuel cards with no fees. In fact, the fuelGenie card is completely free to own and use normally, regardless of how many drivers and cards are required.

Administration and management

One of the key benefits of using a good fuel card is that it should make the process of administering and managing expenditure simple. Some cards in the UK offer an online portal where you can manage your account and check how much you have spent. fuelGenie includes a 24/7 online dashboard for keeping track of expenses, setting credit limits and viewing invoices.

Businesses using the fuelGenie fuel card benefit from the best service and automatically generated, HMRC-approved invoices with a comprehensive VAT breakdown, all accessible online.

Credit period

Fuel card companies vary in the length of time they allow for businesses to repay the charges built up by using the card. Credit periods available will vary, however most provide sufficient cash flow benefits making them a great option for firms looking to save on expenses.

Choose fuelGenie for your UK fuel cards

In the final decision on which fuel card is best it's wise to consider that fuelGenie is designed to help UK businesses manage their fuel expenditure both efficiently and cost-effectively. The low-cost fuel, lack of fees and long credit period make it economical and cash-flow friendly. Meanwhile, the online dashboard and HMRC-approved invoices make administration and operations a piece of cake. fuelGenie also offer an app which allows drivers to locate their closest petrol station and view the prices of fuel in their area, helping drivers save time by locating low priced filling stations in their area. Find out more the fuelGenie app.

If you are looking for more reasons to select fuelGenie as your fuel card provider take a look at all of the benefits of the fuelGenie fuel card. The fuelGenie application process is quick and easy to do online thanks to our excellent customer support, if you’re ready to start saving start your application here.