31/10/2016
There are many types of fuel card on the market: from ‘standard’ fee-paying models like the Allstar card family, to the supermarket cards offered by fuelGenie. We think the supermarket fuel card model is a better choice for small businesses. Here’s why.
Control over spending
Supermarket fuel cards like fuelGenie gives you total control over your spending. For a start, your drivers are locked into buying their fuel at participating supermarket forecourts. So you’ll have a predictable price for fuel: the price posted by the supermarket across its petrol stations. As supermarket fuel is often cheaper than non-supermarket fuel, there’s a built-in saving whenever your drivers fill up.
Non-supermarket fuel cards may offer discounts on pump prices: however, when combined with annual fees, card application fees, and monthly usage fees or underuse fees, a non-supermarket card may actually offer smaller savings than it appears to.
Easy application process
The fuelGenie card has an easy, free application process: and you can apply for as many new cards as you need. By contrast, some non-supermarket fuel card providers charge an application or new card fee.
No hidden charges
Some fuel card services build extra charges into their invoices: company name change fees, data processing fees, replacement card fees. From account migration to ‘under-used’ accounts, the total price you pay often exceeds the cost of the fuel itself.
With fuelGenie’s supermarket cards, you pay only the price on the pump. Every month, you’re invoiced for all the fuel you have bought. And that’s it. The invoice is HMRC-approved and contains a VAT breakdown that makes it easy to reclaim your full business fuel allowance.
Easy to manage
Supermarket fuel cards are easy to manage. The network of supermarket forecourts has a wide coverage, ensuring your drivers are never far away from an approved filling station. And that means all of your fuel spend should be easily identifiable, traceable, and manageable—it is only in very limited, very special circumstances that your drivers need to buy fuel from a location other than one included in your network. Other fuel cards, which can lock you down to a local area, or which tie you to major suppliers that may not have presence in some parts of the country, can restrict your ability to manage fuel spending.
fuelGenie also offers comprehensive backup for fleet managers. You can directly manage your account online, set card limits, track card usage, order new cards, and stay on top of payments.
Do you use supermarket fuel cards? Let us know on LinkedIn or Twitter.
