Do fuel cards save you money? Yes! And here’s how
You can easily manage fuel expenses with business fuel cards. One card gives you all sorts of benefits that make filling up affordable and more convenient.
But do fuel cards save you money? Yes! And in this guide we explain how exactly they do that, with a look at some of the other benefits and a quick overview of the best cards on the UK market.
Do fuel cards save you money?
Yes! Fuel cards get you savings at the pump. This can be between two-three pence a litre, although the rate can vary. If you have a fleet of cars, vans, electric vehicles or HGVS, this provides massive savings on a long-term basis.
If you’re using a fleet card only temporarily, then you won’t get the same benefits as that.
However, the cards are still very convenient for business owners and professionals. They make managing your expenses much easier.
And there are also time-saving benefits, too, as you don’t have the hassle of managing lots of receipts. Plus, reclaiming VAT tax from HMRC is much easier, which helps you keep on track with your budget (we explain how that works below).
Five ways fuel cards lower costs
Let’s get straight to it! Here are five quickfire ways fuel cards will save you budget.
1: Save money at the pump
First off, fuel cards give you access to fixed-price fuel. That’s often set weekly, making it easier for you to plan your expenses as you need to.
Next up, many of the providers you can pick get their fuel from suppliers who use the most competitive prices. Simply put, it means your fuel card gets you cheaper fuel at discount prices.
One final time, then! Do fuel cards save you money? Yes, they can save you up to 3p a litre. And that all adds up over time, you know?
2: Fuel cards reduce admin
Almost no one likes admin and spending money on it. But every business needs to do it and be on top of it to be successful. It’s a fact of modern life. But there is one clever way to cut back on your admin workload.
Fuel cards save you money by cutting down on the amount of time you spend on admin. How? By keeping a record of what your company is spending on fuel.
They also give you access to reports that make all that information quick and easy to digest Net result? Much less paperwork! It’s win-win situation.
3: Fuel cards get you interest-free credit
All businesses need access to credit, it always happens. And you might need it to get your business off the ground, or because you’re waiting for a client to settle an invoice.
Fuel cards are a cheap way of accessing credit, allowing your business to purchase its fuel without dipping into the immediate company finances.
What that means is you save on the interest fees associated with buying fuel with a credit card. You can also direct your business funds to settling other bills, saving you on late payment fees. It’ all very handy.
4: Fuel cards simplify VAT reclaims
VAT rebates exist to return money to businesses. Fuel cards simplify the process of reclaiming your VAT. That’s by creating HMRC approved invoices for all your fuel expenses.
It saves you a lot on admin time. You don’t have to faff about with loads of receipts.
Also, you have the peace of mind the invoices you’re submitting are correct. That means you won’t need to waste money and resources on re-submitting them.
5: Fuel cards save you money by helping to manage your cash flow
Cash flow management—if you’re not on top of it, you’re going to struggle with budgets, paying employees and managing all your overhead.
But when you run a business, all the little helping hands add up to making your life a little easier. And fuel cards help you to manage your cash flow.
How? By giving you access to detailed reports that allow you to see where every single penny is being spent on fuel. And that includes what the expenses are for your individual drivers.
You can then use this to plan out your costs ahead of schedule, along with finding areas where you can make savings.
And that means things like seeing if a driver is refuelling at expensive stations. That way you can spot the issue, correct it and save more money.
The best money-saving fuel cards
Do you save money with a fuel card? Well, here’s the answer! Five fuel cards we think are the best. And we’ve flagged up how they’ll save you time, money and other benefits.
| Fuel card | The business benefits | Stations in network |
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With the BP Plus you get weekly fuel prices at over 3,200 BP fuel stations across the UK. Use it at BP and Texaco stations and benefit from fixed weekly fuel prices | 3,200 |
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The Esso National gets you wholesale fuel prices at Esso and other network stations. Plus, you have access to 25% of all fuel stations in the UK! That’s over 3,400 fill up spots | 3,400+ |
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The fuelGenie is accepted at 1,350 Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco stations. Plus, you can get supermarket loyalty points the more you spend, which is handy | 1,350 |
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With the EDC you can fill up your fleet in 21 European countries. And access over 11,000 service stations across the EU, with simple VAT and duty reclaim solutions | 11,000+ |
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The Shell Multi-Network gets you access to Shell, Esso and Texaco stations across a network of over 3,400 fill up spots. You also get weekly wholesale fuel discounts | 3,400+ |
Use a fuel card to save money with the above providers. You can quickly compare the market to find the right deal to match your business needs. It’s free to do, as well!
How else can you save on fuel expenses?
There are other ways to cut back on your fuel expenses. We’ve got a guide for that! It’s the simple ways fleet managers can save money on fuel.
In quickfire form, here’s a basic breakdown of some tactics to use:
- Use air con at the right speed (only at less than 50mph)
- Don’t let engines idle
- Always drive in the right gear
- Don’t tailgate!
- Stop speeding
- Limit unnecessary journeys
- Optimise your tyre pressures
Track your miles per gallon with the right fuel card
You can easily achieve many of the above with vehicle tracking systems, so you can monitor your vehicles (and drivers) to optimise your fleet.
How fuel cards help in the cost of fuel crisis in the UK
Do fuel cards save you money during the fuel cost crisis in the UK? Yes, they can do.
Obviously, this is a stressful time for business owners and the public with high costs and fuel shortages, but fuel cards can alleviate some of the costs. You can use them to:
- Manage your fuel budget more effectively
- Get fixed prices at the pump (provider dependent)
- Set budget limits
- Track all spending
- Lower prices when filling up (provider dependent)
You can also match a fuel card with telematics devices to monitor your drivers, ensuring they use fuel-saving driving techniques.
Every little helps in these difficult times and making even the most minor seeming money-saving change can have long-term benefits.
Compare fuel cards, save money
Okay, so you can stop asking, “Do fuel cards save you money?” Because, yes, of course they do. And they’ll make your life much more convenient, too.
To get a provider, it’s a simple case of comparing the market. You can use our free tool to help you out there. All you have to do is:
- Enter your business details
- We’ll search our database and send you offers
- You pick from the recommendations
You’ll then be forwarded to the provider where you can make an application. In no time you’ll be ready to hit the road (Jack) with more peace of mind.
