How Do Fuel Cards Work For Employees?
Fuel cards let employees refill their work vehicle or company car without using their own money. But how do how do fuel cards work exactly and will they work for your business? Let’s find out.
Compare fuel cards to see which options would work best for your business. Keep reading out expert guide to get a detailed introduction to how fuel cards work, the best benefits and what cards you can get.
How fuel cards work for employees
Fuel cards work seamlessly for employees. You choose the cards that work best for your business needs, then assign each card to a driver.
These cards work by letting the employee pay for fuel using their fuel card instead of cash or their debit card.
Fuel cards are only accepted at certain stations and where they’re accepted differs depending on which card you get. To make it easy, most providers have a map online or an app to help drivers find nearby stations that accept their card.
Using a fuel card means employees don’t have to collect receipts on a business’s behalf or need to handle cash. Fuel invoices are sent straight to the business owner’s online account or email, which makes handling the paperwork easier for everyone involved.
Can I give a fuel card to any of my employees?
Yes. If an employee has a company vehicle or uses their personal vehicle for work, then you can give them a fuel card.
Using your fuel card account, you can add or remove cards at any time should the situation change.
I’m worried about fuel fraud. Will fuel cards help?
Yes. Fuel cards can remove problems many businesses deal with every day.
Giving employees cash to refill creates problems including theft, employees losing cash and more. Employees using their debit cards might lose receipts, which can be a setback when filing your VAT claims. Here’s how fuel cards can help you avoid fuel fraud and lost receipts:
- Billed directly to you: fuel cards send invoices to your account and not to your employees
- PIN protected: even if a card is stolen, it’s hard to use because the thief would need to know its PIN number.
- Track transactions: managers can check all card purchases on an online account. This can even filter between each card in the system, so you can check each one and remove any from the system any time from your phone, tablet or computer.
Fuel fraud and losing receipts is harder to achieve when your business is billed directly for the fuel. Invoices are sent to your account on a regular basis, so no receipts need to be collected!
How fuel cards work in Ireland: where to use your card
Fuel cards are only accepted in their network, so apply for a card that has stations on your route. Here are some of the best fuel cards in Ireland and where you can use them:
| Fuel Card | Best Feature | Where to Use It |
|
Fixed prices for petrol and diesel | Texaco, Maxol, Great Gas, EMO |
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Discounts on pump prices | Circle K, Top, Texaco, EMO, Maxol, Campus, Amber Oil |
|
Largest network of stations in Ireland | Circle K, Top, Texaco, EMO, Maxol, Campus, Amber Oil |
|
Pay for EV charging, petrol and diesel on one card | Charge points: ESB, NewMotion, IONITY and Fastned
Pump stations: Maxol, Texaco, Amber, Circle K, Star, Emo, Top and more |
|
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No minimum monthly spending requirement | Circle K, Top, Texaco, EMO, Maxol, Campus, Amber Oil |
How do fuel cards work: a step-by-step guide to using your card
Switching from using cash or debit cards to fuel cards can seem complicated. But once it’s broken down, cards can save time and money. Follow these steps to use your fuel card:
- Check where your fuel card is accepted on the provider’s app or online map
- Go to the petrol station covered by your card’s network
- Fill up your work vehicle with the amount of fuel you need
- Show your card to the petrol station cashier
- When ready, enter the unique PIN into the machine
- The cashier processes the payment
- The user will be asked to authorise the transaction with a signature
Discount fuel card: how does it work for money saving?
Fuel cards can reduce the costs of buying fuel, reduce time spent on paperwork and help to reduce mileage.
The two main types of fuel cards are fixed-priced and discount-pump prices. How the fuel card savings work for your business depends on the type you’ve chosen:
- Discount pump prices: guaranteed small discount off the pump price at accepted stations. The best of these in Ireland is the DCI Pump Saver fuel card. Ideal for small businesses and sole traders.
- Fixed weekly prices: fuel price alerts every week to your account and phone based on the wholesale market. Competitive prices that change every week. Ideal for fleets, large businesses and all bulk fuel buyers.
Fuel card: how does it work if you’re self-employed?
Fuel cards for the self-employed work in a similar way to those for employees, but sole traders get a couple of extra perks directly.
After you get your card in the post, use it to pay for fuel at your stations. The fuel card provider then sends invoices to your account every month or week, depending on the payment schedule you choose. Here’s how it works for sole traders in four easy steps:
- Buy fuel at the pump station and pay later
- Get invoices online for easy paperwork
- Check how much fuel you’re using on your online account
- Use your fuel invoices for accurate VAT claims on your self-assessment
To get a sole trader fuel card, compare to see which one is right for you then do an online application. See our guide to sole trader fuel cards for more tips.
