BP: Is it the Right Fuel Card Provider for You?

BP logo
BP Supercharge

BP is one of the largest oil and fuel companies on the planet, so it only stands to reason that they offer their own fuel card service to businesses who rely on a lot of trucking or driving. And with fuel costs rising steadily, any business that relies heavily on fuel consumption has a lot to gain from investing in a cheap fuel card, as it can offer discounts and benefits.

If you’re interested in a fuel card, whether it’s a BP product or not, you can get quotes tailored specifically to your business by filling out our quote comparison tool. You’ll receive zero-commitment quotes, and can make a decision whether a fuel card is right for you.

Pros

  • Can be used at almost 90% of all UK fuel sites
  • Larger fleets get cheaper card fees
  • Doesn't charge any transaction fees
  • Earn rewards with every BP transaction

Cons

  • Expensive annual card fees for businesses with smaller fleets

What Are BP’s Fuel Card Options?

BP offers five fuel cards, each with their own specialisations. These are:

BP Plus: The bread and butter BP fuel card, offering you discounts at BP sites across the UK

BP + Aral: For businesses that expand into Europe, this card offers discounts at sites across the entire European continent

BP Fuel & Charge: For businesses that use electric vehicles, or are transitioning from petroleum/diesel to electric vehicles, this card will help you with both

BP PLUS Bunker: For businesses with buses or trucks that need overnight bunkers, this card offers help with both fuel and 600 bunker sites across the country

BP Supercharge: BP’s most beefed up fuel card, this is the BP Plus card with the addition of thousands more participating fuel sites, like Esso and Texaco.


What is the BP Supercharge Fuel Card?

BP Supercharge

You might be wondering what we meant by the Supercharge being BP’s “most beefed up card. “The BP Supercharge card is perhaps BP’s most “powerful” fuel card. With no transaction fees, and access to over 7,600 fuelling sites (which is almost 90% of the UK’s entirety of fuelling sites), this card would suit almost any fleet of vehicles.

With the BP Supercharge card, invoices are made automatically back to the company. Unlike the BP Plus Cards, there is a card fee of between £12 and £24 per year depending on the size of fleet. This pricing structure makes it best suited to larger fleets – something that made this card appear in our best fuel cards for businesses list.

BP’s website specifically focuses on “areas with fewer BP sites.” Some BP cards are cheaper, but only offer you access to official BP sites, so access to a wider range of fuelling options through the Supercharge card can make up for areas where other fuelling stations reign supreme. BP even proposes it as a supplement to the BP Plus or Plus Bunker cards, as it can pick up the slack when BP options are slim.


How much do BP Fuel Cards Cost?

For businesses there is no initial cost for the primary card and you can have as many as you want for your fleet. The company makes its money on BP Fuel Cards by providing all the petrol to run individual fleets and offers price reductions and special offers to card holders as an incentive. They do also produce the more comprehensive BP Supercharge Fuel Card that has an annual fee of between £12 and £24 per card depending on the number required which gives businesses greater access to the fuel network.

Where Can I Use my BP Fuel Card?

Depending on the specific card, you’ll be able to use a BP fuel card at over 7,600 sites across the UK, which is just under 90% of all sites in the country. It’s worth noting that BP offers far more stations in Ireland than its competitors, like Allstar, which is largely focused in the UK.

Let’s look at the specifics for each card:

BP Plus fuel card: Over 3,400 sites, made up of 1,200 BP sites and 2,200 partner stations (Texaco, Gulf, Esso)

BP + Aral fuel card (intended for international trucking businesses): Over 24,000 sites in 32 countries

BP Fuel & Charge fuel card: Over 11,000 charging sites across the UK

BP Supercharge fuel card: Over 7,600 sites, made up 1,200 BP sites and 6,400 partner stations

BP Plus Bunker fuel card (intended for housing buses or trucks): Over 600 bunker sites

A few things to keep in mind – not all of these sites will be able to service Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). While the exact number isn’t clear, the amount of stations that can service HGVs is substantially lower than the overall amount of stations. And if your business is using liquified petroleum gas (LPG), BP might not be the one for you, as most of these stations don’t support LPG.


What Do BP Customer Reviews Say?

It’s a tricky question to answer here, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, review aggregate sites generally discuss BP as a whole, so this will factor in everything from their fuel card discounts to the customer service of their station clerks.

Secondly, world events around the broader fuel industry have never been more heated. Some five star reviews of BP are lauding the business’s decision to abandon their stake in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, while some one star reviews are condemning the business for hiking fuel prices while people are struggling to afford food.

Putting all that aside, the reviews that we could find that actually referenced the fuel cards seemed to be satisfied with the product, but not overly so. The savings aren’t massive, with an average of 7p per litre, but it can be worth it for larger businesses. The main draw for most people seems to be the dashboard and records that the fuel card offers, which are generally praised across the board.

Our Methodology: How Did We Review BP Fuel Cards?

We researched 17 fuel cards for fleets, to evaluate them in terms of how affordable they are and if they have features that can help control and manage fuel spending, all so we could provide the most useful recommendations to UK fleets.

Our rigorous testing process means these cards have been scored and rated in five main categories of investigation and 13 subcategories – this means 43 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting' to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers – and that's our algorithm.

Our main testing categories for fleet fuel cards are:

  • Security: refers to the measures in place by the card provider to ensure the safety and protection of your information.
  • Customer Support: includes the assistance the card provider offers, such as phone support, email or chat support, documentation, knowledge bases, and online forums.
  • Expense Management: refers to the features of the fleet fuel card, such as transaction tracking, expense reporting, receipt storage, integration with accounting systems, and customizable expense categories.
  • Convenience: refers to the ease of use and accessibility of the fleet fuel card, including factors such as the acceptance network of gas stations, availability, price comparison tool, contactless payment at pumps, and more.
  • Card Specific Information: refers to the details associated with the fleet fuel card itself, such as card fees, accepted fuel type, card type, fee structure, network coverage, plus the cards' potential to pay for items and services other than gas.
Verdict

Coverage for the network with BP Plus Cards is only for BP and Texaco filling stations but there is a pretty extensive network in the UK with over 2,000 outlets plus more than 70 strategically placed on motorways. BP claim that their Supercharge card, however, can cover almost all of the UK network of service stations.

There are many different cards on the market that are suitable for car, van and truck fleets and the distinguishing factor is often the management software that is available. With BP Fuel cards, UK fleets can keep all their transactions in one place, monitor individual drivers and vehicles and also take advantage of tools such as BP FleetXpert that helps monitor usage and produce valuable micro reports.


Next steps

There are now a large range of fuel cards on the market for businesses to choose from and the Fuelcard Company is just one of them. You can compare all the prices for free and what’s on offer with Expert Market and have a better chance of getting the best deal for your company. All you need to do is fill in the form below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are BP fuel cards worth it?
It’s a difficult question to answer without context, but overall, a company with a lot of fuelling costs can only stand to benefit from the savings offered by a BP fuel card.
How much can you save with a BP fuel card?
With a national average saving of 4p per litre, and 10p at motorway sites, you can save a rough 7p per litre when using a BP fuel card. It might not sound like much, but over time, this can cut down on fuel costs, especially when costs are climbing worldwide.
Does BP offer fuel discounts?
A BP fuel card may save you 4p per litre on national average, and up to 10p per litre at motorway sites. When you’re fuelling a whole fleet of vehicles, this can really add up, so it can be worth it!
Can I use the BP fuel card at Tesco?
You can use the BP fuel card at Esso Tesco Alliance sites, but not every single Tesco fuelling station.
Can I use a BP fuel card at Esso?
BP fuel cards are indeed accepted at participating Esso stations (numbering at around 1,200 stations in total). You’ll need to make sure that the Esso station in question displays the BP acceptance sign, as there is the occasional station that doesn’t.
Written by:
Duncan Lambden
Duncan (BA in English Textual Studies and Game Design) is one of Expert Market's local Software Experts. His articles focus on ecommerce platforms and business software that allows small businesses to improve their efficiency or reach, with an emphasis on invoice financing, project management, and customer relations.
Reviewed by:
Maïté Bouhali
Maite began her career with Expert Market nearly four years ago as a writer. She quickly developed a passion for the challenges faced by small businesses and now endeavours to help them make informed decisions for their future. In her current position as Business Software Editor, Maite works closely with writers to ensure that each article is informative, well-researched, engaging, and actionable for readers. With extensive knowledge of CRM, vehicle tracking devices, and fuel cards, she is meticulous in her review of each article and provides detailed feedback before publication. Whether you're seeking to stay informed on the latest trends in business software or need guidance in selecting the most appropriate software for your organisation's needs, Maite is here to help. With her sharp eye for detail and commitment to quality, she is dedicated to supporting businesses in achieving their goals.