Fleet cards give businesses that operate vehicles a smarter way to pay for fuel. Check out our guides and reviews to learn everything you need to know about them and compare top Australian fleet card programs. You can also get tailored fleet card prices using our free quote-finding tool.
Also known as fuel cards, fleet cards make paying for fuel and tracking fuel spend easy. Most fleet cards work like credit cards: your employees use them to pay for fuel at service stations, and at the end of each billing cycle (usually each month), you’ll pay off the amount they’ve spent. Alternatively, you could choose prepaid fleet cards instead. These work more like gift cards – you load them up with a sum of money, which your employees then use to pay for their fuel.
We review and rate the best fleet fuel cards for Australian fleets, comparing fees, benefits, station coverage, and more
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Different fleet card providers charge a variety of fees. Most charge a monthly card fee (that’s usually a few dollars per card, per month), but the other fees charged can vary a lot between providers.
Some cards, for example, will be locked to a particular fuel network, such as Caltex. With these cards, if you buy fuel from a service station that isn’t run by Caltex, you’ll also pay an out-of-network fee. Other potential costs include setup fees and late payment charges.
Fleet cards are most typically used by businesses that rely heavily on fleets of vehicles for their operations, such as transport, haulage, and construction businesses. But really, fleet cards can be used by any business, even those with just one vehicle.
First off, fleet cards make paying for fuel much easier and more efficient. They cut out the need to reimburse employees’ receipts, and negate the security risks associated with giving employees company cards or handfuls of cash.
In fact, fleet cards give you near-total control over your fuel budget. You can set controls, including how much employees can spend, what they’re able to buy, and even the times and days on which employees are able to use their fleet cards. You can also keep a log of transactions, and track fuel spend with data and reports.
Another benefit of fleet cards is that they can reduce your fuel costs directly. Some fleet card programs give you access to cheaper wholesale prices, while others offer rebates, helping you save as much as ten cents per litre.
To choose the best fleet card program for you, you’ll want to look at three factors, the first of which is service station coverage. This involves looking into the stations closest to your employees’ typical routes, and finding a fleet card that can be used at those particular service station brands. If you’re operating all over the country, you should opt for a universal fleet card, which can be used at almost every station in Australia. If your team often travels internationally, you should look for a card that can be used in the relevant countries.
The next factor to investigate is benefits. How large a fuel rebate would you like? Would you benefit from any extras, such as discounted maintenance services, roadside assistance, or integrated vehicle tracking? Look out for a fleet card provider that can offer the benefits you’d like.
Finally, you should consider your budget, and look for a fleet card supplier that charges fees you can comfortably afford. Remember to consider how many cards you’ll be using, as some fees will be charged per card rather than per account.