How To Get A Business Fuel Card Without A Credit Check

You may want to score bulk discounts on fuel with a small business fleet card – but you know your credit score isn’t where it needs to be. Luckily, there are several business gas cards you can get your hands on without going through a credit check.

While a less-than-perfect credit score will rope off some of the more generous fleet card offers, there are still plenty of appealing deals worth looking into, such as Shell’s refillable card.

As a rule of thumb, however, major fleet card providers are looking for a FICO credit score of at least 580. If that’s way off base for you, stay tuned for alternative options for managing your fuel spend. We’ll also throw in some fuel-saving advice as well.

Is It Possible To Get a Fuel Card Without a Credit Check?

The short and sweet answer: yes, you can. Although a lot of conventional fuel cards will put you through a credit check to assess how financially reliable your business is, there are some exceptions to this rule, which we’ll focus on in this article.

The workaround we recommend is to choose a prepaid fuel card, but you can also opt for a business debit card. 

Option 1: Prepaid Fuel Cards

A prepaid fuel card is a type of fuel card you can load up with funds, either by topping up online or on a smartphone. In this way, a prepaid fleet fuel card acts more like a gift card.

These fuel cards need no credit check and will usually only require an ID verification before issuing. Just keep in mind that this isn’t necessarily a great option for companies that don’t have a lot of cash reserves available. This is because you’ll constantly need to top up your card to ensure that your business can carry on as usual.

Still, the lack of a credit check means even those with bad credit are almost guaranteed approval for a prepaid fuel card. The approval process is usually quicker and less cumbersome than regular fuel cards, too.

And you often get plenty of rewards and discounts specifically tailored to fuel purchases just as you would with a credit-based fuel card.

What are some examples of prepaid fuel cards with no credit check?

The Shell Refillable Fuel Card allows you to load up to $300 on it. You can check your balance or top up online at any time. The downside is you can only use it at Shell gas stations, so acceptance isn’t as widespread as the WEX Fleet Card. Find out more about its pros and cons in our Shell fuel card review.

An option better suited to smaller fleets with local routes is the ARCO PumpPASS. You load up between $10 and $100 per card and pay at the pump (where accepted) or at the cash register.

Option 2: Business Debit Cards

Along with prepaid fuel cards, you’re not required to go through a credit check to purchase a business debit card. This is because the money on your card isn’t linked to any lines of credit, and neither interest or yearly fees apply. There’s also rarely a security deposit involved, making it one of the easiest ways to get started.

What are some examples of prepaid fuel cards with no credit check?

We recommend Brinks’ Business Expense debit card, which has a wide acceptance network: anywhere you can pay with a Mastercard debit.

Another option was the Bento for Business Visa debit card, which let you track fuel and maintenance expenses across a user-friendly dashboard. However, it’s shutting down its operations shortly, so we wouldn’t recommend signing up.

Business Fuel Cards Without Credit Checks

In the table below, see how the two prepaid fuel cards and two business debit cards we discussed above compare in terms of fees, network coverage, and key features. If you’d like to find out more about provider offerings, check out our guide to the best business fuel cards with no credit check.

Is It Possible To Get a Fuel Card With Bad Credit?

Yes, there are plenty of good options for fleet fuel cards that you can get with a low credit score. While it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your hands on the most popular WEX credit card options, for instance, certain providers will make adjustments to allow you access to credit.

Fuel card vendors may ask you to put down a deposit, offer a guarantor or make bond payments.

• Deposit: this can be anything from 20% to 100% of your usual fuel spend, depending on the assessment the provider conducts on your credit. Once the deposit is in place, you’ll be able to buy fuel on credit and use your fuel card like you normally would. The downside is that you’ll need to estimate how much money your fleet spends on gas, which can be tricky with the constant fluctuation of fuel prices and the changing costs of repairs.

• Guarantor: instead of using the business’s credit as the base of the credit check, the fuel card provider makes its decision based on the guarantor’s credit.

• Bond Payments: this is a one-off payment that is equivalent to 50% of your monthly fuel limit. The bond payment is then kept safe in an external account, just like a rent deposit would be. The payment doesn’t come off your monthly payments unless your payments are long overdue. The bond payment is returned once there is sufficient improvement in your credit rating.

Is Invoice Factoring a Solution to a Lack of Credit?

Yes, invoice factoring is a way of swapping your unpaid invoices for upfront cash. How it works is you sell invoices for the loads you run and get paid straight away. This cuts out the waiting around for your buyers to transfer your funds.

The downside is you won’t get the full amount of the invoice, as payment for the instant availability of money. For instance, Apex freight factoring charges 2% of the total invoice amount.

In our Truckstop review, we outline how you can get same-day (or next-day) payment for your invoices. The advantage of Truckstop is it has flexible contract cancellation, so you’re not tied down by the rigid rules of other providers.

If you’re curious about this option, check out our roundup of the best factoring companies for freight brokers.

Is it Difficult to Improve Your Credit Score?

How fast you can improve your credit score to a suitable level for a fuel card will ultimately depend on the state of your personal and/or business finances today. However, irrespective of what your credit score is right now or whether it is for personal or business use, there are a few actions you can take to improve it:

• Pay Bills on Time: Make sure to pay all your bills by the due date, especially business ones such as utility bills and invoices. Late payments can hurt your credit score. We recommend setting automatic payments for your bills to make sure you never miss a payment.
• Reduce Debt: Try to pay down your credit card balances and other business debts. Lowering the amount you and/or your business owe helps improve your credit score.
• Limit New Credit Applications: Don’t apply for new credit cards or loans too often. Each application can slightly lower your credit score.
• Increase Credit Limits: Request higher credit limits on your business credit cards. This can help improve your credit utilization ratio, which is the amount of credit you’re using compared to your total available credit.
• Keep Old Accounts Open: Don’t close old credit cards, even if you don’t use them. The longer your credit history, the better it is for your score.
• Use Different Types of Credit: Having different kinds of credit, like credit cards, a car loan, and a mortgage, can show you can manage various types of debt responsibly.
• Seek Financial Advice: If all else is failing, talk to a financial advisor for professional advice. They can help you create a plan to improve your credit score.

And it’s important to remember, business and personal credit scores are separate entities. We recommend establishing a separate credit profile for your business by applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and opening business credit accounts thereafter. That way, you can build a solid credit history for your business and allow that history to be untouched by your personal financial situation.

Top Ways To Reduce Your Fuel Expenses in 2024

There are plenty of ways to reduce your fleet costs and improve your fuel economy. As experts in the fleet business, we’re best placed to offer these money-saving tips. Here is a rundown of our top two suggestions.

1. Grab Some Prepaid Fuel Cards

As we’ve covered above, prepaid fuel cards are your best option for getting a business fuel card without requiring a credit check. And once you’ve acquired one for use, they are a massive help towards reducing fleet costs for your business.

If you’re worried your drivers are routinely forgetting to turn in their expenses – or, worse, using business funds on personal expenses – prepaid fuel cards can help bring these problems to an end since most work like a debit card or gift card.

In other words, nobody can go over defined spending limits (even “by mistake”). Crucially, funds can normally only be purchased for vehicle-related goods and services at certain gas stations across the country.

2. Invest in Vehicle Tracking Software

For fleets of at least five vehicles, you can scale your fuel savings with vehicle tracking software. You’ll save fuel by optimizing your journeys, as some GPS vehicle tracking devices and systems have smart routing with AI.

Fleet IoT (Internet of Things) devices monitor driver behavior to help you spot bad driving habits like speeding, harsh braking, and idling which all waste fuel. Research shows every 5 mph you drive over 50 mph costs an extra $0.25 per gallon in fuel.

Vehicle tracking software can include tools to effectively manage the lifecycle of your fleet too, by ensuring vehicles get appropriate maintenance at the right times.

This can also entail optimizing the exact purchase and disposal times of your commercial vehicles, as we discuss in our fleet management costs breakdown.

Take a look at our Verizon Connect review for more detailed info about the best fleet tracking software provider, according to our research.