How to choose the best fuel card for your fleet?
In the world of fleets, there is so much to consider. Most of all, how to pay. From fuel station stops, to the charging itself, tracking the multitude of expenses across a fleet can be a monster task. Choosing the best fuel card for your fleet can feel impossible with the range of options in the market. In the world of evolving fleets from ICE to EV - how can you make the right choice for your fleet?
Our guide is built to help take away the stress and let you know what to look for when choosing the best fuel card for you.
Lets get plugged in…..
What is a fuel card?
With a bunch of different names in the market, from fleet card to fuel card, to charge cards for EVs, you've heard of these before. But how do fuel cards work?
They are essentially a super easy payment method for fleet drivers on the go. Different to a company expense card, these options usually come with spending limitations to vehicle related spend.
Before we jump into making a choice - are fuel cards worth it? If expense forms exist, it could be argued there is little point in paying to pay! However, as fleet managers know, trying to manage busy fleets is never that easy to track every payment needed on a job. The last thing you want is endless expenses or upset drivers, being charged more than they should. With a top market fuel card, you'll get expert access to fuel spend and data to gain visibility across your fleet.
The top tip for fleet managers is to understand their fleet's needs. Here's what to consider for your driver's spend when choosing the best fleet card for you:
For on-the-go spending
It's not just the fleet vehicles that need to fuel up! On long travel days, it's important for the drivers to be able to stop and pick up supplies and food on the go. Support your drivers beyond the RFID card with their food and fuel on the road.
For issues on the road - extra tech
It's never as simple as you think - for all types of fleets. For those offering a service, sods law is that at least one of your drivers will need to replace a part or pick up important equipment on the go. If this is the case, your drivers may benefit from open loop technology, such as the Octopus Fleet Payments card - to support your drivers for all barriers they may face. Rather than faffing around with invoices, or letting your drivers sit out of pocket - a full coverage payment card is the solution.
Charging/fuel
The main one! Essential for fleet drivers on the go to be able to fuel their vehicles. Whether you have petrol, diesel, or even hybrid, the fuel card is a great way to keep your drivers powered on the road.
The traditional fuel infrastructure for petrol and diesel is well established but charging is still relatively new in comparison. Don't fear - the technology is growing and there's many ways to work with EV charging to guide your fleet into the electric future.
Octopus Fleet offers access to the Electroverse network, with over 1.3 million chargers across the UK and Europe. Easy charging, wherever you need.
What types of cards are available?
When you understand what your fleet need, let's look at the card types available in the market:
Closed loop - the traditional fuel card. With limited spending, restrictions to fuel payments and at associated shops such as service stations. Your drivers can still buy their snacks on the go, but there’s usually limited coverage.
Open loop - works across all payment types. They can sometimes be limited by provider, so it's always worth checking the coverage of a card before making your decision.
RFID cards - a Radio Frequency Identification card. With the rise of contactless payments, RFID is everywhere and super easy to use. RFID cards are commonly used for paying for charging sessions - and under Octopus Fleet, you can even start the charge with your Electroverse RFID card!
What's the benefits of a fuel card?
If all your drivers need is to fuel their car (and themselves) then the fuel card is your best choice. With more spend options than the RFID card for charging, and more limits than the open loop business card, it's a happy medium for the whole fleet.
If you want a fuel card with top level controls, expert visibility, and extensive spend coverage - Octopus Fleet is for you.
What should you think about when choosing a fleet fuel card?
The growth of EVs is throwing a spanner in the works to the complexities of fleet management. It’s no longer what is the best fleet card, but what is the right payment card for your fleet. A mixed fleet will have different needs to one just starting their fleet electrification journey, and to those close to being fully electric! We've selected a few things to keep an eye out for when comparing fuel cards for your fleet:
Fuel type - probably the biggest consideration in the new world of EV fleets! From ICE to EV and everything in between, your fleet could look different from every angle. Incoming to the field is the mixed fleet - made up of a multitude of different fuel types. Choosing a card can be tricky - as you want something that covers everyone’s needs!
Where you work: different fuel cards will have varied coverage. If you have fleets that travel across the country, you want to make sure your payment cards will work wherever they are. Some closed payments options will be limited - for example to branded names and companies. If this is the case, look for providers that work across a multitude of partners.
Spending controls: depending on driver habits, depends on what you need from a charging card. If it's simply for topping up the car, a simple fuel card can do the job - for both wet fuels or charging.
Hidden costs - you want to make sure you know what you are paying for! Sometimes, fuel card companies can draw a pretty pricing picture but struggle to stick to it long term. You want to look for a card that does what it says on the tin - and costs no more!
Customer service: hold music options are never as thrilling as companies think. Although many fleet managers wish everything can run smoothly, there’s always something that needs tweaking. When you subscribe to a fleet card, you want to get more than just the physical piece of plastic! A good option will offer you guidance and support for you and your drivers.
Octopus Fleet is here to help!
Here to be your partner in all things fleet electrification. Let us take care of the busy admin, and you can focus on a smooth running fleet - all in the name of a sustainable green future. With access to both a traditional fuel card, charging cards, and more extensive business spend options - you can support both ICE and EV drivers under one sleek platform.
Fleet card: The traditional fuel card. You can manage your petrol and diesel costs with our Visa backed Fleet card. Spend is restricted to fuel and vehicle related costs but the best part is, they are tracked under the same system as your EV drivers! All types of fuel from petrol and diesel to electric are covered under the Octopus Fleet system.
Payments card: the all-in-one visa card for on the go spending. If you want more than a fuel card, this complete payment solution covers your drivers beyond their fuel to charging, to their snacks on the go. All transactions are consolidated under one platform - alongside fuel card spend, with a nice and neat invoice at the end of the month.
One of the big Octopus Fleet benefits for fleet managers and drivers, is how it's all kept under one platform - for ICE drivers and EV. This means, on a fleet’s transition to electric, there’s no need to learn a new system or transfer to a new payments system - it all stays the same! Our intuitive platform can function around changes, such as new fuel vehicles. At Octopus Fleet we are motivated towards a sustainable future, making it as easy as possible for you to make the jump to electric - at any stage!
In true Octopus style, our team is here to help! From smoothing out admin issues to driver guidance on the road, our operations team are happy to assist. Built to work with you on the road to fleet electrification, Octopus Fleet helps you every step of the way.
We offer more than top level payments solutions - we provide a complete plan for your fleet. With our transparent pricing, what you see is what you get - no sneaky surprises. Although the cards are for your drivers, the true luxury of Octopus Fleet is our streamlined platform From invoices, to charging payments, to wet fuels, all consolidated in one sleek platform. Fleet managers can view a full picture of fleet behaviours, and track all your drivers - from ICE to EV - under a single page.
Check out our blog on the Octopus Fleet Pricing Model to see our transparent pricing in action.
Keep fleet management simple, with Octopus Fleet.
What's the difference between a fuel card and the Octopus Fleet card?
Nothing! They are one and the same. Octopus Fleet takes it further with the top level visibility and control from the platform. Feet managers can take the wheel and control spending from their platforms. Simply let us know which cards are for limited spending (at fuel stops, and charging stations) and we sort the rest.
What are the fuel card benefits?
Are fuel cards for business worth it? absolutely. For easy driver spending, and allowing you, the fleet manager, excellent control - what’s not to love? Gone are the days of endless invoicing or driver limitations when on the go. Your drivers having company payments cards are excellent for a streamlined fleet service.
What is an RFID card for EV charging?
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification - essentially contactless payment. The Electroverse charge card is an example of RFID and makes EV charging super easy. You can opt in to charging with Octopus Fleet and get a free charge card for every driver you add. Simply tap the RFID card at applicable charging stations and start the charge with no fuss! Simple and easy. Check out the Electroverse blogs for how their charge cards work: How to use an Octopus Electrocard (pst it’s super similar to fuel cards but for EVs).