Get a fleet fuel card in 5 simple steps

How to get a fleet fuel card

If you work in fleet management or if you and your employees use vehicles as part of your business, a fuel card is a great option for you. It will bring your business cost savings and efficiencies that will help improve your bottom line. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to get a fuel card for your company.

How do fleet cards work?

If you employ people driving company vehicles out in the field – let’s say you’re a plumber, an electrician, you work for a moving company, a fuel delivery company, or for a company that’s an essential part of the national supply chain – a fuel card can help you streamline your work.

As truck drivers, workers, and technicians are out in the world representing your business you may need to oversee operations from afar. One key way to simplify your operations is by getting a fuel card for your business. A recent article on fleet cards gives a full account of what a fuel card is, which will help you make the right decision for your business.

Put simply, fuel cards allow you to:

• Track fuel expenses automatically
• Put guardrails around employee spending
• Identify potential fraud or misuse
• Automatically track your purchases online
• Access detailed reports
• Drive a better and stronger bottom line for your company

How do I use a fuel card?

A fuel card for your business can give you ways to curb unauthorized use or theft. Here are some of the best benefits offered with many fuel cards:

• Rebates/savings
• Fuel expense tracking
• Acceptance at a large number of locations
• Security/help reducing misuse
• Spending controls
• Automatic reporting/no paperwork
• Online and mobile account access

How to get a fuel card in five simple steps

You’ve done your homework and you are looking for ways to make your business more profitable with a fuel card in your toolkit. Here are five simple steps to procuring your company fuel card:

Step 1: Check your credit rating to see which types of fleet cards you’re eligible to apply for

Check your credit score and you’ll be given a list of what types of fuel cards your business is likely to be qualified to get. Sites like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame will provide you this information for free. If you have a good or excellent score, you’ll be able to pick from the best fuel cards offered.

Step 2: Take the size of your business into account when searching for the right fuel card

The size of your business impacts which card is right for you. If you have a few trucks in your fleet, versus hundreds, there’s a business fuel card that would make the most sense based on the size of your business. If you have upwards of a thousand trucks you’d consider one type of fuel card, while a smaller business with just a few trucks would be better equipped with a “small business fuel card” instead.

Step 3: Research the different fleet cards offered

If you do the research into what different cards are offered, you’ll be able to determine which ones are accepted at the most locations, have the best rebates, and offer you the most opportunities to create efficiencies. Once you’ve narrowed down your list of possibilities, you can compare the rewards and fees of the different fuel card options to find the best deal.

Some cards only work at select stations, while others can be used at virtually any station nationwide – depending on what makes the most sense for your business, you can narrow the field of available cards accordingly.

Step 4: Look for a fuel card that provides more than just a way to buy gas

Nowadays, fuel cards can come with a lot of bells and whistles when you know what to look for. With the best fuel cards, you can enjoy fleet management tools, tracking tools, and the ability to add factoring and telematics to your account. There’s a lot more to some fuel cards and it’s worth taking the time to see which companies give the full package deal and which simply provide a mechanism for purchasing fuel.

Step 5: Submit an application for the fuel card that makes the most sense for your business

When you find the right fuel card for your business, you can apply for it online, over the phone, or by mailing an application. It’s that simple. And once you do, you’ll be well on your way to improving your business’ operations.

All fleet cards are not the same, and different types of fuel cards suit the needs of different kinds and sizes of businesses. View WEX’s fleet card comparison chart to see which fleet fuel card is right for you.

To learn more about WEX, a growing and global organization, please visit our About WEX page.

Apply for a fleet card today!

Editorial note: This article was originally published on February 3, 2021, and has been updated for this publication.