Fuel Cards and Charging Cards for Companies: Overview, Functionality, and Providers

Fuel cards are especially popular among fleet managers. Their advantages include allowing employees to make cashless payments with the fuel card and handling billing automatically. Employees no longer need to collect and submit fuel receipts and wait for reimbursement. This reduces administrative work for both companies and employees. Additionally, fleet managers typically receive all essential information about fuel consumption and vehicle costs in a clear format from the card provider.

Even for companies without their own fleet, fuel cards can be worthwhile, for example, as a modern benefit for employees. We have compiled all the information on functionality, card types, and providers in this article.

Key Insights

  • Functionality and Advantages of Fuel Cards: Fuel cards work similarly to credit cards and enable cashless payments at gas stations. They offer fleet managers more control over refueling processes and simplify fleet management through automated billing and detailed evaluations of refueling behavior.
  • Usage and Flexibility: Fuel cards can be used for payments at gas stations and often for other services like car washes and toll fees. Besides their use in fleets, fuel cards also offer modern benefits for employees with their own cars.
  • Administration and Cost Control: Using fuel cards in fleet management reduces administrative effort and enables efficient cost control. Digital fuel cards and fuel apps further simplify handling for employees.

Contents

  1. What are Fuel Cards?
  2. How do Fuel Cards Work?
  3. Types of Fuel Cards
  4. Advantages of Fuel Cards for Companies and Employees
  5. Tax Aspects of Fuel Cards
  6. Providers of Fuel Cards

What are Fuel Cards?

Fuel cards are debit or credit cards that allow employees to pay cashless at gas stations. These cards enable cashless and contactless payments and automatic billing through the company's account, eliminating the need for employees to collect fuel receipts and submit them to the finance department or fleet management.

Fuel card providers are typically gas station companies or specialized benefit providers that collaborate with a network of gas stations. Some fuel card providers cover additional services like car washes, toll fees, or roadside assistance billing. Fuel cards enable fleet managers to handle fuel invoices digitally and analyze employees' refueling behavior.

With monthly billing directly linked to a designated account, the payment process is simplified and streamlined. The individual assignment of fuel cards to employees relieves them of the obligation to collect receipts and allows for transparent and automated tracking of all expenses resulting from refueling activities.

Fuel cards are highly practical for employees in the field who are frequently on the road and need a reliable way to account for their fuel costs. They are also suitable for employees in rural areas. This specific type of card allows employees to make cashless payments within a network of gas stations, efficiently tracking their expenses. By using fuel cards, companies can not only ease the management of expenses but also minimize potential billing errors. Additionally, fuel cards create a clear distinction between private and business trips, benefiting both the employer and the employee. Providing fuel cards as an employee benefit can therefore help increase employee satisfaction and strengthen their loyalty to the company in the long term.

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How Do Fuel Cards Work?

The card functions like a debit or credit card. Fuel costs are debited via the card terminal at the gas station. Additionally, fuel cards enable cashless and contactless payments and automatic billing through the company's account. The fuel cardholder, i.e., the company, can view all transactions digitally and set a time limit if needed, such as a daily or monthly limit.

Advantages of Fuel Cards for Companies and Employees

With a fuel card, fuel costs can be paid cashless and subsequently billed digitally. In a fleet, it can reduce administrative effort. As a modern employee benefit, fuel cards are worthwhile for companies as they can enhance their attractiveness as employers and strengthen recruitment. Fuel cards offer numerous advantages for companies:

  • Cost Control and Transparency: Companies can monitor fuel consumption and expenses for each driver and vehicle.
  • Reduced Administration: Instead of complex expense reports and collecting fuel receipts, companies can rely on electronic transaction data, which is automatically integrated into the accounting or fleet management system. This saves time and significantly simplifies management.
  • Flexibility and Convenience: Fuel cards, such as the NAVIT Fuel and Charging Card, are accepted by various gas stations and merchants. This gives employees the flexibility to refuel at different locations.
  • Security and Control: Security features like PIN codes and fuel limits prevent misuse and fraud.

Types of Fuel Cards

Classic fuel cards function like an analog chip card or credit card. Nowadays, there are mainly digital fuel cards in the form of a virtual prepaid card or virtual credit card that can be used via a smartphone or an app.

Mobile payment has become established with fuel cards, as digital fuel cards often lead to full automation of the refueling process. For example, fuel pumps can be activated directly through the app. This allows refueling even outside a gas station's opening hours or payment from the vehicle.

Fleet Fuel Card - The Fleet Card

For companies, fuel cards are an effective solution when many employees have access to fleet vehicles. These are known as fleet cards. Both fleet management and employees benefit from fuel cards: Payments can be made directly at gas stations, eliminating the need for employees to collect receipts. Additionally, transactions can always be assigned to individual employees. Fleet management software in the company also shows which vehicle was refueled at what time and by whom. Financially, fuel cards are also worthwhile for companies: Many fuel card providers offer discounts to their customers.

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Charging Cards for E-Vehicles

The share of electric and hybrid cars in fleets and among employees is increasing. For these vehicles, there are now special charging cards that can be used at charging stations. The advantage of these cards is that employees can charge their vehicles at a fixed rate anywhere.

Hybrid Cards: Combining Refueling and Charging

For companies, a combination of refueling and charging is becoming increasingly worthwhile. Hybrid cards combine refueling and charging on a single card, addressing the limitation of fuel cards being restricted to refueling and specific gas station operators. Additionally, they usually offer a dense network of gas stations and charging stations, as providers of hybrid cards, such as NAVIT, work with a network of gas stations and charging stations. Ultimately, this eliminates the need to manage multiple cards from different providers, saving costs and time compared to conventional fuel cards.

Overviews of Providers of Fuel Cards

The range of fuel cards for companies is now very large. The most well-known providers of fuel cards include (in alphabetical order):

  • ADAC
  • Agip
  • Aral
  • DKV Euro Service
  • Jet
  • Routex
  • Raiffeisen
  • Shell
  • Total
  • UTA

Additionally, there are many other fuel card providers on the market. Usually, not all fuel cards work at all gas stations, as gas station operators typically allow card use only at their locations. However, there has been a shift in thinking, and some providers are now cooperating within a common network of gas stations, allowing cards to be used across networks.

Alternatively, companies can use fuel apps like PACE or ryd, which combine a large network of gas stations. NAVIT has partnerships with both providers. The NAVIT Fuel and Charging Card can be used in both fuel apps.

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Stefan Wendering
Stefan is a freelance author and editor at NAVIT. Previously, he worked for startups and in the mobility sphere. He is an expert in urban and sustainable mobility, employee benefits, and New Work. In addition to creating blog content, he also produces marketing materials, taglines, and website content, as well as case studies.
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