Fuel Card Article

Fuel cards and fuel costs?
Most major hauliers will have fuel cards that they use for their entire fleet and out of these there may be some that have queried the price they are paying for the fuel that they use and why there is a difference between the pump prices and the price they pay. With the recession fuel cards have become more widely spread not just with larger companies, a lot more small to medium sized businesses come to realise that they need to cut costs and as such have looked at fuel expenditure. Fuel is a major expense for many companies and with fuel being such a large part of their operating costs they needed to start controlling it. One good way of doing this is by utilising fuel cards.
Because of this fundamental change, with different sized companies acquiring fuelcards, fuelcard companies have had to work with some smaller companies and work harder at getting their credit agreed. In some cases the fuel card companies are taking on extra risk themselves to get companies on board. However businesses need to be aware of exactly how fuel cards work and how they will be charged for the fuel they use. There are two main ways of paying for your fuel;

Firstly you can pay the pump price, this tends to come with cards that offer a very wide coverage of petrol stations and you may pay a very small service charge for each litre of fuel purchased. The second way is more complicated but you can buy your fuel on a fixed weekly price linked to the market bulk price of diesel fuel each week. As this is more variable than pump prices it may be that you pay more than the pump price on occasions but you may also pay less.

The best advice is to shop around for the best deal or go to a company that has a variety of cards on offer and can advise you on the best fuelcard for your business. Each fuelcard offers something different and will have differing pricing. The best way is to get a fuel card with the pricing that suits your company but also offers a wide coverage so you don’t have to drive out of your way to find a filling station. The other things you should consider are how effective their customer support is and how useful and precise their reports are so you can manage the administration side of your fuel management.  

One company that does supply everything you could need and will also offer advice on every aspect of fuel cards is Cambrian Fuelcard Services. They have a variety of cards on offer and will work with you to firstly assess your needs and then recommend a solution whether it be one card or a selection of fuel cards. They have years of experience in this field and are available to chat through your requirements on a no obligation basis. Give them a call and see what they have to offer, you will find that they are able to help your business.