Fuel cards are a great way to help save your business time and money on its petrol and diesel purchases. However, this doesn’t mean all of them are without their problems. To make sure your business doesn’t fall foul of the most common problems business fuel cards can cause, take a look at this helpful guide.
What are common fuel card problems?
Whether you’re considering purchasing fuel cards or are already using them for your fleet, you might be worried about making the most of your investment. To make sure you can take advantage of all the benefits fuel cards have to offer, it’s important to be aware of how to avoid common problems such as:
- Overspending on business fuel: although the main benefit of fuel cards is that they help businesses save money on their fleet’s purchases, overspending can still happen if the right controls aren’t put in place.
- Not valid for major petrol stations: certain fuel cards are only valid for certain petrol station networks, which means drivers have to go out of their way to buy fuel from an appropriate station. Fortunately, you won’t have that issue with fuelGenie, as our fuel card can be used at over 1,350 Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s forecourts.
- Fuel card misuse or fraud: whether it's accidental or not, fuel card misuse and fraud can cost businesses significantly if it's not avoided or identified quickly.
- Extra administration time: if the fuel card provider has a tricky-to-use reporting and invoicing dashboard or no central monitoring system at all, this can lead to teams spending extra time on admin with no benefits.
- Choosing the wrong provider: hidden fees, strict terms and conditions or a membership that doesn’t meet your business’s needs are just some of the problems you can come up against if you choose the wrong fuel card provider.
To help you stay a step ahead of these problems and ensure you choose a fuel card that will benefit your business, here are some ways you can avoid and prevent these challenges.
Keep control over your fuel spend
Setting out a clear policy to your employees on the types of purchases they should be using their fuel card for should always be the first step of introducing them into your business. Also, choosing cards you can set account limits on and use to track spending in real-time will help you keep control over your fuel spending.
It’s also worth noting that if you’re using fuel cards for the first time, there may be a sudden rise in your spending in the first month or two. This is because you don’t need to rely on drivers issuing any receipts and are increasing your monitoring, meaning you’ll get a more accurate picture of exactly how much you’re spending each day and month.
Check the fuel station network
There’s nothing worse than going into a fuel station to fill up and them not accepting your fuel card. To avoid this problem, we suggest when planning your route, ensure you’re driving near a petrol station which accepts your fuel card. FuelGenie fuel card is accepted at all participating Tesco, Morrisons, and Sainsbury's fuel forecourts. With over 1,350 forecourts nationwide, you'll be sure to find a convenient location within reach.
Be aware of fuel card fraud
Again, having a clear policy that sets out the terms of fuel card use for employees is key to avoiding this problem. Giving training and information on how to use them will also ensure they aren’t accidentally misused by your drivers or teams. Your policy should also set out the clear guidelines for what counts as fuel card fraud and set serious consequences for employees who breach these conditions. Also, taking a look at advice on the most common types of fuel card fraud will help you to make your policy watertight.
Assigning Your Fuel Cards correctly
We recommend assigning a fuel card in an organised way, so you’re aware on every transaction taken via all your fuel cards. Having multiple fuel cards which aren’t assigned properly can cause confusion. We suggest assigning each fuel card to a driver or a vehicle description.
Lost or stolen card
We understand you can sometimes misplace your fuel card, or it may fall into the wrong hands. In this case, you can easily cancel lost or stolen cards any time via your fuelGenie account. Also, if driver has quit or you are removing a vehicle from your fleet, we recommend cancelling the card immediately.
Select a fuel card to suit your needs
You might have been given several recommendations on the best available fuel card options from different business owners, but if they don’t suit your specific needs, then they’ll be no use to you. The size of your fleet, the type of vehicles you run and the payment schedule you’d prefer to use will all have an impact on your final fuel card choice.
Double-checking any terms and conditions and looking for testimonials or information from a provider about how they work with businesses similar to yours will help you to determine whether a fuel card will bring real benefits or not.
Choose a trusted fuel card provider
There are plenty of fuel card providers out there, so it’s important to choose one that’s trustworthy. Hidden setup fees, extra charges for additional cards and bad customer service are just a few warning signs to look out for when searching for a fuel card provider. Plus, looking at any recommendations or testimonials from businesses similar to your own will ensure the fuel card offers the benefits you’re looking for.
Trusted by businesses of various sizes and sectors, fuelGenie has no hidden charges, an easy-to-use reporting dashboard and a large network of thousands of petrol stations, including supermarkets. In just a few steps, you can get secure, easy-to-use fuelGenie fuel cards to help your business save time and money.
