Best fuel cards for small businesses in Australia
Businesses, especially logistics, commercial fleets, distributors, and retail service providers, are directly affected by the increasing expenses of fuel. The challenges revolving around fuel expenses are not declining anytime soon. It is because more and more vehicles are being purchased.
Vehicles demand fuel to run, and the increased demand for fuel is directly proportional to the increased fuel price.
However, businesses are making efforts to cope with this challenge. This article contains the best fuel cards for small businesses to help them manage their fuel expenses efficiently.
What is a fuel card?
A fuel card functions similarly to a credit card. It makes the payment process simpler for businesses purchasing fuels like petrol, diesel, or gasoline. It also allows businesses to keep track of the money spent on fuel.
Fuel cards for small businesses are a good investment. Just like a business credit card, fuel cards are linked with an account. The charge is deducted from the user’s bank account whenever the fuel card is swiped for making a fuel-related payment.
With the best fuel cards for small businesses, there is no requirement to preserve fuel receipts for tally purposes. Companies can have a single tax statement with all the purchase records and items.
Benefits of fuel cards for small businesses
1. Saves time
The best fuel cards for small businesses simplify the fuel management system of a company. Scanning, end-of-month reconciliation, lost dockets, and paper receipts are all handled for the users.
The GST due on all of your fuel purchases is listed on a single tax statement and invoice, ensuring that you are prepared for tax season.
If businesses have multiple drivers with vehicles, giving them all fuel cards can make the expense claim process less time-consuming and less frustrating.
2. Greater hold over fuel costs
Those businesses that select a fuel card with online access can manage their cards, establish reporting systems, download purchase records, and check statements any time they want.
What the drivers can buy with their fuel cards is up to the employers who provide the card.
Additionally, businesses can keep track of the costs associated with vehicles and set up alerts to be notified when a driver goes over one of the predetermined limits by the businesses.
3. Value
The biggest advantage of having the best fuel cards for small businesses in Australia is that it makes sure businesses don't miss out on any tax deductions because of receipt misplacement.
However, one should also select a card that can customize a business solution to meet their requirements. Businesses can have greater control over their cash flow thanks to the flexible payment options offered by the best fuel cards for small businesses, such as the capability to make account payments through a credit card.
Also, depending on how big a business is, some fuel cards for small businesses may give you a discount on the price of fuel per liter.
4. Protection against fraud
Some of the best fuel cards for small businesses, like the Shell Card, come with individual PINs and anti-fraud technology to make it easy to track them.
To make it less likely for drivers to lose their cards, businesses can have the driver's name or the vehicle number engraved on the fuel card. It reduces the chances of misplacing them.
5. Easily accessible locations
The majority of fuel cards are associated with a particular brand, which is typically well represented at service stations across the nation.
They should make it simple for drivers to find the closest fuel station, no matter where they are or when they need fuel.
Isn't it one of the excellent benefits provided by the best fuel cards for small businesses?
Best fuel cards for small businesses in Australia
1. Fleet cards
What if a commercial fleet travels extensively and is unsure of the closest gas station when it requires fuel?
In Australia, the Fleet Card is the fuel card that is used the most. Fleet cards are acceptable at 90% of Australia's multi-brand fuel stations, which number nearly 6,000. It is also accepted by more than 6,000 non-fuel partners in Australia, including auto repair shops and dealerships.
Due to its widespread acceptance, this card is the first choice for businesses where convenience is prioritized. Large fleets in Australia are capable of bargaining for volume discounts.
Additionally, Fleet Card simplifies business management by providing a single, consolidated tax invoice for all fuel-related transactions. However, new businesses are more likely to be rejected by the Fleet fuel card providers. It is because of credit checks.
What makes fleet cards one of the best fuel cards in Australia?
● Credit with no interest for up to 51 days, which will improve cash flow in businesses.
● Tires, vehicle parts, maintenance, and more are included in the network of non-fuel partners.
● Discounts of 5 cents per liter during the promotion period at Shell and Coles Express stations.
2. Shell card
New owners looking for the best fuel cards for small businesses might be turned down by some of the more expensive providers, like Fleet Card because they don't have any credit history. The Shell Card can help get small businesses moving in this area. They are much more lenient toward newly established businesses.
Even if businesses fail to meet the criteria of successfully operating for a year, they get access to shorter credit terms. Shell will let businesses extend the credit terms as long as they improve their financial history.
What makes shell cards one of the best fuel cards for small businesses?
● Accessible at over 1,250 locations across Australia (50 more locations than in 2019).
● At Shell Coles Express locations, businesses can get Flybuys points.
● Canstar Blue ranked first for customer satisfaction.
● Roadside assistance and car washing are two additional services.
● Accepts American Express as of right now.
3. WEX Motorpass
A fleet of one to five vehicles is probably what you'll have if you're a tradesman like an electrician, a plumber, or a builder. Almost every day, your team travels to different jobs.
It is essential to have the best fuel card for small businesses so that the workforce of a business, probably young apprentices, can easily reach each job. The more vehicles and employees businesses have, the more complicated it gets to keep track of paperwork related to fuel costs.
Motorpass, a multi-branded fuel card, can be used for all vehicle-related costs, saving time, money, and paperwork.
What makes WEX Motorpass one of the best fuel cards for small businesses?
● It is the second most widely accepted fuel card in Australia, accessible at over 93% of fuel stations.
● It is used by over 6,000 non-fuel shops like Beaurepaires and Ultratune.
● Generate complete itemized reports with GST and non-GST items separated.
● Details like the odometer readings, driver ID, and vehicle ID are recorded for efficient fleet management.
4. AmpolCard
Because time is of the essence in the logistics and transportation sector, fleet managers are constantly looking for methods to streamline their business activities.
The AmpolCard, previously the Caltex StarCard, is an excellent choice for this. An exclusive arrangement with Caltex that extends to AMPOL and has been negotiated by the Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia will result in significant savings.
Additionally, with this card, managing a large fleet of transport trucks online via their online dashboard is simple. It is possible to keep track of vehicle expenses and upkeep thanks to a user-friendly interface.
What makes AmpolCard one of the best fuel cards for small businesses?
● Ampol fuel cards allow up to 12% on repairs and servicing.
● Service fee is not charged on the cards for eligible customers if they establish direct debit payment with the credit card sponsored by MasterCard.
● Drivers can receive assistance 24/7.
5. Pumacard
As an alternative to WEX Motorpass, the Puma Card is a great fuel card for small businesses because, when used at Puma stations, you can still use the network, and save money on card fees.
Pumacard Direct is a more restrictive card that can only be used at Puma stores if discounts are available. Also, there should be no transaction fees. Pumacard is one of the best fuel cards for small businesses based on running costs if Puma stations come in your routes. It is one of the cheapest fuel cards available in Australia.
What makes Pumacard one of the best fuel cards for small businesses in Australia?
● Accepted at more than 400 Puma Stations.
● Can be used with a transaction surcharge at other WEX fuel stations.
As may be obvious, each card has its interesting advantages — yet no card is great so it's significant you track down the right card for your business requirements. Remember to take a gander at the fine print and ensure you have a reasonable comprehension of yearly expenses, charges at the fuel store, and the extra charges.
Eventually, the main individual who can conclude which fuel card is appropriate for your business is you. The right fuel card arrangement will be consistent for your group to utilize, will set aside your cash, and will give you the information you want to develop your business.
Volopay virtual cards — A best alternative to fuel cards
The basic purpose of getting fuel cards for your business would be to keep the fuel expenses quick to complete, separate, under check, and manageable. So, instead of getting a restricted fuel card, why not just get a virtual card that you can assign for fuel expenses and only give access to the employees who make fuel expenses?
How to get virtual cards? Simple, get Volopay. Volopay is an expense management software that provides high-tech virtual cards along with financial management tools. Let’s discuss the virtual cards.
Once you get Volopay and become an active customer on the platform, you get the facility to create unlimited virtual cards. These cards come with in-built spending and organizational controls. For example, you can set an upper limit on the spend amount on these cards.
Along with this, you can also decide who gets access to the card and also expenses would be approved by whom. Let’s say you create a virtual card specifically for fuel expenses. You can load the card with an approximate amount you think is spent on fuel and also set categories for expenses allowed.
Additionally, all card activity is tracked in real-time on the platform; hence you would have all the exact details about who spent the money and when. The Volopay platform also offers comprehensive expense reports that would help you analyze how much the company is spending on fuel. Moreover, all card payments can be made with just one click.
How much better can this get? Why just get a fuel card? Get a Volopay card!