Fuel cards are extremely popular as a convenient and cost-effective way to fuel a fleet of vehicles. Drivers benefit from an easy way to pay at the pump without needing to collect receipts. Businesses also benefit from the reduced fuel cost, more control over driver spend and convenience of being able to pay one single monthly invoice. Whether you operate a single vehicle or a fleet of hundreds, there are plenty of benefits to using fuel cards, but there is also quite a bit of misinformation about them online. We’re going to deep dive into seven of these myths and shed some light on the truth of fuel cards.
Myth: You can’t use fuel cards at supermarkets
Drivers tend to fill up at supermarket petrol stations because not only are they often better value and more convenient but there are fewer dedicated petrol stations than ten years ago. Many drivers often assume fuel cards can only be used at independent petrol stations, but this is a complete myth.
Most fuel cards are designed to be used in several different forecourt locations, including supermarket petrol stations. The reason for this is because fuel cards need to meet the demands of fleet operators and drivers in terms of convenience and value for money. We work in partnership with Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys to bring our customers great value fuel all over the UK, find your nearest fuelGenie petrol station with our petrol station finder.
Myth: Buying fuel in the morning gives you the best value for money
There is a theory that many drivers believe: if you fill your tank early in the morning, you will be able to squeeze even more value out of your fuel. The idea behind this theory is that liquid fuel is cold in the morning and therefore is denser, allowing you to fit more petrol or diesel into your tank and save pennies while you’re at it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that, and while cold liquid fuel is denser than warm fuel, the difference is so tiny that you will not notice it in your fuel card expenditure.
Myth: Fuel cards create lots of extra admin
Nobody likes paperwork, and so most of us try to avoid it if we can. If you are worried that using fuel cards for your business will create more time-consuming admin, you may be pleased to hear that this is not the case. Reduced admin is just one of the many fuel card benefits available to fuelGenie customers.
Introducing fuel cards as part of your regular business operations can even reduce your administrative workload because everything is managed and processed at the same time using your computer or even our app. Filing invoices and managing company fuel expenses is more straightforward when it is all taken care of in one cohesive format with HMRC approved reporting to make your VAT reclaim easy...
Myth: You will be limited to buying premium fuel
We’re not sure where this myth comes from, but it’s easy to dispel. Whilst some fuel cards might give you excellent value on premium rate fuel, that doesn’t mean you can only use those kinds of petrol or diesel to power your fleet. There are some differences between standard and premium fuel. Still, unless your vehicle has a high-performance engine that burns hotter than standard combustion engines, you likely won’t notice a real difference at all.
Myth: Fuel cards are more expensive for businesses
Some fleet operators are under the impression that a fuel card will only add to their weekly or monthly expenses and therefore have avoided adopting them for their business. You will be pleased to know that a fuelGenie fuel card is free and doesn’t incur any additional fees on top of the price of fuel at the pump. You also get unlimited free fuel cards with fuelGenie, so larger fleets don’t have to fork out for each individual driver.
Myth: Fuel cards are challenging to use
In terms of ease of use, our fuel cards are designed to make refuelling as simple as possible so your drivers and admin staff can focus on more important things. When using one of our fuel cards, all a driver needs to do is present their fuelGenie card once they have filled up, confirm the VRN, confirm whether they want to record mileage, and sign for the transaction, read more about how to use a fuel card in our handy guide.
Myth: Fuel cards are only for large businesses
Whether you have two vehicles in your fleet or 200, fuel cards can be the ideal time and money-saving choice for businesses of all sizes. The best thing about fuel cards is that they can be tailored to suit the needs of your business, so a sole trader will reap the benefits of using a fuel card in the same way that a large company would. There are no minimum usage requirements or contract terms with fuelGenie and no penalties for leaving the scheme, so you have nothing to lose, no matter how small or large your business size. Get more information
