Is a company fuel card worth it?

Is a company fuel card worth it?

Anyone who travels a lot for work usually has to refuel - and often. In many cases, a fuel card can simplify this process and help save time. But is a company fuel card definitely worth it? What are the advantages and possible disadvantages?

With one Fuel card It is possible to pay easily and directly at gas stations - for commercial customers including small businesses. However, they primarily use larger companies that have a large fleet of vehicles and whose employees travel a lot, for example in the field. With a fuel card you can not only benefit from tax advantages or discounts on the price of petrol, it also makes accounting easier in many cases.

Functions similar to a credit card

Fuel cards are similar in functionality to a credit card. This means that the tank filling can be paid for directly, sometimes even directly at the pump. Billing is then carried out directly via the bank account on file, usually the company account. Some fuel cards even make it possible to bill tolls or other services, such as car washes.

However, in many cases fuel cards also have a major disadvantage: they cannot necessarily be used for payments everywhere. In most cases, they are tied to contracted gas stations, meaning payment at other gas stations is not possible. However, if you don't mind this, you can benefit from discounts and use additional services from the relevant contractual partners. In many cases, a budget can be defined for employees or only gas stations within a certain radius are “activated”.

When a company fuel card can be worthwhile

A fuel card can definitely pay off for companies if they want to operate company vehicles efficiently. For example, this allows costs to be reduced and fuel expenses to be optimally managed. At the same time, a fuel card can often save time on tax returns. There are also the following advantages that can speak for using a company fuel card:

• Kontrolle über anfallende Kosten
  Alle Kosten hat man immer direkt im Blick. Zudem lassen sich Freigaben und auch Einschränkungen für einzelne Mitarbeiter festlegen, sofern dies gewünscht wird.
• Geringerer buchhalterischer Aufwand
  Durch die digitale Abrechnung können die Abläufe in der Buchhaltung vereinfacht werden. Mitarbeitende müssen zudem keine Kassenbelege mehr sammeln und in Vorkasse gehen.
• Rabatte nutzen
  Durch die Vertragspartner gibt es oftmals Rabatte, sodass für eine Tankfüllung weniger bezahlt werden muss. Oft gibt es sogar einen fixen Tankpreis, sodass die Benzinpreisschwankungen keine Rolle mehr spielen.

Fuel card for private individuals: is it worth it?

As a rule, private individuals cannot benefit from the advantages of a fuel card. This is for tax reasons. The offer is also not very widespread. As a rule, there are special fuel credit cards available for private individuals, which can be used to secure discounts on the fuel price. There are often additional offers such as travel cancellation insurance or free payment anywhere in the world. They therefore work similarly to fuel cards, but are not directly comparable.