What is a Fleet Card?

A fleet card is a credit card businesses use for fuel purchases for their corporate vehicles as well as to pay for vehicle repairs and maintenance. A business will typically issue fleet cards to their vehicle drivers. This allows drivers to easily purchase fuel and other transportation supplies. It also makes it easier for companies to track and manage vehicle expenses. Fleet cards are best for businesses with two or more company-owned vehicles and thousands of gallons in fuel purchases each month.

Some fleet cards, such as the Shell Fleet Credit Card, limit fuel purchases to one brand of gas stations. The Shell card also offers in-network repair and maintenance facilities that cardholders can choose. In contrast, Wex offers “universal” fleet cards that can be used at 95% of U.S. stations or in-network repair facilities. Some covered brands such as Conoco, ExxonMobil and Sunoco offer their own fleet cards that often give better rewards, but purchases are limited to their own stations.

Fleet cards are fairly easy to get. Most require only a minimum of fair credit (640 credit score). And fleet cards tend to offer business owners discounts and cash back rewards on repair, maintenance and equipment purchases, in addition to gas. Depending on the card and the issuer, business owners can get discountsof1to 10 cents per gallon on gas purchases. Earnings are typically either discounted at the pump or will appear as a statement credit.