Fuel cards for businesses in the food sector
The food sector is one that requires a significant amount of logistical work in order to run smoothly. From farms to processing plants to supermarkets or distributors, there is significant logisitics planning required to get food products to their end destinations.
Many businesses in this sector will also require specialised vehicles, such as refrigerated vans/trailers, in order to keep products safe and compliant, which can come with additional fuel costs, due to the limited nature of specialised vehicles. In situations like this, being able to understand your fuel expenditures is incredibly important as it can be a major cost.
For larger businesses, the amount of work required by central admin teams to reimburse drivers for fuel costs can be a huge burden and takes up a massive amount of their time, which is where a fuel card system can really help.
Fuel cards for businesses in the manufacturing sector
Like businesses in the food and beverage sector, the manufacturing sector relies heavily on logistics providers and departments in order to run smoothly. With drivers becoming increasingly difficult to find and retain, many manufacturing companies are looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their fleets and to understand their costs more transparently.
When businesses are struggling to hire, the bottom line suffers, which is why ensuring all of your other processes are running smoothly and efficiently is so important. If you know that your fuel costs are under control, you can feel confident in focusing your efforts on areas of your business that need additional support, such as hiring and retention of new drivers.
Fuel cards are ideal for these businesses as they make the process of paying for fuel across your business more streamlined, more practical and easier to understand, both for drivers and central admin teams, resulting in a simple, seamless payment process that doesn’t take up time, energy or effort from your internal teams, or from your drivers, keeping them on the road too.
What is a fuel card, and how can it help businesses?
Fuel cards offer companies in these sectors a simple system to keep their fuel costs on track and to balance their books. In a fuel card system, drivers have their own assigned cards that are registered to one business account.
These cards work in exactly the same way as a regular credit card - simply put, they can be used to pay just as a regular payment card would. The only difference is that controls are put in place to restrict any purchases other than fuel, or only items that are approved by your fleet manager such as Ad-Blue or vehicle washes.
When drivers pay for their fuel, the transactions are all consolidated into one company account, with a statement showing all of your fuel purchases, regardless of where in the country they were made. From there, companies can pay their bills as they would with any normal business credit line, with the flexibility to pay in a way that works best for your cash flow, rather than paying out expenses when they are requested by drivers. This allows you to plan your cash flow with all of the information you need around your firm’s finances and purchases.
Fuel cards can be used to help businesses in the food and manufacturing sectors in a variety of ways, including:
Fuel card users no longer need to keep records of receipts or expense forms, streamlining your processes.
Fuel can be paid for instantly or on a payment schedule, rather than expensed in arrears when submitted by employees.
HMRC-compliant invoices are automatically created.
Employees won’t have to worry about being out of pocket waiting for expense payments to come in, as charges are sent directly to the company account.
Tolls, and bridge charges with the Allstar Plus card, can also be covered by a fuel card, as can maintenance services like vehicle washes and oil changes, for example.
Why choose Allstar for your business fuel cards?
While there are many different fuel card providers in the UK, at Allstar, we are proud to have the UK’s largest fuel network, which covers 90% of UK fuel stations. For businesses who rely on their vehicles in order to conduct business smoothly, this is an incredibly important factor when it comes to choosing the right fuel card, as rerouting in order to find participating fuel stations can be costly, time-consuming and highly disruptive to both drivers and customers.
In addition to being accepted at large fuel brands and retail outlets, Allstar cards are also accepted at a range of small, independent fuel providers, which means you don’t need to worry about rerouting to find a forecourt that is a part of our network, no matter where you are in the country. As well as our extensive network, Allstar cards have several features that make life easier for both businesses and drivers:
No limit on the number of cardholders
We’ll never place a limit on the number of cardholders on a single account. All drivers who need to purchase fuel on your behalf, upon request, will receive their own, personally assigned cards.
A range of payment options
Our cards can be used just as you would a normal credit card, including using Chip & PIN, swipe, and contactless. You can also pay-at-pump with your Allstar card, if required.
Additional features with Allstar Online
Allstar Online offers you a range of digital tools. These can be used to help you instantly see your fuel costs, as well as to keep your fleet running smoothly.
To find out more about the Allstar range of fuel cards and how they can help both businesses and employees in the food and manufacturing sectors, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team, or apply for your fuel card online.
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