Gas Cards and Fuel Cards

Whether you call them gas cards, fuel cards, or fleet cards, Bento for Business cards are a great alternative because of their unparalleled flexibility. Our customers use them to manage their fleet spending and their employee expenses in one location.

How traditional gas cards work

Most gas cards are charge cards, meaning that they must be paid in full each month or a sizable late fee is due. They are often issued by specific gas retailers and carry an annual fee; in exchange they offer discounts one fuel purchases made at their stations.  Some allow purchases at fuel pumps only, others allow users to shop at the gas station convenience store and pay for maintenance and repairs at authorized service providers. Some of the cards allow users to buy gas at stations outside the brand, but without the discount. The discount, of course, is more valuable for larger fleets, especially fleets with trucks.

These fuel cards have a few limitations, a key one being that they only handle a few of the expenses that could be incurred with operating a vehicle. If a driver has a breakdown, these cards can’t be used to cover the cost of a tow or a ride back to the office. An employee traveling a few towns away who gets stuck by weather can’t use a fleet card to cover the cost of a hotel room.

The Bento Alternative to Gas Cards

Bento for Business offers Visa debit cards that can be configured for your business’s needs. Controls can be changed instantly to accommodate emergencies or changing circumstances.

Some of our customers assign a Bento card to each vehicle and then run all vehicle-related expenses on it. Normally, the card will be kept in the glove compartment and set for fuel pump only use. When it’s necessary, the controls can be changed for maintenance and repair expenses. This information can help improve maintenance scheduling and lead to tremendous savings over the life of the vehicle.

Other customers assign cards to employees. For example, they give each employee a card set for Monday-Friday use at fuel pumps and any other places where the employee might need to spend money. A common additional setting is for hardware stores. This way,  workers can buy needed supplies to finish a job. Other employees may need to take clients out to lunch. Their cards can be set for Monday-Friday use at fuel pumps and restaurants. If any employee has a breakdown, gets stranded, or needs to spend money elsewhere, the account admins can change their settings so that they can do whatever work they need to do.

The Bento for Business Visa® debit card

The Bento card is a debit card. It is not a credit card, so there are no credit checks. Bento gives small businesses the power of robust spending controls and strong expense management tools, allowing you to get your expenses under control while protecting your business from losses caused by fraud. The gas expense card can give your employees the freedom and flexibility to make fuel purchases when they need to without having to complete reimbursement forms.

Bento for Business has a perfect score on Capterra and is the preferred business debit card for thousands of small businesses in the U.S. Small businesses can get up to two cards for free and up to 10 cards for just $29.95 per month. We offer a free 60-day trial so that you can take the time that you need to figure out if our cards are right for you. To learn more, contact us today by calling 866.220.8455.

Find out more:

• Learn how Santa Cruz Deliveries uses Bento.
• Sign up for a free trial.
• Get answers to all your questions with a customized demo.