Plumbing and Heating professionals who operate one or more vehicles in serving private and commercial clients, and who don’t already use a fuelcard, are missing out on substantial cost savings – EVERY week ! So says one of the UK’s leading fuelcard operators, abbey, who also point out that these firms are lumbering themselves unnecessarily with a lot of time-consuming administration including reconciling receipts and reimbursing employees.
With fuel costs continuing their upward march in recent months, abbey says that anyone still using a cash or credit card ‘pay-and-reclaim’ system for fuel purchases is inevitably leaking precious profitability. Instead of spending time hunting the local area for the best pump price, and then paying the full price shown when refuelling, they could be enjoying consistently lower prices per litre, greater management control – with minimal office time needed – and better security against fraud.
Using any fuelcard is cash-free and easy-to-use – but choosing the right one can bring even greater dividends. The first principle is to pick the right type of fuelcard. Retail fuelcards offer some convenience, but not the cost savings or free service package that the most reputable commercial fuelcards can deliver.
abbey Fuelcards is one such commercial operator – and has several fuelcards each designed to suit a particular type of operational needs. Their fastfuel card is unusual in that it offers discounted prices on both petrol and diesel at around 1400 Texaco sites nationwide. For diesel-only customers, there are other abbey fuelcards with different site network profiles that may be a better fit.
For all of them, however, a price per litre is quoted weekly in advance and this is what will apply for 7 consecutive days anywhere in the country at sites accepting the card concerned. This price is usually 2-3 pence per litre below the national average pump price at the time – accumulating very significant savings off the annual fuel budget.
But that’s only one part of abbey fuelcard benefits. Some other fuelcard operators charge extra for optional additional services. However, abbey’s 50p fee per card issued per month is all-inclusive. Each card-member organisation regularly receives customised management reports and analyses of fuel purchase transactions and consumption. There’s no extra charge for 24/7 on-line account access, personal account manager, card replacement, or for text or Sat-Nav site locator services. Also free are various security features such as instant card stop, irregular usage monitoring and alerts, and zero liability protection.
abbey’s Customer Services and Marketing Manager, Steve Clarke, is sure what represents best value for plumbers and heating professionals, whether small local businesses or national contractors: ' The real comparison between fuelcard operators lies in what services are provided, and what they ultimately cost the customer. With abbey, members get a comprehensive service, tailored to their individual needs, for an all-inclusive monthly card fee.'