3 Reasons Your Fuel Card Is Getting Declined And How To Fix It

Nothing is more frustrating than getting a call from a driver who got their fuel card declined in the middle of a delivery. You have to scramble and try to figure out why the fuel card is getting declined, reset the card, and get your driver back on the road. To help you avoid this problem, we’ve put together the 3 most common reasons fuel cards will get declined and how to fix them.

I know it goes without saying, but you have no idea how many times a driver will claim they are entering the right pin number even though they’re not.

Solution: To avoid this, keep a spreadsheet of all your fuel cards’ pin numbers on your phone so you have the correct pin number with you at all times.

If you set up fuel card parameters such a gallon limits, time frame limits, and transaction limits when you ordered your fuel cards, any purchase outside of those parameters will be declined. So if you have a driver who’s trying to buy fuel at 5:30 p.m. and the fuel card is set to shut off at 5 p.m., the card won’t work.

It’s also worth noting that every time your driver swipes their fuel card at the pump and the pump starts processing the transaction, it counts as a transaction even if the pump doesn’t turn on. So if they try too many times, the fuel card will get declined for exceeding the transaction limit.

Solution: Like mentioned above, keep a spreadsheet with you at all times with all your fuel card details so you can know all the restrictions set to a specific card. If you need to change a driver’s parameters to let them buy fuel, you can log on to your online fuel card account or contact your fuel card provider.