When looking for fleet fuel cards you’ll probably come across a lot of different fuel cards ranging from big name retail fuel cards to smaller private cardlock fuel cards, but which one is best for your company?
First you need to understand that there aren’t as many fuel cards as there appears to be. For example, the 7-Eleven fuel card is essentially a re-branded WEX fuel card and the Chevron fuel card is a re-branded Fuelman card. So there’s really only 6 major fleet fuel card options out there. Sure there may be some minor differences in limited rebate offers or small discounts, but the fuel card and fuel network is the same.
To break it down even further, there are really only two types of major fuel cards, retail fuel cards (Voyager, WEX, Fuelman, Comdata) and cardlock fuel cards (CFN & Pacific Pride). The difference between the two will be shown below in the fleet fuel card comparison.
To help you understand how all these fleet fuel cards match up side-by side, here’s a fleet fuel card comparison of the of the biggest fuel cards in the United States.
Side-By-Side Fleet Fuel Card Comparison
| Voyager | WEX | Comdata | Fuelman | CFN | Pacific Pride | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Stations | 230,000 | 180,000 | 160,000 | 57,000 | 57,000 | 57,000 |
| Cardlock Stations | – | – | – | – | 2,500 | 1,000 |
| Fuel Card Controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E-receipts | No *purchase alerts only | No *purchase alerts only | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Online Account Access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fees | Depends on distributor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Depends on distributor | Depends on distributor |
1) Voyager Fleet Card
Locations
The Voyager fleet card is accepted at over 230,00 fuel and maintenance locations nationwide. You can find Voyager locations near you using the Voyager site locator or the Voyager app.
Controls & Reporting
- Authorized for fuel and maintenance purchases only unlike a credit card that can buy anything
- Purchase alerts for every transaction
- Set product purchase alerts that notifies you when driver purchases wrong type of fuel
- Set dollar limits
- Transaction reporting for end of the month fuel reports and IFTA reports
Fees
Voyager is a fuel network that distributes its fuel card services through individual fuel card companies called “Voyager Channel Partners” throughout the US which individually control the fees and pricing. So the answer is pricing and fees may vary.
Service
Voyager customers are directly service by Voyager Channel Partners. The advantage of this business model is that you’ll receive a personal sales rep and a smaller customer service team so you don’t have to dial through phone directories to get the help you need.
2) WEX Fleet Card
Locations
The WEX fleet card is a universal fuel card that is accepted at over 90% of retail gas stations and truck stops in the US. You can find locations by using the WEX site locator or downloading the WEX Connect mobile app.
Controls & Reporting
- Authorized for fuel and maintenance purchases only unlike a credit card that can buy anything
- Set product purchase alerts that notifies you when driver purchases wrong type of fuel
- Set dollar limits
- Transaction reporting for end of the month fuel reports and IFTA reports
Fees
The only operating fee WEX has is a monthly $2 per card fee. There are some other fees that would be considered as finance charges if a customer bounces payment or doesn’t pay an invoice on time, but if you always pay on time you shouldn’t face any finance charges.
Service
WEX is a large company that has good customer service. However, since it is a large company you still have to call through directories to get the department and person you want to reach when you have an issue.
3) Comdata Universal FleetCard MasterCard
Locations
The Comdata Universal FleetCard MasterCard is accepted at over 160,000 fuel locations nationwide. Like You can find Comdata fuel locations by using the Comdata merchant locator.
Controls & Reporting
- Authorized for fuel and maintenance purchases only unlike a credit card that can buy anything
- Transaction controls
- Transaction reporting for end of the month fuel reports and IFTA reports
Service
Like WEX, Comdata is a fuel card network and distributor that directly services it’s customers. You will have to reach them by phone or email like any other large corporation.
4) Fuelman Fleet Fuel Card
Locations
The Fuelman fleet fuel card is accepted at 57,000 locations nationwide. You can find Fuelman locations by using the Fuelman site locator or the Fuelman mobile app.
Controls & Reporting
- Authorized for fuel and maintenance purchases only unlike a credit card that can buy anything
- Transaction controls, including gallons limits and time frames
- Transaction reporting for end of the month fuel reports and IFTA reports
Service
Fuelman is owned by the same company (Fleetcor) as Comdata so they have very similar customer service setups even though you would be calling a different customer service team.
4) CFN Fleetwide Fuel Card
Locations
The CFN Fleetwide fuel card is accepted at 57,000 locations including cardlock locations. You can find all accepting locations by using the CFN site locator or the CFN Fleetwide mobile app.
Also, if you’re wondering what’s the difference between cardlock stations and regular retail stations, you can learn more here.
Controls & Reporting
- Electronic fuel receipts that go straight to your email after every purchase
- Per day transaction limits
- Gallon limits per transaction
- Time of day and day of week fueling controls
- Product control at all cardlock locations
- Transaction reporting for end of the month fuel reports and IFTA reports
Fees
Pricing may vary because CFN is a fuel network that distributes its fuel card services through over 200 individual fuel card companies throughout the US which individually control the fees and pricing.
Service
CFN customers are directly service by CFN fuel card companies. Like mentioned above for the Voyager card, the advantage of this business model is that you’ll receive a personal sales rep and a smaller customer service team.
5) Pacific Pride Fleet Fuel Card
Locations
The Pacific Pride fleet fuel card is accepted at 57,000 locations including Pacific Pride cardlock locations. You can find all accepting locations by using the Pacific site locator or the Pacific Pride mobile app.
Controls & Reporting
- Unlike credit cards, the Pacific Pride card can only be used to purchase fuel
- Gallon per transaction limits
- Number of transactions per day limits
- Time of day and day of week time frame limits
- Electronic fuel receipts that are emailed to you after every purchase
Fees
Like the CFN card, pricing may vary because Pacific Pride is a fuel network that distributes its fuel card services through individual fuel card companies that individually control the fees and pricing.
Service
Pacific Pride customers are directly service by Pacific Pride fuel card companies.
Which Fleet Fuel Card Is Right For You?
It really depends on where your company is located and what your personal preferences are. You can use our fuel card finder to help you narrow down your options.
If you’re located in the Western US you may want to consider a cardlock fuel card (CFN & Pacific Pride) because you can get better control and access to larger fuel stations. If you’re located elsewhere a retail fuel card (WEX, Voyager, Comdata, Fuelman) is definitely the way to go.
Since reporting, controls, and features are all very similar across all fuel cards, service may be the biggest differentiating factor. If you prefer dealing directly with a large corporation you should look into WEX, Comdata, and Fuelman. If you would rather deal with a smaller fuel card distributor with more personalized customer service, Voyager, Pacific Pride, and CFN is the way to go.
At the end of the day, all 6 of these fuel cards mentioned in this fleet fuel card comparison will help you track, control, and report your company’s fuel purchases, so you can’t go wrong with either one of them.
