The cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom at the moment is extending far further than your grocery shopping or electric bill — it's impacting the majority of small businesses throughout the country, too, causing everyone to have to navigate through tight budgets and generally monitor expenses as closely as possible.
Generally speaking, one of the most significant business expenses out there right now, particularly for anyone who manages a fleet of vehicles, is fuel costs.
Because of this, many companies tend to turn to small business fuel cards in order to properly manage these expenses and ultimately purchase far cheaper fuel cards.
Having said this, despite how much small businesses save money with these kinds of cards, securing a business fuel card isn't exactly a walk in the park for anyone with less-than-perfect credit. Still, while poor credit is certainly not the easiest thing in the world to get around, there are still a few options out there.
So, throughout this article, we'll be taking a look at how small businesses like yours can get their hands on company fuel cards without actually needing a credit check at all — all while helping them save money on their overall fuel expenses.
Understanding the Importance of Business Fuel Cards
You've probably heard business fuel cards be referred to as company fuel card at some point, but these terms are pretty interchangeable.
Whatever you want to call them, they ultimately provide numerous benefits to small businesses across the country, whether that's by offering a convenient way to manage fuel expenses, track your fuel spend, or just generally simplify fleet management.
Advantages
Fortunately, these kinds of cards tend to be accepted at a relatively wide range of petrol stations across the UK, meaning businesses have easy access to a network of locations pretty much at all times.
✔️ Cost-Effective
Naturally, the biggest pull factor for using one of these cards is the potentially huge amount of money you'd be able to save. In general, business fuel cards tend to offer healthy discounts on fuel prices in comparison to the standard pump price, which is obviously going to lead to significant cost savings for your business in the long run.
✔️ Financial Management
Aside from the more obvious examples, though, the benefits of owning a company fuel card go way beyond savings on your fuel expenses — they can bolster your business's financial health by giving you the opportunity to track your expenses.
Whether it's by monitoring how much your business is spending on fuel, categorising your expenses, or generating detailed reports, having one of these cards ultimately gives you some in-depth insight into how your business is performing.
Having this kind of understanding of your business's financial health generally gives you a much better chance of making more informed decisions, letting you allocate resources with ease and maintain an overall solid cash flow in your company.
Challenges for Small Businesses
Still, despite the numerous reasons why you'd want to get one of these cards, the fact remains that they're not exactly the easiest to obtain if you've got a few issues with your credit score.
Obviously, it'll depend on which fuel card provider you go to, but generally speaking, the majority of them tend to require some form of credit check before they approve your application and hand over your card.
As such, it can be pretty problematic for businesses that have less-than-perfect credit histories, possibly resulting in either denials or just higher fees in general, which can reduce a lot of the savings you'd be trying to make in the first place.
Thankfully, though, there are still quite a few ways for small businesses to get their hands on a fuel card without having to undergo a credit check. So, continue reading further below, where we'll explore some of the best strategies small businesses like yours can follow in order to find the right fuel card provider.
Compare Fuel Card Providers
First things first, perhaps the most obvious course of action to take initially is simply to compare various providers, primarily looking for companies that cater towards small businesses in particular as they're oftentimes the ones with the most lenient credit requirements.
It's generally worth taking a look at different kinds of online tools and platforms to help you compare fuel cards so you're able to find the one that offers the best value for your specific needs.
Explore Prepaid Fuel Cards
One of the most effective methods to get around a credit check is simply to invest in a prepaid fuel card. In essence, these cards work just like prepaid debit cards, basically allowing you to load a predetermined amount of money onto the card and use it until it's dry (at which point you can top it up as needed).
You don't have to perform a credit check for this kind of approach, so it's a great choice for any business with credit concerns.
Consider Fuel Cards with Direct Debit Options
Aside from prepaid cards, though, certain fuel card providers might even offer direct debit options for you that essentially let you connect your fuel card to a bank account and set up automatic payments.
If your business has pretty inconsistent cash flow, this can be an especially useful approach as it ultimately ensures that fuel expenses are covered, but also without any credit checks.
Seek Recommendations From Peers
Of course, if you're a fleet manager or have any other driving-related job, there's a good chance you've got a wide network of other professionals within your industry who can help direct you to business fuel cards. The kinds of contacts can be invaluable in terms of the level of insight they may be able to offer you.
Look for Completely Free Fuel Cards
Believe it or not, there are actually some fuel card providers out there that offer completely free fuel cards — zero annual fees or even credit checks.
Definitely try to keep an eye out for these opportunities when you're comparing fuel card providers, as they're an excellent option for any small businesses looking to save money on fuel expenses without the burden of additional costs.
