The Best Fuel Card for a Small Business in NZ

The best fuel card for a small business in New Zealand is the one accepted where your vehicles already fill up. NZ Fuel Cards supplies cards for BP, Caltex, Mobil and Z, so instead of committing to a single fuel company you pick the card, or the two cards, that suit your routes. Every transaction still ends up on one invoice.

There is no minimum fleet size. The same offers apply whether you run one vehicle or twenty. What changes from business to business is which card which card saves you the most.

Which fuel card saves the most per litre?

The published discounts differ by fuel and by where you fill up. This is the current offer set:

Card	Petrol	Diesel	Where you can use it
Mobil	10c per litre off the pump price	10c per litre off the pump price	Mobil service stations, Mobil truckstops, and selected Mobil-supplied sites such as Allied Petroleum, Waitomo Petroleum, NPD and Wealleans Petroleum
BP	9c per litre off the pump price*	9c per litre off the pump price at service stations. 15c per litre off the truckstop pump price at most BP truckstops*	All BP and Gasoline Alley service stations, plus BP truckstops
Z Business	9c per litre off the pump price	9c per litre off the pump price at Caltex and Z service stations. At most Caltex and Z truckstops, 11c off the Z national price, which usually works out around 20c per litre off the truckstop pump price*	Z, Caltex and Challenge service stations, plus Caltex and Z truckstops

*These offers depend on card choice and location. The Caltex and Z truckstop discount is fixed at 11c off the Z national price. The 20c is the usual outcome of that against the truckstop pump price on the day, not a fixed rate. Current detail sits on the Petrol Offers and Diesel Offers pages.

The Z Business card also earns Airpoints at Caltex and Z, at one Airpoints Dollar for every 100 litres. Airpoints are not earned at Challenge.

Do I need more than one card?

You can hold as many cards as you like across BP, Caltex, Mobil and Z. One or two per person is usually enough. A common setup is a Mobilcard for petrol and a Z or BP card for diesel, or simply the two brands closest to your home base.

There is a reason it works this way rather than one card covering every brand. Fuel suppliers offer a greater discount on their own branded card than they will on a card that covers their competitors too. Separate cards, one account, one invoice. That last part is the difference between using NZ Fuel Cards and going direct to each fuel company. Direct, you run four accounts and four bills to collect four discounts. Here you keep the discounts and reconcile once.

Is a truckstop worth it if I only run a ute or a van?

Yes, and this is the point most small businesses miss. Truckstops are not restricted to trucks. Cars, vans and utes can use them, and on diesel the gap is the largest single saving available.

At a service station, both the BP and Z cards discount diesel by 9c a litre. At a truckstop, the BP card moves to on average 15c. The Z card switches to 11c off the Z national price, which usually lands near 20c off the truckstop pump price. If a truckstop is located near your yard or on a route you already drive, that is the decision worth making before you compare anything else.

What does a fuel card actually cost?

• No joining, account or transaction fees.
• $1.53 including GST, per card, per month.
• A one-off courier fee on your card order. $5.50 for urban delivery or $12.50 for rural, including GST, for the whole order rather than per card.
• No time-based contract. You can leave whenever you choose.
• A 1.5% convenience fee if you pay by credit card, calculated on the GST exclusive value. Direct debit from a bank account has no fee.

Cashflow matters as much as the per-litre number for a small business. Buying on account gives you up to 24 days credit, and invoicing runs weekly, fortnightly, twice monthly or monthly so the fuel bill can be timed against when you get paid. Terms and conditions apply.

Can a sole trader get a fuel card?

Yes. NZ Fuel Cards works with sole traders, SMEs, limited companies and corporate fleets, and the discounts are the same offers. The only real difference is how many cards you order and what limits you set on them.

What should you check before applying?

• Decide your limits up front. You set daily and monthly purchase limits, product restrictions such as fuel only, or no restrictions at all, during the application. Every card carries a PIN.
• Know how fuel cards work with other loyalty schemes. A fuel card discount cannot be combined with loyalty schemes. Mobil Smiles, Pumped, Everyday Rewards and Fuelup supermarket vouchers do not stack with it, so compare against what you currently save, not against the sticker price.
• Compare against your own bill. Send a recent fuel invoice and NZ Fuel Cards will benchmark it against their pricing, obligation free.

How long does it take to get set up?

The online application takes about ten minutes. Once approved, cards arrive in around seven to ten working days by courier, and a signature is required on delivery. BP and Mobil cards work as soon as they arrive, using the PIN you chose during the application. Z cards need a quick call to activate and are ready to use four hours later.

Frequently asked questions about small business fuel cards

What is the best fuel card for a small business in NZ? There is no single best card. Mobil currently has the largest published petrol discount at 10c a litre, and on both the BP and Z cards the largest diesel discounts sit at truckstops rather than service stations.
Can a small business have more than one fuel card? Yes, as many as you like across BP, Caltex, Mobil and Z. One or two per person is usually enough, and everything appears on one invoice.
Are there monthly fees on a small business fuel card? There are no joining, account or transaction fees. You pay $1.53 including GST per card per month, plus a one-off courier fee of $5.50 urban or $12.50 rural on your card order. There is no time-based contract.
Can a sole trader get a fuel card in New Zealand? Yes. NZ Fuel Cards supplies sole traders, SMEs and large corporates on the same offers.

If you want to know what this would look like on your own bill, send a recent invoice through for an obligation free benchmark. If you already know which cards suit your run, you can apply online.