The cost-saving and fleet management benefits of fuel cards are not being picked up on by some fleets, who are missing out on a number of benefits as a result.

The Esso Card fuel card from WEX Europe Services is the first product to be offered under FleetCheck’s affinity programme

Fleet management software company FleetCheck says its work with operators has shown that fuel cards are the element of management best practice that is most often missing when the company first talks to fleets.

This means that fleets are losing out on a range of ways to gain control over fuel costs but also wider fleet management issues; all of which is more relevant than ever post-lockdown.

Peter Golding, managing director, explained: “A good fuel card offers not just discounts on fuel expenditure but also control over petrol and diesel spending as well as access to data that can be used to monitor and reduce costs.”

The company has now signed up with WEX Europe Services to offer the Esso Card fuel card. The tie-up is the first in its FleetCheck’s affinity programme, which is designed to offer FleetCheck’s more than 1,000 customers the opportunity to access a range of essential products and services at preferential rates.

Under the Esso Card offering, FleetCheck customers will not have to pay an annual subscription fee for each fuel card and will also be offered a discount on every litre of fuel bought.

Peter Golding, managing director, explained: “When we decided to launch the affinity programme, fuel seemed the obvious place to start.

“After looking closely at the market, WEX Europe Services seemed like the ideal fuel card provider for our customer base and we are very pleased to announce them as our first affinity partner.”

As part of the affinity arrangement, FleetCheck has also made integration of Esso Card with its core fleet management system easier and more effective.

Golding added: “We integrate effectively with a wide range of fuel card providers but we have gone the extra mile with WEX Europe Services to ensure that importing data is as seamless as possible, and that reports that can be easily generated and used to maximise efficient fuel use.

“We’re in the process of finalising further affinity deals and are hoping to announce more in the near future. Our aim is to use our position to negotiate arrangements that benefit our customers, especially as many look to contain costs in the post-lockdown economy.”

Eamonn Tierney, managing director from WEX Europe Services, commented: “We’re very pleased to be signing this partnership deal, which enables FleetCheck to offer cost savings and improved fleet efficiency to their customers. FleetCheck is a well-respected name in the fleet industry and we are delighted to be working with them as part of our plans to further develop our highly successful partnership network in the UK.”