The Best Prepaid Fuel Cards

Although gas prices have stabilized in 2023, we can forgive fleet managers for looking to cut costs. After all, gas prices rocketed up an eyewatering 49% between January and June last year.

Prepaid fuel cards are an excellent way for owners of smaller fleets to cap spending and cut down paperwork. As the experts in fuel cards, we've put together a special run-down of the top reloadable gas cards for your business this year.

We'll quickly outline what kinds of cards we're talking about – as there are a few different types.

Then we'll compare the chosen favorites directly with one another, before breaking down each one in detail.

What Are Prepaid Fuel Cards?

Also known as “prepaid gas cards”, these are plastic cards which you load with money, and use them to pay for fuel and maintenance. They're reloadable and reusable.

They work a lot like a gift card, so you can only use them at certain locations.

Unlike traditional fuel cards, which are essentially credit cards (you pay off the balance each month), you're only spending money you already have, so you can't go into debt using them. Often they'll take the form of a debit card.

What are the advantages of prepaid gas cards?

• Less paperwork
• No credit check
• Easier budgeting
• Digitize expenses tracking
• Discounts on fuel
• Earn cashback
• Other rewards

Best of all, with a prepaid fuel card, the terms and conditions are way simpler than the normal route of applying for a gas card. There's no credit check, no minimum balance, and some cards come with no fees.

And you can save at the pump, too.

It’s as simple as having your cash in card form, but all payments are recorded automatically. Some cards come with a mobile app, and you can get alerts when deposits and payments are made.

These gas cards are truly helpful for smaller businesses because they save time, effort, and paper. Therefore reducing the amount of storage space and thinking time you need to muster up.

You can request fuel card quotes directly through us, or read on to find out who we've shortlisted.

The Best Prepaid Fuel Cards

As the cost of diesel slowly dipped down below $4 per gallon in May, gas prices have stayed stubbornly fixed this year – even rising slightly since January.

So it's no surprise drivers are looking for ways to bring down commercial costs anyway, anyhow. While not all prepaid fuel cards offer money off at the pump, their convenience can end up saving you valuable time and effort.

Let's look at a quick overview of our top choices for prepaid fuel cards:

• Shell Refillable Card
• Brink's Business Expense
• Bento for Business
• ARCO PumpPASS

Individual Reviews of Prepaid Fuel Cards

In the below sections we've taken a deep-dive into the best brands of reusable fuel cards available in the US today.

You'll notice that two names pop up more than others: payment giants Visa and Mastercard. Both continue to vie for market share in this competitive and growing market. In September, Visa launched a new reloadable prepaid card alongside US fintech DailyPay and The Bancorp Bank.

Just two months later, Mastercard forged ahead with a similar new offering in Brazil thanks to a deal with AstroPay (which is not yet available in the US).

It's a relief to see a wider range of these new payment products, as more business folk seek to go cashless and paperless.

Shell Refillable Card: Best for Simplicity

If you're curious about its other cards – which include discounts at Jiffy lube – check out our review of Shell fleet cards.

Brink's Business Expense: Best for Nationwide Coverage

Brink's Prepaid Mastercard Fees

Unlike Shell's refillable gift card, there's a whole list of fees to be aware of with Brink's prepaid card. The reason is you're getting a lot more financial services in return for your investment. Brink's card is a lot more formal, and lets you withdraw from ATMs, for instance. You can find the entire list of Brink's prepaid Mastercard fees here.

Keep your eyes on how often you use this card because there's a $5.95 inactivity fee that applies per month if there are funds on your card but you ignore it for 90 days. If you don't really need to use the card for a while, you can avoid this fee by making a balance inquiry (which costs 50¢ at an ATM or it's free online).

Bento for Business: Best for Fuel Expenses Management

If you're not phased by a little more advanced accounting, you may be interested in cruising through our recommendations for gas credit cards. Although there are some extra fees to take on board, you'll get access to expenses report creation tools. Those can give you even greater control of your fuel finances.

ARCO PumpPASS: Best for Cheap Fuel

ARCO PumpPASS Prepaid Amounts

You can load $10, $15, $20, $25, $50 or $100 onto your ARCO prepaid gas card. The maximum amount is much lower for ARCO's gift card than Shell's (which has an upper limit of $300).

It costs nothing to order an ARCO prepaid gas card online. You only have to pay for postage, which is currently $2.95 from USPS First Class or $26.95 UPS Next Day.

To find out more about ARCO's range of gas cards, check out our dedicated overview.

The Different Types of Prepaid Fuel Card Explained

When it comes to prepaid fuel card options, you'll likely be choosing between two different varieties:

• Prepaid gift cards – such as the Shell Refillable Card and ARCO PumpPASS
• Prepaid expenses management cards – such as Brink's Business Expense and Bento for Business

The route you take depends on what you want from your card. Do you want to benefit from cash prices at specific gas stations? Would you like greater control over your expenses in general? Are you happy to pay a monthly subscription fee for greater spending control and insight, or would you rather go for something cheap and simple?

Let's explore the key differences between these two types of card:

Prepaid Gas Gift Cards

First off, don’t be put off by this label. Instead of insisting that you place each one inside a birthday card, fuel companies actually recommend that small businesses use their gift cards to manage spending.

Most gas companies supply them; it’s just a case of going for the brand with the largest number of gas stations within your business operation area.

For example, West Coast companies should check out ARCO PumpPASS for great value, quality gas.

Those that operate on a wider scale should check out Shell's Refillable Card for pretty solid gas station distribution – certainly in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Indiana, and along the East Coast states.

Expenses Management Cards

Expenses management card programs like Bento for Business and Brink's Business Expense typically come with rave reviews from users, and are a modern and intuitive way to handle your business expenses. They're also accepted at almost all gas stations.

No, they aren't designed specifically for fleets and fuel spend, but you can easily customize your spending restrictions to make sure your drivers are using them to buy the right things.

The only downside to these cards is you have to invest in the expenses management software, too. But with prices starting from as little as $29 a month, the return of admin time saved and fuel costs limited with spending controls is worth it.