BP Business Solutions Fuel Cards Review: Are They Right for Your Fleet?

The BP logo

BP is one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world, and it has two fleet fuel card programs administered by BP Business Solution: the BP Business Solutions Fuel Plus and the BP Business Solutions Mastercard.

Both cards have similar benefits, which include impressive rebates on fuel. The main difference between the two is that the BP Mastercard can be used outside of the BP station network, one reason why we’ve rated it as being one of the best fuel cars for truckers.

We’ll go over costs, benefits and drawbacks in this BP Business Solutions fleet cards review, and let you know what type of fleet we think they’re best for.

BP Business Solutions Fleet Fuel Cards
Pricing From $12/month/account
Quick overview

Hailing from across the pond, BP is a longstanding member of the prestigious “supermajor” club – that is, it’s one of the seven largest oil and gas companies in the world.

Not only does this fuelling behemoth have a decent presence on the US’ highways and byways, it also provides two different fleet card options – known as its Business Solutions programs – to companies that manage fleets of vehicles.

In a nutshell: BP’s fleet card programs can help you to end overspending – but small fleets won’t reap as many financial benefits as larger companies.

Strengths

Save up to 7¢ per gallon when your drivers fill up at BP stations

See real-time reporting on card usage

Cut out unnecessary spending with customizable purchase controls

Immediately deactivate lost or stolen cards

Benefit from US-based customer support

Weaknesses

$12 monthly fee for businesses that buy less than 5,000 gallons of fuel

Fuel rebates only available at BP gas stations, and for businesses that buy at least 300 gallons per month

No BP stations in the West, with several gaps in the Midwest, South and Northeast

BP’s Fleet Cards: Features and Benefits

Both of BP Business Solutions fleet fuel cards have similar features and benefit. We’ve highlighted the main differences between the two in the table below:

BP Business Solutions MastercardBP Business Solutions Fuel Plus card
BP Business Solutions CardThe BP Business Solutions Plus Card
Can be used at stations that accept MasterCard – that’s 175,000 locations across the USCan be used at BP and Amoco branded stations – that’s around 7,500 locations in the US
Can be used for maintenance purchasesCan only be used for purchasing fuel

✓ Save on fuel costs

One of the features that crowns BP as one of the best fuel card providers for truckers is the monthly rebates on offer. If your fleet runs on gasoline, you’ll save more as you buy more:

Monthly gallons boughtRebate per gallon of gas
300 – 2,999
3,000 – 4,999
5,000 – 9,999
10,000+

But you won’t benefit from this sliding scale if your vehicles are diesel-powered, since rebates only apply to gasoline.

You’ll also only get these rebates when your drivers fill up at BP stations, even if with the BP Business Solutions Mastercard. This is quite standard in the industry, so we can’t hold it against BP. Plus, if you’re a small fleet – you buy under 300 gallons of fuel per month – then you won’t get access to fuel rebates.

How can companies offer rebates on fuel without loosing money?

To understand how large fuel companies can offer rebates, it’s useful to think of rebates in the same way we do a sale at a store. How does a store make money when it slashes its prices? Well, it hopes that the low prices will lead to higher sales as people take advantage of the discounts, which will offset the loss.

Rebates work the same way. Large gas companies like BP give their cardholders discounts on fuel, but only at their stations. This incentivizes you to use their stations more often, instead of competitor stations, boosting BP’s sales, at no extra cost to you.

✓ View real-time activity data

Using BP’s online portal, you can keep an eye on the purchases your drivers are using their fleet cards to make – in real-time, 24/7. You’ll be able to look at account information whenever you want, and create reports by driver, vehicle, exception, MPG, and more.

As well as drastically cutting down your admin time, BP’s reporting will also enable you to keep an eye on fuel usage and vehicle performance – empowering you to start cutting back on unnecessary costs.

✓ Customize purchase controls

Not only can you use BP’s online portal to monitor your driver’s card usage, but you can also use it to set spending limits. Here’s what you can do:

  • Decide what each card can be used for, purchasing fuel only, or maintenance services (only on the BP Mastercard)
  • Restrict the amount that can be spent each day, week, or month, on a card-by-card basis
  • Set alerts for purchases that are made outside of business hours

✓ Limit fraud with security features

With BP’s fleet cards, security is as much a priority as flexibility. Cards require a driver ID and odometer reading before each purchase, so you’ll know your cards aren’t being used by the wrong people.

You’ll also be able to block specific cards from your BP account if they become lost or you suspect fraudulent activity.

Compare prices from leading fleet card providers

What are BP Fleet Cards’ Disadvantages?

No fleet gas card is perfect, and BP Business Solutions’s cards are no exception. Here are the main disadvantages:

✗ Restrictions on fuel rebates

Fuel rebates don’t apply to you if your fleet buys less than 300 gallons per month. Paired with the $12 account fee, this means BP Business Solutions card offer little benefit to very small fleets.

The fuel rebates also only apply to gasoline, and not diesel, and are subject to change after the first 12 months since you opened an account. Tat means BP Business Solutions could decide to significantly cut your discounts.

✗ Limited network coverage

Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks to using a BP Business Solutions fuel card is the fact that the BP and Amaco gas station network is quite small. There are only around 7,500 stations across the US, and most are concentrated on the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Since the BP Business Solutions Fuel Plus card can only be used within the network, it’s a non-option for fleets that operate outside of the BP/Amaco station hotspot.

While it’s possible to purchase fuel outside of the BP/Amaco network with the BP Business Solutions Mastercard, you won’t get rebates on fuel, and you’ll have to pay a $2 out-of-network fee every time you do – but other fuel card companies, like ARCO, enforce similar rates. This makes the card’s out-of-network function only really useful in emergencies.

✗ Limited perks and discounts

Besides rebates on gasoline, there really any other perks offered by BP Business Solutions fleet fuel cards.

However, the best fleet fuel cards offer additional perks, such as discounts on fuel-related products. The Shell Small Business card, for example, offers a 15% discount at Jiffy Lube locations.

BP Business Solutions Fleet Cards Costs and Fees

Depending on how much fuel your fleet uses each month, you might be subject to a service charge issued by BP:

Businesses that buy up to 4,999 gallons of fuel per month$12 monthly fee
Businesses that buy 5,000+ gallons of fuel per monthNo fee

The $12 monthly account fee is quite reasonable (ARCO charges $15), and BP’s rebates on fuel and spending controls should make up for it by helping you cut down on fuel costs.

Aside from the account fee, you may also be subject to a late fee. The late fee is $75 or 12.25% of the new balance (whichever is higher).

If your account is considered high risk, you’ll also be subject to “risk-based pricing”, which is 2% of your account’s spend limit per billing cycle – something ARCO also enforces. This applies to you if your commercial credit score is below 600 or your consumer credit score is below 670, 12 months after you open your account. It will also apply to you if you are charged two or more late fees during a 12-month period.

Lastly, if you are on the BP Business Solutions Mastercard and you purchase fuel outside of the BP/Amaco network, you’ll pay a $2 out-of-network fee on each purchase.

Are BP Business Solutions’s Fleet Cards Right for My Business?

Could one of BP’s fleet cards be right for your business? Let’s find out:

“I manage a small fleet”

Either of BP Business Solutions’s cards could be a good fit for you. Both come with features that’ll help you save money and time – two precious small business resources – by cutting out unnecessary purchases and eliminating the need for time-sucking admin tasks like filing receipts and reimbursing your drivers.

If your drivers are consistently within reach of BP/Amaco stations, you might decide to look into the Fuel Plus card.

Of course, it’s worth remembering that, if your business uses less than 300 gallons of fuel each month, you won’t earn any rebates on fuel costs. And, if you buy less than 5,000 gallons of fuel per month (which is likely), you’ll need to pay that $12 monthly fee. If saving as much cash as possible is important to you, you might want to cross BP off your list of potential providers.

“I manage a medium to large-sized fleet”

Unless there are BP/Amaco stations in all the locations your fleet operates, the BP Business Solutions Mastercard will likely be the better option for your business – especially if your drivers travel coast to coast or border to border.

Rather than limiting you to BP/Amaco stations only, this card can be used at any station that accepts MasterCard – which amounts to 175,000 locations across the country. It’s worth remembering, though, that you won’t benefit from any fuel cost rebates when you use a station that isn’t BP/Amaco.

If your business buys 5,000 gallons (or more) of fuel each month, there’s even more of an incentive to join a BP fleet card program, as your monthly fee will be waived.

“My fleet only operates regionally”

If your fleet only operates in one region, both BP Business Solutions cards could be a great fit, as long as there are a lot of BP/Amaco stations in the area.

If your fleet operates in the East or Midwest of the US, BP Business Solutions fuel cards are a good option since there are a lot of BP/Amaco stations in these areas. Delivery companies, taxi firms, and other fleets that operate within the boundaries of a city are a good match for BP.

However, if you operate anywhere else in the US, we don’t recommend you get either BP Business Solutions card. While its true that the BP Mastercard can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted (significantly widening the network), you won’t benefit from fuel rebates, and you’ll pay $2 per out-of-network purchases. This means you’ll be spending more money on fuel instead of saving money.

In short, if you’re based in any of the places where BP stations are lacking, you should consider a different fleet card supplier.

BP Business Solutions Fleet Card Alternatives

To help you make the right decision for your business, we’ve reviewed a variety of US fleet card providers – why not check out some of our other reviews to investigate your options?

Fleet card providerCostNetwork coverageOur Review
Arco$15/month account fee1,500 stations (East Coast and Midwest)Arco Review
Chevron and Texaco$0-$2/card/month8,000 stations (Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast)Chevron and Texaco Review
ExxonMobil$2/card/month95% coverage (best coverage on East Coast)ExxonMobil Review
Fuelman$39-$99/month account fee50,000 stations, nationwideFuelman Review
WEX$0-$2/card/month95% coverage, nationwideWEX Review

Our Methodology: How Did We Do Our Research?

We evaluate fleet cards and fleet card companies based on our in-house comparison framework. For each card, we’ve asked these questions:

  • How convenient is it to use?
  • How helpful is it for managing fuel expenses?
  • How much does it cost and does that correlate well with what you get for your money?
  • What can it do to ensure your company’s funds are secure?
  • What extra benefits do you receive from using it?

We compare these results to the offerings of other popular fleet cards on the market to get our final score.

Verdict

BP’s fleet cards come with some really handy features – including real-time monitoring, customizable spending controls, and fuel cost rebates – that could help you drastically slash the amount your fleet spends on fuel and services at gas stations.

Of course, there are some downsides to BP’s programs, too. There’s the $12 monthly fee for those who buy less than 5,000 gallons of fuel a month, the fact that small businesses that don’t buy 300 monthly gallons aren’t eligible for rebates, and the scarcity of BP stations in large areas of the country.

It may be that you feel the benefits offered by BP’s cards outweigh these drawbacks – and you could get around the coverage issue by opting for BP’s MasterCard-partnered Universal Fuel card instead of its Fuel Plus program.

BP Business Solutions fleet fuel cards offer great rebates on gasoline purchases. However, since these are only available at BP/Amaco stations, we wouldn’t recommend either cards to fleets that operate in areas where there are no BP/Amaco stations, which are concentrated on the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Whatever you decide, it’s a good idea to compare fleet cards before making a final decision. We can help you with that. Simply tell us about your fleet by filling in our quick form, and you’ll receive tailored quotes from trusted fleet card suppliers that can provide what you need.

Written by:
Julia Watts author headshot photo
Specialising in business software, Julia writes jargon-busting guides about VoIP, fleet management, dash cams, fuel cards, and more. Having spent almost a decade writing for entrepreneurs and reviewing business solutions, she loves helping exciting ventures – big or small – to flourish.
Reviewed by:
Maïté Bouhali
Maite began her career with Expert Market nearly four years ago as a writer. She quickly developed a passion for the challenges faced by small businesses and now endeavours to help them make informed decisions for their future. In her current position as Business Software Editor, Maite works closely with writers to ensure that each article is informative, well-researched, engaging, and actionable for readers. With extensive knowledge of CRM, vehicle tracking devices, and fuel cards, she is meticulous in her review of each article and provides detailed feedback before publication. Whether you're seeking to stay informed on the latest trends in business software or need guidance in selecting the most appropriate software for your organisation's needs, Maite is here to help. With her sharp eye for detail and commitment to quality, she is dedicated to supporting businesses in achieving their goals.