Marathon Fuel Card Review: Features, Pros & Cons

A prolific petroleum refinery company, Marathon Petroleum runs a chain of gas stations spanning thousands of US locations. This chain includes Marathon’s own stations, as well as those run by its subsidiary, Speedway.

Marathon’s service is based on two fleet card programs (Fleet and Universal), both of which come with a plethora of perks, making them some of the best fuel cards on the market. The best way to know which will serve you better is to compare quotes and find out how much you’ll pay and what exactly you’ll get for your buck.

Once you start comparing quotes though, why stop at Marathon? If you use our free quote comparison tool, we can help you get custom prices from various trusted providers, priming you to get the best deal.

However, if you’d like to know more about Marathon, just head to our review below, in which we’ll go over its benefits and shortcomings.

Marathon’s Cards, Rewards and Incentives

The Fleet Card

Aimed at small to medium-sized fleets, Marathon’s Fleet Card Program gives you control over your fleet’s expenses.

First off, this program can help you save a bit of cash. When your drivers fill up at any one of Marathon’s stations using the Fleet Card, you’ll be given a rebate of 1¢ to 7¢ for every gallon – depending on how much your fleet buys regularly.

For instance, if it buys 500 to 2,999 gallons a month, you’ll get 1¢ back per gallon. Go through 3,000 to 4,999 gallons a month, and you’ll earn 2¢ per gallon – and so on. Of course, this means you won’t get any rebates if your fleet needs less than 500 gallons a month – if that’s the case, this may not be the best card for you.

Importantly, Marathon will give you 24/7 access to real-time data that tracks the products and services your drivers are using their Marathon cards to buy. You’ll see where, and at what time, things are being purchased, plus the amount being spent. Armed with this information, you can improve your fuel efficiency and cut out any unauthorized spending.

When you give company fleet cards to your drivers, the prospect of a fraudster getting his or her hands on one is always a worry. Fortunately, Marathon is cracking down on fraud, using security measures that require valid driver ID numbers and accurate odometer readings for each purchase.

The Universal Card

On the face of it, Marathon’s Universal Card Program is pretty much the same as the Fleet Card Program. Like its counterpart, the Universal Card offers savings of 1¢ to 7¢ per gallon, real-time monitoring, and fraud protection.

However, when it comes to coverage, these two fleet cards are miles apart. Not only is the Universal Card accepted at Marathon’s stations, it can also be used at any establishment where partner WEX Inc. is accepted – and you’ll find these establishments all over the country.

Given this near-nationwide acceptance, Marathon recommends its Universal Card Program to medium to large-sized fleets. It also makes it a suitable fuel card for truckers driving cross-country routes.

Rebates correct as of January 2023

Finding a Marathon Station

The number of stations at which your drivers’ Marathon cards can be accepted will depend, of course, on whether you’re on the Fleet Card or Universal Card Program.

If your drivers hold Fleet Cards, they can fill up at any of Marathon’s 5,400 stations. Plus, Marathon owns Speedway, which in turn owns GasAmerica, SuperAmerica, Express Mart, Hess, and nine Road Ranger stores – so its cards can be used at these brands’ locations, too.

All these stations can be found in the Midwest and Southeast US – if your fleet operates in these areas, you’ll have fantastic coverage with the Fleet Card Program.

And if it doesn’t, don’t fret. Marathon has teamed up with payment processing company WEX Inc. for its Universal Card Program, so Marathon’s Universal Cards can be used at any station that accepts WEX payments. According to Marathon, that includes 45,000 service locations nationwide, and 95% of America’s retail fuel locations.

When it comes to finding their closest station while out on the road, there are a number of handy apps your drivers can use – but we wouldn’t recommend them all.

The Marathon Petroleum app only finds and displays Marathon stations, and none of Speedway’s. The same goes for the Speedway Fuel and Speedy Rewards app, which only locates Speedway stations.

While using a combination of both apps could work, your drivers will likely find switching between the two a little fiddly. Instead, we’d suggest they use the WEX Connect app, which enables you to sort station searches by brand – as well as by location and price.

WEX also offers its own fuel cards, read our review of WEX to learn more.

Our Methodology: How Did We Find the Best Fuel Cards?

Five researchers carried out in-depth research into US fleet cards according to a comparison framework designed by our research team leader. For each card we’ve asked these questions:

• How convenient is it to use?
• How helpful is it for managing fuel expenses?
• What can it do to ensure your company’s funds are secure?
• What extra benefits do you receive from using it?

We’ve also broken down each card by fee structure, fuel type, network coverage and more to offer you the easiest choice.