One of the best ways to save money on fuel is to get a fuel card. So, how can you find the best card for your business, and how can you get approved?

Let’s take a look. 

Choosing the right card

First, you will need to find the right fuel card for your business. Here are some aspects to keep in mind:

• Fees: lots of fuel cards stack on fees, defeating the purpose of the card – to save you money!
• The network: make sure you can use the card where you will fuel
• Discounts: savings are important, but don’t sacrifice convenience and an open network for deep discounts. What good is a 20¢ per gallon discount if there’s another truck stop up the road with a 25¢ lower diesel price to begin with?
• Technology: some fuel programs have outdated or poorly designed platforms that make managing fuel spending harder. 

Rather than picking the first fuel card that offers you a discount, compare a few options and consider multiple aspects of using the card. 

While you’re at it, include the Bobtail Zero Mastercard^® in your research. Bobtail Zero is a fleet card that can help you track your fuel spending in one place and save money. 

Here’s what makes it different from other fuel programs in the market:

• Pay nothing in fees.
• Use it anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
• Access our growing fuel savings program.
• Manage fuel spending on a modern, easy-to-use platform.

How to Apply for a Fuel Program

Applications for fuel cards vary between providers, but the information you’ll need to provide is largely the same. 

We’ll use the Bobtail Zero application as an example. Compared to other programs, our application is relatively simple.

(If you’d rather skip the reading and talk through the application over the phone, contact our team here.) 

1. Log in or create an account

First, if you are already using our factoring service, you can log in at card.bobtail.com to get started.

If you’re new to Bobtail, you can create an account at card.bobtail.com/signup/.

2. Provide Business Details

Once you’re logged into your account, you will then provide the basic information about your business:

• Legal name of your business
• Mobile phone number
• DOT number
• EIN
• Corporation type

Be careful when typing in your business’s information. A typo could result in a denied application or slower approval.

The Bobtail Zero application will verify your phone number and then you’ll move to the next screen.

Then, you’ll provide a few more details about your business, including the business address and business ownership details.

When you’re done filling out the application, you’ll connect your bank account using a secure system called Plaid. Connecting a bank account helps determine your line of credit and facilitates payment.

3. Order Your Cards

If approved, you’ll see a notification with the amount of your credit line. 

Then, you’ll choose the number of cards you want to order and be redirected to the home screen of your new fleet card account.

Cards can take 7-10 days to arrive after being shipped. In the meantime, you can start using the Bobtail Fuel Finder in your fleet card app to find the best fuel price in your area.

Using a Fuel Card for Your Trucking Business

The ways that you can use and make payments on a fuel card also vary greatly between providers. 

Again, we’ll take a look at the Bobtail Zero Mastercard^® as our example.

When you receive your card(s), you’ll need to activate them in your fleet card account. 

Then, you can start using them to pay for fuel anywhere Mastercard is accepted! You’ll get an SMS notification after each purchase, making it easy to stay updated with how much you’re fueling across trucks.

Payments with Bobtail Zero are automated using your primary bank account. Bank accounts can be easily added and removed from your fleet card account.

If you ever have any issues or questions, you can contact our fleet card customer support team. 

Phone support is available Monday – Friday 7 AM – 1 AM EST and Saturday – Sunday 8 AM – 8 PM EST. If you face an issue outside of those hours, you can leave us a voicemail or email us at fleetcardsupport@bobtail.com. 

Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank, N.A., (“Bank”).  Bank is not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).

The Bobtail Zero Mastercard^® is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. The Bobtail Zero Mastercard can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. The Bancorp Bank, N.A. is issuer of the Bobtail Zero Mastercard^® only and does not endorse or sponsor the associated products, services or offers from Bobtail.