For decades, fuel cards have been a standard part of fleet operations. They provide drivers with a convenient way to pay for fuel while giving Fleet Managers greater control, transaction data and consolidated reporting.
But WEX believes the role of the traditional fuel card is expanding as fleets need to manage a wider range of vehicle costs and new energy types.
Matt Arthur, Vice President Mobility APAC at WEX, said fuel cards have played an important role in supporting fleet operations, particularly by combining payment with controls and useful transaction data.
“The payment needs are also more than just fuel,” Arthur said.
WEX is increasingly looking at fleet payments through the broader lens of mobility, covering expenses beyond fuel and providing Fleet Managers with ways to consolidate vehicle-related transactions.
“The right way to think about it going forward is really the term we use: mobility,” Arthur said.
More vehicle costs moving onto payment platforms
One example is WEX Pay, which allows customers to pay vehicle-related invoices through their WEX account.
Arthur said this can help bring together payments that might otherwise be handled through separate processes.
“What WEX Pay does is allow them to pay their vehicle-related invoices through WEX, so they can have all of the data and also use the credit line. That creates even more efficiency,” he said.
The expansion of digital payments is also changing the experience for drivers.
The Motorpass Driver App provides fuel route planning and real-time fuel pricing, while some locations also support payment through the app. WEX is also expanding the same approach to public EV charging.
For Fleet Managers, the potential benefit is having more vehicle-related expenditure flowing through a smaller number of payment and reporting channels.
Digital payments will grow, but cards are not disappearing
Despite the shift towards apps and digital transactions, Arthur does not expect the physical fuel card to disappear in the immediate future.
“We definitely see the future where there are more digital payments,” he said.
However, he expects fleets to continue using a combination of physical and digital payment methods.
“For some customers, they will feel more comfortable with a traditional fuel card as opposed to a digital app,” Arthur said.
“We really want to meet our customers where they are on their payment journey and with their payment needs.”
That mixed model is significant for fleets managing different drivers, vehicles and operating environments. Moving to digital payments may make sense in some applications, while established card-based processes may remain appropriate elsewhere.
WEX’s direction reflects a broader change in fleet operations. As fleets add EVs and require payments for more than fuel, the traditional fuel card is becoming one part of a wider mobility payment system.
For Fleet Managers, the question may increasingly be less about which fuel card to use and more about how payments, data, credit and controls can be consolidated across the entire fleet.
