Personal Fuel Cards

tick1986

Hi all,

Am just after some advice. My company is moving from company car (where they provide you with a car) to car allowance (I get £600 before tax a month to provide my own car including servicing, insurance, tyres etc).

The problem I see is that with my company car I get a fuel card and then tell the company how many of those are personal or business. With car allowance I will have to pay for my fuel and then claim it back.

I know my company is not great at paying these expenses on time and can take up to 6 weeks (or more) to do it. If I get a credit card I would have to pay out of my money which I would rather not do.

My question is whether anyone knows of a fuel card which can be paid quarterly (or similar) so I can build up my expenses claim and pay it all off at once? Rather then a credit card where I run the risk of charges.

TIA x

daveyjp

If it is taking 6 weeks to refund fuel charges simply remove use of your car. Its unacceptable for an employee to subsidise a business.

tick1986

I totally agree! Considering our policy states 14 days max. Its infuriating to hear especially when I, as an employee, is expected to hit deadlines.

Bigphil1474

OP, I have been in a scheme like the one you are moving to for over 20 years, although not as generous as yours. I put a claim in at the end of the month, for the calendar month, and it gets paid on the 16th of the next month in my wage, so is up to 6 weeks counting from day 1. Pretty standard in the public sector where I work. Bear in mind that the mileage payments are normally paid tax free, but reduce your tax free allowance retrospectively if there's a benefit in kind at the end of the year.
Most credit cards give you up to 6 weeks to pay, so why not see if you can get your CC payment date changed to coincide with your pay day (+ a couple of days). I did use to use a credit card for petrol only, and it generally worked okay, but stopped as my mileage started being quite variable, so some months I wouldn't get enough to pay the balance, and sometimes more.