Automatically Save On Business Fuel Costs

Find the best fuel card for small and personal use in New Zealand

We built this site to help you find the right fuel card, based on what we learned while helping a client pick the best NZ fuel card option for their tourism business.

7 key considerations when choosing an NZ fuel card

1. Promo periods. Some fuel card discounts are just for a limited-time promo, usually aimed at new customers. Make sure to ask what the regular rates will be after the promotion ends, so you’re not caught off guard.

2. Discount types. There are two main discount models: pump price and national price.

• Pump price: This is the price you see at the station. If the pump shows $2.28 per litre and you get 8c off, you’ll pay $2.20/litre.
• National price: This is the average price across multiple stations, which could be higher or lower than what’s listed at the pump. BP is the only brand we’ve seen use this model, so you may not always know exactly what you’re paying until you see your bill.

3. Discount partners. Just because a card works across multiple brands doesn’t mean you’ll get the same discount at every station. If you stick to one brand (like Mobil or BP), confirm that the card offers discounts for that brand specifically.

4. GST. Most companies advertise without GST included in the price, so double-check when comparing costs to avoid surprises.

5. Transaction fees. A discount can quickly be eaten up by fees. For example, an 8c/litre discount saves you $4.40 on a 55-litre fill-up, but if there’s a $2 transaction fee, that reduces your savings to just $2.40. Keep an eye on these fees when comparing fuel card providers.

6. Payment fees and methods. If you use a credit card to pay for fuel and collect reward points, check if the fuel card provider allows it, and whether there are any extra fees. For example, if you fill up twice a week with a 55-litre tank at $2.20/l, you’ll spend about $12,500 on fuel per car annually. If you run a fleet of 10 vehicles, that’s $125,000 in fuel, which could translate into 125,000 points—enough for a business class flight to Singapore. But, if there’s a 2.5% credit card processing fee, that’s an extra $3,146 to factor in.

7. Size of fleet. Larger fleets often get better deals. Providers may offer special rates based on the size of your fleet and how much fuel you use each month.

Fuel station cards vs independent cards

Choosing between a fuel station’s card (like BP, for example) or an independent card operator (like NZ Fuel Cards) can be confusing, so here’s a simple breakdown:

• Fuel station cards: Ideal if you prefer to fill up at one specific brand. These cards usually offer the biggest discounts for that brand’s stations.
• Independent card operators: Better if you want flexibility. These cards work across different fuel brands and sometimes offer access to other services, like car washes or vehicle servicing.

To make things easier, we’ve listed fuel card options below based on the fuel brands they’re compatible with, so you can see how the cards compare.

Fuel station acceptance table

#	CARDFUEL STATIONS	BP	CALTEX	MOBIL	RDP	NPD	GULL	Z	WAITOMO	CHALLENGE	G.A.S	ALLIED
1	Gull Fleetcard
2	CardSmart
3	NZ Fuel Cards
4	Driveline Fuel Card
5	Allied Fuel Card
6	RD Petroleum Fuel Card
7	BP Fuel Card
8	Kiwi Fuelcard
9	Z Business Plus
10	NPD Fuel Card
11	Waitomo Fuel Card

NZ fuel card provider special mentions

CardSmart

• Accepted at most major NZ stations (over 1,200 locations NZ-wide), including BP, Caltex, Z, GAS and more.
• Offers 3 types of cards – CardSmart Fuel Card, CardSmart +Electric and CardSmart Flex
• Offers up to 12c per litre off petrol & diesel at Mobil stations during the promo period.
• $0 transaction fee at Mobil, Z Energy, BP and Caltex.

Challenge

Challenge offers a community rewards card that provides fuel discounts, but it’s not technically a fuel card. If you’re a senior citizen or veteran with a SuperGold Card, you can also get 8c/l off (some South Island stores offer up to 12c off per litre), but again, this is just a discount. Challenge directs customers to the Z network for dedicated fuel cards.

RDP

RDP says you can save at the pump with an RD Petroleum fuel card (but it’s not clear how much). RDP cards are also accepted at BP service stations and Gasoline Alley (G.A.S) sites across New Zealand, but it’s unclear if fuel discounts apply at these sites.

NZ Fuel Cards

NZ Fuel Cards focuses on saving money by offering cards tied to specific fuel brands, such as BP, Z, and Mobil. You can save up to 10c/l with these cards. If you need access to multiple networks, NZ Fuel Cards can provide you with cards for several brands. While carrying multiple cards isn’t ideal, they make it easier by offering a wallet to store them. It’s a great solution if you want to save money without giving up coverage.

Industry partnerships

If you’re part of a relevant industry, you may qualify for bigger savings:

• Farm Source SuperCard: All Farm Source Rewards cardholders get access to big fuel discounts (Fonterra Suppliers get up to 21c per litre discount at Mobil and all other Farm Source account holders receive 16c per litre at Mobil nationwide). SuperCard also offers 12c per litre at BP, Z, Caltex and Challenge, and 6c per litre at Waitomo to all cardholders.
• Farmlands members: Get 12c/l off when using a Farmlands Fuel Card at Z, Caltex or Challenge. The discount is rebated to your Farmlands account instead of applied at the pump.