Every business has to deal with expense reporting. For many, tracking data, data entry and reconciliation can be a pain point. However, when you combine the power of a fleet card with fleet card apps, things become immensely easier. Fleet card apps allow you to see who is spending what and where. They allow you to control funds, keep track of fuel and monitor expenses from the convenience of your phone or other mobile devices. You can even audit fuel usage and spending with robust reporting.

Many fleet fuel cards offer mobile apps that optimize expense reporting with real-time data tracking. There are a variety of fleet fuel cards that can transform your business.

Mobile apps for fleet management

Business owners and fleet managers have a tough job. Keeping tabs on vehicles, drivers, daily spending and more requires attention to detail, not to mention a lot of record-keeping. Doing all this by hand wastes valuable time and offers plenty of opportunities for human error. When it comes to accurate expense reporting, the work begins at the pump.

Here are some features to look for in fleet card apps.

Fleet Card Controls with Fuel Card Apps

Every fuel card app should offer controls. This feature gives fleet managers and business owners mobile access to their accounts and lets them set parameters, including:

  • Setting time of day or days of the week a card can be used.
  • Spending or gallon limits by day, week or month.
  • Spending or gallon limits by driver.
  • Number of transactions allowed per day.
  • Designate spending for fuel only or both fuel and maintenance.

While these controls do not directly impact expense reporting, they’re crucial for efficient and error-free expense tracking. With a fleet card, all data is captured automatically.

Accounting Features in Fleet Card Apps

Fleet card mobile apps also include accounting features that help company owners and fleet managers keep tabs on financial details. All data is tracked in real-time. The data analytics included with most fleet cards help companies make informed business decisions. These accounting features mean you can:

  • Check card balances.
  • Review transaction history.
  • View transaction details in real-time.
  • View up-to-date account statements.
  • Review driver-specific transaction data.

On-the-go accounting features mean owners can manage their businesses from virtually anywhere. With real-time data, they have accurate information for better expense tracking.

Additional Fleet Card App Features

While security does not directly impact expense reporting, preventing fraud and card misuse is always in your best interest. The hours one might spend unraveling unapproved expenses or fraudulent charges make for complex accounting. Many fleet card apps alert managers and owners when misuse or fraud is suspected.

If you suspect fraud, misuse or a card is lost or stolen, you can easily deactivate a card. Mobile fleet card apps also make it easy to re-issue a card or check card status from your phone

Automatic Expense Reporting and Mobile Apps

Accurate and efficient expense reporting begins with collecting accurate data. Using fleet card apps, you can ensure you’re spending what you want to spend, where you want to spend it — and every bit of transaction data is reported as fuel purchases are made.

The information you collect is tracked with no risk of human error. This data is fed to your fleet card dashboard, giving you a complete picture of your spending, all in one place. These fleet card apps are a powerful way to gain visibility and insight into your spending. They take the guesswork out of expense reporting — less risk for errors and fewer hours spent on expense reports.

Robust data analytics can offer valuable business insights.

Fleet Cards and Accounting Software

Most fleet card dashboards offer standard as well as customized reporting features. Some common reports include:

  • Purchase alert reports: reporting alerts based on your specific purchase parameters.
  • Transactions by driver: details of transactions for a specific driver.
  • Transactions by vehicle: details of transactions for specific fleet vehicles.
  • Transaction details: reporting that shows all transaction details.
  • Merchant reports: sorts spending by total costs at each merchant.
  • High gallon or high purchase report: shows which cards have excessive activity for a given time frame.
  • Purchase method report: shows purchase amount by method, i.e., at the pump vs. in-store.
  • Summary report: total dollars by category for your entire organization.

These are just a handful of the reports available, and you can create custom reports to meet your specific needs. Robust data analytics can offer valuable business insights, and since all data is automatically reported in real-time, you can respond to issues quickly.

There are a variety of fleet fuel cards that can transform your business.

Fleet card dashboards communicate with most accounting software, so all the data they help you collect, control and analyze is easily sent to your accounting department’s preferred bookkeeping platform. A fleet fuel card, combined with fleet card apps, optimizes expense reporting, creates the specific expense reports you want, and eases the clerical load on your accounting department.

With a clear picture of your fuel-related expenses, you can stick to budgets, make better business decisions and forecast confidently.