Paras Gupta & Vidit Sidana
Managing fuel expenses is a core operational challenge for fleet managers. While fuel cards have been around for a long time, they come with several limitations that don’t meet the needs of today’s gig-based fleet models. UPI Vouchers are a new-age payment method which can act as an alternative mode of payment for fleets which are operating their fuel spends either via cash or fuel cards currently.
Read on for a comparison between Fuel cards and UPI Vouchers and why UPI Vouchers are emerging as the smarter choice for Fleet owners!
Fuel cards are limited to select partner fuel stations. This creates friction when drivers travel outside mapped routes, operate in remote areas, or urgently need fuel but cannot find an accepted station, resulting in wasted time and route inefficiency.
In contrast, UPI Vouchers offer universal acceptance at any UPI-enabled petrol pump - now covering most fuel stations across India. Drivers simply scan the existing UPI QR and pay, enabling faster refueling, no unplanned detours, and smoother trip turnaround time.
Fuel cards often involve multiple fee layers - onboarding charges, annual renewal costs, POS/terminal usage fees, and in many cases even per-transaction surcharges (especially for prepaid cards). As fleet scale increases, these hidden costs silently affect operating margins.
UPI Vouchers avoid these challenges. They come with no hidden charges, no card surcharges, and no user-based charges. The amount you load is exactly what gets spent - making budgeting cleaner and forecasting simple.
22 billion+ UPI transactions are happening every month! Time to get your Business Expenses on UPI as well?
UPI is India's preferred payment method. With most consumers now going cashless and card-free, UPI Vouchers enables fast, secure, and hassle-free transactions across the country. Drivers use the same familiar UPI apps they already have, making adoption effortless and friction-free. If personal spending is this seamless, why shouldn’t business payments be the same? Simplify your fleet expenses with the power of UPI Vouchers.
Fuel cards are limited to fuel stations, offering minimal control over how and where funds are used. In contrast, UPI Vouchers provide advanced spend-locking capabilities. UPI Vouchers offer control at all levels, allowing businesses to:
This level of granularity ensures tight control, reduces misuse, and enhances transparency.
Beyond fuel, vouchers can optionally be configured to cover tolls, maintenance, food, lodging, or emergency expenses, depending on business needs. This makes UPI Digital Vouchers a highly versatile and scalable solution.
Prepaid or fuel cards require physical retrieval, card blocking, or support calls when a driver quits or a trip gets cancelled - slowing down recovery.
CotoPay vouchers, on the other hand, can be revoked or cancelled instantly with a single click, without needing the driver’s involvement. Unused amounts remain safely retained by the business, ready to be reassigned to another vehicle or driver.
Fuel card issuance typically requires paperwork, KYC verification, and waiting periods, slowing down operations, especially for businesses with large or mobile fleets. UPI Vouchers simplify this process with digital onboarding. Fleet managers can instantly issue vouchers to drivers via mobile numbers, eliminating the need for physical cards or complex documentation. This is ideal for gig economy models and logistics startups that need to scale their fleets quickly and efficiently.
Traditional fuel cards require pre-loading or transferring money out of your bank into a card issuer’s wallet or prepaid account - meaning funds leave your custody before they are actually spent
With CotoPay UPI Vouchers, money never moves to the driver’s bank account. It remains safely frozen in your company’s own bank account and is released only at the moment a legitimate fuel payment is completed, giving you complete financial control and reducing risk of misuse.
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