COMDATA Cards

Batman · Sep 13, 2009

I recently signed on with Towne Air Freight in Indianapolis with my Chevy cargo van doing P&D work as an IC.

They gave me a COMDATA card to use for purchasing fuel.

I have not activated it, instead using my credit card for the fuel purchases.

Would it be to my advantage to use the COMDATA card or continue using my credit card?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. THANKS

OntarioVanMan · Sep 13, 2009

If you pay the credit card off every month, there is no interest..

Comdata there is usually a fee somewhere....

LDB · Sep 13, 2009

Comdata usually has a fee of $0.50 to $1.50 per transaction. If you get a discount like some of the companies do of .2x to .4x cents a gallon you'll come out ahead using it. If you get no discount or if it's a .04 to .06 cents a gallon discount like Pilot and some give you probably wind up paying more since you won't buy that many gallons for a van.

If you get some sort of rewards with your credit card and if you pay it off each month so you don't get charged 19.8% or higher interest you may come out ahead using it.

You also have to figure out if using Comdata gets you the cash price which is usually 5-7 cents a gallon less than the credit card price and factor that in.

In other words, there's a lot of arithmetic involved that you'll have to do since you are the only one who knows all the factors involved.

Moot · Sep 13, 2009

Purchasing gasoline with a Comcard for a van is a pain. First, you are limited to truckstops. Most truck stops have separate counters and cash registers for gas and diesel. You must wait in line at the gas counter and report your purchase. The friendly cashier will then pull up your pump info and either carry the receipt to the fuel desk, where all Comdata transactions occur or hand it over to you to take to the fuel desk. Either way you will spend time in at least two lines.

Don't even think about buying gas at a Petro or other truckstop where the diesel fuel sales are conducted in another building.

Turtle · Sep 13, 2009

Comdata will get you the cash discount, usually about 7 cents, and only on diesel. Buy 20 gallons and you've saved $1.40. Buy 25 gallons and you've saved $1.75. If there's a $2 transaction fee (Comdata recently upped theirs to $2, at least with Panther), then you've gone backwards.

With Comdata...
20 gallons @ $2.59 less the 7 cent cash discount, plus the $2 transaction fee:
$52.40

With Credit Card (or Debit Card)
20 gallons @ $2.59:
$51.80

OntarioVanMan · Sep 13, 2009

Turtle said:
Comdata will get you the cash discount, usually about 7 cents, and only on diesel. Buy 20 gallons and you've saved $1.40. Buy 25 gallons and you've saved $1.75. If there's a $2 transaction fee (Comdata recently upped theirs to $2, at least with Panther), then you've gone backwards.

With Comdata...
20 gallons @ $2.59 less the 7 cent cash discount, plus the $2 transaction fee:
$52.40

With Credit Card (or Debit Card)
20 gallons @ $2.59:
$51.80

ComData doesn't work well with cargo vans/sprinters..we don't get enough fuel to make it worth the while...

Dakota · Sep 13, 2009

I only use mine to receive my settlement, fuel goes on credit card or I pull cash out of ATM to fill up getting the cash price on diesel. My credit union offers free atms so I can save alot

LDB · Sep 13, 2009

T/A truckstops are your friend though in many cases, provided you are with Panther or FedEx or maybe one or two others that get the good discount. You'd have to check ahead of time but if you can fill at the ones where you are getting .2x to .4x cents discount per gallon that means a 20 gallon fill will get at least a $4 discount against the $2 (I didn't know they went up on it and that's even worse thievery than it was before) transaction fee.

Without that extra discount cash is probably your next best option since the typical 1% reward from the credit card company is less than the 4-8 cents a gallon cash discount.

It's all a matter of doing the arithmetic that fits your personal situation.

Batman · Sep 13, 2009

Thanks to one and all for the quick responses and valueable info on COMDATA cards.

It's a beautiful day here in central Indiana, I hope it's the same where you all are in the greatest nation in the world.

Turtle · Sep 13, 2009

Yeah, like Leo said, if you're with one of the carriers where you get serious discounts at the TA, then it's often worth it with a van. But there's another factor: showers. The TA is helping a lot with the Expedite King program for vans ($10 spent in one of their restaurants plus 20 gallons of gas or diesel gets you a free shower), whereas the Flying J gets you half a shower credit (and half a drink cup credit) with each 15 gallons purchased. Some of the TA's discounts are very small, a few pennies on the total, but at other locations it can be 50 cents or more per gallon. You have to take all that into consideration, as sometimes just paying with a credit or debit card at the J and getting that free $10 shower is the better deal. Other times a meal at the TA and fuel is the better deal, particularly when you combine that at locations where the discounts are significant.

LDB · Sep 13, 2009

As Turtle and others regularly point out both explicitely and implicitly it's all about doing the research and knowing all you can about your business and then doing the arithmetic or whatever the specific situation calls for to best execute.

geo · Sep 13, 2009

any wawa doesn't charge a fee on any atm card

Turtle · Sep 13, 2009

Sheetz doesn't, either, least not any that I've been to.

Also, just to reiterate, in case you don't know, you can use the Comdata card any place that accepts Maestro cards (the logo looks a little like Master Card, which makes sense since it's MasterCard International's leading debit brand).

Many gas stations accept Maestro at the pumps and at the retail counter. And of course, you can use it at Walmart, including getting cash back without having to pay extra for the cash withdrawal. I think some pharmacies take it, but I can't recall which ones. Walgreen or CVS, one or the other, maybe both, will take it at the checkout counter. Lots of places.

moose · Sep 13, 2009

Dakota said:
. My credit union offers free atms so I can save alot

Finely , Thanks , now i know what Unions are good for .

Crazynuff · Sep 13, 2009

Check to see if you can have a direct deposit into your checking account from Comdata , then use your bank debit card for purchases . The Comdata card I had could be used as a debit card at Walmart . Rather than be charged double fees on my ATM card for using other banks' ATMs I would make a small purchase at WalMart using the Comdata card and get cash back . (Yes , it should be a business checking account and the purchase should be supplies for the business )