Fleet cards, whether physical or digital, are identification instruments for the purpose of obtaining vehicle-related goods and services, such as conventional and alternative energies, roadside assistance, toll charges, security services, parking and ferry fees.

Fleet cards have bespoke characteristics and special features that differentiate them from regular payment instruments. They specifically do not initiate the transfer of funds and are not consumer focused, but predominantly used on a business-to-business basis. Fleet cards are exempted under the Payments Services Directive as they give access to a very limited range of goods or services but given the unique nature of the business model where there is no contractual relationship between the fuel card company’s supplier and the end user,  some EU Member States have even concluded further that fuel cards are not payment instruments and should be completely out of scope of the Directive.