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The move to Visa will have numerous benefits for fleets, not least cutting fraud by allowing businesses more control over transactions. Either set by Allstar or the fleet itself, there will be the capability for individual cards to be programmed so only certain fuels can be purchased; for example, so that premium fuels are barred or drivers with a diesel car are blocked from buying unleaded fuel. Refuelling frequency can also be limited - such as to £100 per day and only twice per week - while teaming up with Visa has also given Gibson hope of extending Allstar's coverage to take in every single filling station in the country and to allow drivers to use pay-at-pump services.
In the longer term, Visa could also enable Allstar to add other non-motoring services to its portfolio, so that, hypothetically, hotels or train travel could be paid for with the card.
"In the future it will enable us to provide other services. If you look at Fleetcor globally, we have a hotel and lodging business in the US," Gibson says. "There are no specific plans in the UK, but other markets use the same transaction and payment mechanism." Using Allstar in railway stations would take significant effort to implement, as the firm would have to visit every site and upgrade each card terminal. At the time of the deal's announcement, Visa Europe's head of business development Steve Price said: "I look forward to extending the partnership beyond the first implementation".
Allstar's new developments go well beyond the chip and pin introduction, with new fuel cards being added to the core offering. The first was announced in September, with the Supermarket Fuel Card being targeted at SME businesses focused on keeping costs down at the expense of a little of the flexibility of the regular Allstar card. Accepted at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco, it also offers the same HMRC compliance reporting as well as invoices for fuel and oil purchases. The firm also launched Allstar Plus in July, offering AA cover on a pay-if-you-need basis for breakdown and misfuelling recovery, as well as guarantees of discounted prices at a nearby repair centre.
Coming early next year is the Allstar Premier card. Gibson was loath to part with concrete details, but he said it will be "probably the most advanced and capable product we can put in customers' hands and allows fleets to manage fuel cost in a way no card has done in the past".
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