With VISA/MasterCard acceptance at the diesel island, truck stop owners have a unique opportunity to take control of their credit card processing and boost the bottom line.
If you operate a branded store, you’re locked into a processor for the gasoline island. But diesel islands are different. Most branded truck stops sell unbranded diesel which would allow you the option to process those payments on an unbranded network. This allows you to take advantage of lower processing rates.
For years, the diesel island has been the domain of
Over-the-Road fleet cards that truckers obtain independently or through their
company. However, times – and truckers’ preferences – have changed so that more
fuel stops are accepting Visa/Mastercard at the diesel island. You can attract
more fuel business, resulting in more convenient store sales, with
flexible payment options at the pump. More and more fuel station operators are looking
for alternatives to the big-name card processing networks. They want a
processing partner that offers competitive rates, personalized service, freedom
to choose fuel suppliers and access to the latest technology.
Can Your Truck Stop Allow Visa/MC Acceptance at the Diesel Island?
Wondering if your truck stop is a good fit for VISA/MasterCard acceptance at the diesel island, so you can take advantage of these savings? Let’s take a closer look at some common scenarios.
Branded Truck Stops: These truck stops must use the branded networks at the gas island but have options for non-branded networks at the diesel islands.
Independent Branded Truck Stops: Many franchised brands have the option of staying with the independent branded processor or choosing an independent network. Most company-owned truck stops, unfortunately, do not have that option.
Unbranded Truck Stops: If you operate an independent store, or have your own small chain, you can utilize an unbranded network to process Visa/MasterCard throughout your entire truck stop.
Trust the Experts at Financial Fuel Services
If you’re looking to expand your acceptance options and realize some savings, we can help. Founded in 2002, Financial Fuel Services is a boutique payments processor for the fuel industry. We specialize in helping gas stations, truck stops and convenience stores access cost-effective payment processing with a high level of service.
While we may be small, we’re plugged into some big strategic partners. Our back-end processor is First Data, one of the largest processors that handle payments between banks behind the scenes of the transaction.
We’re also strategic partners with Comdata, a leading fleet management company that issues their own branded fleet cards. Many truck stops utilize Comdata POS systems to process Comdata cards as well as fleet cards and Visa/MasterCard on their diesel islands.
In recent years, Comdata has released upgraded versions of their legacy “Trendar” point of sale (POS). These systems, the Smartdesq, SmartAuth, and Smartsite, were developed to meet the needs of a changing marketplace. The urgency to upgrade these systems is currently quite high, as a failure in the legacy Trendar POS could lead to a truck stop losing payment acceptance for weeks.
Running a profitable truck stop is extremely complex. The intricacies of payment acceptance can be overwhelming. Whether you are building a new truck stop, renovating an older one or simply trying to keep up with the times, the experts at FFS are ready to guide you and make the process simple. Contact us today.
