WEX vs. Comdata vs. RTS: Which Fuel Card Is Right for Your Fleet?

If you manage a fleet, someone has probably pitched you on all three of these fuel cards. They all claim to save you money at the pump — and they do, to different degrees. But the wrong card for your routes and operation can cost you more than no card at all. This is the breakdown most vendors won't give you.

First, understand what "discount" actually means

Fuel card discounts come in two flavors and vendors blur this on purpose. Retail-minusmeans they knock a fixed amount off the posted pump price — say $0.04/gal off whatever the Pilot board says. Sounds good. But that board price can be $0.30–$0.50 above the OPIS benchmark (the independent industry price reference), so you're still paying above market. Network-negotiatedmeans the card has a pre-contracted price at each location that's already below street. That can be meaningfully better — or worse in rural areas where the network has no leverage.

WEX and Comdata mostly use retail-minus at partner networks. RTS posts its actual contracted prices by location weekly, which is why comparison-minded fleets often prefer it on high-traffic corridors.

WEX: The widest net, thinner discounts on diesel

WEX covers over 95% of U.S. fuel locations — including most independent truck stops and gas stations. That breadth matters for regional delivery, construction, and utility fleets where drivers stop wherever they are. It's also the go-to if you're starting to electrify and want one card for both diesel and EV charging.

The catch: WEX's diesel discounts at the big OTR travel centers (TA TravelCenters, Pilot Flying J, Loves, Petro) are typically weaker than Comdata or RTS. If 80% of your fuel spend is at those four chains, WEX is probably leaving $0.03–$0.08/gal on the table per fill-up.

Comdata: OTR workhorse, but read the fine print

Comdata (owned by Fleetcor) has been the default for over-the-road trucking for decades. It has strong negotiated pricing at the major travel center chains and — this matters for long-haul — it supports driver cash advances at the pump. That means a driver who needs to pay a lumper (a warehouse worker who unloads your freight, typically $75–$150 per stop in cash) or cover a repair out of pocket can pull funds without calling the office.

Two things to watch. First: Comdata's coverage outside major truck stop chains is patchy — rural areas and independent stations often aren't in network. Second: the default card configuration allows non-fuel purchases (DEF fluid, oil, sometimes food). Fleets that don't audit this find their "fuel card" spend includes hundreds per truck in non-fuel items every month.

RTS Fuel: The best pump prices, smallest coverage

RTS doesn't issue its own credit like WEX or Comdata. It acts as a fuel buying cooperative— it negotiates volume pricing with truck stop chains and passes that through to member fleets. The posted price is the price; no retail-minus math to do. Fleets benchmarking all three cards typically find RTS is $0.06–$0.14/gal cheaper on corridor stops.

The limit: RTS has about 500 quality locations, mostly on high-traffic OTR routes. It breaks down in rural areas and for drivers who make irregular stops. Most serious fleets run RTS as the primary card for planned highway stops and carry WEX as backup for everything else.

Side-by-side comparison

Acceptance locations	95%+ of US fuel	Major truck stop chains	~500 corridor stops
Discount type	Retail-minus	Retail-minus / negotiated	Network-negotiated
Diesel savings vs OPIS	$0.02–$0.06/gal	$0.04–$0.10/gal	$0.06–$0.14/gal
Driver cash advance	Limited	Yes — full support	No
Non-fuel purchases	Configurable	On by default	Fuel only
Best for	Regional / mixed fleets	OTR / long-haul	High-volume corridor OTR

The fraud gap all three share

None of these cards can tell whether the diesel actually went into your truck. The most common fuel fraud — a driver swipes the company card to fill their personal vehicle or a buddy's truck — passes all three platforms' built-in filters, because it looks exactly like a legitimate diesel purchase. The only way to catch it is to cross-reference the transaction location with the truck's GPS position at that time, and compare gallons purchased against the truck's remaining tank capacity.

That cross-reference doesn't happen inside WEX, Comdata, or RTS. It has to happen outside — by connecting your fuel card feed to your telematics data. That's what Drafft AI's Fuel Desk agent does automatically, flagging anomalies the moment a transaction clears rather than when someone reviews the monthly statement.

Bottom line: pick your card based on your routes. Then layer on fraud monitoring regardless of which card you choose — the discount you negotiate and the fraud you prevent are two separate savings levers, and you need both.