ESSO CARD™ ACCEPTANCE NETWORK IN FRANCE IS BOOSTED THROUGH RECIPROCITY DEAL WITH AVIA

05TH FEBRUARY 2019

Customers of the ESSO CARD™ fuel card, owned by leading fuel card provider WEX Europe Services, will now benefit from an enhanced acceptance network across France. The newly expanded acceptance network is the result of a recent reciprocity deal between Avia, the second-largest fuel distribution network in France, and ExxonMobil, which manages oil and gas production for Esso filling stations and the creation of Esso-branded forecourts.

Under the new agreement, drivers using an enabled ESSO CARD™ fuel card can access an additional 613 Avia filling stations across the country, in addition to the Shell and Esso fuel stations currently accessible. With a current acceptance network of over 1,200 sites throughout France, this agreement represents a 93% increase in the number of fuel stations available to use.

The new forecourts added to the ESSO CARD™ acceptance network will help French fleets, and those travelling through the country, to improve both their fleet and route efficiency by providing drivers with a greater choice of fuel stations. In turn, this will reduce the need for detours and shorten overall journey times. Access to more sites also cuts administration time for fleet managers, as it allows consolidated, VAT-compliant invoicing, with all transactions recorded in one place.

“At WEX Europe Services, we’re delighted with the agreed reciprocity deal between ExxonMobil and Avia. Our customer feedback shows that one of the main considerations for businesses when choosing a fuel card provider is the location of the sites. Today’s agreed deal will allow fleet drivers to more easily find a site accepting ESSO CARD™ on their route. In addition, it allows us to significantly enhance our position in what has become a highly competitive French market,” comments Isabelle Fetzer, Head of Sales – France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

“The Avia sites will be added to e-route, the free fuel station finder tool offered by WEX Europe Services, so that drivers can search for nearby locations quickly and easily. We’re excited to offer a greater choice of filling stations to our ESSO CARD™ customers in France, as well as those travelling throughout the country, as part of our continual effort to improve customer experience.”

The deal with Avia significantly expands the ESSO CARD™ acceptance network, giving drivers access to one of the largest combined networks in France. This is just the latest initiative that has improved the ESSO CARD™ acceptance network across the country, with ExxonMobil planning to further increase Esso network coverage and, as a result, ESSO CARD™ acceptance, in 2019.

For further information regarding ESSO CARD™, visit: https://www.essocard.com/en-gb/.