A more modern IT based medium had to be found to replace the ageing BFG Fuel Coupon which was becoming increasingly more expensive to produce and administrate in light of reducing NATO troop strengths in Germany.
You can use the Aral FuelCard at most Aral fuel stations in Germany. You can find your nearest Aral station online here.
All entitled personnel serving in Germany can buy tax-free fuel for their privately owned vehicles. The previous system of pre-payment Fuel Coupons ceased on 31 Mar 15 so you will need an Aral FuelCard to continue to enjoy this entitlement.
The cost of fuel purchased through the card will be lower than through coupons. Depending on when you fill up, the cost could be significantly lower, up to €0.10 per liter on what you were paying using coupons. You will also be able to access tax free fuel as and when you need it rather than be confined to pre-purchasing via coupon selling points.
You will also be able to access tax free fuel as and when you need it rather than be confined to pre-purchasing via coupon selling points.
For all BFG personnel.
Once you have accessed the electronic application form on BFGnet.de, or at work on your Garrison MOSS site on DII, complete and submit it to your Regimental Admin Office (RAO). If you do not have access to a computer, speak to your RAO or Unit Welfare Office who will assist you.
For all Sending States personnel (less USA) and entitled Bundeswehr personnel attached to NATO units/Organisations.
Please contact the department within your respective organisations where you previously obtained BFG Fuel Coupons from for advice on how to obtain the Aral FuelCard.
Your card will be issued to you by your previous Coupon Selling Point. It will be valid from the day it is issued to you until the date on which your vehicle ceases to be registered with the BFG VLO or respective NATO/Bundeswehr Administration Offices, or 3 years, whichever is the earlier date.
The card is tied to each vehicle, not to a person, and therefore anyone who the owner permits to drive the vehicle can be included on the card. However, everyone on the card must be an entitled person and be entitled to drive a BFG or NATO registered vehicle.
You can redeem any coupons you may still be holding at any BFG Coupon Selling Point in the case of BFG personnel or respective Administration Offices in the case of entitled NATO or Bundeswehr personnel; they will be redeemed at the Mar 15 purchase price of coupons on the day you hand them back.
You need to declare it lost to your local VLO office in the case of BFG personnel, or respective Administration Office in the case of entitled NATO and Bundeswehr personnel, who will arrange for it to be cancelled. You will then have to apply for a new card in order to obtain tax free fuel.
The card remains the property of Aral.
No. The Aral FuelCard is like a ration card. It has no monetary value, cannot be used to purchase anything other than Petrol or Diesel, and cannot be used to collect loyalty points. So, when you use your Aral FuelCard, you will also need to have a method of payment: cash, credit card or debit card.
Yes. The monthly ration limit that you were entitled too in the case of BFG Fuel Coupons will be the same for your Aral FuelCard. There will be no change to your vehicle’s basic fuel ration per month.
Aral will email you details of your card account, enabling you to log on and see the transactions you have made and the balance after each transaction.
You will see your balance printed on the invoice you will receive from the service station cashier when you use your card.
If you give your email address on your application form, Aral will be able to email you your account details and password for you to access your account online. If you do not provide an email address, this information will have to be posted to the previous Coupon Selling Clerk at your nearest Station Admin Office in the case of BFG personnel for you to collect. A similar process will be used in the case of entitled NATO and Bundeswehr personnel to respective Administration Offices.
No. The German Federal Government have stipulated that one of the conditions attached being allowed to move away from coupons is that rations are zeroed at the end of each month and cannot be carried over into the next month.
Aral will automatically load your card with your vehicle’s monthly ration at 0001 hrs on the first day of each month, and your entitlement will be zeroed at 2359 hrs on the last day of each month.
It will be issued by the previous Coupon Selling Clerk in the case of BFG personnel: the counter where you previously purchased your fuel coupons. Therefore, the address should be that of the coupon selling point most convenient to you, and not the address of the unit you happen to be serving with. In the case of entitled NATO/Bundeswehr personnel it will be respective Administration Offices.
No. As with the current system the card is tied to a vehicle, not an individual. Therefore there will be one card per vehicle but you and your spouse can have your names on the card of each vehicle, and if you only have one car, you will only get one card.
Yes. The card is tied to the vehicle and not an individual. For each vehicle you own, and that is registered with your Force, you can apply for a card for each vehicle.
No. In the same way fuel coupons could not be used to fuel a different vehicle, you cannot use the card from one vehicle to fuel a different vehicle, as each card bears the vehicle registration number of the vehicle it belongs to.
No. In the same way that you could not use coupons purchased for your old vehicle, once you de-register a vehicle with your Force, the ration on your card will be automatically zeroed and thereafter, you will not be able to use that card to access tax-free fuel. You will need to apply for another card for your new car once it has been correctly registered.
Refuel as normal. When you go to the payment counter, present your Aral FuelCard first and the cashier will swipe it and give you an invoice showing the amount and cost of the fuel you have put in your vehicle. Pay the invoice using cash, a debit card or a credit card, for which you will get a normal receipt.
Yes, the cashier will want to ensure you are one of the people listed on the Aral FuelCard; otherwise you will not be able to access the fuel tax-free and will have to pay full price (as the fuel will already be in you tank).
You will be able to download a ready-reckoner from www.bfgnet.de, and Garrison MOSS sites in the case of BFG personnel, showing how much tax-paid fuel prices should be once German Mineral Oil Tax and Mehrwertsteuer is taken off.
Yes. The prices at a German service station can change up to 4 times a day, so you should keep an eye on the prices at your local station to identify the most expensive times, and the cheapest.
The Federal Government has stipulated that as a condition of this scheme, only one fuel supplier is permitted to sell tax-free fuel using the Aral FuelCard.
If you draw more than the amount left on your card, the cashier will split your purchase into two parts: the tax-free part and a tax-paid part. The cashier will give you an invoice for the tax-free part as usual and then charge you the balance at the cost per liter at the pump.
Aral have assured us that they will train all their staff so that this eventuality shouldn’t occur. However, if it does, ask the cashier to contact the help number on the card. They will then be speaking to an Aral manager who will confirm that your card is legitimate and that you are entitled to tax-free fuel. If this doesn’t work, you will need to pay the full tax paid price and contact HQ BFG G4 Branch in respect of BFG personnel and respective NATO/Bundeswehr Administration Offices to recover the tax.
Yes, Tank & Rast have stated that they wish to be included in the scheme but only at those stations shown at www.aral-fuelcard.com/stationfinder.
Once you have de-registered your vehicle, the ration will be automatically zeroed and the card will be worthless. You should cut it up and dispose of it as you would an out of date credit or debit card.
Once you sell your car and de-register it, your card will be zeroed and worthless. Do not pass it on to the person buying your vehicle. You should cut the card up and dispose of it as you would an out of date credit or debit card.
If you refuel without being in possession of the Aral FuelCard issued for that vehicle, you will have to pay the full tax-paid price to the service station and you will not be allowed to reclaim the tax afterwards. You are advised to keep the card with the vehicle.
No. Although there are some service stations in the BP network operating under the Aral name these stations cannot and will not accept your Aral FuelCard; it can only be used at Aral stations inside the Federal Republic of Germany.
No, as this only causes a problem when used with the Aral Fuel Card. Payback Points are not provided in connection with the Aral Fuel Card purchases and a contractual obligation to provide said points does not exist.