Contract Fuel
Never Pay Jet-A Retail Again
Summary
This article originally appeared in TBMOPA Magazine, Spring 2026.
4/22/2026. Read time: 8 min.
Contract fuel is a code word for discount fuel, but not all fuel programs are contract fuel providers. Between contract providers, fuel brokers, membership-based programs, and volume/loyalty programs, there are, by my count, 16 different options for operators.
It’s a lot to navigate, so we will start walking through your options and then offer some fuel strategies. There is nothing to stop you from joining as many as you want to avoid retail Jet-A fuel prices. It depends on how far down the rabbit hole you go, and it is destination-dependent. US operations are more liquid, high volume, with narrower spreads. International ops have greater variation and reach.
Fuel providers often pair their services with credit card options (for fuel and all aircraft-related road expenses), international trip handling support, and rewards programs. Pricing is close to the chest unless you're part of the program to avoid price fixing; however, if you have signed up through multiple vendors, you can price shop freely.
Details
Jet-A
Fuel is one of the biggest budget line items in a flight department. Even an efficient single-engine turboprop flight department is burning about 10,000 gallons in real-world 150 flight hours. A nationwide US average is about $6.50/gallon as of this writing, making fuel a $100k+ line item for most operations.
And that’s a single-engine turboprop! Your flight department's annual fuel burn could equal a single round-trip for a heavy international operation.
Fuel Farm
The cheapest fuel option is to own your own fuel farm - if you have sufficient volume. This is the bread and butter of FBOs, management companies, and charter operations.
Installing your own fuel farm is quite an undertaking. You need space, airport and environmental approvals, upfront capital, staff, training, and logistics to operate one. At a one-plane single-engine turboprop or light jet level, it won’t pay off. That leaves discount fuel programs.
Fuel Programs
Fuel is a volume game—more volume = lower prices. No program is mutually exclusive, meaning you could sign up for every single one. Some operators do this and use the cheapest possible option wherever they go.
If you would rather avoid the accounting hassle, you could run with a leaner set of options. 80% of the time, you are flying to 20% of your destinations. Identifying those key fuel stops will help refine which fuel programs make the most sense for your operations. Caution, don’t let the fuel tail (or rewards program) wag the trip dog.
If 80% of the time you fuel at home base and tanker, you may not need any fuel program at all. Negotiated home-based pricing with your FBO could be as good as a road discount program.
Contract
Contract providers work directly with the refineries and FBOs. In-Network or branded refers to direct FBO relationships. Contract fuel companies are also fuel brokers and have reciprocal agreements with other providers. So if they are not on location, they can still source the fuel, albeit at a slightly higher price than if you sourced it directly from the other contract fuel provider yourself. The total number of advertised locations is where they can source discounted fuel.
World Kinect
The biggest by network size, World Kinect, is a Florida-based parent company that has recently acquired several other contract fuel providers. They were World Fuel Services (WFS) and have bought UVair (formerly Universal) and EPIC Fuels.
World Kinect works directly with refineries to source fuel worldwide. While they have only 100 or so branded locations, they have access to 4200+ FBOs, and their AVCARD card is accepted at over 8600 locations. If you’re into points, the World Fuel Services Reward program includes all Jet-A and their associated AVCARD (credit card) purchases.
AvFuel
Another big. Michigan-based AvFuel has 3500+ worldwide locations, including 720+ branded locations, and a heavy US presence. Their AVFuel Pro Card (not to be confused with WFS AVCARD) works for non-fuel purchases. A lot of AV’s here, AvFuel has its own rewards program, AVTRIP.
AEG Fuels
AEG has partnered directly with 40 FBOs, but has connections with 3,000+, and an AEG Rewards program to boot. Paired with their Carnet Fuel Card, you are pre-authorized for uplifts when in network.
Note: when flying internationally, you must get a fuel release from your contract provider before they will pump gas. You can’t work it out on the back end like in the US.
These three have the largest contract fuel scope, and the number of locations helps you understand a company's reach, but YOU will not be flying to all those places. The programs below may not be as big, but they could be the best solution for your specific destinations. If they are directly contracting with an FBO that you frequent, they may have the best price.
Phillips 66
Phillips 66 is a slightly different program. They don’t contract with refineries; they are the refinery and have 800+ branded FBO locations. Their competitive advantage is cutting out the middleman. The Phillips 66 Wingpoints Rewards Card is immediately redeemable.
Titan Fuels
Boasting 650 in-network FBO’s and 2000+ contract locations, Titan rounds out the list of traditional contract fuel providers with a rewards program.
EVO, Mercury (MercFuel), and Everest
Perhaps it’s unfair to lump them all together, as each is a viable program to join. Evo, MercFuel, and Everest all operate with lighter overhead and no rewards programs. Rewards need to be funded somehow, and foregoing a rewards program has a lower price potential. Like the others, all can shop out-of-network on your behalf.
Brokers
Pure fuel brokers aren’t built from the refineries up, but from the customers down. Brokers negotiate pre-approved pricing based on volume discounts. Since they are not tied to a specific supply chain, they can shop for you or even personally negotiate on your behalf for deeper discounts at specific locations.
Membership Options
CAA
One of the deepest discounts available, Corporate Aircraft Association (CAA), is a unique provider that caters only to Part 91 operations and charges a $500/tail membership fee. They also specify that you should use the CAA FBOs when on the road. So check out their map.
If you visit any of their destinations, the membership will pay for itself on the first fuel-up, making it an easy choice for US ops. They now have over 300+ North American locations online, so if you checked them out a while ago, it might be worth a second look.
Signature BRAVO
Signature launched BRAVO in 2024 as a completely free membership for small-to-medium turbine operators who don’t already have a direct negotiated contract. It delivers their best non-negotiated Jet-A price in the U.S. and service discounts at all 200+ locations, and pairs with their TailWins loyalty program.
Atlantic Ascend
Ascend is more geared toward fleets and high-volume customers. If you are based at an Atlantic or frequently visit their 105+ FBOs, you may qualify. You need 15 visits per quarter and must utilize Atlantic at least 50% of the time where there are competing options on the field. Once invited via your Atlantic Gateway portal (profile), discounted fuel and fees apply. Even if you don’t qualify for Ascend, the separate Atlantic Awards program is open to all pilots/crew for cash-back points.
Paragon Network
Paragon is a network of premium independent FBOs. Your loyalty via a Preferred Membership unlocks direct fuel pricing at their 110 locations worldwide.
Stellar
Part 135 gets its day too. Stellar is a sidearm of Magellan Jet, a charter broker. Magellan pre-vets charter companies, and once you’re part of their network, you can access negotiated volume-based fuel discounts at 50 locations. Compared to the 1000s of locations of some providers, it may not appear like much, but breadth can be an overblown stat. Most operations are into a select few airports.
Credit Cards and Fuel Releases
Side note: contract fuel providers offer cards for other services because they are already involved at the point of sale for operators, and it’s a vestige from older days. They would essentially vouch that you’re good for the money when on the road, especially at foreign destinations.
In the past few decades, internet access and point-of-sale technology have become ubiquitous. Contract fuel credit cards are optional, and your company credit card may serve the same or better function in your operation.
Quick Reference
Aviate
That’s a lot of information, so here’s where the fuel meets the ignitors. Remember: start with what is available at your common destinations.
Option 1: You tanker almost all your fuel. Negotiate with home base and ignore the noise. Live simply; a little retail is worth the peace of mind.
Option 2: Sign up for every available provider. Utilize software solutions to aggregate pricing and always pick the lowest price possible. JetFuelX (built into Foreflight) and FuelerLinx, when set up, can both import and compare prices. Then let the accountants handle the 16 different vendors. Retail avoided.
Option 3: A layered approach. Start with your most frequented FBOs and sign up for membership options if available. Then get started with two contract fuel providers branded at your typical mission locations. Add a wildcard broker in the mix to see some comps. The above fuel software is still useful. Now you’re efficiently saving with minimal headaches.
For an example of how to apply a layered approach to your flight department with a short list of options, check out CURATED.
