What are corporate cards?
Corporate cards are payment cards a company issues to employees for business spending, with the company, not the employee, responsible for paying the balance. Limits, permitted merchants and categories are set by the business, and each transaction flows into expense or spend software, where the employee adds the receipt and the cost is coded and posted to the ledger.
Also calledcompany cardsbusiness cardscommercial cards
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- Paid by
- The company
- Controls
- Limits, merchants, budgets
- Category
- Expense and spend management
How corporate cards work
Traditional corporate cards come from banks and card schemes, often on a monthly statement, with transactions reconciled to expense reports afterwards. Newer card platforms issue physical and virtual cards from their own software and set controls before spending happens: a limit per card, per employee or per budget, allowed merchant categories, expiry dates and approval for larger amounts. Most are charge cards, settled in full each month or more often, rather than credit cards that carry a balance. The issuer earns interchange, a fee paid by the merchant's side on each transaction, which is why many card platforms charge little or nothing for the software and some pay cashback. Liability matters: under corporate liability the company pays everything; under individual liability the employee is billed and reclaims business costs. Ramp and Brex grew in the US on charge cards with built-in software; Pleo, Payhawk and Moss do the same in Europe.
Common questions
What is the difference between a corporate card and a business credit card?+
Terms overlap. Corporate cards are usually issued to many employees under one company programme with central controls. Business credit cards are often aimed at small businesses and owners, and may let a balance roll over with interest.
What is a charge card?+
A card whose balance must be paid in full at the end of each cycle, with no revolving credit. Most spend management card programmes work this way, with limits set from the company's cash balance.
Do corporate cards replace expense claims?+
Mostly. Spending on a company card needs a receipt and a category but no reimbursement. Out-of-pocket reimbursement remains for costs where a card was not accepted or not available.
Corporate card providers
RampCorporate cards, expenses and bill pay with savings insights.Profile →
BrexCorporate cards, expenses and treasury for growth companies.Profile →
PleoCompany cards with automatic receipt capture and budgets.Profile →
PayhawkCards, expenses and multi-currency accounts for global teams.Profile →
MossCorporate cards, invoices and budget controls for Europe.Profile →
EmburseExpense, corporate card and travel spend management.Profile →Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage · Glossary
