Purchasing Cards
A purchasing card is a company credit or debit card that employees use to charge goods and services on behalf of their employers, without having to go through the traditional purchase request and approval process.
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Business purchasing card benefits
Custom control
P-cards give your team custom payment methods with individual rules and spending policies.
Real-time expense tracking
Finance and accounting teams can see all spending as it happens.
Operational velocity
Purchasing cards let cardholders move fast and make purchases on the go.
WHAT OUR USERS SAY
When you’re a fast-scaling company, lots of people have requests, lots of people need funds, lots of people need to expense or need to spend. Suddenly, you lose efficiency, you lose control, and you have a lack of visibility. Spendesk keeps us in control of things.
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Tom Libbrecht, Finance Manager, Silverfin
Centralized spending; decentralized ownership
Thanks to spending caps and custom spending policies, purchasing cards are a powerful way to maintain control over your company’s finances while giving ownership to your employees.
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Martin Pannier
Product @Iziwork
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Aaron Townsend
Financial Controller @ Habito
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Gabrièle de Lamaze
Head of Customer Success @Plezi
Purchasing cards improve the entire spending process
Employees
Finance & Accounting
Managers
How P-cards work
When an employee needs to pay for a new work tool:
If the purchase is less than $50, they can generate a virtual card without approval. If the amount is more than $50, their manager will have to validate the "purchase order" request.
Once validated, a new card is generated with the specific amount needed. This can be a one-shot or recurring purchase.
The cardholder uploads their proof-of-purchase digitally.
The finance team can track and verify every payment easily.
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Common questions about
P-cards
It's always hard to choose new company tools. We're here to help you make the right decision.
A procurement card is a charge card that gives employees streamlined purchasing power, and finance (and management) teams full control of all spending in real time. It drastically removes purchasing friction and gives employees a feeling of trust & ownership, helping them to be more accountable and effective in their work.
Purchasing cards are very similar to corporate cards. They can be either physical or virtual, and they allow the holder to spend company money strictly according to pre-established spend policies (spending caps, monthly limits, restrictions for specific services & goods).
The key differences between these two tools is the level of flexibility and customization on one hand, and the level of control for companies on the other. Corporate cards offer little of either, while purchasing cards are designed to maximize both.
P-cards are widely accepted among vendors. They let suppliers benefit from faster receipt of payment, particularly where they would normally rely on invoices. Companies can buy more easily, which means suppliers get paid faster.
Accepting P-cards offers a competitive advantage over competing suppliers that rely on old fashioned payment methods.
Any company payment carries potential risks. But compared with corporate cards or traditional purchase orders, P-cards offer far higher visibility over what’s spent by individuals and the company at large. Every transaction is clearly tracked and associated with the correct employee - unlike the company credit card. And because employees have the funds they need immediately, there’s a far lower risk of expense fraud.
Spendesk Mastercards are protected against fraud by Mastercard’s Zero Liability Protection. Have peace of mind knowing Zero Liability applies to your purchases made in-store, over the phone, online, or via a mobile device, as well as all ATM transactions.
Learn more about Zero Liability Protection.
Spend control 
Virtual cards 
Employee debit cards 
Accounting automation 
Spending reports