Factors to consider when choosing a corporate card program in UK

Many corporate card programs in the UK charge an annual fee for each issued card or account. If you plan to distribute cards across multiple employees or departments, these costs can add up quickly. Ensure the program's value—such as cashback, reporting tools, or expense tracking—justifies the fee.

Always compare fee structures across providers to find the most cost-effective solution for your business. Look for programs with transparent pricing or no-fee options to maximize value while keeping expenses manageable.

Transaction fees, especially for card usage, vary by provider and card type. Some programs charge extra for international transactions, ATM withdrawals, or even specific merchant categories. If your business involves frequent domestic or overseas purchases, assess these fees carefully.

Understanding the full scope of processing charges can help you avoid unexpected costs and choose a program aligned with your company’s spending patterns. Choose programs with competitive rates for both local and cross-border use to minimize expenses while ensuring seamless payment processing for your business needs.

For companies involved in international travel or online vendor payments, foreign exchange (FX) rates can significantly impact expenses. High markup percentages can inflate costs significantly. Some corporate card providers add high FX markups—typically between 2% and 4%.

Look for providers offering competitive or interbank rates with minimal markup. A small percentage difference can lead to substantial savings over time, especially for businesses with frequent cross-border transactions.

In addition to standard fees, some providers may impose hidden charges that affect your budget unexpectedly. These may include late payment penalties, card inactivity fees, over-limit charges, or replacement card fees. Always read the fine print and request a full fee disclosure before committing to a program.

Transparency in pricing helps you avoid surprise costs and manage financial planning more effectively. Choose providers with clear fee disclosures to avoid surprises and keep your business finances predictable and manageable.

Your corporate card provider must prioritise data security through end-to-end encryption and adherence to standards like PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Encryption ensures that all transaction data, cardholder information, and account details remain protected from cyber threats or unauthorised access.

For businesses handling sensitive financial data, robust encryption is not just a benefit—it’s a necessity. Strong encryption protects your business from data breaches, ensuring trust and compliance with UK data protection regulations for all financial activities.

Fraud prevention is critical in today’s digital finance environment. Choose a provider that uses real-time fraud monitoring powered by AI or machine learning. These systems can detect unusual spending behaviour, flag high-risk transactions, and instantly alert you.

Quick response times minimise losses and help protect your business from unauthorised usage, providing peace of mind and stronger financial control. These systems help you mitigate risks, prevent unauthorized charges, and protect your business from economic losses due to fraudulent transactions.

You need instant control over corporate cards to manage spending effectively. Features like freezing or unfreezing cards, blocking specific merchants, or setting temporary limits via a centralized dashboard are crucial.

These tools empower you to respond swiftly to potential misuse, align spending with policies, and maintain financial oversight, ensuring your business operates securely and efficiently in dynamic environments. You need the flexibility to act fast without calling customer support—just log in, make changes, and stay in control at all times.

Before selecting a corporate card program, carefully review the provider’s liability policy for unauthorized transactions. Ensure you’re protected against fraudulent charges, with clear terms outlining responsibility. A robust policy minimizes financial risk.

Verify coverage limits and conditions to safeguard your business from losses due to fraud or misuse, ensuring secure and confident financial management. This safety net gives you peace of mind when distributing cards across teams or departments.

Choose a program that allows you to set specific spending limits for each employee’s card, such as daily, weekly, or monthly caps. This customization ensures spending aligns with roles and responsibilities, preventing overspending.

Flexible budgeting enhances control, supports compliance with your financial policies, and provides clarity, enabling you to manage employee expenses efficiently and maintain fiscal discipline. A marketing executive may need a higher budget than an intern—your card program should make it easy to reflect that with just a few clicks.

Opt for a program that lets you assign and manage budgets by team, project, or cost center. Whether it’s HR, Sales, or Operations, you can assign funds based on specific business needs. This flexibility ensures funds are allocated where needed, supporting strategic goals.

You can adjust budgets to reflect priorities, track departmental spending, and maintain financial oversight. Such control streamlines expense management, fostering accountability and aligning resources with your business’s operational and financial objectives.

Ensure the program supports merchant category code (MCC) restrictions to limit card use to approved expense types, such as travel or office supplies. This prevents unauthorized purchases, enforces compliance with your expense policies, and reduces misuse risks.

By tailoring spending categories, you maintain control over transactions, ensuring funds are used appropriately and aligning with your business’s financial strategy. It’s a smart way to ensure compliance and keep your business spending clean and controlled.

Dynamic budget adjustments are vital for adapting to changing business needs or urgent situations. Choose a program that allows you to modify card limits in real-time via a dashboard.

This flexibility ensures you can respond to unexpected expenses, scale budgets for projects, or tighten controls as needed, maintaining financial agility and alignment with your business’s evolving priorities and operational demands. You don’t have to cancel cards or wait for approvals. Just tweak the settings and adapt spending limits on the fly as priorities shift.

Select a corporate card program that integrates smoothly with your accounting software, such as QuickBooks or Xero. Seamless integration automates expense tracking, categorization, and reconciliation, reducing manual work.

This ensures accurate, real-time financial data, streamlines reporting, and saves time, allowing you to focus on strategic tasks while maintaining precise records for audits and financial planning. Every transaction should flow directly into your ledger with categories, receipts, and notes intact.

Choose a program that simplifies GST compliance by providing categorized, audit-ready transaction data for GST returns. Automated reporting tools streamline input credit calculations and ensure compliance with UK tax regulations.

This reduces administrative burdens, minimizes errors, and saves time, allowing you to maintain accurate records and meet GST filing requirements efficiently, keeping your business compliant. These features reduce manual work, prevent missed claims, and ensure your GST returns are accurate.

Opt for a program offering instant issuance of employee cards, both physical and virtual. This allows you to onboard new staff quickly or issue cards for urgent needs without delays.

Instant issuance enhances operational efficiency, ensures employees have immediate access to funds, and supports seamless expense management, keeping your business agile and responsive to dynamic requirements. Plus, you maintain complete control over permissions, budgets, and usage right from the start.

Ensure the program offers both physical and virtual corporate cards to suit diverse needs. Physical cards are ideal for in-person transactions, while virtual cards enhance security for online purchases.

This flexibility supports varied spending scenarios, improves convenience, and strengthens security, allowing you to tailor card usage to your business’s operational demands and preferences.

Having both options allows you to manage spending flexibly across teams, roles, and geographies, while maintaining central control and visibility over every transaction, regardless of format.

Select a program that allows you to assign distinct access roles, such as cardholder, approver, or finance manager, within the platform. This ensures proper control and oversight, aligning responsibilities with roles.

Customizable access enhances security, streamlines approvals, and supports compliance, enabling you to manage card usage efficiently while maintaining clear accountability across your organization. It improves workflow, keeps your card system organized, and ensures clear accountability across teams using the platform.



Choose a program with a single, intuitive dashboard for managing payments, approvals, card settings, and expense reports. Centralized management simplifies oversight, saves time, and enhances control over financial activities.

You can monitor spending, adjust settings, and generate reports efficiently, ensuring your business maintains streamlined operations and clear visibility into all corporate card activities. You can quickly review reports, adjust limits, track usage, and stay compliant without switching tabs.