Transform Your Corporate Card Program

Today’s businesses need more than just corporate cards—they need real-time visibility, automated expense management, and flexible controls that work the moment spending happens.

When evaluating corporate card solutions, organizations often focus on rewards and points. But what businesses really need is simpler spend tracking, seamless employee experience, and built-in tools for compliance and control.

The challenge with traditional corporate card programs 

Traditional corporate cards create unnecessary complexity. Financial data must be manually imported and reconciled with expense reports and accounting systems, leading to delays, data manipulation, and reporting that lags days or weeks behind actual spending. 

Modern corporate card programs solve these challenges by tracking expenses seamlessly—from the moment of purchase through review, audit, and accounting integration. They make life easier for finance teams with tools to manage spending and give employees a straightforward mobile experience to track their expenses in real time. 

What makes a modern card program? 

Download our complete evaluation checklist.

A modern card program combines powerful software with flexible controls to automate expense management. Ask these questions when evaluating solutions:

Card capabilities

• Credit options: Does the program offer flexible credit terms that match your business needs? Look for options ranging from pre-funded to 30-day payment terms, especially if you’re a growing organization.
• Administrative controls: How easily can you manage cards in real time? Evaluate whether you can instantly issue virtual cards, adjust spending limits, and lock lost cards—all from a mobile app. Consider if you can create shared cards for departments or projects without a complicated setup.
• Network coverage: Which payment network does the card use? Ensure broad acceptance across your key business locations and travel destinations.
• Real-time visibility: Can you see transactions the moment they happen? Look for solutions that show pending charges instantly, not systems that delay visibility by days.
• Integrated software: Does the solution automatically capture spend data, or will you need separate systems to manage expenses? Ensure you can track, approve, and analyze all spending in one place.

Software capabilities

• Expense automation: How much manual work can be eliminated? Look for solutions that automatically capture and categorize expenses when purchases happen, rather than requiring end-of-month expense reports.
• Policy management: How easily can you implement and update expense policies? Ensure you can configure rules directly in the workflow and adjust them instantly as your business needs change.
• Approval workflows: Can you customize approvals based on your organization’s needs? Consider whether you can set different flows by expense type, amount, or department—and automatically flag policy exceptions.
• Spend visibility: How comprehensive is the reporting? Evaluate whether you can track spending patterns across departments, vendors, and categories in real time, without waiting for month-end reconciliation.
• Budget control: Can budget owners see their current spend status? Look for solutions that give managers real-time visibility into their available budget and pending expenses.
• System integration: How will the solution connect with your existing systems? Ensure seamless data flow between your expense management and accounting/ERP systems while automating manual exports.

Understanding the true cost of your card program

When evaluating corporate card programs, look beyond rebates and basic fees. While a 1% rebate might sound attractive, the real costs often outweigh these rewards. Consider this example:

For example, a business spending $1 million annually across 50 employees might earn a $10,000 rebate. However, the associated costs can quickly outweigh the benefits: 

• Annual card fees: $2,750 ($55 per employee)
• Monthly expense report fees: $6,000 ($10 per report)
• Additional costs for deployment, support, and basic features
• Hidden fees from user minimums and long-term contracts

In the end, the rebate barely offsets these costs, leaving your team stuck managing manual processes and disconnected systems.  Instead, evaluate the total impact on your business:

• Are you paying extra for features that should be included?
• What’s actually covered in implementation and support?
• How flexible is the contract as your business grows?
• Will you need separate systems for expense management?

Take control of your corporate card program

Transform your expense management with a solution that delivers real value. Center combines corporate cards with powerful, easy-to-use software that automates expense management from the moment of purchase. Get real-time visibility, streamlined workflows, and dedicated support—all in one integrated solution.

Ready to see how Center can transform your corporate card program? Request a demo today.