Best corporate card programs for small businesses: What to look for in 2025
Too many growing companies are still drowning in receipt chaos and expense fraud. Corporate card programs solve these headaches by giving businesses realtime spend visibility and automated expense tracking.
But with countless options promising different benefits, choosing the right company card requires careful evaluation of features, security, and integration capabilities.
This guide walks through the essential factors to consider when evaluating corporate card programs, helping finance teams and business owners make informed decisions that streamline operations and boost financial control.
Key takeaways
- Corporate card programs streamline spend and increase visibility over employee expenses
- Modern expense automation tools that use AI reduce admin burden by up to 80%
- Expensify offers realtime controls, automated reconciliation, and cash back rewards
- Manual reimbursements slow teams and increase fraud risk
- Expensify helps issue virtual or physical cards instantly
What is a corporate card program?
Corporate card programs are financial tools specifically designed for business use, enabling companies to streamline expense management and simplify the procurement process.
Typically offered by banks or fintech companies, these specialized programs provide organizations with both physical and virtual company cards that authorized employees can use for business-related transactions. These are all great reasons to issue a corporate card for employees.
Unlike personal business credit cards where individuals are liable, corporate card programs place financial responsibility on the company itself.
When an employee grabs coffee with a client using a corporate card, that purchase can automatically sync with expense management software for easier tracking and reconciliation.
Read more on the blog: The state of credit cards in 2025: 50 stats you need to know
Who needs a corporate card program?
Growing SMBs (2–100 employees) who need better spend visibility as they scale beyond basic bookkeeping and require more sophisticated financial controls.
Remote or distributed teams where tracking expenses across multiple locations becomes complex and traditional reimbursement processes slow down operations.
Companies with recurring spend like travel, subscriptions (think SaaS), or event expenses that generate high transaction volumes requiring streamlined tracking and automated reconciliation.
Finance teams struggling to track department-level spend or spending too much time on manual expense report processing and monthly reconciliation.
Types of corporate cards
With so many corporate card programs boasting different features and benefits, how do you find the perfect fit for your business? Let's break it down:
Travel and Entertainment (T&E) cards
Travel and Entertainment (T&E) cards are tailored for employees who incur travel and client entertainment expenses.
Purchasing cards (p-cards)
Purchasing cards (p-cards) streamline the procurement process for business supplies and services, allowing for efficient transaction tracking and control.
Corporate credit cards
Corporate credit cards operate like traditional credit cards with revolving credit lines and interest charges, useful for a variety of expenses and often offer corporate card rewards, like points or cash back. A traditional corporate credit card program typically requires strong business credit history.
Virtual cards
Virtual cards provide instant issuing and enhanced fraud protection for online purchases, letting teams generate unique card numbers for specific vendors or time periods.
Prepaid corporate cards
Prepaid corporate cards work with fixed budgets loaded onto cards, giving precise spending control but requiring manual fund management.
Good to know – the Expensify Card difference: The Expensify Card operates as a charge card, not a credit card. It draws from your business account daily, eliminates interest charges or rolling balances, and offers dynamic SmartLimits based on your actual account activity and balances.
How to choose the best corporate card program for my business
When choosing a corporate card program that's a good fit for your business, ensure it has features that streamline your expense management and enhance financial control. Here are some must-haves:
Expense management software integration: Allows automatic tracking and categorizing expenses, making it easier to monitor spending and manage reports.
Customizable spending limits: Being able to set individual spending limits for employees gives businesses better control over expenses, ensuring that company funds are utilized according to budgetary constraints.
Advanced reporting tools: A corporate card program should offer comprehensive reporting features that provide realtime insights into spending patterns and help identify areas for cost savings.
AI-powered automation and receipt matching: Modern expense automation tools that use AI reduce administrative burden by up to 80%, eliminating the need for employees to manually submit receipts and categorize expenses.
Multi-currency support and global compatibility: Essential for companies with international employees or business trips, ensuring cards work worldwide without foreign transaction fees.
Realtime alerts and policy enforcement: Immediate notifications when transactions occur, with policy enforcement at the point of purchase to prevent unauthorized spending.
Learn more about AI-powered expense management
Red flags to avoid while evaluating corporate card programs
Confusing rewards or hard-to-redeem points that sound great in marketing but prove difficult to actually use
Poor customer support that becomes costly when you need immediate help with compromised cards or transaction disputes
No software integrations that force manual data entry and increase error rates
Floating credit limits that change without notice and can disrupt business operations
No mobile app or delayed spend alerts that leave you blind to spending until monthly statements arrive
Step-by-step process on rolling out your first corporate card program
Before committing to a corporate card program, take a step back and assess your needs. A thorough evaluation of your current expense management processes will pinpoint areas where a corporate card can truly make a difference.
Needs assessment and goal setting
Here's what to consider when assessing your needs and setting goals while researching a corporate card program:
Financial control: What's the level of financial control required? Will the company cards have preset spending limits, and how will these align with budgetary constraints? For example, set a $500 daily limit for junior employees while giving department heads $2,000 monthly limits.
Employee compliance: Consider the ease with which employees can adhere to corporate policies. A corporate card program should simplify compliance, not complicate it.
Integration capabilities: Ensure the program can seamlessly integrate with existing accounting systems to significantly reduce manual data entry and potential errors. For example, transactions should automatically sync with QuickBooks or NetSuite without manual CSV uploads.
Rewards and perks: Determine the importance of rewards or cash back incentives in your corporate card selection. For instance, prioritize cash back over points if you want immediate budget relief rather than travel perks.
Global usability: For companies with international employees or business trips, a global card program is essential.
Vendor selection and partnerships
When selecting a vendor for a corporate card program, choose a partner that aligns with your company's needs. Consider the following:
The flexibility of credit limits and customization options
Customer support and service levels provided by the vendor
Fees and interest rates that might affect the overall cost of the program
Types of rewards offered
If they offer both physical and virtual cards
For example, compare how quickly each vendor can issue emergency replacement cards when employees travel internationally, or test their mobile app functionality before making a decision.
Policy development and communication
When developing and communicating a corporate card program policy, take these things into account:
Eligibility criteria: Define who qualifies for a corporate card, often based on their role or position within the company. For example, all managers and above receive cards, while individual contributors only get them if they regularly incur business expenses.
Spending limits and allowed expenses: Establish clear limits to control expenses, monitor usage, and the type of expenses allowed to be charged to the corporate card. For example, give your IT lead a $2,000 monthly virtual card for software spend while restricting sales team cards to dining and travel only.
Expense reporting and approval process: Outline the procedures for submission of receipts and expense reports, deadlines for compliance, and the workflow for expense approval.
Training: Implement training sessions for cardholders to understand policy, proper card use, and protocols for lost or stolen cards and fraudulent charges. For instance, teach employees to use virtual cards for recurring software subscriptions but physical cards for client dinners.
Create a simple one-page expense policy document that employees can reference, rather than buried procedures in an employee handbook.
Employee training and support
Effective employee training and support are the backbone of a successful corporate credit card program. Here are a few key factors to consider:
Is the program user-friendly? Employees should be able to quickly understand how to use both physical and virtual cards, reducing the need for extensive training.
Are training materials provided? The best corporate cards come with comprehensive support materials, such as user guides and online training modules, that can be accessed by employees at any time to help them make the most out of their company cards.
For example, schedule a 15-minute lunch-and-learn session where you demonstrate how to photograph/scan receipts and submit expense reports through the mobile app.
How Expensify helps make the corporate card program easy
The Expensify VisaⓇ Commercial Card is a corporate card solution designed to meet the needs of small business owners, global corporations, and those in between.
Cardholders benefit from cash back on all purchases, making it one of the best corporate cards for rewards. Additionally, the program offers robust spend control features, allowing companies to easily manage their budgets and prevent unauthorized expenses before they happen.
The seamless automatic expense tracking and reconciliation process are only some of the many robust strengths of the Expensify Card. These features simplify the reporting and submission procedures, significantly reducing the administrative burden on employees and finance teams alike.
Expensify provides both physical cards for in-person transactions and virtual cards for online purchases, ensuring comprehensive and convenient coverage for all types of company expenses.
Here's a snapshot of the Expensify Card advantages:
Rewards: Get 1% cash back with every swipe on US purchases (no minimums necessary) and 2% cash back if you spend $250k+/month across cards.
SmartLimits and policy automation: Adjust spending limits based on your actual account balances and business activity, preventing declined transactions while maintaining spending controls.
Instant issuing and fraud detection: Generate virtual cards immediately for new hires or specific projects, while realtime fraud monitoring protects against unauthorized use.
50% off Expensify when you use the card: Reduces your expense management costs, making the platform essentially pay for itself through regular business spending.
Concierge support and unlimited admin cards: Provides dedicated assistance and flexible card management for growing teams.
Charge card structure: Eliminates interest since balances settle daily or monthly from your business account, avoiding credit card debt entirely.
Try the Expensify Card today, and revolutionize the way your business handles expenses.
FAQs about corporate card programs
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When applying for a corporate card program, the need for a credit check can depend on the provider and the structure of the program. Typically, corporate credit card programs under the company's name and liability may not require individual credit checks for employees who will be using the cards.
However, if the card is issued under an individual liability program, where the employee is responsible for the charges before being reimbursed by the company, a credit check might be necessary.
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A corporate card is a type of credit card issued to employees by their employer to pay for authorized business expenses. These cards streamline the expense management process by consolidating business-related transactions on a single platform, thereby facilitating ease of tracking and reconciliation.
Most corporate card programs also offer various control settings, allowing companies to set spending limits and restrictions on the type of purchases made, thus ensuring adherence to company budgets and policies.
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Getting a corporate card typically depends on the role of the employee within the company and the nature of expenses they are expected to incur.
Not everyone in an organization will receive a corporate card; it's often reserved for those who travel frequently for business, engage in client entertainment, or have other roles that involve regular business expenses.
The decision to issue a corporate card is determined by the company's internal policies and the specific needs of each position.
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When evaluating factors to consider when choosing a corporate card program, start by assessing your current expense management challenges and identifying must-have features.
Consider factors like transaction volume, employee locations, integration requirements, and budget for fees or rewards. Compare providers based on spending controls, reporting capabilities, customer support, and total cost of ownership rather than just headline benefits.
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Essential features include realtime transaction alerts, customizable spending limits, expense management software integration, comprehensive reporting tools, mobile app access, fraud protection, and both physical and virtual card options.
Advanced features like AI-powered receipt matching and multi-currency support add significant value for growing businesses.
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Modern corporate card programs should offer realtime fraud monitoring, instant card freezing capabilities, secure data encryption, PCI compliance, transaction alerts, spending controls, and employee verification protocols.
Look for providers offering immediate notification systems and 24/7 fraud support.
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Qualification requirements vary by provider but typically include business registration documentation, proof of revenue, business credit history, and financial statements.
Some programs require personal guarantees from business owners, while others focus primarily on business creditworthiness and cash flow.
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Yes, LLCs can obtain corporate credit cards by providing business formation documents, tax identification numbers, and financial information.
The application process is similar to other business structures, though some providers may require personal guarantees from LLC members depending on business credit history and revenue.
