10 Corporate Credit Card Policy Best Practices

Corporate credit cards come with many perks but have some unique challenges. Fortunately, companies can untangle the intricate web of credit spending with the right tools and strategies. These best practices for corporate credit card policy can help your organization maintain financial transparency, ensure compliance, and drive business success.

1. Choose the Right Financial Partner

Not all company credit cards are created equal. Do some research and choose a partner that aligns with your business needs. Look for features such as customizable spending limits, robust reporting tools, and integrations with spend management platforms. 

Selecting the right partner among the sea of providers can significantly impact your ability to manage business expenses effectively.

Not sure where to start? Check out this FAQ for small businesses and startups.

2. Establish Clear Corporate Credit Card Policies

Before issuing physical or virtual cards to employees, it’s crucial to establish clear and comprehensive expense policies. Your corporate credit card policy should:

• Outline permissible charges
• Set spending limits
• Clarify any specific usage guidelines

These policies should be accessible and easy to understand. 

A corporate card policy sets expectations and helps prevent cardholders from misusing corporate funds.

3. Implement Approval Workflows

To enhance control over card transactions, implement approval processes. For example, having a manager approve any business travel charges can help ensure employees stay within budget and adhere to company policy. 

Defining a clear approval workflow ensures that expenditures align with your organization’s objectives and that financial decisions are not solely reliant on one individual.

4. Set a Clear Reconciliation Process

Establish a systematic reconciliation process to ensure accuracy in financial reporting. Regularly compare credit statements with expense reports and receipts. 

This practice helps identify any spending discrepancies early on and ensures that your financial records are up-to-date and error-free.

5. Save Time with Automation

Manually tracking receipts and invoices can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Implementing automation tools for spend management can help streamline the process. 

With automation tools, you can:

• Streamline the expense submittal process
• Set up alerts for policy violations
• Automatically approve reimbursements
• Track spending habits in real time
• Integrate your corporate spend data with accounting software
• Get granular reports to track company spend

The ultimate goal is to streamline the recording, tracking, and approval process.

6. Educate Employees

Provide training to employees on proper card usage and adherence to financial policies. Educate them on the importance of timely and accurate expense reporting. 

A well-informed workforce is more likely to follow guidelines, reducing the likelihood of compliance issues.

Read More: How to Deploy a Corporate Card Employees Want to Adopt

7. Encourage Timely Expense Submissions

Quick expense submissions are crucial for efficient financial management. Encourage employees to submit receipts, invoices, and reports promptly. Or eliminate the hassle of completing expense reports altogether by using an automated solution like Navan. 

Timely submissions not only streamline the reimbursement process but also enable faster tracking and reconciliation.

8. Incentivize Responsible Spending

Implementing an incentivization program can help encourage responsible card usage and adherence to company policies. Recognize and reward employees who consistently demonstrate fiscal responsibility. 

This approach motivates employees to align with company spending guidelines while cultivating a sense of ownership and pride in contributing to the organization’s financial success.

9. Make Corporate Card Use Mandatory

Increase accountability within your organization through mandates. By requiring the use of the company account, companies can streamline expense tracking, enforce adherence to established policies, and enhance overall financial control. 

Plus, mandating card use makes it less likely that team members will mix personal and business purchases.

10. Regularly Review the Corporate Credit Card Policy

Small business owners and finance teams should regularly review and update corporate credit card policies to adapt to industry changes, regulatory requirements, and spending patterns. Keeping policies current can help your company adapt to evolving economic and business needs.

Effective corporate credit card management is an essential aspect of financial stewardship. By implementing these expert corporate credit card policy best practices, organizations can optimize their spend management processes, reduce risks, and contribute to their company’s overall financial health.

Ready to streamline company spending and implement an all-in-one travel and expense management software solution? Schedule a demo to see how our spend solutions work, or get up and running with Navan in just 5 minutes.