As companies grow beyond 50 employees, so does the complexity of managing day-to-day employee spending. From travel and subscriptions to team off sites and client lunches, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach – and that’s exactly why having the right tools in place matters.
While ‘traditional’ claims and reimbursements still have their place, you’ve likely started to feel the strain from sheer claim volume. Month-end might now resemble the iconic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indiana Jones frantically tries to outrun a giant rolling boulder.
That’s where expense management cards can make a big difference. They offer a faster, more controlled way to handle certain types of spend – giving you more visibility, clearer limits and fewer delays (while making life easier for employees, too).
In this article, we’ll walk through how these cards work (using our brand new Expense Cards as an example), how they help you track business credit card expenses in real time, and how they slot into a broader expense management setup.
- What are expense management cards?
- How expense cards streamline business spending
- When to choose expense cards alongside reimbursements
- Webexpenses platform + Expense Cards
- Are expense management cards right for my business?
- How to get started with Webexpenses Expense Cards
What are expense management cards?
In simple terms, expense management cards are company-issued cards that let your people pay for work-related costs directly, without needing to use their own money and wait for reimbursement.
They’re designed to work alongside your existing expense system and are often fully integrated with expense management platforms like Webexpenses. Here’s what the what expense card process looks like for an admin on the Webexpenses platform:
These cards offer flexibility and control. You can assign them to anyone who needs to spend – from team leads to frequent travellers – and set rules around where, when and how much they can use.
Unlike personal credit cards or bank transfers, company expense tracking cards make it easy to stay in control of every transaction. And they’re fairly ad hoc, too. You can easily (and instantly) issue a virtual card to an employee, with a fixed limit and then easily freeze the card once it has fulfilled its duty.
How expense cards streamline business spending
Traditional expense management (especially when supported by a strong platform – like Webexpenses!) gives finance teams a clear, auditable process. Employees can submit claims, attach receipts, and follow policy rules, while you stay in control of what gets reimbursed and when.
It’s a model that scales well and works reliably for a wide range of businesses. But for frequent, fast-moving expenses – like travel, subscriptions, or client events – there’s still room to reduce friction.
That’s where expense cards come in. Instead of employees paying out of pocket and submitting a claim later, they use a company-issued card tied directly to your expense management system. Transactions are recorded instantly, with the right codes, categories, and controls already in place.
It means less back-and-forth, faster reconciliation, and cleaner data – all while keeping your existing policy framework intact. And from the employee’s side, the experience is just as smooth: no out-of-pocket spending, no delayed claims, and far less admin.
Expense cards don’t replace your existing process – they build on it. They’re a smart way to handle recurring or high-volume spending without adding complexity.
When to choose expense cards alongside reimbursements
Reimbursements are a flexible, reliable option, especially when expenses are occasional or vary from month to month. But as your team grows and spending becomes more frequent, manually processing every claim can become a drag on time and resources.
Expense Cards offer a faster way forward – not instead of reimbursements, but alongside them. They give you real-time visibility into spending, with the ability to set proactive controls and support employees with the tools they need to move quickly and stay compliant.
For businesses that already have a strong expense process in place, adding cards is a natural next step. It’s not about fixing a problem – it’s about making a good system even more efficient.
Webexpenses platform + Expense Cards
Our customers have always been able to use expense cards alongside our platform. But we know that workaround added unnecessary admin. Our new Expense Cards are built directly into Webexpenses – no extra vendors, no extra workflows. Just a powerful new feature, native to the system you already trust.
With physical or virtual cards, you can:
- Control at the point of spend – Set limits, block certain merchant types, or restrict use to specific hours.
- React fast – Freeze or cancel cards instantly if something looks off.
- Customise access – Assign cards to individuals or teams, with tailored permissions.
Because our Expense Cards live inside Webexpenses, every transaction is matched in near real time – categories, receipts, even notes are captured automatically. You get live visibility into spending and can take action before issues arise.
Employees no longer need to front costs or wait for reimbursement, and you can reconcile faster, with cleaner, more accurate data (all within your existing workflow).
For your team, it’s simple: no paperwork, no second-guessing. Just a card that works, clear rules for how to use it, and an app that makes adding receipts to the system easy.
Here’s what using our Expense Cards will look like for your team:
Are expense management cards right for my business?
It depends on the maturity of your business. If you’re on the smaller side and you don’t have a high volume of reimbursements, then standard out-of-pocket works great. It’ll help keep your money secure, and it’s simple to do.
But if you’ve grown and there’s now a regular, robust cadence of recurring expenses in your business, then expense cards make complete sense. They are ideal for:
- Teams with regular travel or client meetings.
- Companies looking to cut admin time per week by up to 40%.
- Businesses that want to scale their expense process without losing control.
And because you can tailor them to your policies and teams, they work just as well for small groups as they do across multiple departments.
If you’re an existing Webexpenses user, getting started is quick. You can request access to the card feature directly from your dashboard. From there, you’ll be able to issue cards, set limits and monitor spend.
How to get started with Webexpenses Expense Cards
If you’re an existing Webexpenses user, getting started is quick. You can request access to the card feature directly from your dashboard. From there, you’ll be able to issue cards, set limits and monitor spend.
If you’re new to Webexpenses, take a look at our expense cards for all the information you need. You can explore how it works, book a demo, or speak to a specialist about your setup.
