8 Best Expense Cards for Contract Employees (2023)

By : Matthew Martin Matthew Martin
Hours Updated

Expense cards save you from complications of reimbursement, overspending, and confusing receipts. These cards also let you track every transaction, set limits beforehand, block specific merchants, gain security, and much more. The transactions by employees using expense cards are made in accordance with the expense policy of the company for the staff. This gives you complete visibility into their spending.

This way, you have control over the corporate expenses, can view all receipts in one place, and control employee spending easily. Hence, here is a list of the best expense management cards for contract employees that offer useful and advanced features.

Best Employee Expense Cards: Top Picks!

Tool Name credit limits Rewards Fraud Protection Fees Link
RAMP Yes $6764 annually Yes Free Learn More
Wise Yes 0,5% cashback as a reward Yes No annual or monthly fee Learn More
US Unlocked Yes $10 Yes $3.50 monthly maintenance Learn More
IronVest Yes 1% cashback only Yes Basic version for free Learn More
Wallester Yes – Yes Basic version for free Learn More

1) RAMP

RAMP gives you the power to restrict spending on a specific vendor on a specific card or the entire organization. You can use Ramp without any fee, and it provides an unlimited number of physical and virtual cards that are accepted everywhere.

You can manage thousands of Ramp corporate credit cards in just a few clicks and see their updates in real time.

RAMP

Features:

  • Spending limit: This expense card sets limits on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, quarterly, annually, or in-total. All the card limits reset according to their cycle except for the total limit.
  • Spending Analysis: It has a Vendor Management dashboard that gives a single detailed view of every vendor, transaction, and document. Ramp is also capable of extracting crucial details like personal credit checks from each contract, and it lets you set payment reminders.
  • Run on Visa: It is accepted by millions of retailers across the Globe and includes built-in fraud protections and other benefits.
  • Mobile app: Ramp is available for smartphones, so you can access these prepaid debit cards easily and use mobile receipt capture to check transactions, moreover, it also lets you view the expense policies.
  • Connect banks: You can connect with any bank like US Bank, Citi, M&T, Wells Fargo, and other 60+ banks.
  • Integrations: It lets you automate with useful integrations like Xero, Quickbooks, NetSuite, Sage, etc. Ramp also integrates with Slack, 1Password, and many other tools and simplifies managing expenses and cards.
  • Security: Securely onboard cardholders with the help of Microsoft Azure, Okta, and Google Suite. You can also use 1Password to simplify managing numerous passwords and prevent unauthorized access with two-factor authentication.

Pros

  • It provides suggestions for savings.
  • You will receive an unlimited cashback of 1.5 % with every purchase.
  • It doesn’t charge for set-up, annual, or replacements.

Cons

  • Bill pay may not be available in a few states.
  • It doesn’t work on Chrome.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans of RAMP

Annual Fees Free
Transaction Fees Free
Foreign Transaction Fees Free
Cash withdrawal Fees Free
Hidden Fees No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: commerce platforms, web stores, and marketplaces
Customer support: Live support, FAQ, and articles.
Automated expense reports: Yes
Card Acceptance: All the places where Visa is accepted.

Visit Ramp >>

2) Wise

Wise is an expense card for organizations that has international operations or need their employees to travel frequently. It lets you set up a local account for your company in more than 40 currencies and simplify employee expenses.

This way, customers from overseas can make payments at the same speed as a local transaction. You can also choose from over 170 countries and pay your international staff.

Wise

Features:

  • Spending limit: The limit per transaction for Chip and Mobile wallets are Maximum of 10,000 for a single payment on a daily basis and a max of 30,000 monthly. This limit varies according to the type of transactions like online purchases, ATM withdrawals, etc.
  • Card for everyone: The employee can order a card for only 3 GBP, and you can pre-set their spending limit and track their expense.
  • Simple steps for opening a card: You can open a balance in over 50 currencies and use it immediately after recharging your account. It offers low conversion and currency exchange fees and provides a virtual card with just a click.
  • Bird’s eye view: You can view all the transactions and spendings at once in a centralized location. It gives you a full breakdown of the transaction with filters like payment method.
  • Use instantly: Once you order the Wise physical expense card, you will receive the virtual card in your application so you can start using it immediately. You can also have three virtual cards for managing different purchases.
  • Integrations: It integrates with all well-known accounting software like Quickbooks, Xero, FreeAgent, and many more.
  • No fees: With Wise, there are no monthly subscription fees or contracts. You will also not require to pay for any foreign currency transactions.
  • Security: Wise has a dedicated team of experts that protects your money. It also has a 2-factor authentication and keeps the money only with a reputed financial institution. You can also mask your physical card numbers for extra privacy.

Pros

  • You can freeze your card within the Wise app after every purchase.
  • It lets you apply for replacement cards instantly if you think your card has been compromised.
  • Highly accurate conversion rates.

Cons

  • It has limited customer support.
  • Sometimes, its mobile app may have a problem confirming the payment.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans for Wise

Annual Fees Free
Transaction Fees 0.43% (varies by currency)
Foreign Transaction Fees 0.43% (varies by currency)
Cash withdrawal Fees 1.75% (If withdrawn over 200 GBP)
Hidden Fees No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Online payments, Contactless, etc.
Customer support: FAQ, Log in as a customer for other supports.
Automated expense management reports: Yes
Card Acceptance: Online, In-Store, VISA/ MasterCard Merchants, and ATMs. Additionally, accepted on Google Pay, Apple Pay, and other well-known digital wallets for contactless payment.

Visit Wise >>

3) US Unlocked

US Unlocked makes shopping on US sites easy from anywhere in the world. Unlock all your favorite US retailers no matter where you are without needing to go through a complicated process.

Using US Unlocked is simple, you can access your card details simply by entering your three-digit pin. Once you have access, you can start using it like any debit or credit card.

unlocked

Features:

  • Spending limit: This expense card has one of the highest spending limits for all kinds of purchases. It may be subscriptions for US streaming platforms, online shopping sites, etc.
  • Spending analysis: US Unlocked offers detailed reporting of all transactions along with Admin tools that help in tracking expenses.
  • Easy to use: You can load the US Unlocked account and pay a one-time activation fee to start. It is then available to use once the first account load is cleared.
  • Discounts: With US Unlocked, you will get access to the best tools that will assist in saving money on US shopping sites. You will find ways to get the best discounts and lowest prices.
  • Security: It is highly secure and also an ideal choice to achieve total control. US Unlocked provides a safe platform for all kinds of online tractions and hides your financial and personal details.

Pros

  • You can get merchant-specific cards.
  • It has a virtual assistant, Ask Ruby, that answers your transaction history queries.

Cons

  • Replacement cards cost $5

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans for the US Unlocked card

Monthly maintenance Fee $3.50
Transaction Fees $0.50/transaction
Load fee starting $3.50+ 3.00% load
Unload Fee $11.50
Hidden Fees No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Membership for streaming platforms and thousands of US retailers
Customer support: FAQs, website form
Automated expense reports: No
Card Acceptance: Thousands of US online retailers

Visit US Unlocked>>

4) IronVest

Ironvest protects your transactions and helps in checking out securely from anywhere online. These virtual cards can be funded using your bank ACH or real credit card. It masks all your details when you use your cards, emails, and phone numbers for any kind of transaction.

This employee expense card has a biometric security and privacy app that manages passwords and makes sure only you can access your confidential information.

Ironvest

Features:

  • Shop online securely: Leaving information on shopping sites makes your card easily accessible to hackers. Ironvest keeps all your personal information hidden so you can shop anywhere safely.
  • Spending limit: IronVest has a spending limit that is assigned by the system once you verify your card. Once verified, the support lets you know the card’s limits.
  • Convenience: Canceling credit cards can be challenging if it gets lost or stolen. If your IronVest card gets stolen, you don’t have to worry, as your details remain masked.
  • Data control: All your password and username remains safe with these expense management cards. It has a decentralized blockchain infrastructure that makes sure your data is not captured by vulnerable sites.
  • Always online: IronVest remains online all the time to protect your information. It uses live biometrics for monitoring passwords to make sure it’s actually you.
  • Security: Its biometric information and tokenized credentials provide extra security. IronVest also uses host-proof-hosting, thus, even its team cannot access your details.

Pros

  • You can create an unlimited number of masked emails with higher plans.
  • It offers anti-phishing protection.

Cons

  • It doesn’t have a desktop app.
  • IronVest is expensive compared to other expense cards.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans of Ironvest

Plans IronVest Essential IronVest Plus IronVest Ultimate
Masked emails 3 50 Unlimited
Biometric account protection No Yes Yes
2FA protection No Yes Yes
Pricing Free $5.95 $14.95
Hidden fees No No No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Online shopping and most US merchants
Customer support: Email, FAQ
Automated expense reports: No
Card Acceptance: VISA / MasterCard / AMEX and other credit card companies, it is accepted only online.

Visit IronVest >>

5) Wallester

Wallester can issue unlimited virtual cards in just a few seconds and is one of the best payroll cards for employees. You can use them to purchase ads on any platform online, and it is also suitable to use as a self-employed credit card.

You can get its expense cards and payroll cards with real-time card issuing. Wallester has a contactless payment option, and is perfect for online shopping.

wallester

Features:

  • Spending limit: These virtual expense cards allow you to set spending limits so your employee can make purchases without fearing budget overruns.
  • Express delivery: You can create unlimited physical cards and deliver them to any part of the Globe. It delivers cards to you at the fastest rate and lets you use the digital version while you wait.
  • Worldwide payments: It helps you pay with cards no matter where you are. Wallester is accepted in all the countries that use VISA cards.
  • No commission: You can make payments in EUR without any commission or other currency. It converts all your payments automatically.
  • Financial management: Get detailed corporate expense reports, monitor transactions, approve payments, upload invoices through mobile app, and much more.
  • Individual integration: Wallester gives individual integration for every card that helps in expense management, automates payments, and does your financial accounting.
  • Security: With Wallester cards, you can get a multi-level 3D secure 2.0 system. It also has instant notifications that reduce fraud risks.

Pros

  • Wallester app can take a photo of the invoice.
  • It has an API connector that connects it with any online service.

Cons

  • No notifications to alert when the balance is running low.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans for Wallester virtual card

Plan Name Free Premium Platinum
Virtual cards 300 300 15,000
Physical cards Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Pricing monthly Free €199 €999
Hidden Fees No No No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Online purchases, subscriptions, media purchases, one-time payments
Customer support: FAQs, website form
Automated expense reports: Yes
Card Acceptance: Visa, digital wallets, debit, credit

Visit Wallester >>

6) Divvy

Divvy provides virtual cards for your business expenses and helps in managing subscriptions and shopping online for office supplies. You get a unique card with every vendor, and you can also avoid overcharges and fraud.

It lets you manage subscriptions in one place by creating a specific card for every vendor and allows you to set limits. You can also view all the online purchases as it notifies every swipe that your employee makes.

Divvy

Features:

  • Spending limit: You can see how much expenses were made on a card and set hard limits. Setting limits reduces exposure, and its forced expiration dates protect against overcharges. You can also create cards for each vendor to spend accurately and limit amounts on them.
  • Unique card number: Every card of Divvy corporate credit card has a unique 16-digit number, but you can control how many credit lines a specific vendor can access.
  • Tracking: It lets you track all spending in real-time, including the card charges, so you know where and how much was spent.
  • Notifications: When someone spends using a virtual corporate credit card, they are sent a notification to fill out the required custom fields needed for accounting.
  • Integrations: Divvy integrates with applications like Sage Intacct, Quickbooks accounting software, Oracle, etc. Its team matches your chart of accounts by customizing Divvy.

Pros

  • You can freeze individual cards.
  • It lets you send payments with extra control.
  • You can easily move funds around.

Cons

  • The support after implementation is not up to the mark.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans of Divvy

Annual Fees Free
Transaction Fees Free
Foreign Transaction Fees Free
Cash withdrawal Fees Free
Hidden Fees No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: All kinds of online purchases
Customer support: Live chat, phone, email, support form
Automated expense reports: Yes
Card Acceptance: Visa and Mastercard accepting platforms

Visit Divvy >>

7) Pleo

Pleo is a prepaid card for businesses that can be used for client lunches, ads, subscriptions, and other business expenses. You can earn up to 1% cashback rewards for every spend.

This virtual card gives you complete visibility into your spending, and it includes automated expense reports. Pleo lets you track, review and reimburse money that you owe to your staff. It also allows you to manage and pay invoices instantly with its automated solution.

Pleo

Features:

  • Individual spending limits: You can set individual spending limits per employee and per purchase to have more control over expenses. It also lets you freeze and cancel cards anytime, unlike regular personal credit cards.
  • Set limits: Pleo allows two types of limits on its cards, the first is monthly, totally, or limitless, and the second is limited per purchase.
  • Automation: Save as many hours as possible by changing your receipts into digital format and automating expenses and invoices.
  • Security: It is certified by PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), hence, your data and money are always safe.
  • Real time tracking: You can review the expense details in real time, in case there is some spending that does not match the reports, you can immediately ask for more details within just a few clicks.
  • Integrations: Pleo directly integrates with Quickbooks accounting software, DATEV, Xero, economic, etc. It also has a customized CSV export feature that works with numerous cases.

Pros

  • You get your first three Pleo cards free of cost.
  • It lets you track and review all kinds of spending in real time.

Cons

  • You may face outages at times during payment.

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans for Pleo

Plan Name Starter Essential Advanced
Cards Plastic and virtual Plastic and virtual Plastic and virtual
Cashback No 0.5% 1%
Pricing monthly Free $39 $79
Hidden Fees No No No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Restaurants, online shopping, in-store
Customer support: Chat, phone, email
Automated expense reports: Yes
Card Acceptance: Wherever Mastercards are accepted.

Link: https://www.pleo.io/en/lp/mh-home

8) Privacy

Privacy lets you shop securely and masks all your card details with automatically generated virtual card information. It allows you to block overcharging and all kinds of unwanted subscriptions. You can check out quickly with its extension that auto-fills your secure card numbers.

It lets you create a virtual card from its dashboard or extension within one click. You can organize your virtual cards in a user-friendly wallet and also track the expenses in another dashboard named Account Summary.

Privacy

Features:

  • Spending limit: Privacy lets you customize the amount of a card and how many times it can be used on a daily, yearly, monthly, and total basis. The spending limit also helps you avoid overcharging and hidden fees.
  • Merchant Locked cards: The Privacy cards lock to the first merchant where they are used, so if this seller is compromised, your card number becomes unusable everywhere else, which provides an extra layer of security.
  • Flexibility: You don’t need any other bank or credit card application to use Privacy. It doesn’t require any minimums, perform credit pulls, and you have no fear of debts and interest rates.
  • Block hidden fees: It lets you create a limit on each card and lets you block double charges and hidden fees on repeated expenses. In case the spend crosses the limit, it auto declines.
  • Security: It uses virtual cards instead of credit and debit cards. Privacy is a PCI-DSS complaint and has the same security as a bank.

Pros

  • Get 1% cashback on your purchases
  • It includes a dashboard that gives real time alerts when the card is used.
  • Pause and unpause the cards as you like.

Cons

  • In the free plan, you cannot mask your transaction information

Pricing:

Here are the pricing plans for the Privacy expense card

Plan Name Personal Pro Teams
No. of cards 12 36 60
Cashback No 1% 1%
Pricing monthly Free $10 $25
Hidden Fees No No No

Key specs:

Types of purchase: Online purchase
Customer support: Website ticket form, chat ticket, FAQs, knowledge base
Automated expense reports: No
Card Acceptance: Online shopping, wherever credit cards and debit cards are accepted.

Link: https://privacy.com/

FAQ

Expense cards are prepaid cards that help employees conveniently spend within the limits set by the company. This helps the organization control employee spending and gives financial convenience to the employees while also offering transparency to the company.

There are two types of expense cards:

  • Single-use cards: Used for one-time online payments.
  • Recurring cards: For regular recurring payments and subscriptions
  • Limit cards: These cards let you set a daily, monthly or total expense limit.

Some of the tips to manage expense cards effectively are:

  • Set different types of spending limits.
  • Select cards with cashback offers.
  • Track your expenses.
  • Use separate expense cards for recurring expenses.
  • Connect it with expense management software.

Some of the drawbacks and limitations of expense cards are:

  • Possible overspending if there are no proper limits set and expense management, is overlooked.
  • Technical problems and lack of support, even during emergencies.
  • Misuse of cards and fraud, and unauthorized transactions.

The main difference between prepaid and virtual expense cards is that prepaid cards can be used in-store, while virtual can only be used for online transactions.

Best Employee Expense Cards: Top Picks!

Tool Name credit limits Rewards Fraud Protection Fees Link
RAMP Yes $6764 annually Yes Free Learn More
Wise Yes 0,5% cashback as a reward Yes No annual or monthly fee Learn More
US Unlocked Yes $10 Yes $3.50 monthly maintenance Learn More
IronVest Yes 1% cashback only Yes Basic version for free Learn More
Wallester Yes – Yes Basic version for free Learn More

Verdict

All the above expense cards provide a reliable service and are a trusted platform. However, here are our top recommendations:

  • We recommend Ramp as one of our top choices as it is an entirely free expense card that doesn’t charge for any transactions.
  • Wise is also a reliable expense management platform as it has minimal charges.
  • Finally, IronVest is also a good option as it provides one of the best securities for its users.
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