Author: Dana Krook

For many hospitality businesses, cash flow isn’t steady. It spikes with catering events, holiday rushes or patio season. Tools like high-yield accounts and on-demand credit can help teams stay liquid during slower periods and scale up quickly when things get busy. 

That’s where corporate cards for the hospitality industry come in. Having the right system in place offers a faster, more secure way to manage day-to-day spend. In this article, we’ll break down how corporate cards work for hospitality teams, what to look for in a provider and how they can help you stay efficient as you grow.

What are corporate cards and how do they work in hospitality?

Hospitality teams deal with complex expenses every day. From late-night supplier orders to team travel and location-specific purchases, the spending rarely stops.

Corporate cards are designed specifically for business expenses. Unlike personal or small business credit cards, they’re issued to employees directly, come with custom limits, offer real-time spend visibility and don’t require personal credit guarantees. 

They’re especially useful for hospitality businesses like:

• Restaurants: Give each manager or chef a card for shift needs and supply runs
• Hotels: Assign cards to housekeeping, events or facilities teams
• Coffee shops: Track location-level spend and assign budgets per store
• Franchises: Set company-wide guardrails while allowing local flexibility

The right corporate cards are built to match the pace of hospitality. Armed with smart financial tools, a corporate card program lets teams make secure, controlled purchases whether they’re on-site, on the move or ordering online.

Benefits of using corporate cards in hospitality

As hospitality businesses grow, so does the complexity of tracking and controlling spend. Corporate cards offer a scalable, secure solution to stay on top of expenses without slowing your team down.

Streamlined expense tracking

With corporate cards, every transaction is logged automatically. When paired with accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero, reconciliation becomes quicker and less error-prone.

Built-in tracking features also help businesses stay audit-ready and compliant with internal policies.

Some finance teams have reduced month-end close from weeks to just a few days with automated GL coding, real-time receipt capture and accounting integrations that eliminate manual entry.

Reduce out-of-pocket costs for staff

Hospitality employees often need to make fast decisions like covering a last-minute delivery or grabbing supplies between shifts. Corporate cards give teams the freedom to act without dipping into their own wallets.

This can ease the burden for front-of-house staff handling urgent purchases or event teams buying last-minute supplies. 

Setting spending limits per card or team

Unlike shared company cards or petty cash, corporate cards allow for precise control. You can assign limits by person, department or project so every dollar has a purpose. This flexibility makes it easier to empower staff while keeping spending aligned with the business’s goals.

With a corporate card solution, businesses can issue unique virtual or physical cards to each team member, manager or store with spend caps and merchant locks built in. This reduces rogue transactions and makes reconciling location-level budgets much easier.

Real-time oversight to catch overspending quickly

One of the biggest benefits of using corporate cards is visibility. Finance teams can monitor activity as it happens, making it easier to catch issues early.

Businesses can:

• Identify policy violations right away
• Flag unusual vendor activity or duplicate charges
• Keep tabs on location-specific budgets in busy periods

This kind of oversight is especially valuable in fast-moving environments where spend decisions happen daily.

Extra convenience with secure virtual cards

Many corporate card platforms now offer virtual cards, which are unique, digital cards that can be issued instantly and used for one-off or vendor-specific transactions.

Since each card can be tied to a specific budget or auto-expire, they offer added protection against fraud or misuse.

What to look for in a corporate card for hospitality

If you’re managing spend across multiple locations, teams or shifts, choosing the right provider can make all the difference. These are the features to look for if you’re in the hospitality industry.

Spend controls and approval workflows

Your card platform should let you set spending limits and approval rules by team, role or vendor. This gives staff the freedom to buy what they need—within clear boundaries.

Example: A restaurant group gives GMs the ability to cover shift supplies, but anything over $1,000 routes to finance for approval. The team stays fast, and big purchases stay in check.

Integration with popular accounting platforms

Make sure the platform connects with your accounting software like QuickBooks, Xero or NetSuite. This cuts down on manual work and keeps your books accurate.

Example: A boutique hotel automatically syncs daily transactions to QuickBooks, tagging expenses to departments like housekeeping, events or maintenance – no extra data entry needed.

Simple receipt capture and matching

Paper receipts are easy to lose, especially when things get busy. Look for a tool that lets staff upload receipts by photo, email or text so finance can match them right away.

Example: A catering company has drivers snap photos of receipts after the vendor runs. It saves time later when finance reconciles fuel and supply purchases by location.

Multi-user management with custom roles

Not everyone needs full access to card settings. Choose a platform that lets you assign access based on job responsibilities.

Example: A café chain gives store managers access to their location’s spend, while district managers oversee activity across

Built-in security features

Fraud and card sharing can be a genuine concern in high-turnover hospitality environments. Look for a platform that lets you issue virtual cards, limit spend by vendor or category and set automatic expiry dates. If you work with U.S.-based suppliers or manage cross-border spend, CAD and USD cards with competitive FX rates can also help protect margins and avoid unnecessary fees.

Example: An event venue issues vendor-specific virtual cards for temporary contractors and uses USD cards to pay U.S.-based suppliers, reducing fraud risk, keeping project costs tightly controlled and avoiding FX markups that cut into profit.

Looking for corporate card comparisons? Check out this rundown of the best business cards in Canada for more information.

Tips for using corporate cards in hospitality

Corporate cards work best when paired with the right policies and habits. Here’s how to get the most value:

• Set a clear spend policy: Outline what can be spent, by whom and how much
• Train your team: Show them how to upload receipts and request virtual cards
• Review spend regularly: Stay proactive and spot trends before they become issues
• Use virtual cards: Great for contractors, online services, one-off expenses or vendor-specific use cases
• Start small: Pilot with one department and then scale to others

Looking for a guide on how corporate cards work in Canada? Here’s a practical guide to corporate cards in Canada. 

Simplify hospitality spending with Float

With no personal guarantees, flexible onboarding and smart controls, Float is the modern solution for restaurant groups, hotels, franchises and food service teams. There are no personal guarantees, onboarding is fast and everything’s built to handle the pace of hospitality.

Here’s how Float helps simplify hospitality business expense management:

• Instant CAD and USD card issuance for staff, managers or locations
• Merchant locks, spend limits and approval flows that prevent overspending
• Seamless syncing with your accounting system for faster month-end
• Real-time receipt capture and auto-matching for cleaner books
• Competitive FX rates for cross-border purchases and U.S. vendor payments
• High-yield accounts and Float Charge to support seasonal cash flow
• Cashback and up to 4% interest on unused funds

Whether you’re scaling up for patio season or simplifying multi-location spend, Float helps finance teams stay in control without slowing anyone down.

Explore how Float supports smarter corporate cards for the hospitality industry and why more finance teams are making the switch.

Running a retail or e-commerce business in Canada isn’t for the faint of heart. Between inventory costs, shipping fees, ad spend and seasonal swings, your cash flow has a lot of moving parts. 

That’s where the right business credit card comes in. You need a smart tool to manage spend, smooth out the dips and even earn rewards along the way.

While retail and e-commerce are commonly powered by small business owners with big ambitions, the market itself is huge. Retail e-commerce sales are forecast to reach over $130 billion by 2027, and that’s only about 12% of the total retail market. And to get a part of that, retail and e-commerce business owners need a financial solution that grows with them, not slows them down.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best credit cards for retail and e-commerce businesses in Canada. We’ll break down what to look for and which options deliver the most value, whether you’re selling online or stocking shelves in a local shop.

What is a business credit card?

A business credit card is a type of credit card made specifically for business spending—not personal purchases. It’s issued to your business (even if you’re a sole proprietor) and helps keep business and personal finances clearly separated. We’re all for not white-knuckling those tax returns.

What makes a business card different from a regular credit card? Features like higher credit limits, employee cards, categorized expense tracking and rewards are often better suited to how businesses spend. 
Just getting started? Learn how to get a business credit card.

Why is a business credit card important for retail and e-commerce?

Retail and e-commerce businesses have unique sales rhythms that don’t always align with when cash hits your account. Inventory has to be ordered weeks ahead, and ad campaigns need to run before sales roll in. Shipping costs fluctuate. A business credit card can help bridge those timing gaps so you’re not scrambling.

Beyond short-term cash flow support, business credit cards can also help track spending across platforms, team members or locations. This is especially useful if you’re selling both online and in a store. And because business credit builds separately from your personal credit, using your card responsibly can help you unlock better financing options down the road.

What features matter most for retail and e-commerce teams? 

Choosing a credit card for your retail or e-commerce business isn’t just about picking the one with the best rewards. The key is to find a tool that matches the way your business spends, scales and manages cash.

Here’s what to prioritize: 

Smart spend controls

You need to know where your money is going and keep it on track.

• Virtual and physical cards
  Instantly issue virtual cards for ad platforms like Meta, Google or Amazon, and physical cards for store teams and suppliers. Look for cards that support both CAD and USD to simplify multi-currency operations.
• Merchant-specific and campaign-level control
  Set vendor locks, approval flows and temporary or recurring spending limits. This level of control helps reduce fraud, prevents overages and keeps digital campaigns on budget.
• Security and fraud prevention
  While EMV chips, tokenization and 2FA are standard, virtual cards add an extra layer. Authorize them for single use or a specific platform, then cancel or replace instantly if needed. This is especially useful when managing multiple ad accounts or rotating vendors.

Better visibility and faster reconciliation

When spend happens across teams, stores or campaigns, tracking it all in real time is essential.

• Real-time dashboards and reporting
  See who spent what, where and why across every department, campaign or location. This keeps budgets on track and makes audits painless.
• Multi-part tax coding and expense categorization
  Auto-categorize transactions, break out GST/HST/PST and sync directly to your general ledger. It’s the fastest path to closing your books each month.
• Expense management tools
  Integrated tools that capture receipts, match transactions and sync with your accounting software (like QuickBooks or Xero) turn chaos into clarity.

Cash flow and capital flexibility

Retail and e-commerce businesses often spend before they earn, especially during seasonal peaks.

• Same-day funding and high-yield reserves
  Access funds when you need them and earn 4% interest on idle cash in the meantime. This helps you prepare for seasonal demand without draining your main account.
• Generous credit limits
  If you’re scaling fast or stocking up ahead of a major sale, you’ll need a card that can keep up with larger purchase volumes and marketing pushes.
• Float FX with market-leading rates
  If you spend in USD or pay international suppliers, FX fees add up fast. Transparent, low-cost currency conversion helps protect your margins and keeps global payments seamless.

Rewards that match your business model

Not all points are created equal. Pick a card that gives back where you spend most.

• Cashback or points on inventory, shipping and digital ads
  Whether you’re running ad-heavy campaigns or stocking shelves, focus on cards that reward your highest expense categories.
• Employee cards with set limits
  Empower trusted team members while keeping spend in check. Bonus if employee cards are free.
• No foreign transaction fees
  A must-have if you sell to or source from outside Canada.

For more on how cards can support financial operations, explore this article on credit card expense management best practices.

With those capabilities in mind, let’s take a look at the best credit cards on the market for Canadian retailers.

Best credit cards for retail business spending

Here’s a roundup of cards that offer strong value for brick-and-mortar retail businesses, with features built to support inventory purchases, everyday expenses and team-wide spending.

Float Corporate Card 

Float stands out for modern retail operations. With no personal guarantee, real-time expense tracking and unlimited virtual cards, it’s built to streamline how you manage team purchases and recurring expenses. The 1% cashback and CAD/USD options, and FX support make it ideal for multi-location or inventory-heavy retailers.

BMO CashBack® Business Mastercard®

A no-frills, no-fee card that puts money back in your pocket with every purchase. It’s a reliable choice for everyday spending like supplies and utilities, and additional employee cards come at no cost.

TD Business Travel Visa Card

If you’re hitting trade shows, visiting suppliers or doing regional business travel, this card rewards you on every mile. Travel perks, insurance and a welcome bonus help stretch your budget further.

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business

With flexible rewards and access to an RBC business advisor, this card is a good fit for established retail companies that want support while scaling. Bonus: employee cards and expense management tools are included.

Compare retail business credit cards in Canada

*on all categories after the first $25K of monthly spend

Best credit cards for e-commerce business spending

E-commerce businesses often face high ad spend, cross-border transactions and rapidly scaling operations. These are the cards built to meet those challenges.

Float Corporate Card 

Float corporate cards offer the flexibility and control that e-commerce teams need. Use unlimited virtual cards for ad platforms, automate expense tracking and integrate with your accounting software, with no personal credit check required. New features like Float FX and multi-part tax codes make it easy to manage global vendor payments and stay tax-compliant. Plus, the security benefits of merchant-locked cards help keep your digital advertising campaigns safe and on budget. 

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

For e-commerce businesses with high monthly spend, especially on advertising, SaaS tools or international suppliers, this premium card delivers excellent points value, flexible redemptions and travel perks for founders on the go.

To see how Float stacks up against traditional options, read our comparison: American Express vs. Float.

CIBC bizline® Visa Card

Not all e-commerce growth is smooth. The CIBC bizline works more like a line of credit, offering low interest and no annual fee, perfect for managing inventory buys, returns or unexpected slow periods.

Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite Business

Selling to or sourcing from other countries? This card removes foreign transaction fees and gives you travel and insurance perks on top, making it a good pick for e-commerce businesses with cross-border needs.

Compare credit cards for e-commerce spending in Canada

Alternative funding options

A business credit card is a flexible tool for managing everyday expenses, but it’s not the only option. For retail and e-commerce businesses that deal with seasonal swings, bulk inventory buys or rapid growth, it’s worth exploring additional funding sources. 

These can include lines of credit, venture debt and government grants or loans. Pairing a business credit card with other financial tools can give you more breathing room and better control over cash flow. The key is building a mix that matches how your business earns, spends and grows.

Before you decide, you might also want to check out our curated list of the best business credit cards in Canada for a broader comparison.

How to choose the right business credit card

Finding the perfect business credit card is like matchmaking, and it’s all about compatibility. Here’s how to swipe right:

1. Analyze your spending habits

Dive into your expense reports to identify where your money flows. Do you splurge on digital ads, or is travel the heaviest hitter on the books? Align your card’s rewards with your primary spending categories.​

2. Assess your financial position

A stellar personal credit score can open doors to premium business cards. Know where you stand to set realistic expectations.​

3. Compare card options

Don’t settle for the first flashy offer. Scrutinize multiple cards, focusing on rewards you’ll use, fees, interest rates and additional perks.​

4. Consider the card issuer’s reputation

A card is only as good as the company behind it. Opt for issuers known for excellent customer service and robust support because when you need help, you won’t want to be left in the dark.​

5. Evaluate the application process

Some cards offer swift approvals and minimal paperwork, getting you back to business faster.​

Float: Business credit cards designed for retail and e-commerce in Canada

Whether you’re managing a storefront or scaling an online shop, the right credit card can make a big difference in how efficiently (and profitably) you run your business. 

From cash flow management to rewards that give back, today’s options go far beyond basic plastic. And while there are several strong contenders, Float’s flexibility, FX transparency and smart features—like multi-part tax coding and virtual card controls—make it a top choice for modern Canadian businesses. 

Managing expenses at a non-profit can feel like a constant juggling act. Between unpredictable cash flow, strict reporting requirements and a mountain of admin tasks like chasing down receipts, there’s often a major strain on already-limited resources. 

If you’re still relying on personal credit cards and reimbursement processes to manage spend, you’re not alone, but there’s a better way.

Corporate cards for non-profits are helping to control spending, enforce financial policies and save time on admin. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how non-profits manage expenses with corporate cards, what to look for and how to get a corporate card as a non-profit.

Why expense management is harder at non-profits

Non-profits operate under tight budgets, often with lean teams and evolving expenses. You might have board-approved spending limits, project-specific funding or donor restrictions that require precise tracking. 

Unfortunately, traditional processes aren’t built for this level of transparency or control. They create delays, lost receipts and reporting headaches that make audits and financial reviews more stressful than they need to be.

That’s where spending solutions like Float’s corporate cards can provide streamlined tools that replace friction with the flexibility non-profits need.

Check out the full Ocean Wise case study to learn how this non-profit recaptured 1,200+ hours of admin time using Float cards and expense management.

What are corporate cards for non-profits?

It’s easy to assume all cards work the same. However, for non-profits, the differences between corporate, business and personal cards can have big implications for control, compliance and day-to-day operations.

• Corporate cards are issued by your organization, not tied to personal credit, and often offer better spend controls.
• Business credit cards may be designed for small businesses but often still require a personal guarantee.
• Personal credit cards aren’t ideal for non-profit purchases and can blur financial boundaries.

For many non-profits, traditional credit options aren’t accessible due to unpredictable funding cycles and limited business credit history. Float’s pre-funded model solves this by giving organizations complete control over spending without relying on credit approvals. You can fund cards as needed, in CAD or USD, and even earn interest on reserves. 

Why non-profits need corporate cards

Non-profits are increasingly choosing corporate cards because of a number of key advantages, including better control, faster access to funds and simpler, audit-ready reporting.

Real-time transparency and oversight

Corporate cards let you see your spending as it happens, not weeks later in an expense report. 

Whether your team is booking last-minute travel to a conference, purchasing emergency supplies for a food bank or placing an ad to promote a local fundraiser, you can track every purchase by project, department or user in real time and catch issues early before they become budget overruns.

No more out-of-pocket costs

Staff and volunteers shouldn’t have to front their own money for fuel on outreach trips, coffee for donor meetings or snacks for youth programming. 

Corporate cards eliminate reimbursement delays and make it easier to support the people doing the work, especially in community-driven organizations where fast action is often needed.

Built-in controls and approvals

With corporate cards, managers can set spending limits by role, card, and employee.  

For example, you can set $100 per month for peer outreach workers or $2,000 for event managers. Enable pre-approvals for larger expenses like venue bookings or tech equipment. Use single-use virtual cards to prevent fraud or overages when paying new vendors, ordering printed materials or trialing new software.

Easier compliance and reporting

Float makes audit preparation and donor reporting even easier by auto-tagging transactions by fund or program, enforcing spend policies and syncing data with your accounting system. That means you can instantly pull clean, accurate records – no chasing receipts or manually reconciling restricted vs. unrestricted funds.

Need help setting up an expense policy to keep compliance and reporting clear? Check out our guide on compliance best practices.

Key features to look for in a corporate card provider

Not all non-profit corporate cards are created equal. When evaluating providers, prioritize solutions designed to support how non-profits manage expenses. 

1. Custom spend controls

Look for cards that let you set limits by user, merchant or budget. Some providers offer daily, weekly or project-based caps to give you even more control and flexibility.

2. Accounting software integrations

Sync transactions directly with tools like QuickBooks or Xero to speed up your month-end. 

3. Receipt capture and transaction matching

Choose a platform that auto-collects receipts and matches them to purchases using optical character recognition technology. No more chasing down staff at month-end.

4. Audit-friendly reporting

Non-profits often need to justify expenses to funders. Audit-ready reports with transaction notes and attachments make it easy.

5. User-friendly interface

Your team may not include full-time finance professionals. A clean dashboard and intuitive app can make a world of difference in team adoption and compliance.

Best practices for corporate card management at a non-profit

Having the right tool is the first step. Using it effectively is what drives results. Here’s how to get the most from the best corporate cards for non-profits:

1. Set clear spending policies

Define which expenses are permitted, when approval is needed and who’s responsible for different expense-related tasks. 

2. Use pre-approvals for large or unusual expenses

Set thresholds for auto-approval and add manual checks for larger transactions. This keeps spending under control without bottlenecks.

3. Assign cards strategically

Give cards to team members who regularly make purchases, and use virtual cards for one-off needs or specific vendors.

4. Keep receipts organized (digitally!)

Paper receipts get lost. Use a system that allows employees to upload photos or email receipts directly to their card.

5. Monitor spending regularly

Use dashboards to keep tabs on budgets, identify trends and address overspending early. Make it a habit, not a once-a-month panic.

6. Train your team

Walk staff and volunteers through how to use cards, submit receipts and follow your expense policy. The more confident they are, the smoother your program runs.

A better way to manage non-profit expenses

If your organization is ready to move past messy spreadsheets and manual reimbursement, Float can help.

With Float, non-profits get:

• Pre-funded CAD and USD corporate cards—no credit checks required
• Spend controls, approval workflows and real-time dashboards for full oversight
• Audit-ready tagging and reporting by fund, program or department
• Automated receipt capture and accounting syncs to cut admin time
• Transparent FX rates for international vendors and cross-border payments
• High-Yield Accounts for liquidity and up to 4% interest on unused funds

Float is built to reduce the administrative burden that pulls your finance team away from mission-focused work. For instance, at Ocean Wise, Float helped save over 1,200 hours of administrative labour in the company’s first year using the platform.

Want to know how to get a corporate card as a non-profit? With Float, there’s no complicated application process or personal credit pull. Just sign up, set your policies and start issuing cards within days.

For more on how Float compares to traditional options, check out our guide to the best business credit cards in Canada.

Tracking corporate card spend through traditional monthly statements is a little like using a typewriter in a touchscreen world. Monthly statements often make overspend hard to identify and cause delays in spotting fraud or unauthorized transactions. As a result, relying on these statements alone can lead to reactive decision-making.

Canadian businesses that want to prevent spending surprises need real-time expense tracking capabilities—and the good news is, you no longer have to wait for monthly statements. With new tools that offer live visibility into corporate card spending, automated expense tracking by category, and tighter compliance controls, you can stay agile and maintain stronger financial control as purchases happen.

Daniel Hoyles, VP of Finance at SnapTrade—a company that helps connect retail brokerage accounts to finance apps—understands all too well the importance of real-time visibility. “When I started at SnapTrade, I was coming in blind,” he says. “Float gave me the full visibility I needed into our spending, vendors and spending cadence in real time, so I had the knowledge to start making strategic decisions.” 

In this article, Daniel walks through the importance of real-time corporate card spend tracking and outlines the features Canadian businesses should look for when selecting real-time corporate card spend-tracking tools.

What is corporate card spend tracking?

Corporate card spend tracking is the process of monitoring and analyzing company card transactions to manage business budgets and enforce spending policies. 

The traditional method of corporate card spend tracking is still prevalent in many Canadian businesses and involves finance teams waiting for monthly statements for corporate cards. Teams then manually reconcile spend and make any necessary adjustments days or weeks after the spending has occurred. 

The problem is that this traditional style of credit card expense management provides limited spend visibility throughout most of the month. Finance teams lack real-time access to corporate spending, resulting in delayed insights and poor forecasting. This type of monitoring can also lead to budget overruns and cash flow blind spots, leaving businesses in a tough financial position.

Many Canadian businesses don’t notice the problem with using monthly statements for expense tracking until they start to expand. 

“As your business grows and you have more people on your team, there are new needs and wants,” says Daniel. “This leads to a spending sprawl. Team members want the ability to purchase software and tools. However, if you don’t have the proper accounting processes and procedures in place, you can get into trouble.” 

Real-time expense tracking for corporate cards: how it works

In contrast to traditional corporate card spending tracking, real-time expense tracking involves the live monitoring of card transactions as they happen. This means finance teams don’t have to wait until the end of the month for a statement. 

This type of real-time corporate card management has major perks. Canadian businesses can rely on smart corporate cards, expense management platforms and seamless accounting integrations to have up-to-date access to company corporate card spend data. This is especially helpful for businesses that want more visibility into their finances but lack the manpower to make it happen. 

“In some startups and smaller companies, you often don’t have an accountant or a finance team. Sometimes, finance isn’t given the same priority as other departments,” says Daniel. “That’s one situation where a real-time visibility tool like Float comes in handy. It allows you to execute while giving you alerts on your spending or when payments have failed.” 

The financial impact of real-time visibility into corporate card spend tracking is massive, with businesses being able to make faster decisions on budgets, enforce policies in real-time and forecast more accurately. It also allows for tighter expense control and better financial management, minimizing unauthorized spending and fraudulent spending. 

Why real-time spend visibility matters

Canadian businesses receive several advantages when they implement corporate spend tracking tools that provide reporting and insights in real time: 

• Faster month-end closes: Your finance teams don’t need to wait until they get a monthly statement to reconcile spend. Instead, they can access data in real time and reconcile daily. 
• Reduced fraud and unauthorized spend: With up-to-the-minute spend data, your team is much more likely to catch fraud and unauthorized transactions in time to rectify the issue, compared to waiting weeks after the fact. 
• More accurate forecasting and budget control: With real-time insights into spend, you can more accurately forecast monthly budgets and keep those budgets under control. 
• Improved employee accountability: Your employees are more likely to comply with internal corporate card policies—such as sending in receipts right away instead of waiting to be chased by your finance team—when they know you can see corporate card spend in real-time. 
• Faster expense report processes: Many corporate card visibility tools enable employees to automatically submit receipts, allowing them to spend less time on expense reports. 
• Streamlined approvals and compliance: The current pace of business doesn’t allow for slow approvals on expenditures or spend limits. Real-time visibility also enables faster approvals and budgetary compliance. 
• A more strategic approach to budgets: Modern corporate card visibility tools provide detailed reporting and analytics, allowing your finance teams to move beyond reactive budgeting and adopt a more strategic approach. 

For Daniel, the real-time visibility features are a game-changer. “From time to time, your tech stack evolves,” he says. “I can see us getting a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) system or accounting software, but I can’t see us ever changing our spending partner.”

Key features of real-time corporate card spend tracking tools 

When selecting a real-time corporate card management tool, what should you pay attention to? 

“Having the ability to augment workflows in your ERP or accounting system like QuickBooks is key,” says Daniel. This helps avoid manual error and slow workflows, and is not only beneficial at month-end but all year round. 

Here are other notable features to look for: 

• Live transaction feeds: Opt for tools that show spend as it’s happening. It’s helpful to see which card is making the purchase, where and for how much. 
• Instant spend notifications: Get alerts for unusual expenses or those that are outside your company limits. 
• Department or user-level dashboards: Analyze spend on a granular level so you can more accurately forecast and assign budgets. 
• Categorization and tagging: Automatically categorize and tag expenditures to expedite reconciliation. For example, automatically tag Uber rides as transportation.

Float: Your answer to real-time corporate card spend tracking 

Float’s corporate card has live spend tracking built right into it, so your finance team can see real-time spend data for each card. Not only that, you get custom spend controls by department, budget or individual, in addition to a visual dashboard that enables fast reviews and decision making. Plus, with one click, you can sync Float with accounting tools like QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite. 

“Float provides a level of speed and efficiency that makes me enjoy accounting software like QuickBooks,” says Daniel. “It actually makes my life in QuickBooks easier.” 

Learn more about Float’s corporate card today, and get complete visibility into your company’s spending in real time.

A procurement card and corporate card are often confused with one another, but they serve different purposes in your financial management toolkit. If you’re scaling operations, tightening controls or modernizing how your company spends, knowing the difference is critical.

In this article, we’ll break down how procurement cards and corporate cards work, where each one shines and how Float offers the flexibility to do both without the tradeoffs.

What is a procurement card?

Also known as a p-card, a procurement card is a company-issued card used for lower-value, frequent purchases from vendors. It simplifies buying by removing the need for purchase orders, cheques, personal cards or petty cash. 

Instead of routing every purchase through traditional procurement workflows, approved employees can use p-cards to quickly buy items like office supplies, subscriptions or emergency materials. Typically, any vendor that accepts credit cards can accept p-cards. 

Common p-card use cases

P-cards are best used for frequent, lower-value transactions that don’t require a full procurement process. 

Typical scenarios include: 

• Office supplies and equipment
• SaaS or digital tools
• Facility maintenance or repairs
• Emergency or ad hoc purchases
• Recurring vendor payments

Procurement card advantages

The biggest strength of a procurement card is control. It helps finance teams manage spend while empowering employees to get what they need quickly. 

Here are some key benefits: 

• Simplified procurement workflows
• Lower transaction and processing costs
• Real-time spend control
• Cleaner audit trails and expense data
• Immediate vendor payment
• Reduces use of petty cash and reimbursements 

P-cards decentralize small, operational spending in a way that’s fast and controlled, but they aren’t ideal for every scenario.

What is a corporate card?

Corporate cards are designed for broader employee spending, especially for travel and entertainment. These cards are issued to individuals or departments to cover work-related expenses without dipping into personal funds and filing expense reports for reimbursement. 

Common corporate card uses 

Corporate cards shine when employees need flexibility to spend across a wide range of business needs, not just from pre-approved vendors. 

Typical uses include: 

• Travel expenses, like flights, hotels and meals
• Client entertainment
• Team offsites
• Online subscriptions
• Day-to-day business purchase

Want to take a closer look at how these cards work in Canada? Read our comprehensive guide to corporate credit cards.

Corporate card benefits

Corporate cards offer flexibility and perks that make them a great fit for growing teams with varied spending needs.

Key benefits include:

• Flexibility across spend types
• Cashback rewards and interest on deposits
• Real-time tracking and policy enforcement
• Automated expense reporting 
• Integrates with accounting tools
• Builds business credit

Because they’re not vendor-restricted, corporate cards are ideal for fast-moving teams and growing companies, but they can lead to overspending without proper controls.

P-card vs. corporate card: Side-by-side breakdown

Pros and cons at a glance

Not sure which card best suits your needs? Here’s a quick summary of the strengths and trade-offs of procurement cards and corporate cards to help you compare. 

Procurement cards

Procurement cards are ideal for controlled, repeatable purchases from known vendors.  Just keep in mind they work best with clearly defined use cases and vendor lists.

Pros:

• Strong pre-spend controls
• Cuts down on invoice and cheque volume
• Ideal for decentralizing approved vendor spend
• Enforces budget and category restrictions

Cons:

• Limited use outside vendor purchases
• Requires employee training and policy clarity
• Reconciliation can get messy if not automated

Corporate cards

Corporate cards enable autonomy across departments but need strong oversight to avoid overspending or policy drift.

Pros:

• Broadly usable for all types of business spend
• Perks like cashback, insurance and interest rewards
• Supports travel-heavy or fast-moving teams

Cons:

• Greater risk of misuse without pre-approvals
• Personal liability may apply depending on the card
• Often carries annual fees

Worried about risk? Check out the best strategies to prevent corporate card misuse.

How to choose the right card for your business

To choose the best card option, ask yourself a few key questions:

1. What kind of spend are you trying to control?

If it’s mostly merchant-specific, a procurement card might be your best bet. If it’s broader employee or travel-related expenses, lean toward corporate cards.

2. What are your expense types and volumes?

High-frequency, small purchases? P-cards. Large travel or project-based expenses? Corporate cards.

3. Who needs access?

Are these ops team members buying supplies, or executives managing their own travel?

4. Do you need more control or more flexibility?

Procurement cards offer strict rules and approvals. Corporate cards offer flexibility, but often at the cost of tighter post-spend reconciliation.

5. Does the card integrate with your finance tools?

Look for financial management solutions that fit your existing workflows and scale as your team grows.

6. What’s the ROI on perks?

Are you earning meaningful cashback? Is the interest return worth it?

Need help setting policies and controls? Download our free expense policy template to get started. 

Tips for running a successful procurement card program

Whether you go with procurement cards, corporate cards or both—how you manage them makes the biggest difference. Here’s how to set yourself up for success:

Set clear policies and card limits upfront

A clear business credit card policy will reduce confusion and prevent overspending from the start.

Automate approvals and expense tracking

Manual tracking slows everyone down. Use tools that support real-time monitoring.

Train employees and run audits regularly

New employees need onboarding. Regular users need reminders.

Choose scalable financial tools

Don’t get stuck with card programs that can’t grow with you. Learn more about Float’s corporate card platform.

What if you want the best of both? 

Here’s the reality: most companies need both control and flexibility. That’s why Float corporate card solution was built to deliver the best of procurement cards and corporate cards in one powerful platform. 

With Float, you can:

• Issue cards to employees, vendors or departments
• Set pre-approved budgets and category limits
• Auto-reconcile with your accounting software
• Tracking spending in real time
• Earn cashback and earn interest on deposits

Whether it’s managing office supplies or enabling seamless travel, Float makes it easy to stay on budget without slowing anyone down.

Match the tool to the task

Both procurement cards and corporate cards serve a purpose. The key is knowing which to use and when. 

If you’re stuck between control and flexibility, Float helps you avoid the tradeoff. Issue procurement cards with built-in workflows, or roll out team cards with real-time oversight—all from one platform designed for Canadian businesses. 

Ready to modernize your company’s card program? Explore how Float works.

Corporate cards should make business spending smoother, not riskier. But without the right controls, visibility or policies, even well-meaning teams can open the door to fraud, misuse and costly mistakes.

Nobody likes the thought of fraud happening in their organization, but ignoring it is not an option. The longer a dishonest employee works for the company, the greater the impact. Median costs lost to a bad actor rocket up to a quarter of a million dollars over a decade or more, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Seb Prost, CPA and founder of LedgerLogic, has helped guide business owners through these concerns. His firm provides tax, accounting and virtual CFO services for Canadian businesses looking to modernize their finance stack and reduce the friction of traditional banking tools.

In this article, Seb walks through the risks he sees most often and the corporate card security best practices that help companies take a proactive stance in credit card fraud prevention.

What is corporate card security?

Corporate card security refers to the systems, policies and tools a business uses to protect its company-issued credit cards from misuse, fraud or data breaches. It includes everything from setting clear spending limits and permissions to monitoring transactions in real-time, to utilizing modern platforms that automate controls and flag suspicious activity.

Why does it matter?

Without strong card security, a simple mistake, such as a shared login or a missing receipt, can snowball into a costly error, reputational hit or even a red flag that triggers an audit. For small and mid-sized Canadian businesses, the stakes are especially high: they may have fewer resources to absorb fraud losses and limited time to manually track down every charge.

When corporate card security is treated as an afterthought, teams end up reacting to problems after they happen. Imagine trying to smoothly offboard an employee without a plan in place! But when it’s built into your systems from the start, you can empower employees to spend responsibly without putting your business at risk.

The importance of managing corporate card security

Corporate card fraud rarely looks like a high-stakes heist. More often, it’s unintentional misuse or a small purchase here and there. Even so, the cost adds up. And it’s even harder to spot red flags when your team shares cards or lacks oversight.

“The lack of real-time visibility into spending is a huge issue, especially with legacy banking,” says Seb. “You might not know until month-end what was actually spent.”

Delayed reconciliations, shared cards and hard-to-cancel access are all vulnerabilities that Seb’s clients face. These issues pose a risk, especially when it’s unclear who made a charge or whether the expense aligns with someone’s role. With help, these businesses can implement more effective financial management controls, which are key to preventing corporate card misuse.

Biggest safety risks

When it comes to corporate card security, the most common risks aren’t always the most obvious. Sometimes the issues are real security risks, while others are simply due to a lack of clarity. 

Here are a few of the most common risks Seb advises businesses to watch out for:  

Lack of visibility

Without real-time spend tracking and timely receipt submission, unauthorized charges can fly under the radar for weeks or even months. 

Shared cards

As soon as a card changes hands, there’s an opportunity for murky details or misuse. “If it’s just one card for multiple people, how do you even know who spent what?” asks Seb.

Orphaned cards

Former employees with lingering access can create serious exposure if cards aren’t cancelled immediately.

Receipt gaps and role mismatches

Expenses that don’t align with a person’s responsibilities or arrive without documentation should cause concern. 

5 tips to better your corporate card security management

The risks are real, but can be managed. With the right policies and financial management tools in place, you’ll be well on your way to preventing corporate card misuse while empowering your team. 

1. Develop a comprehensive corporate credit card policy

Think of your credit card policy like a seatbelt. It should click into place before anyone starts driving. It’s your first line of defence to preventing any security issues. Define who gets a card, how it should be used and what happens when someone breaks the rules.

Seb recommends setting clear eligibility criteria, pre-approval thresholds and usage guidelines tied to specific roles and responsibilities. 

“Does it make sense that this person gets a card?” he says. “If someone’s in IT, maybe they need to pay for a subscription. A salesperson might need travel funds. But not everyone needs a card that can be used for anything.” 

The policy should also list prohibited uses (like personal expenses) and the consequences for credit card misuse. And don’t let your corporate credit card policy collect dust. “Review it periodically, especially if there are changes in how the business operates,” says Seb. 

2. Implement financial management controls

Internal controls are essential for spotting fraud early. For example, you can assign individual cards instead of shared ones for more clarity. “You want to be able to track an expense back to an individual, not a team,” Seb says.

Real-time transaction feeds help business owners or accountants flag issues quickly. “You can pop into Float and review expenses daily if you like,” says Seb.

Other smart controls include:

• Regular reviews by accountants or management
• Setting and reviewing transaction limits
• Segregation of duties so the same person isn’t both spending and approving 

3. Use technology to enhance security

Legacy systems walk. Modern solutions run, with real-time visibility, instant card controls and tech that doesn’t make you beg a banker for a call back. 

“Instant card issuance and freezing is a big one,” says Seb. “If somebody joins or leaves, you can issue or cancel a card right away with no need to call the bank.”

He also recommends category-level restrictions. “If you can limit based on what the person actually needs, that’s super helpful,” he says. 

Other features that stand out include:

• Adjustable spending limits that reflect project budgets or one-off needs
• Cloud accounting integrations that eliminate manual data entry
• Automatic receipt capture and reminders to cut down on paperwork and errors

“Automation helps catch issues early and significantly reduces the administrative burden on finance teams,” says Seb. 

4. Set appropriate corporate card limits

Card limits aren’t one-size-fits-all. “Base limits on the employee’s role and the type of expenses they might incur,” Seb says. A salesperson might need more flexibility, while admin staff might only need a small recurring amount.

He also suggests adjusting corporate card limits monthly as needed, such as during busy seasons or when attending a trade show. He also recommends enabling real-time alerts so employees know when they’re approaching their cap.

5. Educate employees on security best practices

Policies only work if people follow them. “It starts with clear communication and training,” says Seb. 

He recommends a quick onboarding session when issuing cards, including examples of acceptable and off-limits purchases. “Equally important is reinforcing that card access is a responsibility, not a perk.”

Seb also flags receipt collection as a chronic pain point. “Especially for outsourced bookkeepers, it’s hard to get clients to provide supporting documentation,” he says. That’s where Float’s automated reminders can offer help.

“When employees get a text reminder to upload their receipt right away, it makes a big difference,” says Seb. “It reinforces good habits.” Finance teams can also offer transparent feedback to help employees stay compliant without friction.

Corporate card security compliance requirements

Protecting corporate card data is not only just a best practice to reduce your risk, but it’s also essential for compliance. In Canada, finance leaders navigate multiple overlapping obligations, particularly when managing employee data, customer information or financial transactions.

Here’s what you need to know:

PCI-DSS compliance

If your business processes, stores or transmits cardholder data (even via employee-submitted receipts), you’re subject to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Float is PCI-DSS compliant, helping reduce the burden on your internal IT and finance teams.

Privacy regulations

Under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canadian companies are required to protect personal data, including information tied to identifiable financial activity. If you’re logging or tracking employee spend, proper storage and access controls are critical.

Audit trails and internal controls

Whether for Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) review or financial due diligence, businesses must maintain clear records of expenses and enforce internal controls to ensure accuracy and compliance. Segregation of duties, spend approvals and consistent documentation help satisfy audit requirements and reduce fraud risk.
Unlike legacy systems that leave gaps in compliance tracking, Float includes built-in audit logs, digital receipt storage, real-time approvals and System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 2 certification, making it easier to stay compliant without a patchwork of manual processes.

Float’s corporate card security vs. traditional business cards

Let’s face it. Today’s fraud risks and the speed of business weren’t considered when major Canadian banks designed traditional business cards. Most offer the basics: a credit limit, one or two physical cards and a statement at month end. Beyond that, it’s mostly up to your team to chase down receipts, monitor spending, and try to spot problems after the fact.

Here’s how that compares to a modern, security-forward platform like Float.

With Float, corporate cards help enable spending while also enforcing policy, limiting exposure, and making fraud much harder to pull off. You can issue a new card, set a limit and shut it down in seconds. 

With a traditional bank, that’s a phone call, paperwork and a few days’ wait. Speed and control matter more than ever, especially when you’re growing rapidly or handling sensitive budgets.

A smarter path to corporate card security

Float works to reduce fraud, improve workflows and help finance teams sleep a little better at night.

Card security shouldn’t be a damage control measure. Build smart habits into your spend process from day one, and skip the nightly teeth-grinding and month-end panic.

Seb often recommends Float to clients because it streamlines corporate card management for everyone. “We get that visibility on credit card spend. It makes it easier for them, and makes it easier for us,” he says.

Want to see if Float is right for you? Book a demo today.