What is "Pay invoices by Card"?
Spendesk now lets you pay eligible supplier invoices using a virtual card, directly from your invoice review flow. Instead of initiating a wire transfer, you can generate a single-use virtual card on the spot to settle the invoice quickly and securely.
Who can use this feature?
This feature is available to controllers and approvers who manage invoice payments in Spendesk, for companies using the Accounts Payable (AP) module.
How does it work?
When an invoice is submitted and ready for review, Spendesk automatically checks whether it can be paid by card. If it is eligible, a "Pay by card" option will appear alongside the usual payment methods in the invoice review page.
Step-by-step
Open the invoice for review
Navigate to the invoice in the Payables section and open it for review as usual.
Select "Pay by card"
If the invoice is eligible, the card payment option is available. Select it to proceed.
Confirm the payment
Click "Save and validate" (or "Confirm"). A single-use virtual card is automatically created for the exact invoice amount.
Access your card
A confirmation modal appears. Click "Go to card" to be redirected to the card details page, or "Do it later" to return to the payables list.
Use the card to pay
Share the virtual card details with your supplier or use them directly on the supplier's payment portal to complete the payment.
How does Spendesk detect eligible invoices?
Spendesk uses an AI-powered OCR detection system that analyses each invoice to determine whether it can be paid by card (e.g. the supplier accepts card payments). Eligible invoices will show the card payment option; non-eligible ones will also show it but with a warning: "Are you sure this invoice can be paid by card?"
What are the eligibility conditions?
The "Pay by card" option is available when the invoice is within your card spending limit
<aside> ℹ️
The option will be disabled (but still visible) if:
The invoice amount exceeds your card limit (a tooltip will explain how to raise your limit)
The invoice amount exceeds the maximum possible card limit (currently 200,000 EUR / GBP)
A card has already been generated for this invoice </aside>
Tracking your invoice payment
Once a card has been created for an invoice, you can track the status directly from the Payables list:
Pending payment: A "Go to card" link is displayed on the payable
Settled: A link to the card payment is displayed on the payable
Status tags: To pay / Paid tags reflect the current card payment status
From the virtual card page, a "Connected invoice" section shows the link back to the original payable.
Can I cancel a card payment?
Yes. From the invoice or the card page, you can click "Cancel card". This will:
Cancel the virtual card
Send the invoice back to Review status, regardless of the card's generation status
Currency & fees
Invoices submitted in your company's local currency are prioritised for card payment.
If the invoice currency differs from your company currency and FX fees apply, a warning will be displayed during review.
If your company benefits from cashback, it’s indicated on the review page.
Frequently asked questions
Will this affect my invoice accounting entries?
No. The feature is designed so that paying by card does not create duplicate accounting entries for controllers.
What happens if the invoice has already been paid?
If the OCR detects that an invoice has already been paid, a specific warning will be displayed during review.
Can I pay an invoice linked to a Purchase Order (PO) by card?
Yes, invoices linked to POs are supported.
Can I pay multiple invoices with the same card?
Currently, one single-use virtual card is created per invoice.
For any questions or issues, please contact your Spendesk account manager or reach out to our support team.