Set up spending controls on physical cards
Account Owners and Admins can set a budget, enable cash withdrawal, and add advanced restrictions on any company physical card.
For: Account Owners and Admins.
Before you start
Only Account Owners and Admins can set up or edit card spending controls.
Cash withdrawal must first be enabled at the company level by your CSM or Account Billing Manager before you can turn it on for individual cards.
Advanced controls (spending categories, period of use, online payment restrictions) are only available on certain billing plans.
👥 Roles: Only Account Owners and Admins can set up or edit spending controls on physical cards.
Set the starting budget
The starting budget is a one-time amount you load onto the card. It becomes available to the user as soon as they activate the card. You set this amount only once, during the card order.
Navigate to Cards.
Click Order a card.
Enter an amount greater than 0 in the Budget field.
Complete the remaining order steps.
For the full ordering process, see Order physical cards.
Set a monthly budget
A monthly budget is the amount available to cover a user's expenses each month. It reloads automatically at the start of every month.
Navigate to Cards.
Select the card you want to configure.
Click Card settings.
Enter the amount in the Monthly budget field.
Click Save settings.
💡 If a user has a monthly budget of 500 and only spends 100, only 100 reloads the following month. Unused budget does not roll over.
Enable cash withdrawal
Cash withdrawal lets a Requester withdraw cash at ATMs using their physical card. You can disable it for a card at any time.
Contact your CSM or Account Billing Manager to activate cash withdrawal at the company level, if not already active.
Navigate to Cards.
Select the card you want to configure.
Click Card settings.
Toggle Cash withdrawal on.
Click Save settings.
⚠️ Every withdrawal carries a 0.75% fee, with a minimum charge of €1 (or the equivalent in the card's currency). Withdrawing in a currency different from your company wallet's currency adds a 2.99% currency conversion fee. Some ATMs may also charge their own fees.
Advanced controls
Depending on your billing plan, you can also restrict:
Whether online payments are allowed.
The period of use (days of the week and hours the card can be used).
Which spending categories are authorized.
Whether contactless payments are allowed.
These settings are configured from the same Card settings page, under Advanced settings. For full steps, see Set up 'advanced' control on spending - Physical Cards.
🔒 Advanced controls (spending categories, period of use, online payment restrictions) are only available on certain billing plans.
Expected results
Once saved, the new budget, cash withdrawal setting, or advanced restriction applies immediately to the card. The cardholder can see their updated limits and authorizations in their Cards tab.
Troubleshooting
Symptom: The "Cash withdrawal" toggle is greyed out or missing in Card settings.
Cause: Cash withdrawal has not been activated at the company level yet.
Resolution: Contact your CSM or Account Billing Manager to enable the feature for your company, then retry the toggle in Card settings.
Symptom: A requester's withdrawal is charged more than expected.
Cause: The withdrawal was made in a currency different from the company wallet's currency, or the ATM applied its own fee.
Resolution: Check that the 0.75% withdrawal fee (minimum €1) and, if applicable, the 2.99% currency conversion fee explain the difference. Any remaining discrepancy may be an ATM-side fee outside Spendesk's control.
Symptom: Advanced settings (spending categories, period of use) are not visible on a card.
Cause: Advanced controls are not included in your current billing plan.
Resolution: Contact your CSM to check plan eligibility for advanced card controls.
FAQs
Can I change a card's monthly budget after activation?
Yes. Go to Cards, select the card, click Card settings, and update the Monthly budget field.
Does unused monthly budget carry over to the next month?
No. Only the reload amount for the new month becomes available; unused budget from the previous month does not roll over.
Who can set up cash withdrawal on a card?
Only Account Owners and Admins can enable cash withdrawal in Card settings, after the feature is activated at the company level.