Using advanced card controls
Take full control of your company's spend by customizing how and when each card can be used with advanced card controls. These controls can be set per card to ensure each card can only be used for its intended purpose.
You can access these controls by navigating to Cards, creating a new card, and then clicking on the “advanced controls” section.
Date Limits (Start and End Date)
What does this do?
This setting controls the date range during which transactions will be approved. You can define a start date or an end date for each card.
Why use it?
- Prevent unauthorized use outside of a specific timeframe
- Useful for business trips, projects, subscriptions, or campaigns
What happens if someone tries to use the card outside the date range?
The transaction will be declined at the authorization stage.
Merchant and Category Controls
This setting allows you to control transactions only for specific merchants or categories of merchants to prevent fraud and misuse on your Airwallex cards.
Merchant Control: If you only plan to use the card for a limited set of merchants (e.g: a card for a software subscription), you can use this control to only allow spend from specific merchants. All transactions from other merchants will be declined.
Category Control: If you only plan to use the card on a limited number of merchant categories (e.g. only allow Travel and Transport on a card issued to pay for business travel), you can use this control to only allow spend within specific categories.
You can also choose to allow one or multiple categories on a card. All transactions outside of these categories will be declined.
When to use it?
- Merchant Controls: Useful for software subscriptions, online vendor payments
- Category Controls: Useful for preventing out-of-policy employee spend, such as only allowing Travel and Transport for a business trip.
What happens if someone tries to use the card outside of the allowed merchant or category list?
The transaction will be declined at the authorization stage.
Can I combine merchant and category controls?
Yes, you can. If the transaction matches either the allowed merchant list or the allowed category list, the transaction will be successful. If it does not match either list, it will be declined.
How does Airwallex identify the merchant and category on card transactions?
Airwallex uses VISA data as well as 3rd-party providers to identify the correct merchant and category of a card transaction. If you find a transaction is not accurately categorised or the listed merchant appears incorrect, you may provide feedback or contact support.
Transaction Type Controls
What does this control do?
Transaction type controls allow you to restrict or allow specific transaction types for transactions on this card, including:
- Online payments (e.g., e-commerce, subscriptions)
- Contactless payments (tap-to-pay at physical terminals)
- International payments (merchants outside of the company or the cardholder’s local country)
- ATM withdrawals (Limited to Beta customers only)
Why use it?
- Ensure spend on the card aligns with the approved usage
- Disable unnecessary methods for employees who don’t need them
Single-Use Cards
What is a single-use card?
Single-use cards are a type of virtual company card that automatically expires after one successful transaction.
Why use a single-use card?
- Adds an extra layer of security (the card can't be reused)
- Simplifies the reconciliation process for one-time purchases
What happens after the transaction?
The card is immediately cancelled and cannot be used again—even if the merchant tries to charge it again.
Card-specific Expenses Settings
What does this do?
If you have activated Airwallex Expenses, you can use this toggle to choose whether users need to submit expenses for transactions on this card.
Why would I disable expenses for my card?
- Subscription payments that are reconciled externally
- Cards that are used to pay bills, or tied to purchase orders
What happens when this is disabled?
When this toggle is off, Card expenses for this card will automatically be archived.