AirPlus Adds New Virtual Cards

AirPlus has revamped its virtual card payments to be offered on a standalone basis which will feature three card versions on a new platform, a press release said on Tuesday (May 18).

The new cards, formerly known as AIDA and which were included as part of the AirPlus company accounts, will come under separate billing accounts.

There will be three new cards. Classic will be for corporate users to pay for travel. Procurement will be for B2B and ad-hoc purchases such as software.

Lastly, there’s the Travel Agency card, which will help with travel management company-originated payments.

The release said the Classic and Procurement cards will be available for single-use versions for one-time or recurring payments, but the Travel Agency card will only be available for a single-use basis.

There’s also a new channel for the distribution of the cards, the release said, which will come through the AirPlus Portal. The portal will generate card numbers. Users can also get an overview of the transactions in real-time, including the status of the cards issued.

Administrators will have control over the card. They will be able to set restrictions on spending and block cards. They will also be able to cost center information or project numbers to help track and allocate costs.

Per the release, there’s also a mobile version of the portal being developed.

Corporate travel and expense management comes with many choices now, including virtual cards. The virtual card can act as a way for a company to issue a card remotely and also a way to keep control over how the employee uses that card.

A PYMNTS report, Kathy Bishop, vice president of product at CLC Lodging, noted that people want to be able to make business travel payments in the same way they do in their personal lives, including support for mobile and contactless payments and the more advanced kinds of tools needed for managers to secure employee spend.