The Pluto blog
CFO Cornerstone: Navigating Finance's Complex Landscape
Stay informed with the latest insights on pioneering expense, procurement, and payables practices designed for today's modern finance teams.
See why MENA finance teams love us!
Other useful resources
•
Leen Shami
What is Pluto Card?
What is Pluto Card?
At Pluto, we believe better expense management should be within everyone's reach. We solve MENA finance teams' pain points by replacing their business credit cards with Pluto corporate cards to help manage their expenses, saving them time and money.
How do we do that?
- {{time-money="/components"}}
Create Unlimited Corporate Cards
When multiple employees have access to one company credit card, it can be difficult for finance teams and business owners to track how much is being spent and where.
The result: everyone texting the CEO or CFO for OTPs during important meetings.
Pluto makes it easy to create and distribute virtual and physical corporate cards to each employee. Not only does this minimize fraud risk, but it also makes expense tracking simpler for finance teams, CFOs, and CEOs.
With Pluto’s unlimited corporate cards, you’ll be able to:
- Create virtual cards in seconds.
- Receive physical cards in 1-2 days.
- Use cards for vendor-specific cases.
- Assign every employee a budgeted corporate card.
Spend Control
Are you running ads at a cost that exceeds your marketing budget? Are you providing new hires with an allowance to cover the costs of their office equipment and software, or do you offer employees additional perks such as a monthly gym stipend?
Pluto gives you the ability to set limits and take control of your company’s business expenses, hassle-free.
With Pluto’s all-in-one expense management platform, you’ll be able to:
- Assign virtual or physical cards with spend limits.
- Allocate a specific budget towards daily, weekly, or monthly expenditures.
- Create a single-use purchase card that automatically deactivates once it is used.
- Control spending for different departments by allotting a budgeted amount to be spent.
Goodbye overspending 👋🏼
Reimburse In Record Time
Reimbursements can be a painful process when the end of the month rolls in. Whether you’re scrambling to find lost receipts, trying to match receipts to their expenses, or organizing them in a document, there’s no easy way.
Drag & drop receipts
Pluto makes it easy for employees to list receipts.
Once a business expense is made by an employee, they’ll be able to drag & drop an image or screenshot of the receipt onto the Pluto dashboard.
Yes, as simple as that.
Easily reconcile receipts
Pluto allows you to seamlessly submit your receipts onto the platform. With Pluto, reconciliation is a breeze.
Once a business expense is made:
- Attach receipts to card transactions with just a few clicks.
- Transactions will automatically be categorized.
Add a memo to every transaction.
Get reimbursed in minutes
Waiting till the end of the month to get reimbursed for out-of-pocket business expenses is no longer necessary!
Pluto gives you the opportunity to get reimbursed in minutes.
Once a reimbursable out-of-pocket expense is made, head to the Pluto dashboard to log the expense and get reimbursed as soon as it is approved.
Get Real-Time Data
Your month-end expense report comes in—and you find that you've spent more money than budgeted. Again.
With Pluto, you can stay on top of your expenses at any given moment.
By getting real-time data, you can view reports of your company’s spending and ensure that your company’s finances are in check.
It's simple, Pluto helps you avoid overspending and keep track of your company's finances in real-time.
So what does this mean for you?
- See transactions happening on your cards in real time.
- Receive notifications about every single card transaction, if needed.
- Collect information on which vendors your company is spending the most money with.
- Identify which employees or departments are spending the most.
- Get an overview of the expenses you have incurred daily or month-to-month.
Pluto allows you to adjust if spending has gone off course—and plop some celebratory balloons if it hasn't 🎊!
Integrate With Other Platforms
Every business has multiple platforms, and we know how important it is for them to talk to each other. Pluto's integrations make it easy to get started and ensure you have all the data you need in one place.
Accounting Integration
Pluto syncs your company's transactional data to the most popular accounting platforms through direct integrations so you can automate your accounting and close books faster.
No more end-of-month mayhem! 😅
Mobile Wallet Integration
With Pluto, you can add your virtual or physical cards to your digital wallet to make transactions seamless and easy.
We support Google Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay.
What Else Does Pluto Offer?
Pluto gives you the opportunity to scale your business, without having to worry about the smaller details.
No FX Fees
Pluto doesn't charge you any foreign transaction fees for using your Pluto corporate card outside of the UAE.
If your business is expanding rapidly and your team is traveling more frequently, you won't have to worry about those pesky charges eating into your profits.
Or if your company needs to pay for subscriptions, contractors, or freelancers in a different country, you can do so without racking up a bill in FX fees.
Remote teams, frequent flyers, or big spenders, we've got you covered!
Accepted Worldwide
Whether your team is distributed, travels a lot, or makes international payments, Pluto’s corporate cards are accepted worldwide.
Advanced Security & Privacy
Pluto is PCI DSS Compliant. We take the safety of your information very seriously; all your data is stored and processed following the highest data protection standards in the industry.
Get Started in Minutes
Pluto's sign-up process takes minutes, not hours. By adopting a KYB and KYC process that can be done within a few clicks, you’ll be making transactions in no time.
- Simple application process.
- No credit history is required.
- Fast approvals.
- Instant card access once approved.
Let us take the hassle out of managing your expenses. Start Using Pluto Today - For Free.
•
Mohammed Ridwan
What is Operating Budget: How to Create & Manage One
Businesses have all sort of budgets, such as cash budgets, labor budgets, investments budgets, project budgets, and each has their own particular function. Among those, few are as important as the operating budget.
Your operating budget consists of all your fixed and variable costs, as well as your expenses and it is what your business will use to determine what revenue will look like for a given period of time. But an operating budget isn’t simply about knowing how much you are spending and can make; it can also help you find ways to improve your bottom line.
In this article, you’ll learn about the importance of having an operating budget, the components that form one, and how you can improve the management of your budget.
What is an operating budget?
An operating budget is a yearly financial plan showing a company's expected income and spending. It's created at the end of each year to plan for the next one. This budget helps companies predict their money flow, manage costs, and make smart financial choices. It's key for businesses to stay on track and grow. Understanding an operating budget is important for anyone running a business or managing finances.
Why do we need an operating budget?
A company's annual operating budget outlines how it intends to spend its money over a specified period. In order to create one, fixed and variable costs, as well as revenue, need to be taken into account.
The purpose of an operating budget is to determine where and when funds should be allocated, make sure all expenditures are covered, and keep things running smoothly for all types of businesses. Without one, your business cannot function efficiently.
Unlike a capital budget, an operating budget helps businesses plan their daily operations and recurring expenses, whereas a capital budget helps them plan long-term investments.
Its purpose is to prevent cash outflows from exceeding cash inflows. It is necessary for companies to evaluate their incoming revenue and expenditures in order to accomplish this.
The process of creating an operating budget involves:
- Examining your costs (fixed costs, variable costs, administrative expenses, etc.)
- Tallying your list of sources of income.
- Estimating one-time spends
- Working out your supplier costs
- Estimating your revenue
- Building cash flow projections
- Monitoring petty-cash and other expense sections
- Setting spending goals
While a tight operating budget with limited resources can lead to a lot of profit, it can also create inefficiencies for your business. Ideally, you should be looking for this balance when calculating your operating expenses in the current fiscal year, as well as when planning your operating budgets.
Benefits of having operating budgets for businesses
- Finance the expansion of your company: If you plan to obtain a business loan or raise funds from investors, you must present a detailed operating budget outlining your income and expenses.
- Make your business budget clearer so you can plan for the future: Your business budget serves as a financial road map in a number of ways. The financial health of your company can be determined using this report, as well as what needs to be done to achieve future financial goals.
- Help your company run more efficiently and effectively if you make a budget: Keeping a company budget can also help you stay out of debt by ensuring that the right money is spent in the right places at the right time.
- Analyze your revenue and costs to determine where you can save money: Budgeting your business can help you identify areas where you can cut costs or increase revenue, increasing profits.
- Avoiding debt by predicting slow months.
- Helping you maintain control over your business.
- Recognizing reinvestment opportunities.
- Calculate your expected earnings.
- Analyze the gap between your expectations and reality
What are the components of an operating budget?
Operational budgets become more valuable and relevant the more detailed they are. A budget for operating expenses may include a high-level summary as well as several supporting sub-budgets. When you are developing a budget, you'll typically include the following operating budget components:
1. Revenue
A company's revenue is generated by selling goods and services. The forecast of revenue can be based on a simple year-over-year comparison, but breaking down revenue based on its underlying components can provide more useful information.
It is not a good idea to use projected revenue at this stage. This is not advisable since emotions can lead you to misperceive the company's capabilities. Identify your actual revenue from your financial statements, and don't worry if your expenses are higher than sales revenue. It is common for businesses to lose a certain amount of money each month until they reach profitability.
2. Variable costs
As sales volume increases or decreases, these costs rise or fall accordingly. Costs associated with variable items include direct raw materials and labor, commissions , production supplies, and monthly fees on credit cards. To calculate percentages on variable costs later, you'll need to list the actual costs when you create your operating budget. It is crucial to understand how variable costs will change as you do revenue projections.
3. Fixed costs
A fixed cost is an expense that remains relatively constant regardless of whether sales rise or fall. Among these fixed expenses are cost factors such as monthly rent, utilities, leases of equipment, and insurance. In order for a company to be profitable, it must have a small, fixed cost and variable cost as a percentage of its revenue. To do that, it's important to understand what those fixed costs are.
4. Non-cash expenses
Stock-based compensation, deferred income taxes, and depreciation are among the most common non-cash expenses.
5. Non-operating expenses
An organization's main activity is not directly impacted by these costs. Non-operating expenses include interest payments, losses from asset dispositions, and currency exchange costs.
Operational budgets may include other items in some industries or organizations. Typically, capital expenses aren't included in operating budgets since they are long-term costs, while operating budgets are short-term.
How to manage and improve operating budgets?
Creating an operating budget and managing it effectively takes several skills. The goal of budgeting is to improve control and accuracy over time, making your budgets even better. In order to do so, you can take the following approach:
1. Prepare multiple budget types
Spending is guided by budgets, which predict revenue over a certain period of time. Short-term budgets are intended to cover one year or a year and a half, while mid-term budgets are intended for two to three years, and long-term budgets are intended to forecast your business's finances for four to five years. Businesses often create multiple budgets. As part of business operations, they may rely heavily on a short-term budget, while for high-level planning, they may rely more heavily on a long-term budget. There are also overhead budgets, direct materials budgets, production budgets, administrative expenses budgets, direct labor budgets, and many more.
2. Delegation
A senior manager should designate who shall be responsible for updating and maintaining localized budgets. In order for all budget updates to fit together, you'll also need a plan for your delegates to help maintain financial accountability.
3. Monitoring and collaboration
Maintaining a healthy budget requires regular monitoring and collaboration. Overspending or underspending is noted here, adjustments are made, and future predictions are made. Collaboration with your staff is what allows you to find discrepancies between your expectations and the day-to-day business reality. This is ultimately the best way to monitor variable costs, follow cash flow, and catch mistakes.
4. Forecasting
It is important to understand where your business stands today and where it wishes to go in the future before you plan your business strategy. It helps you to understand where you met, exceeded or encountered unexpected difficulties for the entire year based on accurate, up-to-date data from routine budget monitoring. Using your data, you can create a budget that is more tailored to needs at the end of the year.
7 tips to efficiently managing operating budgets
1. Ensure that budget details are set appropriately
A budget can take many forms. Understanding how detailed this particular budget needs to be is the first step toward creating a successful budget. Budgets should be broken down at least by department. In most cases, though, it isn't particularly helpful to get too deep into line items. Often, managers or specific employees are better equipped to keep track of granular details about frequent purchases. In addition, managers should be able to adjust budgets based on their performance. Managing social media campaigns may require flexibility from a marketing manager, for example.
2. Delegate effectively
As a business opens, most spending may be cleared personally by the owners. Businesses grow to a point where they are unable to handle the volume of decisions alone as they grow.
It may be challenging to give someone else control over the company's finances, but as a result of delegation, all purchase decisions won't have to be passed through the owner's desk. A department can respond more nimbly to its needs. In order to continue to improve their skills in budget management, managers should have access to budget management training tools.
3. Engage in collaboration
It is necessary for departments to have a certain amount of control over their own budgets. The importance of encouraging communication between related departments cannot be overstated. Having overlapping objectives between the marketing and sales teams can help each team perform better, for instance:
- Your finance team can cooperate with IT to find ways to keep systems updated without overspending.
- Your Human Resources department can consult with the travel management team to lower the cost of recruiting (when it involves traveling.
4. Establish a standard for budget reporting
The budget now spreads across multiple departments if you follow the steps in order. It takes some time for each department to manage its budget independently and some time for them to collaborate with other teams.
Keeping a centralized "home" for budget management helps executives get a cohesive, high-level view when they need it. It is possible to accomplish this by implementing a central budget system that can be accessed by all budget users. Each department should record expenses according to the same procedure, even if they handle the budget monitoring on their own. It will be easier for you to combine all records into one master budget record this way.
5. Compile accurate, complete data
It is vital to monitor actual business expenses in order to keep your budget on track. A budget without this step is merely a theoretical document that does not have any real power to influence business decisions. Make sure to pay attention to the performance of your budget during each upcoming period by collecting thorough, accurate updates.
Setting clear spend categories and making the expense submission process as convenient as possible are two ways to accomplish this.
It is important to keep context in mind when categorizing. It is possible to classify the same restaurant meal differently depending on the purpose of the trip. Interviewing a potential employee is an expense in human resources. A meal with a client is a sales opportunity. Your travel budget covers the cost of a business traveler's meal. Create an accurate view of your expenses by categorizing them appropriately in your system.
When you submit an expense report in a few minutes, you're more likely to receive complete information. The process can be streamlined by choosing a budget management tool with features such as receipt photo capture and automatic categorization.
6. Schedule appointments for budget updates
We've all experienced situations where it seems like all projects are due at once. An intense workload can lead to a temptation to drop any unimportant task during a crunch period.
Nevertheless, budget management is an essential task if you want to keep your business' finances in order. When you put off a budget review until next week, "when things calm down," the greater the chances of soon having to put out a new fire.
Establish a schedule for closing books and updating department heads on any course corrections that need to be made. The early detection of overspending can be achieved by checking on it quarterly or monthly.
7. Keep the future in mind
By comparing actual and planned spending on one budget, you can inform your next budget preparation. By keeping notes from your financial budget reviews, you can create your next budget more easily.
It is possible to discover patterns in your notes that you might not notice on a daily basis. Were you able to make a surplus in some areas but overextended in others? How can you anticipate future spending patterns? The data from your own budget is a great resource for building future plans.
How can Pluto help businesses create and manage an operating budget?
Tracking expenses
Pluto can track all the expenses made by the organization and categorize them according to their purpose. This way, the organization can see where their money is going and identify areas where they can cut costs.
Budget setting
With Pluto, an organization can set a budget for each expense category (under a corporate card or group of cards). This ensures that the organization does not overspend and can stay within its financial limits.
Real-time monitoring
Pluto can provide real-time updates on the organization's spending, allowing them to see how much they have spent, how much they have left, and where they are overspending. This helps the organization make informed decisions about its spending and adjust its budget accordingly.
Detailed reporting
Pluto can generate ad-hoc reports, providing the organization with detailed information on their spending. This can help the organization identify trends and make informed decisions about future spending.
Overall, Pluto can help an organization create and manage an operating budget by providing real-time tracking, automated reporting, and budget-setting features. This allows the organization to stay on top of its spending, make informed decisions, and achieve its financial goals.
Key takeaways
An operating budget isn’t just important, it’s absolutely necessary. While there can be challenges when it comes to building one, such as poor visibility of your expenditure and a lack of expense tracking, these can be overcome with the aid of Pluto.
Properly building and updating your operating budget will help you find opportunities for improvement when it comes to cost-cutting and revenue, as well as generally increase the efficiency of your business.
•
Vlad Falin
Best Virtual Corporate Card For Business [2025]
In modern business, cash and checks have gone the way of the horse and buggy: they’re simply too inefficient. But even their replacements – traditional payment methods like debit and credit cards – are overdue for an upgrade.
Welcome virtual corporate cards.
These digital payment methods offer numerous perks, from faster payments and reconciliation to greater control and security. They’re quicker, safer, and easier to integrate and use for accounting and operational teams alike.
Plus, the industry is on the cusp of an explosion, which could send innovation through the stratosphere. Between 2021 and 2026 alone, virtual card spending is predicted to skyrocket from $1.9 trillion to $6.8 trillion.
Here’s what to know.
Key Takeaways
- Virtual corporate credit cards pave the way for the future while addressing a multitude of modern business pain points.
- They hand companies greater control over their spending, simplify accounting across the board, and even help protect employees.
- Plus, with so many nuances and use cases, it’s incredibly easy to personalize virtual cards to meet your unique needs
{{gain-control-banner="/components"}}
First, A Brief Refresher on Corporate Cards
Corporate credit cards are credit cards issued to a business entity – not a person – as the responsible party.
In most other respects, corporate cards are like regular credit cards. They require a credit check to apply, charge a regular interest rate, and even come with reward systems. Corporate purchase cards are also unique in that the business can issue dozens of employee cards on the same account.
Pluto corporate cards come with specific controls to help your business manage spend. Real time tracking, setting limits on the go and quick reconciliations are just a few of the things that Pluto can provide.
But there is more. For companies who need to act quickly and require flexibility in their card issuing, there are virtual cards.
What is a Virtual Corporate Card?
Virtual corporate cards, like regular corporate cards, are linked to the business’ budget. Employees can use these cards to pay for business expenses without using their own personal cards or cash.
But unlike physical cards, virtual credit cards reside solely in the digital realm. These cards are essentially unique, digitally-generated 16-digit card numbers that tie to a specific spending account. (In this case, the business’ account.) Each virtual card contains other essential card details, too, like the following:
- Cardholder’s name
- Company’s billing address
- Card number
- Expiration date
- CVV
Virtual cards are also unusual in that they can be generated and destroyed in moments. They can be designed to permit one-off charges, expire same-day, or hold only a specific dollar amount. Some virtual cards can even be linked to a particular vendor for one-time or recurring payments, perhaps with weekly or monthly spend limits.
Virtual cards can be accepted anywhere that online payments, and even some in-store payments, are accepted. Due to their ability to generate new numbers on demand, they offer additional security and control for business accounts. Plus, they can’t be lost or stolen like a regular credit card.
Virtual Credit Card vs. Virtual Corporate Card
A virtual corporate card is simply a digital credit card issued to a corporation. For the most part, you can use virtual cards the same way you could use regular cards. However, like corporate cards, these virtual equivalents allow the issuing firm and receiving businesses to set particular spend and monitoring controls.
Because virtual credit cards are 100% digital and able to generate new 16-digit numbers on demand, they’re optimized for safety and flexibility. They also make it easier to reconcile books and otherwise manage spending.
What are virtual cards used for?
Virtual cards have gained significant traction due to their adaptability and security features. They are commonly used for:
1. Online Purchases
Virtual cards serve as a secure and convenient payment method for ecommerce transactions. They allow businesses to conduct online transactions without exposing sensitive primary card or bank details. This enhances security and reduces the risk of fraud, making virtual cards a preferred choice for digital transactions.
2. Subscription Management
Businesses utilize virtual cards to manage subscriptions to various software or online services. Virtual cards offer the flexibility to set spending limits and deactivate cards easily, providing control over recurring expenses. If a service is no longer required, businesses can deactivate the virtual card associated with it, preventing further charges.
3. Travel Expenses
Virtual cards are issued to employees for specific travel-related expenses, offering precise control over spending and simplifying expense reconciliation. By providing virtual cards for travel expenses such as accommodation, transportation, and meals, businesses streamline the reimbursement process and ensure compliance with travel policies.
4. Vendor Payments
Virtual cards are used to make payments to vendors and suppliers, offering a secure and efficient payment solution. Businesses can generate virtual cards with set limits for individual vendors, enabling better management of payments and tracking of expenses. Virtual cards also reduce the risk of fraud associated with traditional payment methods.
5. Single-Use Scenarios
For transactions requiring heightened security, businesses utilize single-use virtual cards. These cards are generated for one-time use and become invalid after the transaction is completed, minimizing the risk of unauthorized or fraudulent use. Single-use virtual cards are ideal for online purchases from unfamiliar vendors or for specific transactions where security is paramount.
6. Employee Expenditures
Instead of issuing physical corporate cards, businesses provide employees with virtual cards for business-related purchases. Virtual cards can be customized with predefined spending limits, allowing businesses to control and monitor employee expenses effectively. By using virtual cards, businesses streamline expense management processes and reduce the administrative burden associated with traditional reimbursement methods.
Why Use Pluto Virtual Corporate Cards?
Pluto virtual cards offer tons of perks and use cases. With more control and yet unparalleled flexibility, your business can remain nimble as you grow.
At the same time, department heads can keep an eye on expenses, spending, and accounting practices.
1. Flexible Setup and Spending
Modern companies need to be nimble, able to make purchases on the fly and reconcile their books in minutes, not days. Virtual cards let your business do so –without breaking their budgets.
Virtual cards provide unprecedented levels of flexibility to businesses of all sizes. After signing up, cards can be generated and issued to individuals with just a few clicks.
They also permit companies to limit available vendors, set a specific spending limit, expiration dates, and even the specific department budget the card should link to.
2. Unlimited cards
One of the biggest perks of Pluto's cards is that you can create as many as you need in a matter of seconds.
The times when an employee had to wait several days for the approvals and the card details to arrive are over.
For example - at 9:00, we had a team discussion about additional performance marketing activities.hile we were on the call, the department head created 3 virtual corporate card numbers for us to use.
It took him roughly 2 minutes to create them. All that without missing a beat on the call itself.
Right after we finished the call, we could start setting up ads.
3. Spend Control
Once you’ve generated a card – either for your team or by employee request – you can quickly personalize them for added constraint.
These controls are admittedly extensive, allowing your business to:
- Lock cards to a particular merchant or vendor
- Ensure cards can only pay to specific accounts
- Generate cards with set one-time, monthly, or recurring expenditure limits
- Institute purchase approval practices for individual cards, persons, or teams
Companies can use these various limits to prevent overspending, surprise fees, and unnecessary surcharges. Plus, with specific cards linked to individual employees or vendors, compartmentalized spend management becomes even easier. For many businesses, this is a welcome alternative to issuing high-limit cards to every employee that requires one.
In the example above, you can see one of the popular uses of Pluto virtual cards - employee benefits.
When a new employee joins, how much time does it usually take your HR department to get wellness or children's educational benefits to that employee?
With Pluto, it’ll take you leess than 2 minutes.
4. Higher Accountability
Another perk of virtual cards is that they can be generated for and linked to a single individual or team.
That makes purchase tracking easier, which increases personal and departmental accountability.
By using built-in accountability and analysis tools, your business can better track how and when money is spent at every level.
5. Streamlined Accounts Payable
Enhance your finance team's efficiency with Pluto, featuring virtual corporate cards and integrated accounts payable software. Pluto can integrate with your accounting software, making it easy to sync your chart of accounts, automate mapping your GL accounts, and bulk verify & export your expenses so you can close your books 10x faster.
From there, settlements can happen immediately rather than taking days or weeks. This eliminates the slow, potentially error-riddled manual accounting process with a faster, cheaper, and more efficient digital alternative.
6. Better Security
Pluto's virtual cards can help greatly reduce your overall card risk profile. Their increased security is due to their unique design, including their:
- Digital nature, which precludes them from being physically stolen.
- Set spending limits to prevent overcharging.
- Ability to block vendors and retailers from storing personal or card information long-term, helping to prevent fraud
- Ability to include one-time or vendor-specific expenditures and other spending controls, limiting financial hemorrhaging
- Auto-lock features to freeze cards instantly
- Ability to delete and regenerate virtual cards in seconds rather than days
7. Real-Time Reporting
Pluto's virtual cards feed their data directly into a centralized interface, allowing all data to show up in real-time reports, simplifying the analytical process. The spend management systems also offer real-time notifications.
Together, these features offer companies greater real-time visibility over their expenditures. This level of transparency can inculcate a healthier spending culture within a company beyond merely increasing accountability.
Plus, real-time reporting means that accounting teams and department heads can immediately respond to budget requests, verify receipts, and manage card limits.
Pluto expense management dashboard allows you to see everything and makes spend control a breeze.
8. Simple Reconciliation
Virtual credit cards provide an easy approval system to allow finance teams to take advantage of automatic reconciliations whenever possible.
Accounting teams can set codes for recurring transactions and tag controls to identify transactions before posting them to the general ledger. Each card can be linked to a specific employee to link specific transactions to each employee.
With the right card and accounting integrations, it’s possible to automate the bulk of manual data entry and reconciliation out of the gate. Plus, you’ll increase the accuracy of your data and insights.
9. Efficient Vendor Payment and Management
You can also use virtual cards to simplify vendor management.
You can link specific cards to particular vendors, allowing you to track which teams use them regularly and how their prices change over time.
By setting limits and expiration dates to your specifications, you can prevent teams from “forgetting” about upcoming auto-renewals.
10. Reward Options
Pluto virtual corporate card offers a wide range of perks and benefits!
Instead of giving you Starbucks gift cards, we formed partnerships with some of the most critical services for the day-to-day operations of your business.
11. Reduce the Risk of Fraud
When multiple employees and vendors share a high-limit physical card, you run the risk of operational problems and fraud.
The more people who can access a single 16-digit number, the more likely unauthorized expenses can slip through the cracks.
Virtual credit cards don’t come with the same fraud and data loss risks that physical cards do.
- They’re impervious to hacks that come with swiping physical cards at in-person terminals.
- You can create cards for a particular purchase, vendor or project.
- You can easily link cards to specific employees and/or vendors, offering full control while minimizing risk.
Virtual Corporate Card Use Cases
Due to their innate flexibility and unprecedented control, virtual credit card programs offer multiple potential use cases. There are too many to go over here – but we’ll address a few of the most common or impactful.
Agencies
Digital agencies need to be able to make payments on behalf of their clients. This can be done using virtual cards, which allows the agency to keep track of spending and ensures that funds are used for the intended purpose.
With Pluto, you can create virtual cards for every PPC campaign or bigger project and keep track of your agency's spending in one place.
Not only does this allow you to scale the clients' performance marketing efforts, but the spend control dashboard shows you exactly how much was spent. You can go as far as naming and tagging your virtual cards, so you can see how much was spent per PPC channel on individual clients.
Event Organizers
Catering, lights, music, production, venues, drivers so many things that even organizers have to keep in the air! If you are an event organizer, chances are you understand how important it is to keep your spending in one place. That way when the time comes to file taxes or show ROI, everything is itemized and accounted for.
With a virtual card, all your charges will be automatically filed under the right categories. You can also set limits on how much can be spent per vendor, so you don't have to worry about overspending.
And if you have a team working on the event with you, you can give them each their own virtual Pluto card (or physical) with their own spending limits. That way, you can see at a glance who is spending what and where.
Startups
When you are a startup, your want to fully focus on your product and leave the rest to someone else. With a virtual card, you don't have to worry about setting up a corporate credit line or dealing with complex expense reports.
Just set up your team with Pluto virtual cards and let them manage their own expenses. You can see what they are spending in real-time and track progress against your budget.
Also, when you are at your early phase, there is no time for lengthy approvals. SaaS, ads, tools, plugins - virtual card can service them all.
E-Commerce
You business is digital and so should be your payment tools. With a virtual card, you can make payments online without ever having to worry about the security of your information.
Worried about that Alibaba supplier? Create a virtual card with a limit just for that vendor and you're good to go. Put a spending limit on it, and you limited any potential risks as well.
- Need your team to buy TikTok ads? -> Done. TikTok Ads Virtual Card
- Need to pay an Upwork freelancer? -> Done. Upwork Specific Virtual Card
You see where we are going with this. Create as many virtual cards as you need for as many occasions as you need.
Consulting
Consultants are on the road most of the time, and when they are not - they are seated in the client premises, helping to grow the business.
Employee travel is one of the most commonly-cited reasons for individuals requiring their own corporate cards. Travel expenses may include hotel rooms, a food allowance, or additional budgeting to purchase essential materials while they’re away from home, so to speak.
However, even in your own teams, it’s possible for employees to get carried away. An expensive dinner, unexpected expenses, and hotel room upgrades may all be well within your budget. But if you want to prevent excessive spending on your dime, virtual card controls hand you that power.
Fleet Management
Any company that have a vehicle fleet knows that a lot of time can go into fuel cards management.
Pluto can provide both virtual and physical corporate cards which makes it a perfect solution for efficient fleet management.
You can issue fuel cards to the drivers as needed, and scale up and down depending on the current business situation.
In addition to that you see the fuel expenses real-time and can set limits and approvals where required.
© Pluto Card is a Pluto Financial Services Inc. company 2025
1 The maximum cashback that can be received on a transaction is 2%. Cashback received varies depending on several factors including the tier of Pluto subscription, type of payments made and other factors.
2 Free invoice payments are available for customers who use “Pay via Pluto” on any International FX Payments that are greater than $6,000 USD in value.
The Corporate Prepaid Card Program is provided by Pluto through Nymcard Payment Services LLC under the applicable payment network and Bank Identification Number Sponsorship of Mashreq Bank PSC. This is pursuant to the license by Visa® Inc and Mastercard and is available for the residents of UAE subject to Terms and Conditions of use.
Pluto Technologies Limited, DIFC is provider of the technology platform for ‘Pay via Pluto Product’ while the payment services are offered by InterPay Limited (Trade Name TransferMate Global Payments) under its regulated license from the Central Bank of Ireland as an Electronic Money Institution under registration reference number C42802.
In UAE, Interpay Ltd t/a TransferMate is Authorised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to operate a Representative Office under license no. F005449.
More information InterPay Limited can be found at https://www.transfermate.com/