When you need tighter controls and maximum spending visibility, the way your company pays is key. Try these five tactics for sharpening your use of company credit cards.

1. Optional footer for footnotes or global title of presentation 1
Ways Credit Card
Spending Actually
Tames Expenses5

2. 2
Entrepreneurs need to
demonstrate prudence and
pursue slow-burn growth.”“– EY Global Venture Capital Trends
Cost controls matter more than ever as
investors demand disciplined execution.
More robust expense controls will extend
your runway.

3. 3
When commercial cards play a central role in your payment strategy,
you gain spending visibility and controls.
5key
ways
Put them to work in:

4. 4
Cards let you tap
discounts without
stressing cash flow

5. 5
1. You get that early-pay discount — many
businesses negotiate them but fail to
capture them.
2. You don’t add cash flow stress because you
won’t have to disburse the funds until your
card statement due date.
Two winning reasons to use a
commercial card to pay an invoice early:

6. 6
Card payments give you
precise controls over
employee spending

7. 7
Give employees corporate cards and set
individual limits on transaction sizes, vendor
types and more.
Manage spending even more closely
with virtual card numbers — VCNs can be
used only for transactions that match
pre-set controls.
Examples:

8. 8
Cards pay cash
rebates that can fund
spending on employee
perks

9. 9
• Use rebates to fund outings and workplace
meals to keep the team happy and productive.
When you move more spending to your
commercial card, your rebate checks
start to add up.

10. 10
Commercial cards
help you rein in
T&E spending

11. 11
1. Analyze spend to identify top carriers and
chains; negotiate discounted rates.
2. Set transaction controls by employee role to
mirror your T&E guidelines.
When you centralize payments on a
card, it’s easy to identify spending by
category.

12. 12
Card payments
make it easier to
consolidate suppliers

13. 13
• Look closely at a single spending area — like
office supplies.
• Instead of buying from many suppliers,
negotiate volume discounts with one or two.
When you centralize payments on a
card, it’s easy to identify spending by
category.

14. 14
Steps to maximize your expense controls
with card spending
Identify which of your vendors accept credit cards so you can
use them wherever possible.
Know what reports and analysis tools your card issuer provides,
and start making the most of available spending data.
Make sure you’re flagging invoices from any suppliers that offer
early-pay discounts— and cross-check those with your list of
who takes card payments.
Set up transaction controls on cards issued to employees.





15. Get advice from the experts at svb.com/commercial-cards/
Related Content
©2016 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary of SVB
Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB). SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, MAKE NEXT HAPPEN NOW and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group, used under
license. B-16-15094 Rev. 12-12-16.
Want to know more about how your
business can set up a commercial
card program?