MasterCard Launches Per-Diem Travel Card

MasterCard International yesterday introduced the Travel Per-Diem Card, a new application that allows travel administrators to set and track daily spending limits for travelers.

The card is among seven new applications for MasterCard's Workplace Solutions, a suite of payment programs for corporate customers to allocate business-related funds. The additional functions include a meeting card, incentive card and several HR-related applications.

Steve Abrams, senior vice president of MasterCard Corporate Payment Solutions, said the slew of new applications will "greatly benefit organizations' HR, travel and finance functions" by offering an alternative way to disburse employee funds.

While the applications of the Workplace Solutions program cross office disciplines, the Travel Per-Diem Card is the one most clearly aimed at travel managers.

"Organizations can preset travel allowances and daily spending limits to ensure individuals do not exhaust their entire travel allowance prematurely, which will help individuals comply with corporate travel policies," said MasterCard spokesperson Alex Lau.

However, for those emergencies when a traveler must justifiably step outside the bounds of travel policy, Lau said the program offers some flexibility.

"It's very flexible depending on how a corporation wants to set it up with their issuer," he said. "If an emergency did come up, travelers have access to the infrastructure or system to get those funds approved."

Meanwhile, MasterCard's Meeting Card gives meeting planners the ability to expense the cost of meetings that would often exceed the budget allowed on a typical corporate card.

In addition to controlling spend and compliance, MasterCard said the new payment cards offer a way to track expenses and streamline paperwork, since spend data can be mapped into proprietary reporting tools.

MasterCard launched the first application of its Workplace Solutions program this summer with the MasterCard Payroll Card, an application for distributing wages on a payment card instead of checks.