AirPlus has revamped its long-established virtual payment card product line, which now is being offered on a standalone basis featuring three card versions distributed and managed over a new platform.
Formerly known as AIDA and included as part of AirPlus company accounts, the new AirPlus Virtual Cards are being offered under a standalone contract with separate billing statements. The new cards come in three types: Classic, designed for corporate users to pay for travel; Procurement, for B2B and such ad-hoc purchases as office equipment and software; and Travel Agency, for travel management company-originated payments. The Classic and Procurement cards can be issued in single-use versions for one-time payments or multi-use for recurring payments, while the Travel Agency card is offered only on a single-use basis.
Also new is the channel through which the virtual cards are distributed and managed. The new AirPlus Portal generates card numbers and offers an overview of all transactions in real time, along with the exact status of the cards issued. Administrators can set spending restrictions, block cards and add such information as cost center or project numbers to track and allocate costs. A mobile version of the portal is in development, AirPlus said.
Existing users of AirPlus AIDA cards are in the process of being migrated to the new platform, with all virtual cards issued via the former system expiring on July 12, 2021, according to the company.
AirPlus has a long history with virtual cards, launching the AIDA platform in 2005 in Europe before bringing it to the U.S. in 2017. The new cards will be available in the same 17 countries as was AIDA, AirPlus said.