American Express has added new virtual payment capabilities for its U.S. commercial customers, including the ability to manage virtual cards in its software platform, and new options for its central bill customers via an expanded partnership with Conferma.
"Businesses want to simplify how they pay for things while maintaining control and visibility into spending across employee expenses, supplier payments and business travel," American Express EVP of global commercial services products Eva Reda said in a statement. "Virtual cards can help solve many of these challenges, which is why we're making it easier for customers to create and manage them in the software and digital wallets they’re already using while preserving the trust, security and service our customers expect from Amex."
Amex corporate customers now can create American Express virtual cards in its @Work software platform, which customers use to manage their program and can integrate with expense management and ERP platforms, according to Amex. By creating cards in the @Work platform, customers can let employees or other authorized users make payments for expenses, including travel, and set limits around their use, such as spending limits, timeframes and merchant codes.
Select U.S. corporate clients currently have the ability to create cards in @Work, and American Express plans eventually to expand availability.
In addition, American Express announced that select customers using its centrally billed Business Travel Account product can create Amex virtual cards through the Conferma mobile app that can be used for such in-trip expenses as meals, rideshares and rental cars. Customers already were able to manage payment of air and hotel through BTA, and the virtual cards let them expand that to certain point-of-purchase expenses, giving travelers cards for their digital wallets with customized controls and data through BTA statements.
"While travel bookings have become increasingly digitized, managing on-trip spend often remains a challenge," Conferma chief commercial officer Sonya Geelon said in a statement. "Together with American Express, we're helping organizations bridge that gap by enabling Amex Virtual Cards to be managed through the Conferma mobile app and provisioned to digital wallets, combining a seamless payment experience for users with greater visibility and control for finance teams."
As with the @Work virtual cards, the BTA cards currently are available in the U.S. only, and clients must enroll with Conferma to access them, according to American Express. Conferma said several organizations already are live with the capability.