Emburse Spend Card Review for 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Best Small Business Credit Cards.
Emburse Spend Card is a business prepaid card that is designed for business owners who want to monitor real-time transactions through Emburse Spend and create unlimited virtual and physical employee cards at no cost. It lets you earn an unlimited 1% cash back and doesn’t charge local transaction fees. However, it can’t be used at ATMs.
When evaluating business prepaid cards such as the Emburse Spend Card, we first consider the features included in their expense management system. Additionally, we look at any additional fees and rewards.
Grading Criteria | Card Score | Highest Possible Score |
|---|---|---|
Features (Expense Management System) | 50 | 60 |
Fees | 20 | 20 |
Rewards | 15 | 20 |
Total Score | 85 | 100 |
Who the Emburse Spend Card Is Best For
- Those who need multiple virtual and physical cards: Emburse Spend lets you create unlimited virtual and physical cards at no additional cost.
- Those who want to manage their expenses easily: The card has an expense management system, which lets business owners approve or reject transactions made by their employees.
If this card doesn’t fit your needs, see our recommended alternatives below.
Emburse Spend Card Fees
Emburse Spend Card doesn’t charge fees for adding virtual and physical cards and for domestic transactions. Refer to the Emburse Card Program Agreement for information on international transaction fees.
- Automatic clearing house (ACH): Go to the “Bank Account” tab in your Settings page to connect to your bank. Note that you can connect automatically to the following banks: Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, USAA, Charles Schwab, Capital One, TD Bank, Navy Federal, and SunTrust.
- Account and routing number: If your bank isn’t on the list above or you want to connect your bank manually, you can do so by selecting “Connect to any US bank manually” on your Settings page. Then, find your bank account and routing numbers at the bottom of a check in your checkbook or your online banking profile. Note that you need to use your electronic routing number, as some banks have different routing numbers for paper, wire, and electronic transfers.
Emburse Spend Card Rewards
It offers an unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases.
Emburse Spend Card Features
Cards
Emburse Spend Cards are issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank (member FDIC). You can also choose to issue either an American Express (AMEX) or Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) card in Emburse Spend, making it easier to bring existing bank relationships and credit lines with them while still taking advantage of Emburse Spend’s automated reconciliation and spend controls.
Virtual cards can be requested for users with the American Express Virtual Card Program. While virtual cards are available instantaneously, physical cards will arrive within five to seven business days after application.
Note that you cannot use Emburse Spend Cards at ATMs.
Funds
Emburse Spend Card has a default $100,000 budget ceiling, but this can be increased with additional review.
Expense Management System
Emburse Spend, available on iOS and PC (Windows and Mac), lets users track real-time expenses, categorize vendors, and approve or reject transactions. It’s free for small businesses with fewer than 100 employees, but it also has a premium version—you can ask for more information by requesting a demo with Emburse.
Using Emburse Spend can help business owners prevent policy violations, identify anomalies, create customized business reports, and keep every expense compliant. In addition, they can set the limit on the virtual and plastic cards they issue, capture receipt and expense details in real-time for immediate reconciliation, and manage transactions with ERP and accounting integrations, which include NetSuite, Intacct, QuickBooks Online, and Xero.
Also, Emburse introduces Emburse Analytics, which helps you make data-driven decisions to help improve your financial health. Business owners are able to set their budgets better, increase accountability among leaders and employees, and improve compliance. Note that Emburse Analytics is available only for Beta customers.
Emburse has a portfolio of business apps. It includes Emburse Spend and Emburse Abacus, which you can learn more about by reading our Emburse Abacus review.
Emburse Spend Card Alternatives
Bento for Business Visa® Debit Card
- Is an excellent option for those who want to control their business spending as it lets you issue different types of cards, depending on how each card will be used for your business
- Is free for the first 60 days after your application is approved; after that, a monthly subscription fee will be charged depending on the number of cards you need
- Does not charge setup, card load, interest charge, card issuance, domestic or international transaction, decline or overdraft, and cancelation fees
- Is one of our:
First National Bank of Omaha Business Edition® Secured® Mastercard®
First National Bank of Omaha Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Card
BEST FOR:
Secured credit lines of as much as $100,000
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
25.49% Variable
Annual Fee
$39
Credit Needed
Very Poor to Good
- While FNBO does not offer any rewards for their new and existing cardholders for this card, you can still earn rewards through Mastercard Easy Savings®, where cardholders are able to save on purchases with automatic rebates from over 40,000 participating merchant locations available.
Pros
- Available for those with very poor to good scores
- Can set credit limits between $2,000 and $100,000
- Offers free management reports
Cons
- With annual fee
- Charges foreign transaction fee
- No introductory and ongoing rewards
- Requires a security deposit of 110% of the credit limit required
- TurboTax discount: Get a discount of up to $20 on TurboTax federal products when using First National Bank of Omaha Business Edition® Secured Mastercard®.
- QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Self-Employed discount: Receive either a 30% off of a 12-month subscription on QuickBooks Online (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, or Advanced) or a 30% off of a 12-month subscription on QuickBooks Self-Employed. This is applicable only to new QuickBooks Online customers.
- Free management reports: First National Bank of Omaha provides free management reports to help track expenses, monitor spending, note tax deductions, prepare tax filings, and predict costs easily.
- Zero liability: FNBO guarantees that you won’t be held responsible for any fraudulent charges made with both your card and account information.
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
25.49% Variable
Annual Fee
$39
Credit Needed
Very Poor to Good
- While FNBO does not offer any rewards for their new and existing cardholders for this card, you can still earn rewards through Mastercard Easy Savings®, where cardholders are able to save on purchases with automatic rebates from over 40,000 participating merchant locations available.
Pros
- Available for those with very poor to good scores
- Can set credit limits between $2,000 and $100,000
- Offers free management reports
Cons
- With annual fee
- Charges foreign transaction fee
- No introductory and ongoing rewards
- Requires a security deposit of 110% of the credit limit required
- TurboTax discount: Get a discount of up to $20 on TurboTax federal products when using First National Bank of Omaha Business Edition® Secured Mastercard®.
- QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Self-Employed discount: Receive either a 30% off of a 12-month subscription on QuickBooks Online (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, or Advanced) or a 30% off of a 12-month subscription on QuickBooks Self-Employed. This is applicable only to new QuickBooks Online customers.
- Free management reports: First National Bank of Omaha provides free management reports to help track expenses, monitor spending, note tax deductions, prepare tax filings, and predict costs easily.
- Zero liability: FNBO guarantees that you won’t be held responsible for any fraudulent charges made with both your card and account information.
- Is best for those who need a secured business credit card with a credit limit of anywhere from $2,000 to $100,000
- Requires a security deposit of 110% of the amount of your credit limit
- Charges an annual fee of $39
- Does not offer rewards for new and existing cardholders
- Is in our roundup of the:
- Best secured business credit cards
- Best business credit cards with instant approval
- Best business credit cards for fair credit
- Best business credit cards for bad credit
- Best high-limit business credit cards
- Best sole proprietorship business credit cards
- Best business credit cards with instant approval
- Best credit cards for new businesses with no credit history
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
BEST FOR:
Those with fair credit
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
30.49% variable
Annual Fee
$0
Credit Needed
Fair
- 1% cash back every time you swipe
- Build your business credit through responsible usage
- Issue employee cards for free
Pros
- Opportunity to build business credit
- Only requires fair credit to qualify
- Doesn’t charge annual and balance transfer fees
Cons
- Charges high ongoing APR
- Has no 0% introductory APR
- No sign-up bonus
- Automatic payments: Setting up AutoPay in the Capital One mobile app will save you from having to worry about signing in to your account every month
- $0 fraud liability: If your card is either lost or stolen, you can get an emergency replacement and cash advance.
- Purchase records: You can download all purchase records quickly and securely in multiple formats, including Quicken®, QuickBooks®, and Excel®.
- Extended warranty: Get free additional warranty and protection on eligible items purchased with your business credit card.
- Free employee cards: You can create multiple employee cards, track employee spending, and customize spending limits while earning all the rewards from their purchases.
Intro APR
N/A
Regular APR
30.49% variable
Annual Fee
$0
Credit Needed
Fair
- 1% cash back every time you swipe
- Build your business credit through responsible usage
- Issue employee cards for free
Pros
- Opportunity to build business credit
- Only requires fair credit to qualify
- Doesn’t charge annual and balance transfer fees
Cons
- Charges high ongoing APR
- Has no 0% introductory APR
- No sign-up bonus
- Automatic payments: Setting up AutoPay in the Capital One mobile app will save you from having to worry about signing in to your account every month
- $0 fraud liability: If your card is either lost or stolen, you can get an emergency replacement and cash advance.
- Purchase records: You can download all purchase records quickly and securely in multiple formats, including Quicken®, QuickBooks®, and Excel®.
- Extended warranty: Get free additional warranty and protection on eligible items purchased with your business credit card.
- Free employee cards: You can create multiple employee cards, track employee spending, and customize spending limits while earning all the rewards from their purchases.
- Is best suited if you have fair credit and do not want annual, balance transfer, and foreign transaction fees
- Lacks 0% introductory APR for purchases and balance transfers
- Lets you earn unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases, with no minimum to redeem
- Is in our roundup of the:
For more options, see our guide on the best small business credit cards.
Bottom Line
Emburse Spend Card is a viable option if you want a business prepaid card that lets you track real-time transactions from your employee cards. It offers unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases and comes with unlimited virtual and physical cards. However, it lacks a sign-up bonus and cannot be used at ATMs.
