Spending controls
Spending controls can be used to block merchant categories (e.g., bakeries) or set spending limits (e.g., 100 USD per authorization or 3,000 USD per month). They can be applied to both Cards and Cardholders either by setting their spending_controls fields on creation or by updating them later.
The spending_controls object has the following structure:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
allowed_categories | array | List of categories of authorizations to allow. All other categories will be blocked. |
blocked_categories | array | List of categories of authorizations to decline. All other categories will be allowed. |
spending_limits | array | List of objects that specify amount-based rules. |
Spending controls run before real-time authorizations and can decline a purchase before the issuing_authorization.request is sent, resulting in a declined issuing_authorization.created event.
Spending limits
Spending limit rules limit the total amount of spending for categories over intervals of time.
The spending_limits field within spending_controls is a list of objects that have the following structure:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
amount | integer | Maximum spend, in the currency of the card. Amounts in other currencies are converted to the cardโs currency when evaluating this control. |
interval | enum | Time interval to which the amount applies. See the Card spending_controls for the possible values. |
categories | array (optional) | List of categories this limit applies to. Omitting this field will apply the limit to all categories. |
If spending_limits are not set, a default spending limit will be applied to the newly created card in the amount of 500 USD per day. To disable this behavior, please reach out to support.
A cardโs spending limits apply across any cards it replaced (i.e., its replacement_for card and that cardโs replacement_for card, up the chain). A cardholderโs spending limits apply across all of their cards.
Each spending limit only applies to its own categories. Spending limits alone do not block categories and should be used with either allowed_categories or blocked_categories to restrict spending to specific business types.
If there are overlapping spending limits (e.g., 100 USD per authorization for a cardholder and 50 USD per authorization for that cardholderโs card), the most restrictive spending control will apply.
Additional tips and fees can be posted at a later time, causing a spending limit to be exceeded.
Examples
The following examples demonstrate different uses of spending controls for cards and cardholders.