A spending limit caps how much a card can spend before the limit resets. You set it when you issue a card, and you can change it anytime.
Set a limit when you issue a card
Go to Cards and click Issue card. If your role needs approval to issue, the button reads Request card.
Choose the cardholder and the card type (virtual or physical).
Under Spending Limit Interval, pick how often the limit resets.
Enter the Spending Limit amount in dollars.
Under Block Transaction Categories, add any merchant categories this card shouldn't be used for. New cards block political organizations by default.
Turn on Block Foreign Transactions to restrict the card to US merchants only.
Issue the card.
Choose a limit interval
The interval decides the window your limit covers. Pick the one that matches how the card gets used.
Interval | Reach for it when |
Per authorization | You want a hard ceiling on every single purchase. This caps each transaction rather than a running total. |
Daily | The card is used most days for small purchases and you want a tight cap that refreshes each morning. |
Weekly | You budget the card's spend by the week. |
Monthly | The usual choice. It lines up with how most budgets and grant reporting run. |
Yearly | The card is tied to an annual budget or grant year. |
All time | The card draws on a fixed pot. It stops once total spend reaches the amount and never resets, which fits a one-time project or a capped grant. |
No limit | You don't want a cap from the card. Spending is still bound by your account balance. |
A purchase can take a few seconds to count against the limit, and a tip or fee added after the sale can push a card slightly over. Treat the limit as a close guardrail, not an exact-to-the-cent stop.
Block merchant categories
A blocked category stops the card at checkout for that type of merchant. New cards block political organizations by default, and you can add more. A purchase that falls into a blocked category is declined.
Restrict to US merchants
Turn on Block Foreign Transactions to limit the card to US merchants. Purchases outside the US are then declined.
Change a limit on an existing card
Open the card from Cards.
In the Spending Overview section, click Spending Controls.
Update the interval, amount, blocked categories, or foreign-transaction setting.
Click Save.
You can edit controls on a card that is active, inactive, or pending, as long as you have permission to manage cards. The Spending Overview also shows how much the card has spent this period, what's still available, and the current limit.
When a limit resets
The limit resets at the start of each interval: each day, each week (Sunday), each month (the 1st), or each year (January 1). A per-authorization limit applies fresh to every purchase. An all-time limit never resets.
Set the limit tighter than you think you need at first, then raise it as a cardholder builds a track record. To see how card limits fit alongside Bill Pay approvals, read How spending is controlled.
Related articles