This article is for: admins.
A few permissions decide who looks after your company's cards and who can ask for one. Set them once: requests reach the right people, employees get a card for a one-off purchase without chasing anyone, and nobody controls cards they shouldn't.
Card permissions
Overview
Card permissions are set per permission group: everyone in the group gets them. See How do I set roles and permissions in Expenses?.
| Permission | What it lets people do |
|---|---|
| Can manage cards | Manage cards: issue them, approve or reject card requests, deactivate, reactivate and cancel any card, and change a card's controls. It also turns on the card and bank account permissions it needs. |
| Can request cards | Request single-use cards (one purchase up to an amount) for themselves. On by default for employees. |
| Can see transactions | See all transactions. |
Two smaller permissions let someone do one card task without managing every card: Change a Factorial card budget and limits (change a card's limit and where it can be used) and Change the phone number of a cardholder (the mobile phone that receives security codes for some payments). Can manage cards already includes both.
How to use
- Go to Settings > Permissions.
- Open the group of the people who look after cards (for example your finance team), or create a new group.
- In the Expenses section, turn on Can manage cards.
- Open the groups of the people who may ask for a card (for example the default group) and check that Can request cards is on. Turn it off for groups that shouldn't request cards.
- Save your changes.
Who approves card requests
Overview
When an employee requests a single-use card, everyone with Can manage cards gets a notification, and any of them can approve or reject it. Card requests don't go to the employee's manager: a manager can approve one only with Can manage cards.
How to use
- Give Can manage cards to the people who should decide.
- They review each request in Treasury > Cards. See How do I create or request a virtual, physical or single-use card?.
Tips and Best Practices
- Give Can manage cards to a small group, such as finance. Everyone with it is notified of every card request and can control every card.
- Need someone to only adjust limits or fix a cardholder's phone? Give them that single permission instead of Can manage cards.
- Leave Can request cards on for employees who make one-off purchases: they get a card for the exact amount instead of advancing money.
- Related: How do I set roles and permissions in Expenses? · How do I create or request a virtual, physical or single-use card? · How do I control how much a card can spend, and where?
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
- An employee doesn't see the Request button in My cards. They need Can request cards, and their company needs a cards account. See How do I open a Factorial cards account, add funds and check the balance?.
- A manager can't approve their team's card request. That's expected: card requests are decided by people with Can manage cards, not by managers. Give the manager that permission, or let finance decide.
- I don't see Cards in Treasury. Add Can manage cards to your permission group. Cards also only shows when your company's main legal entity is in a country where cards are available.
- A colleague has "all permissions" but can't create a card. "All permissions" may not include Can manage cards: it's a separate switch in the Expenses section of the group. Also check that the employee is an Expenses user with an email, that the legal entity has a cards account, and that your plan includes the card type. See How do I create or request a virtual, physical or single-use card?.
- The Request button is greyed out. Requesting a single-use card depends on your plan. Your Account Manager can confirm.
FAQ
1. Can employees request a physical or virtual card?
In the app, employees request single-use cards from My spending > My cards. With One, they can also ask for a virtual card, which goes to the same approvers. Physical cards are created by admins.
2. Who can change a Factorial card's controls (limit and merchant categories)?
People with Can manage cards, or with the permission Change a Factorial card budget and limits. Employees can see their own limit but not change it.
3. Who can change the phone number that receives payment codes?
People with Can manage cards, or with the permission Change the phone number of a cardholder. See Factorial cards: common questions and quick fixes.
4. Can an employee deactivate or cancel their own card?
Yes, by default employees can deactivate and cancel their own cards. They can't reactivate one: people with Can manage cards can. See How do I pay with my Factorial card, add the receipt and deactivate it if it's lost?.
5. Who can open the cards account for a legal entity?
People with Can manage cards. See How do I open a Factorial cards account, add funds and check the balance?.
6. Who is notified when someone requests a card?
Everyone with Can manage cards.