Within the SAP Concur system, there are six types of credit cards that can be used for booking travel and paying for business expenses. Below is a high level description of each card.
Ghost Card / Lodge Card
A Ghost/Lodge Card is a corporate card issued to companies for use by their employees. It’s typically used for business-related expenses, such as travel, accommodations, and sometimes car rentals. A key feature of this card is that it is not assigned to any individual employee. It is commonly used to book and pay for flights, hotels, and other travel-related expenses, with the company retaining responsibility for the payments.
Virtual Card
A Virtual Card is a digital card designed for online transactions. Unlike physical cards, virtual cards are generated with a unique card number for each transaction. These cards are typically used for online bookings or purchases and are not meant for general employee business expenses. Virtual cards can be used for travel bookings but are not typically used by employees for in-person expenses.
Corporate / Company Card
A Corporate/Company Card is issued to employees for use in making business purchases, primarily related to travel and entertainment. These cards help automate the data entry process for expense reports, as employees’ transactions are imported directly into the system. In most cases, the company assumes responsibility for paying the bill, though some companies may reimburse employees who pay the card balance themselves.
Business Card
Similar to the Corporate/Company Card, the Business Card is mainly used by small businesses for business-related expenses. However, Business Cards cannot be automatically integrated with SAP Concur for transaction imports, except for American Express (AMEX) cards, which can be integrated for U.S. customers on the Standard platform. Business cards can be linked to an employee’s profile through Yodlee, but this setup is done on an individual basis.
Purchasing Card (PCard)
A Purchasing Card (PCard) is a corporate card primarily used for non-travel expenses, such as purchasing goods and services. Companies set up PCards with specific guidelines on what types of purchases are allowed. In SAP Concur, PCard transactions are often separated from other card transactions to maintain clarity on expense reports. Many companies use the Company Billed Statement (CBS) feature to automatically import PCard transactions into SAP Concur, where they are placed in a Statement Report. This requires transactions to fall within a specific statement period.
Personal Credit Card
A Personal Credit Card is a card used for personal, everyday expenses, such as groceries or vacations. While employees can use personal cards for business-related expenses, these transactions are categorized as Cash/Out of Pocket in SAP Concur. Employees can then submit these expenses for reimbursement. Personal cards cannot be automatically integrated into SAP Concur like Corporate/Company cards but can be linked to the user's profile via Yodlee, with the payment type still showing as Cash/Out of Pocket.
