Finance & Accounting

Corporate Cards: Issue, Control, Guard at the Swipe

Issue cards, set spend controls, guard every swipe with the unified SentriAI decision, and post interchange to the GL. Scaffolding today - mock issuer, no real money.

Updated 6 min read1 labOwner / FounderAccountant

The card program shows the full model - issue → controls → at-swipe guard → interchange→GL - as native accounting. The card is free; Fintra earns on interchange, which posts back to the ledger. This is what lets the platform lead with savings instead of a subscription.

Issuing and controlling cards

Issue a virtual or physical (mock) card, then set spend controls: per-transaction limit; daily, monthly, and lifetime caps; an MCC allowlist; vendor lock; single-use; and status (frozen or closed).

The at-the-swipe guard

Every authorization is checked in real time against the card’s controls and SentriAI risk - the same unified decision engine that guards bill-pay pay runs. The transaction records the authorization decision, so you can see exactly why a swipe was allowed or declined.

Interchange and cashback to the GL

On settlement, the spend and interchange/cashback economics post as balanced journal entries. Program settings hold the issuer choice, interchange/cashback basis points, and funding/clearing accounts; an interchange summary gives the revenue-engine overview.

Hands-on labs

Practice against a realistic scenario. Each lab lists the steps, what you should see, and the checkpoints that confirm you got the same result.

Lab 1

Issue a controlled card and watch the guard

Scenario

Issue a virtual card capped at $500/month, locked to office-supply merchants, then simulate an in-policy and an out-of-policy swipe.

Steps

  1. 1

    Issue a virtual card and set a $500 monthly cap with an office-supply MCC allowlist.

    Expected: The card lists with its controls; the header shows the “Mock issuer · no real money” badge.

  2. 2

    Authorize an in-policy $80 office-supply purchase.

    Expected: Allowed; the transaction records the authorization decision.

  3. 3

    Authorize a $600 restaurant purchase.

    Expected: Declined - over the cap and outside the MCC allowlist; the decision is recorded with the reason.

  4. 4

    Settle the allowed transaction.

    Expected: Spend and interchange post as balanced journal entries.

Checkpoints - you got it right if…

  • The out-of-policy swipe was declined at authorization.
  • The allowed swipe settled with interchange posting to the GL.
  • No real money moved (mock issuer).

Frequently asked questions

Does the card move real money?

No. The program is scaffolding: a pluggable mock issuer with no real card provisioning and no fund movement. It demonstrates the full model - issue, controls, at-swipe guard, and interchange→GL accounting - without a live rail.

What guards a swipe?

The unified SentriAI decision engine, at the moment of authorization, together with the card’s spend controls. It is the same engine that guards bill-pay pay runs, so a card swipe and a wire are checked by one brain.

How does interchange reach the books?

On settlement, interchange and cashback post as balanced journal entries to the GL using the accounts in program settings. That is the freemium+interchange model made native to accounting.

Why lead with a free card?

Because the interchange the networks pay the issuer funds the product, Fintra can lead with savings and protection rather than a subscription fee. See the positioning doc for the full framing.

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