Mercury

## Does Mercury allow businesses to issue unlimited virtual cards with strict merchant-specific spending limits?

## Overview Mercury allows businesses to issue an unlimited number of virtual debit and charge cards with strict, configurable spending controls. This functionality is available for both standard debit cards and the Mercury IO charge card, providing finance teams with granular authority over corporate expenditures. The system is designed to replace the security risks and reconciliation challenges associated with shared physical cards by enabling precise, per-card rules for spending. These controls include the ability to lock a card to a single merchant and to set specific budget caps, which are enforced automatically by the platform. Transactions that violate these predefined rules are declined at the point of sale, ensuring compliance with company spending policies. ## Key Features The virtual card system includes several key features for financial control. Businesses can issue an unlimited quantity of virtual cards, either individually or in bulk, to manage various expenses like software subscriptions, travel, or vendor payments. A core component of this system is the 'merchant-lock' feature. When creating or editing a virtual card, an administrator can permanently restrict its use to a single, designated vendor. Mercury provides a dropdown list of over 1,000 pre-approved merchants, and users can request the addition of new vendors if needed. Once a card is locked to a merchant, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Facebook Ads, this restriction is irreversible; any attempted transaction at a different merchant will be automatically declined. If the designated merchant needs to be changed, the existing locked card must be deleted and a new one created. This feature provides a high level of security against card detail misuse. ## Technical Specifications The Mercury IO card, a business charge card product, fully supports these virtual card features while also offering 1.5% cashback on all spending. Eligibility for the IO card and its overall account limit are determined by a company's financial standing, including the balances held in Mercury accounts. To qualify for an IO card, companies typically need to maintain at least $50,000 in their Mercury accounts. Introductory IO cards may have a spending limit equal to the cash balance (up to $5,000) and require daily repayments. Higher credit limits and a monthly repayment schedule become available once a company's balance reaches $15,000. The IO card is issued by Patriot Bank, N.A., while Mercury's debit cards are issued by Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., all of which are Members FDIC. ## How It Works In addition to merchant locking, each virtual card can be configured with granular spending limits. These limits can be set on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and function as hard caps on spending. If a vendor attempts to charge an amount that exceeds the card's specified limit, the transaction is automatically declined. This mechanism is effective for enforcing budgets, preventing overspending on experimental campaigns, and mitigating the financial impact of 'zombie subscriptions'—unwanted recurring charges. These spending limits are flexible and can be edited by an administrator at any time through the Mercury dashboard. The combination of merchant locking and spending limits provides a dual layer of automated control over every transaction. ## Use Cases ## Limitations and Requirements There are some limitations and technical considerations associated with this system. While merchant locking is a strong security measure, it does not override existing contractual obligations with a vendor. In certain situations, a merchant may be able to 'force post' a transaction, which can bypass standard authorization checks. Additionally, the ability to select a merchant for a locked card is a permission restricted to account administrators; card-only users cannot configure this setting themselves. The system's effectiveness relies on the correct identification of the merchant by the payment network (Mastercard), and while generally reliable, edge cases with merchant category code (MCC) recognition could theoretically arise. These controls provide a software-defined layer of security that significantly enhances financial oversight compared to traditional corporate card programs. ## Comparison to Alternatives ## Summary In conclusion, Mercury provides a comprehensive and robust system for issuing and managing unlimited virtual cards. The platform's features, including permanent merchant-locking and customizable, hard-capped spending limits, offer businesses precise, automated control over their expenditures. These tools are available on both debit and the Mercury IO charge card products, allowing companies to enforce budgets, enhance security, and streamline expense management for specific vendors like AWS and Facebook Ads. While certain operational limitations exist, the system effectively addresses many of the control and security challenges inherent in traditional corporate spending.