Some of you may already know exactly why the ability to pay by credit card is beneficial - especially for business owners. For those of you that don’t, here are some reasons why using business credit cards can be a great option for business owners:
In short, there are lots of reasons businesses might prefer to pay with a credit card rather than via traditional cash based methods. But there is actually more to it than this. Using a credit card along with Corpay One can add to these benefits! And it’s really easy. Basically, it’s just like paying in Corpay One with your bank account, only instead of your bank account funding your bill payment, your credit card does.¹
At this point you might be asking yourself – why put Corpay One in the middle of things? Why not just pay with a credit card directly? So, here are three reasons why using a bill pay platform like Corpay One in conjunction with your credit card can level up your bill pay process.
The most obvious reason to use Corpay One to pay bills by credit card is extremely simple - not all vendors accept credit cards. Corpay One allows you to fund Check and ACH vendor payments with a credit card¹ - even if a vendor doesn’t accept them. When you use your credit card¹ as the payment source for these vendor payments, your vendor still receives their payment in the method they prefer: a paper check or ACH deposit. Win, win - right?
There are quite a few sizable and frequent expense types that are traditionally not open to payment by credit card. By using a credit card in conjunction with Corpay One, you expand your options. Imagine being able to pay staff and purchase goods immediately for a special event, but not having to see that money leave your bank until you actually get paid by your customer for that same special event?
More flexible payment options can change what’s possible for businesses – especially when cash flow is top of mind.
In short, paying vendors one by one via credit card can be a real hassle. Paying vendors directly with credit cards usually means calling or visiting the online pay space of each payee, manually entering in your payment details for each payment, and then manually filing each receipt. You get the idea.
When you fund Check and ACH payments by credit card¹ in Corpay One, you don’t have to go through all of the manual steps mentioned above. It’s an all-in-one process that maximizes your time. No special sites, no extra and repetitive manual data entry. In just a few clicks, you can review and approve your bills - all in one place. It’s that simple.
Business is extremely fast-paced. This means there are times when our need for speed can blind our judgment. For instance, you might need to use a credit card to pay a utility bill this month but you might also not have time to actually log onto that website and issue that payment.
So, maybe every now and again you hand over the company card to a member of your office staff or your bookkeeper to speed up the process. This might seem like a great idea in the moment but in reality, every time you hand your credit card to another team member, the list of people with access to your credit card information grows - which could ultimately become a security issue.
On the other hand, if you had that credit card set up as a funding source within Corpay One this would not be an issue. Adding a team member as a contributor allows them to approve a vendor payment, but doesn’t give them direct access to your payment information. In fact, Corpay One is encrypted to the highest security standards - so you never have to worry if your information is secure.
Lastly, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed. Traditionally, bookkeepers and accountants have been more conservative in recommending their clients use credit cards to pay everyday business expenses. But this is a new world. Business owners need all the help and more importantly versatility that they can get when they pay by card.
The nice thing for accountants and bookkeepers about layering in the functionality of a bill payment app, like Corpay One, is that if your clients want or need to use a credit card, you don’t have to create completely unique processes for those payments.
What's more, by housing all payments safely in one integrated and monitored system, you can keep your clients happy using the tools they feel they need, while still keeping your access to data, predictability, and detail firmly in hand.
¹ 2.9% transaction fee applies. Visa®, Discover® and Mastercard® only. See terms and conditions for details. US customers only.
