- Company facility and per-card limit are different things with different owners.
- Cash-linked facilities move with the company's position, including downwards.
- Per-card limits are configuration decisions, not credit decisions.
- A limit is not working capital and should never be modelled as such.
- Ask how often the facility is reassessed and what notice you get.
Two different limits
The facility is what the issuer grants the company after assessment. The per-card limit is what an administrator allocates from that facility to an individual card. Confusing them causes real operational surprises.
The facility is outside your control and can change. Per-card limits are entirely within your control and change in seconds.
What drives a facility
Different programmes weight these differently; most use several.
| Input | How it is typically used |
|---|---|
| Cash balances | A proportion of held cash, often the dominant input for startup-oriented programmes |
| Revenue and its stability | Recurring revenue is generally weighted more heavily than one-off income |
| Historic spend behaviour | Demonstrated volume and repayment history on the programme itself |
| Funding events | Institutional investment as evidence of capacity |
| Business model and sector | Risk profile of the industry and the customer base |
| Entity type and jurisdiction | Frequently a hard eligibility gate rather than a scaling factor |
Why a limit moves
Where the facility is linked to observable company data, it is recalculated as that data changes. A falling cash balance can therefore reduce a limit at precisely the moment the company would prefer more headroom.
This is not arbitrary — it is the logical consequence of underwriting against cash rather than credit history. It does mean the facility should be treated as a payment capability rather than a financing line.
- Ask the reassessment frequency and what triggers an off-cycle review.
- Ask what notice is given before a reduction takes effect.
- Ask whether pending authorisations are affected by a reduction.
- Keep a second payment route available for critical vendors.
Setting per-card limits well
Per-card limits should reflect what a role genuinely spends in a normal month, plus modest headroom. Limits set by seniority are almost always several times too high, which increases exposure without helping anyone.
The practical test: if a card were compromised tomorrow, would the limit represent an acceptable loss? If not, it is too high regardless of who holds it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, where the facility is linked to company data such as cash balances. Ask about reassessment frequency and notice periods before building a process that assumes a stable limit.
Not usually in itself, but a higher facility often comes with different terms or a different programme tier. The more relevant risk is the exposure a large per-card limit creates.
In a corporate programme, an administrator changes it directly — it is an internal allocation, not a credit application. The company facility is the only part requiring the issuer.
Keep reading
Sources and further reading
Every factual statement on this page is checked against primary documentation. Terms change frequently, so confirm details with the provider before acting on them.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit card resources Background on card terminology, billing cycles and consumer-vs-commercial distinctions.
- Visa — commercial payment solutions Network-level background on commercial card products and data levels.
- Brex — official website Primary source for current product names, availability and terms.
- FASB Accounting Standards Codification Reference point for accrual, expense recognition and close-process statements.