Skip to content
English
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Card Auto-Lock: How It Works

The Card Auto-Lock feature helps your organization enforce receipt and accounting compliance by automatically locking a card if required transaction details are not completed within a set timeframe.

What is Card Auto-Lock?

Card Auto-Lock ensures required information is submitted on time. If a cardholder does not complete the required fields (such as receipts or expense coding) within the grace period set by the company admin, their card automatically locks until all missing information is submitted.

What counts as "required information"?

Your organization defines which fields must be completed for each charge. These may include:

  • Receipt upload

  • Description

  • Account

  • Additional Segments

 

Only the fields enabled by your administrator are enforced.

How Auto-Lock works

A charge is made, required information is missing, and the system tracks how long the charge remains incomplete. If the grace period expires, the card locks and new purchases are declined.

How the card unlocks

Once the cardholder completes the missing information, the system rechecks the transaction and the card unlocks automatically, usually within about an hour. No manual admin action is needed.

Grace period

Your organization sets the grace period in days, which determines how long a cardholder has to complete required details before the card locks. Common grace periods are 7 to 14 days.

Company policy vs individual card settings

Auto-lock can be managed at two levels:

  • Company policy (default): most cards follow your organization's standard auto-lock settings in your company policies, including required fields, grace period, and locking rules.

  • Individual card overrides: for specific cards, admins can disable auto-lock, enforce it at the card level, or have the card follow company policy.

Why Auto-Lock helps

It helps maintain receipt compliance, ensure accurate accounting, reduce manual follow-ups, keep records audit-ready, and prevent spending when documentation is missing.

 

Frequently asked questions

  • Will an employee be notified before their card locks? If notifications are enabled, the cardholder gets reminders about incomplete charges before the grace period expires.

  • Can an admin manually unlock cards? Yes, from the Cards tab.

  • What happens once I complete the missing information? The card unlocks automatically, usually within the hour.