Factorial Cards FAQs
Factorial Cards are company-backed debit cards that come with built-in controls for security, compliance, and expense management. This FAQ covers the most common scenarios employees, managers, and admins may face when using Factorial Cards.
1. Emergencies: lost, stolen, or compromised cards
How do I freeze or block a card right now?
- Employees: Go to My Spending → My Cards, open the card, and use Freeze (temporary) or Cancel/Replace (permanent).
- Admins/Managers: Go to Treasury → Cards, open the card (right-arrow ▸), then use the … menu or Controls to freeze, cancel, or replace the card.
What’s the difference between Freeze and Cancel/Replace?
- Freeze stops new payments immediately but can be undone.
- Cancel/Replace permanently blocks the PAN; issue a new virtual/physical card for continued use.
A suspicious charge appeared - what should I do?
- Freeze the card.
- Contact the merchant to clarify or request a refund.
- If unresolved, open a dispute via Factorial Support (Admins) following card-network timelines. Refunds typically take 5–10 business days to show after a merchant processes them (banks can vary).
2. Declines, holds & transaction statuses
When using Factorial Cards, payments may sometimes be declined, placed on hold, or appear with different statuses. Here’s everything you need to know.
Why can my card payment be declined?
- If a payment was processed but declined, it will always appear in Factorial with the status Declined, along with an error message.
- If no line appears in Factorial, it means the payment never reached the issuer (for example, due to a network or terminal error).
Common decline reasons and solutions
| Error shown in Factorial | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Insufficient funds | The company’s card account doesn’t have enough balance to cover the payment | Contact your Admin/Finance team so they can top up the account |
| Spending limit reached | The card has reached its daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly spending limit | Wait until the limit resets, or request a limit increase from your Admin |
| Category blocked | The merchant belongs to a restricted Merchant Category Code (MCC) defined in Controls | Contact your Admin to confirm if this purchase should be allowed |
| Card frozen / expired | The card is temporarily blocked, or its expiration date has passed | Unfreeze the card in Factorial or request a replacement |
| Authentication failed | The Strong Customer Authentication (3DS) challenge was not completed or denied | Retry the payment and approve via your mobile notification |
| Technical / terminal error (no line in Factorial) | The payment never reached Factorial or Stripe due to a connectivity or POS issue | Retry at another time, or use a different terminal/card |
What about holds and pending transactions?
- Sometimes merchants place an authorization hold (e.g. hotels, car rentals, fuel stations). This temporarily reduces available funds until the merchant confirms or cancels the payment.
- If the payment is completed, it will move from Pending to Settled.
- If the merchant cancels or fails to confirm, the hold will eventually disappear, and funds will be released.
3. International use, currencies & wallets
Can I pay in other currencies?
Yes. The network converts foreign-currency purchases at settlement time; the final amount can differ slightly from the initial authorization due to FX rate timing. (Avoid merchant dynamic currency conversion (DCC) if you prefer network rates.)
Can I add my card to Apple Pay or Google Pay?
Yes—Factorial Cards support digital wallets where available. Add your card from your device’s Wallet app and follow the verification prompts.
Can I withdraw cash at ATMs?
No. ATM withdrawals aren’t supported for Factorial Cards.
4. Managing cards, limits & categories
Where do I see card controls and change limits?
Treasury → Cards → open the card ▸ Controls. You can:
- Set a spending limit and renewal period (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly).
- Allow/Block categories (MCC groups) to restrict merchant types.
Who can change controls?
Admins (and any role you’ve granted Can manage cards or Can access expense settings in Settings → Permissions).
Can I reassign an existing card to someone else?
For security and KYC reasons, best practice is to cancel the old card and issue a new one to the new cardholder (don’t share cards).
How do I replace a damaged/expired card?
Open the card, use … → Replace and follow the flow. Physical card delivery time depends on country and courier.
5. Expenses, budgets & accounting
What happens in Expenses when I pay with a Factorial Card?
- A draft expense is created automatically for the cardholder and a push notification prompts them to attach the receipt and submit.
- The transaction appears in Card details → Card payments, in Treasury → Banks under the Factorial Cards account, and is available for accounting reconciliation. (See Automatic transaction linking article for details.)
What if an expense is over budget?
Approvers will see an alert on the expense during review to help them decide (approve, reject, request changes).
Can I use category mapping for accounting?
Yes—use Settings → Accounting → Categories to enable/disable categories and align them to ledger accounts; sub-categories are supported. (See Set up expense categories.)
6. Security & compliance
Are certain businesses blocked?
Yes. Payments to restricted merchant categories (e.g., certain financial services, gambling, etc.) can be blocked to comply with issuer and network rules. If a legitimate payment is blocked, check your card’s Controls and your company’s policy; if still unclear, contact Support.
3-D Secure (SCA) prompts keep appearing - why?
Strong Customer Authentication is often required for online transactions in the EEA/UK; complete the wallet or app prompt to approve the payment.
Tips and Best Practices
- Always freeze a card first if suspicious activity occurs.
- Encourage employees to upload receipts immediately to avoid delays.
- Regularly review limits and categories to ensure policies are enforced.
- Communicate physical card delivery timelines clearly with employees.