Tag: prepaid

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Empowering Disaster Recovery: Fintech Solutions for Efficient Aid Distribution

By Marchelle Becher, US Business Development Executive

Millions of people are impacted by natural disasters each year, facing financial challenges such as damage to homes, the need for temporary shelter, and the replacement of personal items and food. Increasingly, fintech solutions are becoming essential in addressing these urgent needs efficiently and effectively.

Over the past five years, the US has experienced an average of $18 billion annually in natural disaster-related damages. With increasingly extreme weather patterns, this trend is expected to worsen. In the first half of 2024 alone, the US has already experienced 11 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each, well ahead of the expected 5-year average.

Having attended several conferences dedicated to disaster aid and preparedness, it’s clear that private and public organizations are actively seeking viable solutions. Companies like B4B Payments are crucial in providing financial aid distribution and ongoing support for those affected by disasters, especially regarding financial inclusion.

Addressing Financial Vulnerability and Inclusion

Low-income households are disproportionately affected by disasters. Many do not qualify for disaster loans, and grants often fall short. Delays in relief efforts compound their financial vulnerability. However, changes are taking place to improve support for those impacted by these life-changing events.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) overhauled its aid distribution methods earlier this year. One fundamental change, made effective March 22, addresses disaster victims’ economic challenges. FEMA’s Displacement Assistance program now provides money for shelter not only to those who had to leave their homes but also to those who were already homeless. As FEMA stated, this change is a “more equitable and efficient” approach, overcoming the challenge and addressing the disparity of helping only those who can pay their hotel bills upfront.

Additionally, FEMA has created the Serious Need Assistance program, providing $750 to individuals for severe or immediate needs such as water, food, first aid, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items, or fuel for transportation. This payment is in addition to aid for home repairs and other disaster-related needs.

In 2023, the United States experienced 28 separate weather or climate disasters that each resulted in at least $1 billion in damages. NOAA map by NCEI.

The Urgent Need for Preparedness Funds

With improved fund issuance, private and public agencies are stepping up efforts to work with companies like B4B Payments on “Preparedness Funds”—pre-arranged financial resources and distribution solutions that can be quickly activated in the event of a disaster. The “Preparedness Funds” approach improves financial inclusion, reduces the time needed to distribute funds, and eliminates the potential for theft and fraud with the self-service platform.

Supporting disaster preparedness and relief to ensure funds reach those in need is a critical focus for B4B Payments. Financial technology companies can simplify and expedite relief payments, ensuring a smooth customer experience and efficient distribution of funds, especially compared to manual or paper-based methods.

B4B Payments’ Comprehensive Solution

We offer a seamless prepaid card payout solution that considers the entire ecosystem, from funders to survivors, ensuring secure and efficient fund distribution. With our self-managed, instant issue platform, organizations and agencies can send physical and virtual prepaid cards to those in need, allowing for quick fund distribution while achieving full transparency, reporting capabilities, security, and guaranteed regulatory compliance.

Key benefits of working with B4B Payments include:

  • Instant issuing and delivery with activation timing control and funding flexibility, allowing agencies to choose when to activate cards, reload, and options to send either physical or virtual cards.
  • Secure, self-service platform offering full management and program control with the ability to set hierarchy-based access.
  • Real-time reporting capabilities to monitor programs, identify trends, and develop valuable insights, easing analysis access data within a specific time-period view transaction volume, merchant category spend, and ATM usage.
  • A simple mobile interface enables recipients to block their cards if they are lost or stolen and access accurate, real-time account information.

By leveraging our global payment solutions, our partners can better prepare for and respond to disasters, ultimately building stronger, more resilient communities.

B4B Payments’ Comprehensive Solution

B4B Payments is a proud member of Payments as a Lifeline (PaaL), and we are committed to transforming disaster relief efforts through innovative financial solutions. If your agency wants to improve its aid distribution methods and ensure rapid, secure, and transparent fund disbursement, we invite you to partner with us. Together, we can significantly impact the lives of those affected by natural disasters.


Visit our Disaster/Humanitarian Information Page for more information.



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Company News Expense Management Newsroom Payroll & Payouts

Mastering Payment Management for Corporate Events: Simplified Solutions

By Susie Shyatt, US Business Development Executive

When it comes to corporate events, efficient financial management is critical. Whether you’re organizing a corporate retreat, an industry conference, or a large-scale public event, managing expenses smoothly and transparently is essential. Corporate-funded prepaid cards are transforming how companies handle event payments, making the process easier and more efficient.

The Pain Points of Traditional Payment Methods

The reality is that traditional payment methods like checks, ACH transfers, cash, and vouchers are riddled with challenges. Checks are costly, not just in terms of fees but also the time and resources required to process them. Someone has to be on-site to issue a check, and the recipient must have a bank account to access the funds.

ACH transfers, while more modern, still fall short. They’re slow, expensive, and offer no way to retract funds once they’re sent. Cash, on the other hand, brings its own headaches: manual handling, the risk of loss or theft, and high distribution fees.

Vouchers might sometimes work, but they’re limited in where they can be used and are often difficult to track. Issuing vouchers is usually a manual process, adding another layer of complexity to an already cumbersome system.

A Modern and Simple Solution

Corporate-funded prepaid cards offer a straightforward, effective solution to these issues. With these cards, you can load funds quickly and make them instantly available, simplifying the entire process of paying staff, covering event expenses, and distributing funds to attendees.

For example, when paying event crews or gig workers, self-issuing cards ensure that payments are secure and timely, eliminating the need for checks or cash. Managing expenses is equally simple. Staff can use the cards for rentals, deposits, transportation, per diems—whatever the event demands. And because every transaction is centrally recorded, budgeting for future events becomes much more manageable.

Attendees, such as members of President’s Clubs, can also benefit. They can receive cards to manage their own expenses without the limitations of traditional payment methods.

B4B Payments’ prepaid cards enable instant payouts, with funds immediately available. The platform is user-friendly, allowing you to manage all cards from a single dashboard, with features like freezing and reissuing lost or stolen cards. This doesn’t just save time; it provides peace of mind.

Additionally, these cards are inclusive, providing funds to underbanked or unbanked individuals and ensuring that everyone involved in your event is taken care of. Reloadable cards make recurring payments seamless, letting users meet their needs without disruption.

For companies with a global reach, our cards can be issued in multiple currencies, eliminating foreign exchange fees by transacting in local currencies. This global flexibility ensures your events run smoothly, no matter where they’re held.

Tailored Solutions for Key Stakeholders

Our solution isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s designed to meet the needs of all organizational roles involved in event management:

  • Event Operations: Simplify logistics and vendor coordination.
  • Finance: Streamline payments and budgeting while ensuring financial transparency.
  • Human Resources: Ensure smooth, timely payouts to employees and staff.

By adopting corporate-funded prepaid cards, you’re not just simplifying your event management process—you’re cutting costs and enhancing financial transparency. Our solution directly addresses the pain points of traditional payment methods, providing a modern, efficient alternative tailored to the needs of today’s corporate finance leaders.


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Case studies Company News Non Profit

Helping Gilgal’s Mission for Domestic Violence Survivors

As a proud corporate member of the Charity Retail Association, B4B Payments understands charities operate on tight budgets, so every penny counts. This can make handling and reporting on cash a complex process, not to mention a source of stress for finance teams. 

We have helped many charities move to a cashless payment process, allowing them to work more efficiently, stay compliant, and deliver a better experience for volunteers, staff, clients, or beneficiaries. Recently, we were delighted to start supporting Gilgal by providing them with our card payment solution, which streamlines their processes and enhances their financial efficiency by helping them manage their expenses.

About Gilgal

Gilgal provides safe, short-term accommodation for women and children who are fleeing from domestic abuse.

Founded 30 years ago, Gilgal has been a lifeline for many. Offering 24-hour support all year round, not only are Gilgal committed to confidentiality, safety, and security for all its residents, they provide a space for survivors to be seen, heard, and supported, and to begin to rebuild their lives.

The Challenge

Before partnering with B4B Payments, Gilgal relied heavily on cash to manage expenses, which led to a lack of seamless control and oversight over petty cash and inefficient expense tracking and management.

They aimed to eliminate petty cash usage to enhance financial control and accountability. Through improved expense management, it directed more resources to support women and children in need.

Why B4B Payments

After exploring several other expense management solutions, Gilgal’s team chose B4B Payments due to our unique understanding of the sector, experience working with several charities, robust and compliant payments technology solutions and dedicated team support.

Sanja Kalik, the CEO of Gilgal, says, “Finding the right technology solution was important to us and our use case for an expense solution as a non-profit. We were impressed by the easy-to-use platform, dedication, and support the B4B Payments provided.”

Benefits Experienced

“B4B’s prepaid card solutions have transformed our expense management. It was simple to get started, and they have been very supportive.” – Sanja Kalik, the CEO of Gilgal.

Since leveraging our expense management solution and B4B prepaid Mastercard card, Gilgal has experienced numerous benefits, including:

  • Ease of funding, issuing expense cards, tracking and monitoring expenses
  • View real-time statements, balances, and transactions for accounting reconciliation

This shift has led to enhanced financial accountability and transparency, reducing the risk of errors and misuse of funds when working with volunteers. Additionally, the new payment system has allowed staff to respond quicker to client needs, utilising the pre-approved amounts on B4B cards instead of requiring sign-off for every petty cash transaction. This has led to more efficient purchases for both in-refuge and marketing activities.

We are glad to support and collaborate with the Gilgal team on shared goals, fostering a strong partnership. At B4B Payments, we look forward to continually enhancing its financial operations and ensuring the sustainability of its crucial services.

“At B4B Payments, we are honoured to support organisations like Gilgal that are making a profound impact on communities. Our payments and prepaid Mastercard solutions streamline financial processes and ensure accountability and compliance, enabling Gilgal to allocate more resources towards their vital mission of supporting women and children in need.” – Tim Robson,  at B4B Payments.

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Case studies Company News Non Profit

Good for the world’s vulnerable and financially excluded

B4B has a long history of supporting charities that align with social and financial inclusion values. These organisations use B4B’s proprietary technology and prepaid Mastercard card solution to manage and distribute funds in challenging circumstances. However, these organisations are more than just clients, and B4B goes beyond standard commercial relationships to support these important causes.

Human Appeal

In 2016, B4B was approached by Human Appeal, a non-profit organisation working globally to strengthen humanity’s fight against poverty, social injustice and natural disasters.

The organisation aims to invest in real, effective solutions by providing immediate relief and establishing self-sustaining development programmes.

One of the main challenges facing Human Appeal was managing the process of buying emergency supplies such as food, blankets, and other urgently needed essentials. These purchases would need to be made by field agents who were face-to-face with victims and their often-desperate circumstances.

The B4B team saw that their expense management solution using prepaid cards was the perfect solution for Human Appeal.

Tracking and control

B4B’s portal allows clients to upload funds and dispatch cards (both plastic and virtual) and load them with funds. The technology works remotely, making it ideal for the needs of Human Appeal and its disparate team of aid workers in the field around the world.

The expense cards provide an alternative to cash when paying for essentials like food, shelter, or medical care. They also give team leaders access to a portal so disbursed funds can be tracked and spending monitored. In emergencies, funds can be topped up remotely, no matter where the cards may be.

As a Sharia-compliant financial organisation, B4B and Human Appeal are growing together, allowing funds from Zakat to be spent compliantly and where most needed. Being Sharia-compliant means the aid dispatched fulfils the principles of the Islamic faith and adheres to Sharia law. 

Ease of use, practicality, and functionality

Human Appeal manages its prepaid card portfolio through an intuitive, easy-to-use platform and app that enables staff to send representatives recurring or one-off payments instantly.

For the representatives in the field, the process is simple and convenient. They receive their B4B card and complete financial visibility through the app, enabling them to monitor and manage their funds in one place. Balances can be checked, and transactions can be reviewed at a glance. Features such as real-time SMS notifications help representatives keep track of their spending and balances.

Growing together

In 2023, the two organisations were able to support each other’s growth into the US market, which is strategically vital for both organisations.

As part of the planning and setting up of its new centre in California, Human Appeal extended its UK relationship to include the services of B4B’s operation in the US in March 2023. This extension of the relationship enabled Human Appeal to issue B4B Visa cards to its US-based team.

The next step in the growth of the partnership is to integrate Human Appeal’s German and Irish entities with B4B’s expense programme. For these entities, B4B has once again offered to adhere to its lower rates offered for humanitarian organisations. 

“Human Appeal has worked with B4B for many years and have found them an ideal partner to work with to support our charitable work. We have found B4B responsive to our needs and have extended the partnership to our sister organisation in the US. We look forward to working with B4B in the future and growing our collaboration.” – Asif Nazar, Head of Finance, Human Appeal.  

Summary: B4B supporting people in need

The B4B Payments solution is designed to be as straightforward and innovative as possible. For charities, its prepaid cards offer a practical solution, enabling Human Appeal to distribute funds to their aid workers instantly and eliminating the risk that comes with carrying cash.

Humanitarian causes are close to the heart of the B4B team, and they are pleased to be able to offer Human Appeal preferential commercial terms for a service that has become an essential part of its growing global operations.

Photo of Tim Robson & Edwina Wilkins, B4B Payments, with Asif Nazar & Misbah Shikdar (Head of Finance & Finance Manager) at Human Appeal’s Manchester HQ (2023).

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Case studies Company News

Innovating Employee Benefits: the postcode restriction payout card

Beyond Payment Solutions

ICP Transaction Solutions GmbH, a prominent player in electronic transaction solutions in Europe, specialising in the prepaid, lifestyle, and loyalty sectors, has evolved into an internationally recognised company since its founding in 2000. With a transaction volume exceeding €1 billion, ICP serves various industries and is a founding member of the German Prepaid Association. ICP is a company of Digital Reload Holding GmbH and operates under the umbrella brand Digital Reload. 

Partnering with B4B to support Tax-Free Benefits for employees

In 2019, recognising the potential of offering regional benefit cards/employee cards, ICP sought the expertise of B4B Payments. Lacking financial institution licenses, ICP collaborated with B4B to introduce personalised and geographically limited payout cards. B4B Payments guided ICP through compliance checks, set up accounts and clients in the portal, and managed the card ordering and shipping process. The partnership extended to top-notch customer service and effective partner management, allowing ICP to offer tax-free non-cash benefits to employees through branded payout cards.

The Innovation: Quick Response to Client Requests:

B4B’s diverse card types with customised designs cater to ICP’s clients’ needs. For example, one of ICP’s clients wanted the card to be eligible for a specific region in Germany to boost the local market. The B4B team developed bespoke postcode restrictions to fulfil this client’s particular request. ICP also successfully implemented a German portal via API mirroring B4B’s, further enhancing their value proposition and branding capabilities with clients. 

Future Goals and Collaboration:

B4B successfully onboarded a new client in Bavaria with 3000 employee cards this year. Building on this,  ICP plans to diversify its card offering, attract more clients, and use B4B’s expertise in different sectors to expand the partnership in Germany.

Alexandra Ruth, the Key Account Manager from ICP, says, “ICP highly recommends B4B Payments and acknowledges their professionalism, reliability, and product flexibility while maintaining high-security standards. We’re very happy with B4B’s account management support in helping us build the partnership, especially Tim and Zvez.”

In Summary:

The collaboration between ICP and B4B Payments has not only addressed a critical business need but has also paved the way for innovative employee benefit solutions, offering tax-free non-cash benefits seamlessly. This partnership proves to be a cornerstone for ICP’s growth and success in the electronic transaction landscape, highlighting the transformative impact of B4B’s payment solutions.

“I’m excited to be working with ICP,” says Tim Robson, B4B Account Director. “Their growth plans mirror our own; we both want to grow in the German market, and I look forward to expanding this collaboration across different sectors.”

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Case studies Company News insurance

Transforming Insurance Operations: IMG’s Partnership with B4B

In the fast-paced realm of insurance, quick solutions are essential for sustained success. IMG (International Medical Group), a leading provider of global travel and health safety solutions, is famous for its commitment to superior customer service and continuous improvement. By leveraging B4B’s payment services, it sheds light on how prepaid cards have redefined both customer experience and operational efficiency.

Evolution and Innovation:

IMG is a global insurance benefits and assistance services company that has served millions of members worldwide since its founding in 1990. IMG, renowned for its service and responsiveness to policyholders, offers a wide range of insurance programs, including international private medical insurance and travel medical insurance. IMG also provides enterprise services, including insurance administrative services and 24/7 emergency medical, security, and travel assistance. 

The Partnership with B4B:

Starting in 2022, B4B and IMG joined together in a partnership to provide cards to employees to assist policyholders in trouble, primarily in motor and health insurance. IMG uses B4B’s award-winning portal, a tool that empowers them to offer assistance in three currencies, catering to the diverse locations of their employees, clients and policyholders.

Example Case:

In emergencies, the prepaid card provided by B4B becomes a lifeline, allowing IMG employees to make urgent payments for repairs or medical fees promptly. The card ensures swift assistance during critical moments. 

Furthermore, the seamless integration of B4B’s services allows IMG to effortlessly track all incident-related expenses, providing transparency that streamlines financial oversight and ensures compliance—a critical aspect in the insurance industry.

Efficiency and Instantaneous Solutions:

One of the key highlights of the partnership is the seamless integration of B4B’s services into IMG’s operations. Ben Halbert, Head of Business Solutions and Operational Support at IMG, emphasises the value of B4B’s services in facilitating instant and targeted financial assistance. 

“Our partnership with B4B has allowed us to offer new services to our clients and means that we can pay providers promptly, ensure that policyholders are not unnecessarily out of pocket and provide a superior customer journey,” says Ben Halbert, the Head of Business Solutions and Operational Support at IMG.

B4B’s Role in the Insurance Industry:

Beyond meeting IMG’s immediate needs, B4B is pivotal in supporting the broader insurance industry. By providing cards for instant payouts to service providers, B4B contributes to a more streamlined and customer-centric insurance ecosystem.

Conclusion:

“The IMG and B4B partnership is a growing collaboration which shows how we can jointly help the insurance sector with payments,” says B4B Account Director Tim Robson. By leveraging B4B’s prepaid card, IMG has not only enhanced its operational efficiency but has also elevated the overall customer experience.

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Company News Incentives & Perks Newsroom

Rewarding Employees with Cash-Christmas

It might be too early to talk about Christmas, but it’s not too early to think about rewards and incentives for your employees.

Christmas is the perfect time to express your appreciation for your team’s hard work throughout the year. This festive season, B4B Payments offers a simple yet meaningful way to spread cheer among your employees – our prepaid gift cards. 

These cards provide your employees with the freedom to choose their own reward and are a testament to our 17 years of expertise in payments and our global recognition as a trusted provider of card issuing and embedded payment services, now as part of the Banking Circle group of companies.

The pain points of Christmas rewards

Selecting the perfect gift can often be a challenging and complex process. It’s a delicate balance of aligning the recipient’s preferences, interests, and needs with your budget constraints. You might also need to consider the uniqueness of the gift, its relevance to the recipient, and its potential longevity. Moreover, organisational considerations such as budget, ease of distribution, and the message the gift conveys must also be taken into account.

Even after putting careful thought into these factors, there’s no guarantee that the chosen gift will hit the mark. It could be the wrong size, colour, or simply not to the recipient’s taste. This uncertainty can turn the joyful act of giving into a stressful endeavour.

That’s where B4B Payments card services step in as the ultimate solution. They are universally appreciated because they offer the gift of choice. Using prepaid cards as a form of reward, the recipient has the freedom to select something that truly resonates with them, something they genuinely need or have been eyeing for a while. It’s an empowering gift that respects individual tastes and preferences. 

B4B Payments – offering unrivalled rewards and incentives

Let’s delve into some of the benefits of choosing B4B Payments for your corporate gifting this festive season:

1. Simplify management with our Cardholder app

Our user-friendly Cardholder app allows employees to manage their card balances and more easily. Plus, our dedicated support team is always on hand to assist with any queries.

2. Spend at millions of locations worldwide

Whether you’re rewarding a workforce that’s working from home, back in the office, or never stopped throughout lockdown, B4B Payments has got you covered. Our prepaid cards can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, including in their Google Pay or Apple Pay wallet!

3. Flexible, sustainable, and globally accepted

B4B Gift Cards offer the flexibility of being single-use or reloadable for incentives, payroll, payout, or expenses. They are made from 75% recycled plastic materials, offering a sustainable choice.

4. Expert team, advanced products, trusted global provider

Our expert team boasts a market-leading level of experience in setting up successful card programs, and we offer advanced end-to-end payment solutions to help you grow your business. As an FCA and Bank of Lithuania Authorised E-money institution, a Principal Member of Mastercard, and a partner provider to Mastercard Fintech Express Program, we are a trusted global provider of card issuing and payment services.

A gift from B4B Payments this Christmas

It’s not all about your employees this Christmas. There’s something for you, too. At B4B Payments, we’re offering FREE delivery on our cards to make your gift-giving that bit easier (and cheaper).

The minimum order value for our gift cards is £1,000, and this applies only to non-branded cards. The offer is limited to a single bulk order to a UK office address, with each card carrying a minimum load of £10. This special offer is available until October 31st, 2023.

Want to know more about rewards and incentives

Rewards and incentives can be offered all year round to improve employee retention. Take a look in more detail into how B4B payments use 17 years of experience in the payments industry to offer seamless rewards and incentives for businesses around the globe.

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Insights Newsroom Tools & Guides Uncategorised

How to avoid invoice fraud

AVOIDING INVOICE FRAIN WITH PREPAID BUSINESS CARDS

According to UK Finance, UK business lost a total of £93 million in 2018 to invoice fraud, with the average payment to fraudsters being £20,750. To help you avoid losing potentially thousands of pounds, we’ve put together a list of things that you can do to avoid invoice fraud.

Scrutinise all invoices

It’s extremely important for you to scrutinise all of the invoices that you receive. The differences between a false invoice and a real one will be subtle, but if you look closely, you should be able to identify a fake. Common indicators of a fake invoice include a different phone number or contact name for correspondence, a change in payment methods, changes in the amount to be invoiced, a new signature, blurred logos, the addition to bank details that didn’t appear previously and email addresses with small changes.

Listen to your instincts

This might seem trivial, but it is important to listen to your instincts when analysing invoices. If an invoice does not seem genuine, it is probably a good idea to take a closer look at it. In order to stay in control of your payments, try and be more confident when refusing payments or unexpected information requests so that you don’t end up making a mistake under pressure. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Don’t click suspicious links

This is a general rule of thumb for using the internet, but in order to avoid invoice fraud, never click on the links that appear in an unexpected text or email. Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated than ever and it is now incredibly easy to create email addresses that look genuine upon first glance, but if you look closely, you might notice that certain names or words in the address are spelt incorrectly.

Check on suppliers

Fake invoices are often issued under a legitimate name with a fake bank account number or email address or under a false business name. When you’re taking on a new supplier, it’s a good idea to do your research into their business to ensure that they are legitimate and to search for their business address on Google maps. If their address is a PO box or a residential address, this could indicate that they are committing fraud. Where possible, if your existing suppliers get in touch claiming that they are changing their bank account or address, contact them directly to make sure.

Conduct multiple-stage authorisation

If you have the staff capability, it’s a good idea to hold multiple people responsible for the authorisation of payments. You could give the department or person associated with the expenditure responsibility for authorising the payment. The more people you have on hand to check each invoice, the more likely it is that someone will spot something suspicious.

If you’re looking to take control of your company spending in a secure and safe manner, get in touch with our expert team at B4B Payments today.

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Expense Management Insights Newsroom Payroll & Payouts Tools & Guides Uncategorised

The Pros (and cons) of being a cashless organisation.

It’s not uncommon for businesses to question whether they should adopt a cashless policy or not. Recent global events, such as the coronavirus pandemic, have led to an increase in credit and debit card payments. Digital wallet services like Apple Pay are also experiencing exponential growth, as increasing numbers of consumers and vendors embrace cashless payments.

However, in some industries – particularly in business-to-business environments such as wholesalers or supply merchants – cash is still commonplace. This article covers the pros and cons of switching to a cashless payments model and is designed to help you to determine whether going cashless is the right solution for you.

The pros of adapting a cashless policy

Save time – and money!

While businesses are expected to pay fees on credit card transactions, it’s worth noting that processing cash sales can take much longer. Ultimately, the time spent processing physical cash transactions could be better spent elsewhere. With cashless transactions, you’ll spend less time making trips to the bank, counting cash at the end of the day, and entering cash transactions into your accounting software.

Increased efficiency

A simple tap or swipe of a prepaid business card, credit card, debit card or mobile phone is much more efficient than giving out petty cash. If your business frequently experiences last minute or on-the-spot purchase needs, you may find that a cash-free solution helps to alleviate backlog in accounting.

Easier accounting and money management

If you’re frequently spending time poring over transactions while trying to determine why your expenses aren’t tallying correctly, it’s time to think about going cashless. With a cashless solution from B4B Payments, each transaction is tracked and receipt uploads are a breeze with the mobile app. This makes accounting more accurate and increases efficiency in the workplace.

Reduced risk

If your business keeps cash on the premises, you’ll always be vulnerable to theft. By switching to a cashless policy, you’ll improve the physical security of your staff and customers. Cashless transactions are also more hygienic – and your team and vendors will value this in a post-pandemic world.

Enhanced expense management

Going cashless isn’t all about finances coming in – it concerns your outgoings, too. Whether you’re purchasing from suppliers or covering the corporate expenses of field agents and reps, your expenses are easily tracked and managed when you go cashless.

Access valuable data

Cashless transactions generate a multitude of valuable consumer information. This data allows you to analyse the purchasing trends and spending habits of your card recipients and employees, which can be used to improve your financial strategy.

Cons of adopting a cashless policy

Increased card fees

One of the biggest bugbears for small-medium enterprises is the dreaded card transaction fee. To combat this, some companies factor card fees into their pricing structure, which could mean having to slightly increase the amount you charge your customers for your products.

*Pro tip- Read the fine print. Many prepaid card programmes offer cheaper rates from the outset, with hidden fees or margins on FX rates for transactions. Ω`

Some people prefer cash

For some organisations depending on who you’re distributing your cards to, cash is still king. In particular, older recipients of funds, are more accustomed to paying with cash and could feel alienated by your decision to adopt a totally cashless policy.

Is going cashless right for your business?

There are a lot of variables to consider before going cashless. Businesses in certain industries might benefit from going completely cashless, while others might still want to hold out before no longer utilising cash payments.

Whether you’re ready to take the plunge or not, having a cashless payment solution can certainly increase efficiency, provide you with better understanding of where your money is going, and streamline your accounting process. If you’d like more information, why not contact us to find out how B4B Payments could transform your fund disbursement today?

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Expense Management Insights Newsroom Tools & Guides Uncategorised

How to cut business costs

cutting-business-costs-with-prepaid-cards

No matter how established a business is, regularly looking for ways to cut and control costs and eliminate unnecessary expenditure is good business practice. In uncertain times, and when faced with an uncertain economy, every penny truly does count and even successful businesses should re-evaluate how they can cut costs.

1. Look for ways to be environmentally friendly

While swapping your bulbs for LEDs and installing solar panels may seem like unnecessary business expenses, in the long-term, they can help your business to save a significant amount of money. You can also encourage your employees to make better eco choices, such as switching off their computers rather than leaving them on stand-by and opting for digital documents rather than using paper. Buying reusable mugs and cups for your workplace is much more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than constantly buying single-use supplies. In a post-covid workplace, we recommend ensuring each member of staff has their own supplies to ensure the safety and health of your team.

2. Negotiate supply expenses

It never hurts to try and negotiate a lower price with supply vendors to see if you could get a better deal. If you have been with a vendor for the long-term, you can ask them to reward your loyalty and retain your custom by offering you a lower, more affordable price. If they are unable to do this, shop around for another vendor, you may be surprised at the savings you could make by switching to another supplier or company.

3. Reduce overheads

Do you really need an office? Since lockdown measures were put into place due to the global pandemic, many businesses are re-evaluating having a physical presence at all. It’s clear employees are adapting and thriving in a remote working environment and surveys show that by continuing to give your employees the choice to work from home, you will not only have a safer, happier team, but can significantly reduce your overhead costs by moving into a smaller office space or none at all. If you choose to have a smaller office space with fewer employees working physically in the office, this will also help you to lower your energy bills and keep employee expenses low.

4. Control expenditure

If you’re looking for an easy and efficient way to control employee expenditure, you may wish to consider B4B Payments. Having spent the last 14 years developing a robust prepaid card solutions that allows businesses to view and control their employee expenditure in real-time, ensures your organisation has total control and transparency over their employee expenses.

5. Reduce travel

Encourage all meetings to take place via video call or conference call, rather than allowing employees to travel frequently. This not only saves a company transport costs, but it also reduces the time employees spend and waste travelling from location to location. If it is essential departments or employees meet in person, use to ensure tracking your employees’ transport expenses is easy and you can factor this expense into your monthly or quarterly budget.

To learn more about the prepaid business card solutions that can help businesses of all sizes cut costs, contact B4B Payments today. From payroll to employee expenses and employee incentive management, we can help you manage your finances in one, convenient platform. Get in touch today to learn more about our effective solutions.

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