Purchasing & Procure-to-Pay

Procurement Card (P-card)

Also known as: P-card, Purchasing Card

A procurement card (P-card) is a company payment card issued to employees for making low-value business purchases directly, within set limits.

P-cards streamline small, frequent purchases that would be uneconomic to process through a full purchase-order cycle. Employees buy directly within spending limits and merchant-category controls, and the card provider consolidates transactions into a single statement, cutting the volume of individual invoices and payments.

The trade-off is control: without discipline, P-cards can enable off-contract, hard-to-track spending. Clear policies, transaction limits, receipts and regular reconciliation keep P-card spend visible and compliant, and many organisations steer even P-card purchases through approved catalogues.

Frequently asked questions

What is a procurement card?
A procurement card, or P-card, is a company payment card issued to employees for making low-value business purchases directly, within set spending limits and controls.
What are the risks of using P-cards?
The main risk is reduced control — P-card spend can become off-contract and hard to track without clear policies, limits, receipt discipline and regular reconciliation.

Explore related across the knowledge graph

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