Thought company cards were just for corporate execs? Think again. Here are five reasons why freelancers should have a separate card for business expenses.

 

1. It’s business (don’t make it personal)

So you’ve followed our advice and opened a separate business account. Smart! Now that your business and personal finances are kept separate, it only makes sense to do the same for expenses. The simplest way to do this is to use a company card – so personal and business expenses never get mixed up!

‘Thank you for giving us clarity.’ – every Holvi user ever (or their cheerful accountant)

2. Never lose a receipt again

‘Where was that lunch receipt again? Shoot, did it fall out in the taxi? Oh no! Where’s the taxi receipt?!’

This is arguably the best reason. Today, a good company card can let you scan receipts digitally, on the go. After this it’s just a few short steps to easy bookkeeping.

How it works with Holvi:

  1. Pay an expense with your Holvi Business Mastercard®
  2. Get a mobile notification to save your receipt
  3. Snap a photo of your receipt
  4. Categorise, select VAT rate and add notes
  5. Done!

It’s that easy. Your accounts stay up to date. So long, spreadsheets!

3. Cash is so last century

Even polymer bills are passé. Today, card payments are standard – coronavirus has made sure of that. Earlier this year, the WHO (World Health Organisation) went as far as to suggest a conscious move away from cash transactions, encouraging people to use contactless cards.

But even at the best of times it’s best to avoid paying business expenses with cash. How come?

Cash doesn’t leave a trace.

While this sense of privacy might be nice for personal transactions – anonymity being a rare treat these days – when it comes to company purchases leaving a footprint is actually smart. That way your business account statements show the full picture. No blips or uncertainties.

4. Know how much you owe in tax

'Wait, how much VAT have I paid on expenses this month?'

No need to transfer data to an Excel sheet or whip out the old calculator – eek! When your card is synced to your business account, invoicing and bookkeeping, you can see all the important numbers straight in your account.

Who knows, maybe the tax office actually owes you money for once. Wouldn’t that be nice?

5. Track cash flow, stay in the know

Once upon a time, tracking cash flow was a nightmare. You’d have to take a nap, make a pot of coffee and splash cold water on your face before rolling up your sleeves and studying your account statements. Or call up your accountant, which was equally effortful. All this just to find out exactly how much money you had. It’s your money. Why so hard?!

Not anymore. Now you can track your cash flow at a glance straight in your Holvi account – in real time.

But hold on… how does a payment card tie into this? Easy – when you pay with your company card, expenses are recorded in your Holvi account along with your income, so they show up in your cash flow report. Income and expenses really do belong together.

 

Tip – Holvi balance forecast

Holvi shows an end-of-month balance forecast based on upcoming ins and outs. Sit down, make yourself comfortable and admire your cash flow’s motions – like an ebbing tide.

 

Still not convinced?

Hmm, what might be stopping you… The price? Okay, since you asked – at Holvi, all our plans include a Holvi Business Mastercard®.

We’ve also just made the switch from prepaid to debit card. Now our cards are accepted almost anywhere you can pay with plastic. You’d do anything for your business, now you can pay for anything with Holvi.