Expense Cards FAQ

Comprehensive overview of Expense Cards with answers to FAQ

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Written by Lani Young
Updated over a week ago

Getting started with Expense Cards:

What is HCP Money?

HCP Money is a suite of solutions and your destination for all things money. It offers simple, practical tools to help you and your team get even more done in the office and the field.

Expense Cards are one of the products offered as a part of HCP Money. The first step towards ordering Expense Cards for your team is to enroll in HCP Money.

To learn more about HCP Money, check out this article.

What are the eligibility requirements to enroll in HCP Money and order Expense Cards?

Expense Cards are a part of HCP Money.

In order to be eligible to enroll in HCP Money and order Expense Cards, you must:

  • be a U.S.-based company

  • have at least 2 active employees

  • be enrolled in Housecall Pro Payments

  • must be on the Essentials or MAX subscription*

If you believe you meet the requirements for HCP Money and do not see the option to enroll in the left-hand navigation menu of My Money, please contact us via the blue chat bubble.

*HCP Money is not available for accounts still in free trial or Basic subscription.

How do I sign up for HCP Money?

To sign up for HCP Money, please go to the My Money tab of your Housecall Pro account (available on desktop) and click ‘HCP Money’ in the left-hand navigation bar. If you do not see an option to enroll in HCP Money and believe you are eligible, please reach out to support via the blue chat bubble.


Where can Expense Cards be used to make purchases?

Expense Cards can be used for any type of purchase or service payment you, your office managers/admins or your technicians need to make. Purchase supplies, materials, truck repairs, or pay for online subscriptions using funds deposited into your HCP Money account.

Expense Cards are a great alternative to using petty cash and reimbursement processes. Moreover, Expense Card purchases will automatically reconcile with your QuickBooks Online account.


Managing your cards:

How do I order a card for an employee?

Follow these steps to order a card for your employee:

  1. Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  2. Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  3. Click Expense Cards in the left-hand navigation bar, nested under HCP Money

  4. Click Add Card from the Expense Cards page

  5. Click the select employee dropdown menu, and select the employee you would like to create a card for

  6. Optional: Set the employees spending limit

  7. Check the box to send to your business address [verify this address is correct under deliver to] or uncheck the box to provide a separate shipping address

  8. Click Add Card to confirm

  9. Depending on where you had your card(s) shipped, let your employee(s) know that they will receive a card, and to reach out to you to activate the card(s)

  10. Your card(s) will be shipped to the address provided - usually within 5-7 business days

If you don't see the employee you would like to send a card to, make sure this employee has already been added to your Housecall Pro account. Expense Cards are only available for employees added within your company.


How do I activate a card?

Follow these steps to activate the card and begin using it:

  1. Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  2. Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  3. Toggle the arrow in the left-hand navigation bar to expand the menu

  4. Click Expense Cards in the left-hand navigation bar, nested under HCP Money

  5. Click the three dots on the right for the employee whose card you would like to activate

  6. Select Edit and change the Card Status to Active

  7. The card is now active and ready for use (assuming there are funds in your HCP Money account)


I haven’t received a card. What should I do?

Troubleshooting a missing card:

  1. Confirm that your cards were sent to the correct address

  • Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  • Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  • Click Expense Cards in the left-hand navigation bar, nested under HCP Money

  • Click Add Card

  • Confirm the address shown matches the location you’re looking for the cards

  1. When logged into Housecall Pro, click the blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner and send a message to our customer support team.

  2. Please make sure the card isn’t activated to prevent any fraudulent charges.


Do I need to set a PIN on a card?

No, you do not need to set a pin on a specific card. You may need to confirm the zip code of your business for some purchases but you do not set pin numbers at this time.

Simply activate the card from your My Money page and you can begin to make purchases when there are funds in the HCP Money balance. If you’re given the option to choose “Debit” or “Credit” when checking out at a store, choose “Credit”.


How do I set spend limits for a specific cardholder on a Housecall Pro Expense Card?

Follow these steps to set limits on the amount of money your employees can spend within a specific period of time:

  1. Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  2. Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  3. Toggle the arrow in the left-hand navigation bar to expand the menu

  4. Select the Expense Cards sub-menu

  5. Click the three dots on the right for the employee whose card you would like to activate

  6. Select Edit

  7. Make sure the card is active underneath the Card Status

  8. Under Card spending limit, select the period of time

  9. Enter the limit amount (for the period of time you selected in the previous step)

  10. Click Save
    Note: The setting will be immediately applied to the card you have selected


How can I replace a lost or stolen card for an employee?

Follow these steps to cancel and replace a card for an employee:

Canceling a Card

  1. Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  2. Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  3. Toggle the arrow in the left-hand navigation bar to expand the menu

  4. Select the Expense Cards sub-menu

  5. Click the three dots on the right for the employee whose card you would like to replace

  6. Click Cancel card and follow the prompts to cancel the card.

Replacing a Card

NOTE: You must cancel the employee’s previous card in order to replace it with a new one. To cancel a card please see the above instructions.

  1. If you would like replace a card for an employee, Click Add Card

  2. Click the select employee dropdown menu, and select the employee you would like to create a card for

  3. Optional: Set the employees spending limit and amount

  4. Check the box to send to your business address [verify this address is correct under ‘deliver to’] or uncheck the box to provide a separate shipping address

  5. Click Add Card to confirm

  6. Depending on where you had your card(s) shipped, let your employee(s) know that they will receive a card, and to reach out to you to activate the card(s)

  7. Your card(s) will be shipped to the address provided - usually within 5-7 business days

If you don’t see the employee you would like to send a card to, please make sure this employee is already added to your Housecall Pro account. Expense Cards are only available for employees within your company.


Managing your HCP Money Balance:

In order to use Expense Cards, you will need to fund your HCP Money account. Check out this article on the different funding methods we offer to keep your account funded:


Managing your Expense Cards Transactions:

How can I access and download my monthly Account Statements?

Account statements are generated on a monthly basis, generally by the 10th of the subsequent month. They are available in PDF and CSV format.

To access your monthly account statements:

  1. Go to My Money in the top navigation bar

  2. Click HCP Money in the left-hand navigation bar

  3. Click Statements in the left-hand navigation bar

  4. Click on the ‘Download CSV’ or ‘Download PDF’ link, depending on your desired format

How can I export my Expense Cards transactions?

Follow these steps to export your Expense Cards transactions:

  1. In your Housecall Pro account (desktop), click My Money, then HCP Money

  2. Select Transactions in the left hand navigation bar

  3. Above your list of Completed Transactions, on the right-hand side, click Export.

  4. Choose the date range of transactions to export and confirm your choice.

In a few minutes, you will receive an email with a .csv file that you can download with a list of the transactions from the specified date range.


How can I turn on/off text and email notifications for Expense Cards?

To turn Expense Card notifications on or off go to the 'My Money' page > then under the 'HCP Money' section, select 'Transactions'. From here select the 'Manage Notifications' button.

There are four notifications you can enable based on specific card activity:

Notification

Description

NEW! Receipt upload reminders

(push notification)

After an Expense Card purchase is made, you can enable automatic reminders for the cardholder to upload their receipt.

Purchase Notification

(text and email)

With any successful card purchase, admins on the account will receive an alert that includes the cardholder's name, purchase amount, the store name, and the date and time.

Card decline notifications

(text and email)

This notification will alert the admins on the account that an Expense Card purchase has been declined. A card decline may be the result of:

  • Insufficient funds in the HCP Money account

  • If the card is inactive at the time of purchase*

  • If the cardholder spending limit has been reached*

NOTE: Purchases may be declined for unspecified reasons. Please reach out to customer support via the blue chat bubble for more details if this occurs.

Low balance Notifications

(Text and email)

When your HCP Money balance falls below this threshold, you will be sent an alert warning of the low account balance. This notification will only be sent once while your HCP Money balance remains below this

threshold.

Updating Card Spending Controls
*To reactivate or deactivate a card or adjust a cardholder's spending limits go to the My Money page > the 'HCP Money' section > then 'Expense Cards'. Click the three dots next to the cardholder name on the right-hand > select 'Edit' and update the card spending information as needed. Once confirmed, these edits will take effect immediately.


Why are my card transactions getting declined?

There are several reasons why your Expense Cards purchases may be getting declined. These include:

  • The card may not be active. If you have yet to activate your expense card, or one of your technician’s cards, it will automatically be declined. To activate the Expense Card, please follow these instructions

  • Spending limits have been reached: If you have set a spending limit for an Expense Card, any attempted transaction that is over the set amount (per transaction, daily, weekly or monthly) will automatically be declined. To edit the spending limits on a card, please follow these instructions

  • The card has insufficient funds: If you do not have enough funds in your HCP Money account, any transaction for more than the amount remaining will automatically be declined. To set a one-time or recurring transfer from your external bank account, please follow these instructions. To set a minimum balance, funded by your credit card payouts, please follow these instructions. Please note that inbound bank transfers can take up to 4 business days to be available for use.

  • The card is being swiped when the chip or tap-to-pay should be used: When a card terminal has the ability to accept payment via chip or tap-to-pay, the card’s magnetic strip is disabled because chip and tap-to-pay are the most secure payment mechanisms and the best way to keep your card’s information safe.


How can I use the dashboard to learn more about my spend and transactions?

To learn more about transactions and spend, go to My money then click HCP Money on the left-hand navigation menu. You will automatically land on HCP Money dashboard where you can see trends and a running transaction list of your business’ most recent transactions.

View Spending by Employee:

To see spending by employee, click the drop-down menu above the spending chart and select “Who is spending the most money?” You can also change the time period to the past month, three months or year.

View Spending by Category:

To see spending by category, use the drop-down menu above the spending chart and select “What categories am I spending on?” You can also change the time period to the past month, three months or year.

View a Full List of Transactions:

To see a full list of transactions, you can either click Transactions on the left-hand navigation menu under Expense Cards, or click the view all button directly above your list of completed transactions on the dashboard. You can use the arrows at the bottom right of the list to view more transactions directly in the Expense Cards interface. To export a list of transactions, please follow these instructions.


How can I dispute a fraudulent transaction?

Before submitting a dispute:

  1. If you believe your card has been used fraudulently, cancel and reorder the card immediately so that it can’t be used again.

  2. Review the transaction and ensure you do not recognize the transaction or the merchant. If you do recognize the merchant, contact them directly. Most of the time, misunderstandings or errors can be resolved much more quickly with the merchant than by formally disputing the charge.

  3. Please note that complaints regarding a transaction you do recognize, including, but not limited to: duplicate charges, incorrect charge amounts, non-delivery of goods or services, unsatisfactory quality of goods or services delivered, buyer’s remorse, or disagreement with a merchant about tips or added charges, must be addressed directly with the merchant before a dispute can be filed.

  4. If you do believe that a transaction posted to your Financial Account was unauthorized or otherwise fraudulent, you have the right to dispute such a transaction.

To prepare for the dispute process, gather any relevant documentation to support your claim that your card was used in a fraudulent manner, which could include items like the following:

  1. A record of the transaction(s) you’d like to dispute

  2. Any evidence that shows the cardholder's whereabouts at the time of the fraudulent transaction; this could be in the form of:

    1. Receipts from authorized transactions on the same card or a different card(s) made around the same time

    2. Plane tickets or hotel reservations

    3. Correspondences with others discussing whereabouts

    4. Phone/computer device location information

    5. Signed witness statements substantiating your whereabouts

    6. A lost or stolen card report before the transaction took place

    7. A police report which specifies that your card information was used fraudulently

    8. Any correspondence with the merchant regarding the unauthorized transaction

  3. To initiate a dispute, contact Housecall Pro’s Support Team via the chat interface in your Housecall Pro account no later than 60 days after the transaction was authorized.

  4. Upon receipt of your dispute, a Third Party Financial Partner will initiate an investigation.

  5. At the conclusion of the investigation, you will receive an email from our Third Party Financial Partner with the outcome.

Important note: If the Third Party Financial Partner’s investigation is unable to conclude that the transaction was unauthorized or fraudulent, they will send you an email stating this to be the case. At that point, however, Housecall Pro will conduct our own investigation, and may deem the transaction to be fraudulent, in which case you would be reimbursed. This will not always be the case, and Housecall Pro reserves the right to make such a decision at our sole discretion, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.


What are pending transactions?

In your Transactions page for HCP Money, you will see both pending and completed transactions. Pending transactions will show Expense Cards purchases, deposits, and withdrawals that are still processing while money moves between accounts.

Depending on the transaction type, you will see pending transactions for 2-4 business days before they move to completed purchases.

Note: Pending transactions will not be included with your export of transactions as your export will only show completed transactions.


How does QuickBooks Online Integration work with Expense Cards?

To learn more about how Expense Cards purchases and transfers to and from your HCP Money balance are automatically recorded with our QuickBooks Online Integration, check out this help article:

If you are interested in learning more about Expense Cards with Housecall Pro, check out these articles:

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By using Housecall Pro services, you agree to the Housecall Pro Terms of Service

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