Route Emburse Card Requests for Approval
Use Approval Routing to send card requests to specific approvers in your organization. Card Request Approval Routing lets you route requests by applicable users, amount, categories, and tags to mirror your organization's card request approval policies.
Assign to Manager Prior to Routing
Use Always assign expense to a user's manager prior to routing to control whether manager review happens before additional routing rules.
This toggle defaults to No.
- On: The request routes to the submitter's primary manager first. After manager review, additional matching routing rules apply.
- Off: Additional routing rules can route the request before the submitter's primary manager review.
If this toggle is off and a request does not match any Approval Routing rule, the employee's manager still reviews the request.
Create a Card Request Approval Route
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Select Expense Policies in the Admin left navigation.
- In Card Request Approval Routing, select ADD.
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In the Create an Approval Route dialog, select an approver in the Approver dropdown.
Use the field reference below to configure the Create an Approval Route dialog.
| Section | What It Controls | What to Enter or Select | Required | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approver | Sets who receives matching card requests first. | Select one approver. | Yes | If the approver is both a manager and an admin, that approver gives final approval. |
| Applicable Users | Defines who the rule applies to. | Select Anyone or a specific scope such as group, location, product line, or user. | Yes | Start with Anyone for broad routing, then narrow scope as needed. |
| Amount | Applies routing by amount threshold. | Select Any amount or Over. If you select Over, enter the threshold amount. | Yes | Use Over for escalation-style routing. |
| Categories | Filters routing by card request category. | Select one or more categories. | No | Leave blank to apply across all categories. |
| Tags | Filters routing by expense field values. | Select relevant tags. | No | Use tags when routing depends on Expense Fields |
- Configure the remaining fields based on the table above.
- Select PREVIEW RULE to review the criteria you configured and confirm the rule works as intended.
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To update the rule, select REVISE. To save the rule, select CREATE RULE.
Emburse Spend creates the rule and enforces it based on your configuration.
Prioritize Approval Routing Rules
When you create multiple routing rules, Emburse applies them in order from top to bottom. Reorder rules to match your organization's approval priorities.
- Select the grid handle to the left of a rule.
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Drag the rule up or down to change its position.
View Card Request Approval Path
Admins can view the complete approval path after a card request completes.
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In the Admin sidebar, select Card Requests, then select Completed.
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Select the desired card request to view its complete approval path.
Edit or Delete a Rule
To edit an existing rule, select the pencil next to the rule.
To delete a rule, select the trash can next to the rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a card request routes to a manager who cannot issue cards?
The manager remains the approver of the card request. After they approve, the card moves to the Card Requests queue for an admin with card-issuance ability to complete the process.
Do admins receive a notification when a card is ready for issuance if they were not the approver?
Yes. Emburse Spend notifies admins when an approved card request is ready for issuance.
Can an approver reassign a card request to another user?
Yes. Managers and admins who receive a card request can reassign it to another approver.