Connect a Commercial Tier Corporate Card Program

Overview

Emburse Spend supports direct integrations for Commercial Tier corporate card programs using bank-provided data feeds.

Connecting your corporate card program allows transaction data to flow automatically into Emburse Spend for expense tracking and reconciliation.

Though it is not required to connect a Commercial Tier corporate card program before starting implementation, completing this step early is recommended to maximize training and onboarding efficiency.

How the Connection Works

To connect a Commercial Tier corporate card program:

• You work directly with your bank to configure the data feed
• Your bank sets up and delivers transaction data to Emburse Spend
• You send required configuration details (for example, filenames or identifiers) to Emburse Spend Support to complete the setup

Expected Timeline

The time required to configure a corporate card feed depends on your bank:

• American Express®: 8–10 business days, up to 2 weeks
• Mastercard: 10-15 business days
• Visa: 1–2 weeks if your financial institution (FI) participates in Visa Commercial Data Services; otherwise, 4–6 weeks depending on the FI

The timeline begins after your bank receives all required configuration details.

Roles and Responsibilities

Emburse Spend Support does not configure the bank feed. Support completes the final connection after your bank finishes setup.

Connect an American Express Corporate Card Program

American Express Corporate Cards display the word CORPORATE on the front. Common programs include Corporate Green, Corporate Gold, and Corporate Platinum. Connecting a Corporate Card Program imports transaction data into Emburse Spend through a secure data feed.

What to Expect

• Connection Method: Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) feed

• Setup Time: Approximately 10 business days after American Express receives completed enrollment forms

• Who This Is For: Emburse Spend administrators setting up a corporate card program

Real-Time Authorizations (RTA)

Real-Time Authorizations (RTA) determine whether corporate card transactions appear in Emburse Spend in real time.

• RTA became available in June 2026.
• If your American Express implementation form was completed before June 17, 2026, complete a new form with RTA selected and send it to the Electronic Transmission Team.
• If your implementation form was completed on or after June 17, 2026, review the submitted form to confirm that RTA was selected.

If RTA is not enabled, transactions import through the standard SFTP feed and do not appear in real time.

RTA enrollment does not change the required SFTP setup process and does not require additional configuration in Emburse Spend. It affects transaction timing only.

Required Documents

Before you begin, download and review the following American Express enrollment forms:

• Guide to Completing American Express Forms (US, Canada, and International) 

• American Express Global Data Transfer Form

• Emburse Spend Implementation Form

Submit Enrollment Forms to American Express

As the Emburse Spend administrator, you are responsible for completing and submitting all required American Express enrollment forms.

1. Review the required American Express documents listed above.

2. Complete all required forms. Specify which Master Card Accounts (MCAs) or Basic Card Accounts (BCAs) you want to connect. If you are unsure which accounts to include, contact American Express directly to confirm the correct information.

3. Email the completed forms directly to American Express at electronic.transmissions.team@aexp.com.

American Express reviews the submitted forms and initiates the setup of the corporate card data feed.

What Happens Next

• After American Express activates the corporate card feed, transaction data is sent to Emburse Spend.
• Emburse Spend Support contacts the person who submitted the forms to confirm which MCAs or BCAs to connect. This person must be an administrator in Emburse Spend.

Once the data feed is connected, you can view all transaction data sent by American Express. If you need historical transaction data, contact American Express directly to request it.

See Connect an American Express Card Program to Emburse Spend for more information.

Connect a Mastercard Corporate Card Program

Use these steps to connect a Mastercard commercial card program to Emburse Spend using a CDF3 (Integrated Direct File) feed. Your bank configures the direct feed to Emburse Spend; once you receive the File Distribution ID, share it with Emburse Spend Support so we can finalize the connection.

Connection type: CDF3 file

Set Up the Feed

1. Contact your bank representative.
2. Request a Direct Feed or Integrated Direct File (CDF3) for your expense management solution (Emburse Spend).
3. Confirm with your bank that the feed is configured to deliver data to Emburse Spend.

Complete Setup

4. After your bank completes configuration, your bank will provide a File Distribution ID.
5. Provide the File Distribution ID to Emburse Spend Support to complete the connection.

Activate the Card Program

Once Emburse Spend Support completes the connection, an administrator must:

1. Go to Company Settings.
2. Select Card Programs and locate your Mastercard program.
3. Select ACTIVATE CARD PROGRAMS.

4. Accept the Mastercard Terms of Service.

   

The card program becomes active and begins importing transactions. If you need historical transaction data, contact Mastercard directly to request it.

Connect a Visa Corporate Card Program

Use these steps to connect a Visa commercial card program to Emburse Spend through your bank via Visa Commercial Data Solutions. Your bank or Visa representative selects Emburse as the integration partner and configures file delivery. You send the filename or connection details to Emburse Spend Support to complete the setup.

Connection type: Visa SFTP feed (via Visa Commercial Data Solutions)

To set up a Visa corporate card feed:

1. Contact your bank representative and request a Visa data feed connection to Emburse Spend.
2. Ask your bank or Visa representative to select Emburse as the integration partner in Visa Commercial Data Solutions.
3. Work with your bank to configure file delivery and confirm setup.

3. Work with your bank to configure file delivery and confirm setup.

Complete Setup

4. After your bank completes configuration, send the required filename or connection details to Emburse Spend Support to complete the setup.

Once the feed is connected, transaction data is sent to Emburse Spend automatically. If you need historical transaction data, contact Visa directly to request it.

Alternative: Manual Statement Uploads

Manual statement uploads are available only for specific account types.

If this option is enabled for your organization, you can upload statements instead of using a direct integration.

If you do not see this option in your account, it is not currently supported for your configuration.

See: Create and Manage a Statement Upload Corporate Card Program.

After Setup

Once the feed is active:

• Assign cards to users
• Review and manage transactions in Emburse Spend
• Sync transactions to your accounting software

See Assign & Sync Commercial Tier Corporate Cards.

• Emburse Spend Implementation Form American Express.DOCX30 KB
• Guide to Complete American Express Forms - US, Canada & International.pdf400 KB
• Global Data Transfer Form American Express.pdf500 KB
• Emburse Spend Implementation Form (New - 2026).docx500 KB