Overview
Spending controls in Loop help you stay on budget and manage expenses responsibly.
You can:
Set a Spending Limit — define how much a card can spend within a chosen period.
Edit Spend Settings — choose which merchant categories and currencies a card can transact in.
These tools give card owners and admins flexibility and control over each card’s purpose — perfect for managing departmental budgets or restricting certain expense types.
Steps to Set a Spending Limit
Go to your Cards list
From your Loop Dashboard, open the View Cards page.
Select a Card
Click on the Card you’d like to set a spending limit for.
Open the Spending Limits section
Under Spending Limits, click Change Limits.
Choose a Limit Type
Select how often the spending limit should reset:
Monthly – resets every calendar month.
Annual – resets every calendar year.
Lifetime – never resets.
Set the limit amount
Enter the maximum amount the card can spend during that time frame.
Click Update
Save your new limit settings.
Review your limit details
You’ll see the limit, amount used, and next reset date in the Spending Limits section.
Editing Spend Settings
In addition to spending limits, you can customize Spend Settings to control where and in which currencies the card can be used.
Open Spend Settings
On the card details page, go to Edit Spend Settings.
Select Allowed Merchant Categories
Check or uncheck categories like Food, Advertising, or Entertainment to match the card’s purpose.
You can use Select All or Clear All to manage options quickly.
Choose Allowed Currencies
Select which currencies this card can be used in (e.g., CAD, USD, EUR, GBP).
Click Update
Save your selections to apply the changes immediately.
Note: The Merchant Locked feature is coming soon — it will allow cards to be restricted to specific merchants only.
Tips
Spending Limits and Spend Settings can be changed at any time.
If a transaction doesn’t match the allowed categories or exceeds the limit, it will be declined automatically.
You can apply different limits and categories for each card to match team or project budgets.
FAQs
Can I set different spending rules for physical and virtual cards?
Yes. Both types support spending limits and spend settings.
What happens if I change a spending limit mid-cycle?
The new limit takes effect immediately, and the spend counter continues tracking from the current amount used.
Can I allow only certain currencies for spending?
Yes — you can choose which currencies each Card can transact in.
Do merchant category restrictions apply to all transactions?
Yes. Transactions outside the selected categories will automatically be declined.
Who can edit spending settings?
Card owners can adjust both spending limits and spend settings directly from their Loop account.