The most commonly asked questions we get
What’s the difference between a Card ID and External ID?
All cards have both an ID and and External ID. Every endpoint that accepts a card ID as a parameter can handle either, although we generally recommend passing the card ID.
External IDs are printed on the back of physical cards and start with the first 4 characters of your business name. Card IDs are uuids, and are not visible to cardholders.
Can I call OrderAndShipCard in the dev environment?
Yes, OrderAndShip will create a card in the dev environment but not ship an actual card. To simulate a card shipment, refer to Simulate Card Order Shipped.
Can I restrict spending on the cards?
Definitely! Using Spend Rules, you’re able to create rules. Merchant rules will have a mode (‘block’ or ‘allow’) and an array of merchant categories. For example, a rule with mode ‘allow’ and merchant categories ‘RESTAURANT’ and ‘GROCERY’ will decline any transactions that are not made at restaurants or grocery stores. Refer to CreateMerchantRule to see the list of all merchant categories. Velocity limits can also be set. We currently do not allow for businesses to be a part of the auth decision (outside of our merchant and velocity rules), but reach out if you have a use case!
What’s the difference between Lock card and Freeze card?
Frozen cards can only be frozen/unfrozen by business admins, whereas locked cards can be unlocked by the cardholder. We recommend admins freeze cards in cases where the card is potentially lost, or if shipping a card loaded with money. The lock card functionality is a security feature for cardholders.