Spending Monitor Overview

Some True Link Visa® Prepaid Cards have access to the Spending Monitor, which gives the administrator the ability to customize where the Card can be used to make purchases. The Spending Monitor can be configured to meet specific cardholder needs, and settings can be updated at any time. 

In this article, you’ll learn how Spending Monitor settings work and the ways to update them.

Spending Monitor overview 

For some cards, the Spending Monitor includes six primary categories of settings:

• Access to cash: Allow or block cash withdrawals at ATMs, cash withdrawals from a teller inside a bank, or cash-back with a purchase. You can also set a maximum withdrawal dollar amount to allow cash withdrawals per transaction only up to a specific amount. 
• Top-line protections: Block online and phone purchases, international transactions, or purchases at merchants on True Link’s ScamWatch list. True Link’s ScamWatch list includes merchants whose behavior has been flagged as potentially fraudulent by multiple users.
• Merchant settings: Block or allow purchases at specific merchants. Merchant settings are a great way to customize settings based on cardholder needs, down to the level of an individual merchant location. You can also set maximum spending limits per transaction at specific merchants.  
• Spending categories: Prevent purchases at certain categories of merchants as classified by Visa (e.g., block all purchases related to gambling and casinos). 
• Spending limit: Set a maximum dollar amount for a single transaction. 
• Temporary overrides: Override all Card settings to block or allow all purchases for a period of time; easily revert to the previous settings when needed. 

Please be aware that the True Link Visa Card blocks and allows purchases at the merchant level. This means that if a merchant is allowed, the cardholder may purchase anything from that store, as you cannot block specific items from being purchased at a given merchant. See our article on managing merchandise purchases for additional information and helpful tips. 

Update settings 

To update any setting, click the toggle to the right of the setting to the red “BLOCK” button or the green “ALLOW” button. Settings save automatically, can be updated at any time, and take effect immediately.

Please see our articles on Spending Monitor settings linked in the bullets above for more information on the settings listed.