Online Business Credit Card Management - the Death of Paper Statements?

Putting aside all talk of recessions, downturns and 'credit crunch' headlines for a moment, there has been a noticeable shift in the way UK PLC has been doing business over the past couple of years, with a revolution in 'E-business' and online financial management. The high street has been the real victim in this groundshift, whereas businesses online are thriving in a global market. Banking has quickly picked up on this and there are very few banks or credit card providers that do not offer online facilities to their customers. For business, this can only be a good thing.

Initially, many banks and financial institutions offered online banking as an environmentally friendly and 'paperless' way to monitor and maintain an account. Despite the initial reluctance by the public (fuelled undoubtedly by stories about identity theft and the ease with which fraudsters could obtain personal details), better security systems introduced by the banks has meant that online banking is a safe and secure way to run your financial affairs. This also holds true for businesses, and online banking offers small and medium size businesses in particular a host of advantages, especially when using business credit cards.

Business credit cards are a popular way of providing additional financing for SMEs, with 23% of entrepreneurs using them to inject additional capital into their company. The benefits of using an online system to manage a business credit card makes it an even easier and more flexible way to run a business, as online management gives a business a real-time overview of their transactions and financial position 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Instead of waiting for a monthly statement to drop through the door an owner can keep track of expenditure on a daily basis, monitoring exactly how much is going in and out of the account and keeping track of payments to suppliers and expenses incurred by additional card holders.

By using online management for business credit cards, a business can see quickly where the majority of expenses are being incurred and adjust their overall plan to factor this in or even make adjustments to save the business money. Some business credit cards also offer 'reward schemes' that a company can take advantage of to make savings, particularly on travel and accommodation expenses. Instead of waiting for a monthly statement to be able to see any patterns that may be emerging, a business credit card allows the company to act quickly to curb any overspend that may put the business in jeopardy. It also provides a business with the ability to forecast potential spending over a longer period of time and thus help them to plan their overall finances with more accuracy.

Online management also gives a company another other major benefit - time. The time spent going through a plethora of receipts and various other paper transactions can be time consuming and costly, particularly if the business employs an accountancy firm to keep the books up to date. Online management means that a clear breakdown of all transactions can be easily printed out at any time, making accounting much easier and quicker. It also enables business owners to monitor payments to suppliers, ensuring that payment deadlines are met and keeping open vital lines of credit to suppliers that could mean the difference between a business succeeding or folding.

In a fast moving, modern business environment, the evolution of E-business and subsequently E-Banking is one that all SMEs have to be a part of to succeed. Competition is fierce and anything that gives a business an edge in such a competitive marketplace should be utilised. Online management of business credit cards leaves business owners more time and flexibility to concentrate on the most important part of their daily life - running the business itself. It also gives them the peace of mind that they are in control of the business finances, all at the click of a button.