Managing expenses across multiple locations isn’t easy. Whether a franchise, retail chain, or healthcare network, businesses with multiple locations often run into the same set of challenges.

You might think the finance team feels the most impact, but employees, local managers, and even customers are affected when spending processes are inefficient.

We recently explored this topic in a webinar that showcased how multi-location businesses streamline spend management while maintaining full oversight. The session featured real-world stories from businesses that have simplified expense tracking, reduced fraud risks and gained better control—all by using virtual cards.

If you missed the webinar, you can now watch the full session on demand. 

But if you’re looking for the key takeaways, this blog breaks down the biggest spend management challenges for multi-location businesses, how virtual cards can help, and how companies already use them to solve these issues.

Why multi-location businesses struggle with spend management

Managing spend for a single location is already complex. For businesses with multiple locations, staying organized and in control naturally becomes an even bigger challenge. Finance teams often find themselves playing catch-up, trying to maintain control without slowing down day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, local managers are left to figure out workarounds that only add more inefficiencies.

Here’s where things tend to go off track:

• Too few corporate cards: Most companies only issue corporate cards to executives or finance teams, leaving local managers without an easy way to pay for what they need. This leads to delays, out-of-pocket expenses, or worse—card sharing, which increases security risks and makes spend tracking harder than it has to be. 
• No real-time visibility: When multiple locations rely on shared cards, finance teams lose visibility into who’s spending what. By the time statements arrive, it’s too late to adjust budgets, flag unauthorized transactions, or catch potential issues before they become bigger problems.
• A reconciliation nightmare: Without clear tracking upfront, finance teams are stuck chasing receipts, categorizing transactions, and manually reconciling expenses at month-end.The lack of automation slows reporting, increases errors, and adds unnecessary friction to an already time-consuming process.

How virtual cards solve these challenges

Virtual cards help businesses cut through the complexity of managing multi-location expenses by offering built-in controls, visibility, and a more efficient way to track and categorize spending. 

Spending control without bottlenecks

Instead of relying on shared physical cards or manual expense reports and reimbursements, finance teams can issue virtual cards to each location, each with a set limit, expiration date, and spending rules. Location managers get the flexibility to make necessary purchases, while finance teams stay in control over card access, credit limit exposure, and when cards can and can’t be used.

Real-time visibility

No more waiting until the end of the month to figure out where company funds are going. Virtual cards provide live transaction data, helping finance teams keep budgets on track, catch unexpected charges, and adjust spending as transactions happen, not after the fact.

Simpler reconciliation

Virtual cards make it easy to categorize spending by location, vendor, or expense type. Transactions come with built-in details, so finance teams spend less time organizing transactions, chasing receipts, and sorting through statements.

Location autonomy and accountability

Location managers can pay for what they need when they need it—without lengthy approvals. At the same time, finance teams maintain oversight without micromanaging every purchase. Virtual cards give businesses the best of both worlds—empowering teams to operate efficiently while ensuring financial control stays intact.

Real-world examples: How businesses are using virtual cards today

Businesses across industries are now streamlining expense tracking, improving oversight, and reducing risks with virtual cards. 

Here’s a quick look at how four companies tackled their biggest spending challenges with Extend.

• Veterinary care group (50+ locations): Managing rapid growth meant struggling with reconciliation and receipt collection across locations. Virtual cards helped streamline spending and improve oversight.

• Fitness franchise (60+ locations): Frequent manager turnover led to constant corporate card re-issuance and fraud risks. Virtual cards provided better control while keeping payments seamless.
• National tire chain (700+ locations): Poor visibility into payments for parts and repairs made reconciliation a nightmare. Virtual cards brought structure and automation to their process.
• Healthcare network (30+ locations): Vendor payment terms didn’t align with their reimbursement cycle, making cash flow management tricky. Virtual cards helped them time payments strategically while keeping spending secure.

Make sure to watch the on-demand webinar to hear the full details on how these companies transformed their spend management with virtual cards.

New Extend features that make multi-location spending even easier

With Extend, virtual cards are just the start. Businesses managing spending across multiple locations can take advantage of even more features designed to keep budgets on track, delegate spending with confidence, and simplify oversight.

Here are two features to start with:

Budgets 

With Budgets, finance teams can set spending limits for teams, departments, or individual locations. Instead of approving every single transaction, location managers can purchase what they need with a virtual card from a pre-set budget, ensuring spending stays on track without endless back-and-forth.

Card Manager Role

The Card Manager Role allows businesses to assign a trusted team member to oversee a specific physical card account. Finance teams don’t have to manage every detail themselves—but they still have complete visibility and control over how company dollars are used.

Learn more about managing multi-location spend with virtual cards 

Managing multi-location spending doesn’t have to be complicated anymore. With virtual cards, businesses can stay in control while giving teams the flexibility they need to operate smoothly.

Want to see how it works? Try our demo or reach out to our team to learn how Extend can help.