Creating and Managing a Statement Upload Corporate Card Program
A manually uploaded corporate card program is a useful feature for companies experiencing persistent connection errors or companies that have a card program that is not currently supported by Abacus' direct connect method. Only Admins will have the permission to create, update and maintain the manually created card program. Once the card program is created and the transactions populate, the end-user experience is identical to any other card program connected to Abacus.
Create a Manually Updated Corporate Card Program
To create a new card program using a card statement, navigate to the 'Card Programs' on the Settings page.
Click on the ‘Add Card Program’ button in the upper right corner and select the ‘Create a Statement Upload Program’ option.
Create New Program
You will be prompted to enter the program name. We suggest having the name of the program indicate that these transactions are manually uploaded. For example, you can enter 'Manual American Express Business' or 'Bank of America Business Upload'. Next, you will have the option to create the program without uploading transactions by clicking 'Skip and Create' or you can move on to import card details and transactions by clicking ‘Upload Transactions’.
Upload Cards Statement
For the next step, you will need to download the transaction statement from your credit card provider or online banking portal. The transactions must be in a compatible file type, which is either a .CSV or a .OFX file. You can create your own CSV to upload or download a template of the CSV format from this window in Abacus:
Assign Cards to Users
Once you've completed formatting the CSV, you can drag and drop the file or choose ‘Import File’ to upload the transactions. Once the file uploads, you’ll be able to review the newly added cards and assign them to the appropriate member.
Review Imported Transactions
Abacus will prompt you to review the transactions that will be uploaded into the system. When you have confirmed that the transaction looks correct, click ‘Import Transactions’ to complete the upload. All assigned cardholders will now be able to view and expense these corporate card expenses from their personal Abacus accounts.
Mapping to Accounting Software
The last step to setting up your manually uploaded card program is to map the cards or card program to the proper account in your accounting system. You can do this by navigating to the 'Accounting Sync' tab on the 'Account & Settings' page and scrolling down to the 'Corporate Card' section. You will have the option to sync individual cards to separate accounts or a full card program to a single account.
IF YOU ARE USING A MANUALLY UPDATED CARD PROGRAM AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR AN AUTOMATIC REFRESH CARD PROGRAM THAT HAS STOPPED UPDATING:
The existing card program will need to be paused from automatically updating to prevent duplicates. To do this, select the three dots next to the existing card program name and select "Stop Syncing". Once the card program resumes automatic refreshes, please reach out to Abacus Support to re-activate it.
Managing a Manually Updated Corporate Card Program
After the card program is initially created, the Admin will be responsible for continuing to upload new transactions as they are created and posted. The feature allows Admins to control how frequently transactions are updated, ensuring they are coded and submitted for approval in a timely manner. To keep your transactions organized, we strongly recommend using the posted date when exporting transactions from your bank's online portal and storing the file name using the date. You can also maintain a separate sheet to track the transactions that have already been uploaded.
Uploading New Transactions
To add new transactions, you need to go to Card Programs via the Settings page. You can then click ‘Upload Transactions’ option in the card program and select the .CSV or .OFX file from your computer.
Pro Tip: Take note of how many transactions are in the file you are uploading and double-check the number of transactions that were processed before clicking the 'Import # Transactions'
Adding New Cards to an Existing Program
If you recently issued a new card in an existing program, you can update your card program with new transactions as usual. Abacus will automatically register that there is a new card by using the last 4 digits of the card number. You will be prompted to select a member to assign the card to and then you will be able to review and upload the transactions.