Use case · Staffing agencies · Updated June 2026

Virtual cards for staffing agencies

A virtual card for a staffing agency is a prepaid Visa card scoped to one recruiter or client account, with a set budget and vendor locks. Stop running every job-board post, sponsored ad, and background check off one shared card. Give each recruiter and client account its own card. Set a budget. Lock it to job boards, background-check services, and ad vendors where supported. Tie every cost to the client so you can bill it back. Cancel the card when a placement ends. These cards are for agency operating and billable client expenses, not worker wages.

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A staffing agency recruiter at a desk holding a gold Zil Money.Com Visa card

The problem

Recruiter spend piles up on one card, and you cannot bill it back to the client.

A staffing agency runs dozens of small charges every week, and right now they all hit the same card.

One shared card for everyone. Job-board posts, sponsored ads, background checks, skills assessments, onboarding supplies for placed and temp workers. Every recruiter hits the same card, and nobody can tell who spent what.
Reconstructing billable costs. When a client agreed to cover ad spend or background checks, you dig through one giant statement at invoice time and guess which line belongs to which client.
No per-recruiter or per-client visibility. You cannot set a budget per recruiter, and you cannot see a single client's costs without manual sorting.

How we fix it

A card per recruiter, client, or placement. Scoped and trackable.

Issue a virtual Visa card for each recruiter, each client account, or each placement. The card holds the budget you set, and every charge groups under it.

Scoped budget. The spend cap is the budget you agreed to. The card cannot go over it.
Vendor-category locks. Allow only the categories that card needs, such as job boards or ad vendors. Charges from other categories are declined where the control is supported.
Per-client tracking. Issue a card per client account or placement and read total spend by card. Recover billable costs accurately at invoice time.
One-click cancel. Placement ends? Cancel the card. New charges stop. Leftover money comes back to your wallet.
Works alongside other use cases. The same wallet funds cards for freelancers, agencies, and more.

How it works

Four steps from a new req to a controlled card.

Make a card. Name it for the recruiter, client account, or placement, and set the budget.
Set the rules. Pick the allowed vendor categories where supported. Pick the start and end dates.
Share the card. By secure email, or add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Track and cancel. Watch every charge by card in your dashboard. When the placement ends, cancel the card. Leftover money comes back to you.

See it in action

Every recruiter and client cost in one dashboard.

Watch each charge land, by recruiter and by client. Issue, freeze, top up, or close any card from the same screen.

Virtual Card Maker dashboard showing active cards, total spending, pending and declined transactions, and recent activity for virtual cards for staffing agencies

Live dashboard Active cards, total spend by recruiter and client, declined attempts, every charge as it happens.

Create New Card form in Virtual Card Maker, with options to pick a Visa card type, set a spending limit, and choose between virtual or physical card

Issue a recruiter card Pick the card type, set the spending limit, choose virtual or physical, share it with the recruiter.

Controls

What you can set on every recruiter or client card.

Control	What you set	Why it matters
Spend limit	Total or monthly cap	The card stops at the budget. The card declines charges above the available balance.
Vendor categories	Allowed types, where supported	Card works at job boards and ad vendors, declines others based on supported controls.
Time window	Start and end dates	Card ends itself when the placement ends.
Cardholder name	Recruiter, client, or placement	Matches the client account you bill against.
One-time or reusable	Toggle	Single cost or ongoing recruiter spend.

In practice

Three ways staffing agencies use virtual cards.

Recruiter sourcing card / monthly

Give a recruiter a card capped at $1,500 a month for job-board posts and sponsored ads. Locked to those vendor categories where supported. You see every post and ad on one card.

Per-client billable card

A client agreed to cover background checks and assessments. Issue a card named for that client account. Every charge groups under it, so you recover background checks and assessments totaling $740 in billable costs at invoice time.

Temp-worker onboarding card

Issue a $260 card to your onboarding coordinator for a placed temp's uniforms and safety equipment, with an end date for their first week. After the start, cancel the card and any leftover returns to your wallet.

Need cards for other kinds of spend? See contractors, expense cards, or payroll cards.

FAQ

Common questions.

Will the card work with our job boards and vendors?+

Yes. Virtual Visa cards work anywhere Visa is accepted. Online, in apps, or in stores with Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. That covers job-board posts, sponsored ads, background-check services, and onboarding supplies.

Can I pay temp workers or wages with these cards?+

No. These are for agency operating and billable client expenses, not wages. To pay workers, use payroll cards. Using an expense card does not change a worker's classification; confirm with your CPA.

Can I track spend per client for billing?+

Yes. Issue a card per client account or placement and every charge groups under that card. Your dashboard shows total spend by card, so you can recover billable costs accurately at invoice time.

Can I cancel a card when a placement ends?+

Yes. One click cancels the card and stops new charges. Pending charges still settle and count against the limit. Any leftover money comes back to your wallet.

What if a recruiter tries to overspend?+

The spend cap is a hard limit. A charge over the remaining balance is declined. You see the declined attempt in your dashboard, by card.

Can I issue cards to all my recruiters at once?+

Yes. Upload an Excel sheet with each recruiter name and budget, or use the API. We create all the cards in one go.

Put a card on every recruiter and client cost.

Get started online. Verify your business. Add money to your wallet. Make the cards. Your recruiters have controlled spend on their next req. These are expense and operational-spend cards. To pay wages, see payroll cards.

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