Can you be personally liable for a corporate credit card? If you have an AMEX business credit card, who is liable? This is a great question. Can the business card you use as an employee of the company for which you work affect your credit rating?
There are different controls and liability options in place from AmericanExpress.
Combined liability
Combined liability means the company and each card member are jointly, and severally, liable, for all charges by the card holder. The Company isn’t liable for charges incurred by the Card Member which are personal in nature and which didn’t accrue as a benefit to the company, or charges for which the company reimbursed the Card Member.
Individually Billed, Individually Paid
Each card member gets a monthly billing statement from AMEX. The Card Member is responsible for submitting expense reports to the administrator in order to get reimbursed, and in order to get payments back to American Express.
- It encourages timely submission of expenses
- The card member is responsible for reconciliation and payment
- It encourages accurate documentation of your expenses
- It reduces corporate workload, since employees are responsible for reconciling their bills
Corporate Liability
This liability option is recommended if your company is strict about preventing personal use of the Card. Or, if your staff, like Directors, are trusted with personal expenses, this option is recommended.
- The company is liable for all charges
- The company isn’t liable for unauthorized use of the card
Centrally Billed, Centrally Paid
Central billing combines all of the statements into one group, which is sent to a central point of contact. The company then makes a payment for all charges on all card accounts.
- You can make one payment
- Improves cash flow
Summary
Bottom line, AmericanExpress business cards can split liability in many ways. It all depends on which program you choose for your billing options.