How GTÜ simplified their digital marketing payments using virtual cards

We are living in an increasingly digital world, and businesses are starting to catch wind. The data backs this up: Virtual card usage – the ideal payment solution for online – is expected to grow 30% by 2024, a rate significantly faster than what traditional cards are experiencing. At the same time, digital marketing spend is growing by almost 10% worldwide, outpacing traditional media by some margin.

It should be no surprise then that businesses are now using virtual cards to pay for their online marketing needs. They offer a much more convenient way to pay, being well-suited for the performance-driven payment models used by popular digital ad platforms such as Google, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Some companies are already ahead of the game.

GTÜ is one example of how you can implement virtual cards to simplify and streamline your payments for digital ad campaigns. We spoke with Nicole Müller, a coordinator in the accounts receivable and accounts payable department at GTÜ to find out how they use virtual cards for their online marketing expenses.

Here’s how they do it.

 

What is your role at GTÜ? How long have you been involved with AirPlus?

My name is Nicole Müller, I am a coordinator in the accounts receivable and accounts payable department. We have been using AirPlus credit cards for travel and purchasing for about one and a half years.

GTÜ - Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung GmbH - is based in Stuttgart. We are responsible for ensuring professional inspections of motor vehicles, i.e. the main inspection and the exhaust emission test. We have around 750 test centers throughout Germany and around 2,500 experts who provide services.

In the area of finance and controlling, I am the specialist coordinator responsible for the accounting processes, and so I have a lot of contact with AirPlus, especially regarding credit card statements and travel expense reports.

 

Why did you decide to use AirPlus Virtual Cards?

We implemented a new platform for travel expenses, and in the course of the implementation, we were advised to use a virtual credit card that could settle travel expenses centrally. That's what we decided on - the AirPlus BTM Company Account. And then, after one or two months, procurement cards were introduced for purchasing, and that's when we decided to use virtual credit cards as well.

 

Which payment method did you previously use for this expense and why did you decide to change it?

Previously, we had a regular company credit card which we would deposit with the suppliers. However, we were not always able to allocate the debits directly to the departments and the expenses were increasing. We also found that it took a lot of time to allocate these debits, and that's why we decided to switch to a central billing method, precisely because AirPlus billing offers more details than conventional credit card billing.

 

What kind of expenses do you pay for with virtual cards?

 We use the virtual cards to pay for various things like our suppliers or IT services, and most importantly, we connect our multi-use credit card to our Facebook and Google accounts for various AdWords ads etc.

 

What is the process when your employees want to pay for online advertising expenses with virtual credit cards?

At GTÜ, we have agreed that if an order has been approved and a credit card is required for the supplier or service provider, this must be requested centrally from Purchasing. It then goes like this: Either Purchasing generates the credit card and passes it on to the employee for deposit, or otherwise Purchasing carries out this order itself and generates the credit card in the process.

We then fill in the additional fields. We make sure to enter our internal order number, which we can then use to see on the invoice who is behind the charge and who may still have to submit the invoice to us.

 

To what extent have virtual cards simplified processes at GTÜ or made them more transparent?

We make use of the additional fields when generating the card. For example, we enter our internal order number. That way, we know exactly when the debit was made, as well as which department and which employee initiated the debit. That way, if the invoices are not available, we can ask the employees directly and they can send us the invoice.

 

Were there any initial problems when you started using virtual cards? If so, how did you overcome them?

In the beginning, we had to deposit each new credit card in all our accounts, change everything over and explain the new process to our employees. However, we had very good support from AirPlus. We had a direct contact person who we could get in touch with. The portal was then explained to us and we were able to better understand the processes.

Now, the procurement cards have a new portal where we can adjust the profiles and security settings a little better and easier. The generation of credit cards takes place there too and you can track every transaction and download the statements digitally.

 

Is there anything you particularly like about virtual cards compared to other payment methods?

With some suppliers, we deposit the credit card directly with them. For suppliers who use an intermediate service provider for payment where the IBAN changes with every invoice, it is a bit difficult for us to create the master data and so we deposit the credit card, while other suppliers prefer quick payments by credit card. We deposit a credit card number with the suppliers too.

Virtual credit cards are also more secure than the regular ones because the credit card number is generated and can only be used once with the supplier. We can then also assign the debits directly by using the additional fields, such as the order number in our case. We have a direct contact person in the company who provides us with the invoice, and so we no longer have any open items with us.

 

Which departments benefit particularly from the virtual payment solution?

In addition to accounting, purchasing also benefits. Actually, all GTÜ employees do, in my opinion. We have now clearly defined the processes. We have defined the contact persons who can generate the credit cards, and the employees know that they still have to submit invoices or pass them on to the accounting department as soon as they have to generate a credit card.

 

Optimize your digital marketing with the help of virtual cards

For GTÜ, virtual cards offered a solution that cut out a lot of the workload associated with making online payments. The cards not only helped streamline their payment processes for their online marketing expenses, but also brought about more transparency into overall spending at the business thanks to the addition of supplemental transaction data.

With digital marketing becoming an ever-bigger focus for businesses, having a payment solution that is compatible with online platforms may just save you time and money. Learn more about our AirPlus Virtual Card Procurement solution in our e-book.

Thank you to Nicola and GTÜ for taking part in the interview.


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