AirPlus Virtual Cards

The smart payment solution for your digital marketing.

Marketing spend for digital advertising has been increasing for years – and will continue to do so. 

Experts predict that in 2026, global digital ad spend will exceed $8 billion. By 2027, digital ad spend is expected to make up 73.8 % of the overall expenditure on media ads. 

Following a general shift in consumption to the internet, companies are expanding their online marketing budgets. A development encompassing every market and industry.

Global digital advertising
spend (in $ bn)

From 2021 to 2027, global expenditure on digital ads is forecast to grow at an average annual growth rate of 12.4%.

Source: Digital Ad Spend (2021–2027) (oberlo.com)

global digital advertising spend

However, traditional payment methods like bank transfer are no longer viable options within the digital payment ecoysystem.

As market-dominating advertising networks like Google and Meta require credit card payments, marketing and accounting teams are facing new challenges like payment authorization, budget compliancy and invoice allocation.

Before discussing the benefits of a centralized digital solution to meet these challenges, let’s have a look at the general drawbacks of traditional payment methods, specifically for companies and marketing departments.

Disadvantages for marketing

Control 
lack of total spend visibility

Compliance 
inefficient approval, coordination, and payment processes

Complexity
no centralized management for diverse suppliers

Cost 
wasted time and money

49.8 % of display ads on webpages and apps,

along with video ads on platforms like YouTube, account for most of the other half of advertising beyond search.

Source: Statista Market Insights (statista.com)

Ad Spending (in $ bn) 2

Graphic Ad Spending (in $ bn) 

Media Purchases:

Dominance of Networks and Agencies

Most companies buy digital advertising media through large agencies that have the necessary know-how and media power to manage cross-channel campaigns efficiently. Consequently, a substantial portion of digital ads are booked and placed through advertising agencies.

Another important detail: To settle monthly expenses below € 10,000 on large advertising platforms, credit cards are the only means of payment accepted. As giants in the global advertising network, Google and Meta set the industry’s standards, including payment  preferences.2

Media purchases

Sources:
1 Global: digital advertising mobile revenue share 2019-2028 | Statista
2 AirPlus Market Research

AirPlus Virtual Cards Procurement:

The better way to pay for digital marketing

Virtual credit cards such as AirPlus Virtual Cards can be customized to cap spend, define merchants, and limit timeframe, effectively simplifying the ad game.

Surpassing the advantages of traditional credit cards, virtual cards also offer every benefit of a modern digital payment method – leading to more convenient online payments, enhanced control of your spendings along with maximum payment security.

AirPlus Virtual Cards Procurement come in two forms:

AirPlus Virtual Cards Single-Use AirPlus Virtual Cards Single-use
  • Ideal for quick online purchasing
  • Videos, music, graphics, fonts
  • Other ad hoc purchases
AirPlus Virtual Cards Multi-Use AirPlus Virtual Cards Multi-use
  • Ideal for online advertising
  • Logged into platform of choice
  • Perfect for recurring online purchases
“Travel expense statements are a lot of work for the traveler, travel manager, and financial accounting department. If expenses are paid using someone‘s personal credit card or cash, it gives rise to a lot of manual work after the trip.”

business-time

AirPlus Virtual Cards Classic can save you time and money. All purchases made with AirPlus Virtual Cards are compiled into a single, central statement with no need for a travel expense report for each individual employee. The additional information supplied for each transaction makes it easier for you to allocate costs later on, meaning less work for the accounting team and the traveler alike.

“A lot of time and effort go into the booking and reconciliation processes. I want as many processes as possible to be automated to streamline these processes and save time.”

gears

AirPlus Virtual Cards are integrated into more than 80 booking platforms. This makes it possible for the whole card generation and payment process to take place seamlessly in the background when you book with your preferred booking engine or back-office system.

Instant virtual payments:
How AirPlus Virtual Cards work

Initiating the media purchase
The agency initiates card generation or requests its client to generate an AirPlus Virtual Card for a specific media purchase.

Generating a card
A virtual AirPlus credit card is created for the respective purpose.

Charging the card
Virtual receipt of payments for invoicing as with conventional credit cards.

Instant virtual payments: How AirPlus Virtual Cards work

Reconciling transactions
Easy reconciliation and automated settlement.

Transmitting data
AirPlus delivers meta data and purchase details for every transaction processed.

Processing the payment
The payment network contacts AirPlus for authorization.

Drawbacks of 
traditional payment

  • Diverse payment methods
  • Balance of security and convenience
  • Issues with 2-factor authenticatio
  • Complex invoice allocation
  • Manual reconciliation required
  • Outdated accounting systems
  • High level of administrative effort
  • Inflexible budgeting

Benefits of AirPlus Virtual Cards Benefits-Icon

 

Convenient and secure payments


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Straightforward handling for employees and accounting team

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Dynamic control and transparency


Control-Icon 

Easy centralization 
of diverse expenses


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Efficient administration, processing, and settlement

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Individually definable card limits


Limit-Icon 

Search-Icon

Dynamic payments for enhanced control

A dynamic payment approach is the foundation of  media purchases in our digital age. Advertising professionals pay based on the performance of their campaigns.

Virtual credit cards help you gain real-time control of  expenses made in diverse areas of your procurement. 
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You can manage all digital advertising, rationalize data, obtain an even more comprehensive overview, and fully automate your settlement processes.

Smarter payment.
Better business.

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Virtual credit cards are more suited than conventional credit cards to the many challenges of digital marketing. 

Adapt your payment process now and benefit from secure payments and more transparency, efficiency, and control with AirPlus Virtual Cards Procurement!

More AirPlus corporate payment solutions

Virtual Cards 2

AirPlus Virtual Card

The simple and secure virtual payment solution for business travel. Modernize your payment workflow with a digital solution that’s flexible, efficient, and highly customizable for travel expenses.
Discover the AirPlus Virtual Card
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