🏠 Expense Cards» Best Prepaid Business Cards UK (2026)
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Best Prepaid Business Cards UK (2026)
Most small businesses should start with Tide, whose free account is FSCS-protected. Soldo and Pleo suit teams that need per-person card limits.
A prepaid card suits businesses that need employee spend controls without taking on credit. A business account is the better starting point if the same product must also receive income and pay bills.
Quick Compare
Best Prepaid Business Cards at a Glance
Best Prepaid Business Cards at a Glance: Monthly Fee · Best For · FX Rate
Provider
Monthly Fee
Best For
FX Rate
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TideFree + expense tools
Free
Free banking + invoicing
Free plan: 2.75% on overseas card use. Smart, Pro and Max: 0%
Pricing verified from provider websites, October 2026. Tide: tide.co/pricing. Soldo: soldo.com/en-gb/pricing. Pleo: pleo.io/en/pricing. Payhawk: payhawk.com/pricing-and-plans and payhawk.com/card-fees/gbp. Equals Money: equalsmoney.com/pricing. Caxton: quote-based. Wallester: wallester.com/business/pricing. Moss: getmoss.com/en-gb/pricing. Card One Money: cardonemoney.com/business/pricing. Soldo fee summary: download.soldo.com.
Prepaid Business Card vs Expense Platform vs Business Account: What You’re Buying
Choose by the job you need the card to do. Tide, Soldo, Caxton, Equals Money, Card One Money and Wallester focus on controlled card spending, while Pleo, Payhawk and Moss put expense management around the card.
ANNA, Revolut, Zempler, Airwallex and Wise are different again. Their cards spend from a business current or multi-currency account that can also receive and send money.
These products use money the business already holds, so standard prepaid use does not require a credit check or build your business credit file. If access to credit or credit-file building matters, see our business credit cards guide instead.
A brand name doesn’t settle that, because some sell both. Pleo’s pricing page lists credit limits for eligible customers, up to £5,000 on Start, £20,000 on Build and £100,000 on Optimise. Spending on that limit is borrowing, whatever the card is called.
Per-card balance or shared company balance. Prepaid cards also differ in how money reaches the cardholder, which decides how much admin each top-up takes. With a per-card loaded balance you move money onto each card, and the cardholder can spend only that amount. An Expend Classic card is this kind, and so is a Volopa card loaded from its Company Wallet. With a shared company balance, the card draws on a central fund up to a limit you set, so nobody has to send money to the card first. An Expend Flex card and a Pleo card both work this way.
Tide’s card is a debit card. It spends from a business current account, so it isn’t prepaid in the strict sense, and the free plan covers the account rather than your staff. Team Expense Cards cost £5 per seat per calendar month, charged even on cards not yet activated, and each seat includes one physical and up to five virtual cards. The Smart plan includes one free seat, Pro two and Max three.
The regulatory category matters more than the product name. Most cards here come from electronic money institutions (EMIs) or authorised payment institutions (APIs), and the FCA says money with either is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). They must safeguard it instead, in a separate safeguarding account with a bank or with an insurance policy or similar guarantee. A small payment institution doesn’t have to safeguard at all.
If the provider fails, the FCA says you should get most of your money back through its administrator or liquidator. It may take some time, and it may not be the full amount, because some costs could be taken by the administrator or liquidator. That is a weaker position than an eligible bank deposit, so keep only what your staff need on a prepaid balance.
Tide and Zempler are different: both hold current account balances in FSCS-protected accounts (up to £120,000), not just safeguarded e-money. So if you hold a large float for payroll or supplier payments, it is safer in one of those two accounts than on a prepaid balance.
Moss is the one provider where the structure is less obvious. Its cards are issued by Transact Payments Limited, and the e-money infrastructure is provided by Airwallex UK Limited (FRN 900876) rather than by Moss itself, a chain we confirmed from Moss’s own terms. The cards still work in the ordinary way, but it is Moss’s partners, not Moss, that hold the regulated side of your money.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act doesn’t apply to any of these products. It only covers regulated credit agreements, which include a sole trader’s credit card but not a limited company’s. For high-value purchases where a supplier dispute is possible, a sole trader’s credit card adds Section 75 cover on top of chargeback.
Every Prepaid Business Card Reviewed
Two of these cards have no published price for the full product, Caxton Business and Payhawk’s enterprise plans, and we say so in each review rather than fill the gap with an estimate. Every other price and condition below comes from the provider’s own pricing page and terms, which we read for the October 2026 figures.
Tide Free Business Account
Top pick: free business account with expense features and FSCS-protected deposits
Top pick: free business account with expense features and FSCS-protected deposits
Tide Free Business Account
Tide is a free business current account with a Mastercard debit card, receipt capture, expense categories, and tax pots built in.
Best for: Sole traders and small businesses wanting a free all-in-one account with built-in expense tools and FSCS protection.
Watch out: Not a dedicated expense management platform: Pleo and Soldo give a team more control over each card. ATM fee of £1 after first free monthly withdrawal.
Not ideal if: Businesses needing an overdraft, branch access, or a multi-currency account that holds foreign-currency balances
Free plan£0/month. 5 free transfers in or out per month, then 20p each. 3 free invoices per month.
Smart plan£12.49/month (or £99.99/year). 30 free transfers then 20p each.
Pro plan£27.49/month (or £219.99/year). Unlimited transfers.
Max plan£69.99/month (or £559.92/year). Unlimited transfers and invoicing.
FX fee (free plan)2.75% on overseas card use
FX fee (paid plans)0% on overseas card use
International paymentsSend and receive supported (SEPA and SWIFT); not a multi-currency holding account
FSCS protectionYes, up to £120,000 (new accounts via ClearBank)
Eligible entitiesSole traders and freelancers, and UK limited company directors (not partnerships or LLPs)
Eligibility: Sole traders, limited companies, LLPs, partnerships. Apply at tide.co.
Not ideal if: Businesses needing an overdraft, branch access, or a multi-currency account that holds foreign-currency balances
Watch out: Not a dedicated expense management platform: Pleo and Soldo give a team more control over each card. ATM fee of £1 after first free monthly withdrawal.
No monthly fees on free plan
New accounts FSCS-protected up to £120,000 via ClearBank
Built-in invoicing and expense management
Fast setup, open in minutes
Accounting integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage
Company formation service included
Only 5 free transfers a month on the free plan, then 20p each way
Free, Smart and Pro cap invoicing at 3 a month; only Max is unlimited
2.75% FX fee on overseas card use on the free plan
No overdraft facility, and not a multi-currency account for holding foreign balances
Some legacy e-money accounts are safeguarded, not FSCS-protected
No branch access; partnerships and LLPs not eligible
Integrated invoicing: create, send and track from the app (3 a month on Free, Smart and Pro; unlimited on Max)
Automatic expense categorisation and receipt scanning
Direct integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage
Company formation from £1 with the Company Secretary subscription, or £14.99 stand-alone
Soldo Business Expense Cards
Best for controls: per-card spend limits and real-time tracking for SME teams
Best for controls: per-card spend limits and real-time tracking for SME teams
Soldo Business Expense Cards
Soldo is the clearest choice for a UK SME that needs to issue cards to multiple employees with individual spend limits.
Best for: SMEs with 5–50 employees needing individual expense cards and real-time spend controls.
Watch out: Standard covers only 3 users and 3 cards, and Soldo does not publish a price for more users. Payhawk Growth (£149/month, 10 cards and 10 user seats) is worth comparing as the team grows.
Not ideal if: Sole traders (explicitly excluded); businesses under 5 people; teams above 50 where Payhawk becomes more cost-effective
Not ideal if: Sole traders (explicitly excluded); businesses under 5 people; teams above 50 where Payhawk becomes more cost-effective
Watch out: Standard covers only 3 users and 3 cards, and Soldo does not publish a price for more users. Payhawk Growth (£149/month, 10 cards and 10 user seats) is worth comparing as the team grows.
FCA-authorised EMI (FRN 900459), funds safeguarded in segregated accounts
Native Xero, QuickBooks and NetSuite API integrations
Per-card spend limits and real-time controls via web dashboard
Standard and temporary virtual cards
Wallet-level budgeting by team or project
£9/user/month (Standard) applies to users, approvers and admins, not just cardholders
£27/month (plus VAT) base fee applies even for smallest plan
No FSCS protection, funds safeguarded as e-money
1.5% FX fee on international spend
Sole traders explicitly excluded, incorporated entities only
Per-card spend limits with real-time controls, stop overspend before it happens
Native Xero and NetSuite integrations for automated reconciliation
Standard and temporary virtual cards for online and subscription spend
Wallet-based budget allocation by team, project, or department
Mobile app for receipt capture and spend categorisation
Pleo Business Expense Cards
Expense automation from £8 per user per month; receipt OCR from the Build plan
Expense automation from £8 per user per month; receipt OCR from the Build plan
Pleo Business Expense Cards
Pleo’s Start plan costs £8 per user per month, a low-cost entry for small teams.
FX fee: 2.00% on Start, 1.75% on Build, 1.49% on Optimise
ATM withdrawals £5 each on Start
No FSCS protection, funds safeguarded as e-money
Per-user pricing on paid plans can be expensive for mid-size teams
Start £8, Build £14, Optimise £18 per user per month
Build and Optimise need at least 3 users and are billed yearly
Receipt scanning from the Build plan, with automated expense reports
Virtual cards for online subscriptions and team purchases
ATM withdrawals free on Build and Optimise
Payhawk Spend Management Platform
Spend management: Growth plan £149/month for under 20 employees; larger plans quote-based
Spend management: Growth plan £149/month for under 20 employees; larger plans quote-based
Payhawk Spend Management Platform
Payhawk offers a Growth programme at £149/month for single-entity businesses with fewer than 20 employees, with 10 cards and 10 user seats to start, on a 24-month commitment.
Best for: Companies under 20 staff on Growth, or ERP users (SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics 365).
Watch out: Not for sole traders. Growth is a 24-month commitment at £149/month, so it is the longest tie-in here; Payhawk offers a 7-day trial first. Larger plans require a sales call. Uses Visa, slightly lower global acceptance than Mastercard.
Not ideal if: Sole traders; businesses under 10 employees; teams wanting simple prepaid without enterprise overhead
Eligibility: UK-registered limited companies. Growth is for single-entity businesses with fewer than 20 employees; larger plans via the sales team at payhawk.com.
Not ideal if: Sole traders; businesses under 10 employees; teams wanting simple prepaid without enterprise overhead
Watch out: Not for sole traders. Growth is a 24-month commitment at £149/month, so it is the longest tie-in here; Payhawk offers a 7-day trial first. Larger plans require a sales call. Uses Visa, slightly lower global acceptance than Mastercard.
Deep ERP integrations: SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Dynamics 365
AI OCR supporting 60+ languages for international receipts
Multi-entity management for businesses with multiple subsidiaries
Growth plan at £149/month for smaller teams
Not for sole traders or businesses under 10 employees
Enterprise plans from ~£550/month require sales engagement
1.99% FX fee on international spend
Visa network (not Mastercard), slightly lower global acceptance
No FSCS protection, funds safeguarded as e-money
Multi-entity spend management for businesses with multiple legal entities
ERP integrations: SAP, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365
AI OCR receipt capture in 60+ languages with line-item splitting
Custom approval workflows and spend policy enforcement
Visa prepaid cards with real-time controls
Equals Money Business Prepaid Card
Best for FX: free to spend in 21 currencies when pre-loaded; 1.5% otherwise
Best for FX: free to spend in 21 currencies when pre-loaded; 1.5% otherwise
Equals Money Business Prepaid Card
Equals Money’s Business plan costs £25 a month, or £250 for a year paid up front, and includes up to 20 physical Mastercards and 50 virtual cards for unlimited users.
Best for: Businesses with regular overseas spend in predictable currencies. Sole traders welcome.
Watch out: Each physical card carries a one-off £10 + VAT fee, and a cash withdrawal costs £1.50. Free card spending is not free exchange: Equals prices foreign exchange on volume rather than at a published rate, so ask what it charges to move pounds into euros or dollars. 1.5% FX fee if you spend a currency not held in your wallet. Less expense automation than Pleo or Soldo.
Not ideal if: Businesses primarily spending in GBP with no international transactions; teams needing advanced expense automation
Eligibility: UK-registered businesses and sole traders. Apply at equalsmoney.com.
Not ideal if: Businesses primarily spending in GBP with no international transactions; teams needing advanced expense automation
Watch out: Each physical card carries a one-off £10 + VAT fee, and a cash withdrawal costs £1.50. Free card spending is not free exchange: Equals prices foreign exchange on volume rather than at a published rate, so ask what it charges to move pounds into euros or dollars. 1.5% FX fee if you spend a currency not held in your wallet. Less expense automation than Pleo or Soldo.
Up to 20 physical cards included in £25/month Business plan
Free to spend in 21 major currencies, no FX markup
FCA-regulated as both PI and EMI
Up to 50 virtual cards on Business plan
1.5% FX fee on currencies outside the 21 major ones
Fewer expense automation features than Pleo or Soldo
Xero and Concur Expense only, limited accounting software support
No FSCS protection, funds safeguarded
Spend with no FX markup in 21 major currencies
Up to 20 physical + 50 virtual Mastercard prepaid cards on Business plan
£25/month Business plan, generous card allocation for the price
Xero integration for expense export
FCA-regulated PI and EMI, funds safeguarded
Caxton Business Prepaid Mastercard
Multi-currency prepaid Mastercard: free ATM withdrawals on corporate accounts
Multi-currency prepaid Mastercard: free ATM withdrawals on corporate accounts
Caxton Business Prepaid Mastercard
Caxton Business is a prepaid Mastercard with multi-currency support and free ATM withdrawals on corporate accounts.
Best for: UK limited companies wanting multi-card expense management with a free entry tier.
Watch out: Sole traders not eligible. Moss is not itself FCA-regulated, funds safeguarded via Airwallex UK (EMI partner, FRN 900876). Card spending abroad costs the Mastercard rate plus a 2% FX fee from the card issuer, and Moss publishes no ATM withdrawal fee.
Not ideal if: Sole traders; businesses needing simple self-serve pricing; anyone requiring FSCS protection
Eligibility: UK limited companies and LLPs. Apply at getmoss.com. Sole traders: not eligible.
Not ideal if: Sole traders; businesses needing simple self-serve pricing; anyone requiring FSCS protection
Watch out: Sole traders not eligible. Moss is not itself FCA-regulated, funds safeguarded via Airwallex UK (EMI partner, FRN 900876). Card spending abroad costs the Mastercard rate plus a 2% FX fee from the card issuer, and Moss publishes no ATM withdrawal fee.
Start free with the Cards or Accounts Payable module
Best for: Businesses wanting low-cost large virtual card allocations, or tech teams needing API-driven card issuance.
Watch out: Each virtual card beyond the 300 free ones costs €0.35/month on the free plan, and each physical card costs €5 for standard delivery. Topping up by card costs 1.20%, though a bank transfer is free. Cards link to a euro IBAN. Currency conversion is the Visa rate plus 2%. Visa network (not Mastercard), and digital-first, so less suited to businesses wanting phone-based support.
Not ideal if: Businesses needing traditional banking features like overdraft or cheques
Eligibility: Registered companies. Wallester’s freelancer product is on a waitlist, so sole traders cannot sign up yet. Apply at wallester.com.
Not ideal if: Businesses needing traditional banking features like overdraft or cheques
Watch out: Each virtual card beyond the 300 free ones costs €0.35/month on the free plan, and each physical card costs €5 for standard delivery. Topping up by card costs 1.20%, though a bank transfer is free. Cards link to a euro IBAN. Currency conversion is the Visa rate plus 2%. Visa network (not Mastercard), and digital-first, so less suited to businesses wanting phone-based support.
300 virtual cards included free, then EUR 0.35 each per month
Physical cards free to issue on every plan
Strong per-card spending controls and instant freeze
FCA-authorised electronic money institution since May 2026
Not a full business bank account
Currency conversion at the Visa rate plus 2%
No FSCS protection: funds are safeguarded instead
300 virtual Visa cards on the free plan, up to 18,000 on Platinum
Unlimited physical cards, free to issue, EUR 5 delivery
Real-time expense tracking and per-card controls
UK sort code and account number, plus 10 held currencies
Accounting integrations, including Xero and QuickBooks, on every plan
Card One Money Business Account
No credit check prepaid Mastercard; business applications closed in October 2026
No credit check prepaid Mastercard; business applications closed in October 2026
Card One Money Business Account
Card One Money is a prepaid-style business Mastercard account with no credit check.
Best for: Nobody today: applications are closed. Previously poor credit, or turned down elsewhere.
Watch out: Business applications are closed. £55 application fee plus £12.50/month. Foreign currency spending costs 2.75%. Cash costs £1.50 at a UK machine and £3.00 plus 2.75% abroad. Each extra card is £5/month. Card balance capped at £5,000.
Not ideal if: Businesses that can qualify for a free account elsewhere
Eligibility: Companies with turnover under £2 million (Business) or £2 million and over (Corporate). Applications closed in October 2026. No credit check.
Not ideal if: Businesses that can qualify for a free account elsewhere
Watch out: Business applications are closed. £55 application fee plus £12.50/month. Foreign currency spending costs 2.75%. Cash costs £1.50 at a UK machine and £3.00 plus 2.75% abroad. Each extra card is £5/month. Card balance capped at £5,000.
No credit check required to open
Accepted without a credit check, whatever your credit history
Cash and cheque paying-in
Available to CCJs, bankruptcies, and defaults
£55 setup fee
£12.50/month ongoing charge
Transaction fees on most operations
No FSCS protection (funds safeguarded instead)
Significantly more expensive than free alternatives
Account opening with no credit check
Cheques paid in at Barclays on Card One Money giro forms
Business Mastercard included
Suitable for businesses with adverse credit history
Volopa belongs on the shortlist if your staff spend abroad. Its Cards Account costs £20 a month or £200 a year, billed annually or quarterly, and covers unlimited employee cards, though Volopa warns that organisations with large numbers of card users may pay an administration fee. You fund a Company Wallet in pounds, euros or dollars, hold up to 14 currencies and load each employee’s prepaid Mastercard from it. Buying or withdrawing in a currency not loaded to the card costs the Mastercard rate plus 1%. It connects to Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Volopa Financial Services (Scotland) Limited is an FCA-authorised payment institution (FRN 554549), and Moorwand Ltd (FRN 900709) provides the card. Your money is safeguarded, not FSCS-protected, as it is with the other non-bank providers here.
Expend suits UK teams that want mileage at HMRC fuel rates and VAT splits alongside the card, and it sells both funding models under one name. An Expend Classic card is what its help guide calls a traditional prepaid card, funded by an administrator from the company Expend account. An Expend Flex card needs no transfer: you set a spending policy, such as a single allowance, a recurring daily, weekly or monthly amount, or unrestricted use. Both come as virtual cards too.
The Essential plan costs £33 a month for 3 users plus £11 per extra user on annual billing, or £36 plus £12 billed monthly. Accounting integrations start on Elevate, at £39 a month for 3 users on annual billing. The FX fee on card purchases is 3% on Essential, 2% on Elevate and 1% on Enhanced. Prepaid Financial Services Limited (FRN 900036) issues the Expend Prepaid Mastercard.
What 3 or 10 cardholders cost a year. A monthly price doesn’t show what happens as you add staff: Volopa and Equals Money charge a flat fee, while Pleo, Expend and Tide charge for each person. We worked out each plan’s yearly subscription from the prices published on 5 November 2026, on annual billing where a plan offers it.
At three cardholders, most of these plans cost under £400 a year, so features should decide it. At ten, a flat fee stays at £200 or £250, while per-person pricing reaches £960 on Pleo Start and £1,320 on Expend Essential. These figures cover the subscription only. They leave out FX, cash withdrawals and any add-ons, so a team that spends abroad should add those from the card reviews above. Caxton Business and Moss paid plans aren’t here because neither publishes a price, and Card One Money isn’t because its applications are closed.
Also consider
Business Accounts That Behave Like Prepaid Cards
ANNA, Revolut, Zempler, Airwallex, and Wise are business current accounts or multi-currency accounts, not prepaid card products. You spend what’s in the account, so they behave like prepaid for day-to-day spend control.
A standalone card from Soldo or Pleo is primarily an expense-management tool. You load the account, staff spend within their limits, and the software records the receipts against those purchases.
A business current account such as ANNA or Revolut is your main business account: income lands there, expenses go out from there, and the debit card simply spends your balance. What protects that balance differs. ANNA is an e-money institution, so your money is safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected, while eligible deposits held with Revolut Bank UK Ltd are FSCS-protected up to £120,000 per eligible company depositor. Some businesses that applied during Revolut’s phased rollout were opened with Revolut Ltd instead, so check the entity named on your own statement. Zempler is a licensed bank too.
If you want one product that takes in your income and pays for the business’s spending, without any credit, look at these before you pay for a separate prepaid card, because their debit cards may already give you the spend control you need.
ANNA Business Account (Free plan)
Business current account: works like prepaid for spend control, with tax and invoicing tools
Business current account: works like prepaid for spend control, with tax and invoicing tools
ANNA Business Account (Free plan)
ANNA is a business current account, not a prepaid card.
Best for: Sole traders wanting an all-in-one current account with built-in tax and invoicing tools.
Watch out: Not a prepaid card, a business current account. Per-transaction fees can add up at high volumes.
Not ideal if: Businesses making many daily transactions or needing FSCS deposit protection
Free plan£0/month. Unlimited outgoing transfers. First £1,000 of incoming payments each month free, then 0.95% commission. Checked on anna.money, 23 September 2026.
Grow plan£12.90/month + VAT. 15 free transfers in and out each month, then 27p each.
Business plan£22.90/month + VAT. 60 free transfers in and out each month, then 20p each.
Big Business plan£59.90/month + VAT. Unlimited free transfers.
Auto Accountant add-onFirst 4 months free on every plan, then £29/month on Free and Grow. No later charge shown for Business or Big Business.
Incoming-payment cost exampleA freelancer receiving £5,000/month in client payments on the free plan pays £38 in commission (0.95% of the £4,000 above the free £1,000), before any other fees.
FX fee1% currency conversion fee on transfers (0.5% on Big Business). No rate published for card spending abroad.
International SWIFT transfers£5 each on Grow; 2 free a month on Business and 4 on Big Business, then £5. No per-payment fee shown on the free plan.
Accounting integrationsBuilt-in tax and expense tools (limited third-party integrations)
OverdraftNot available
FSCS protectionNo on the main account (e-money, safeguarded under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011). ANNA’s separate Griffin easy-access savings account is FSCS protected up to £120,000.
Eligibility: Sole traders, LTDs, LLPs. Apply at anna.money.
Not ideal if: Businesses making many daily transactions or needing FSCS deposit protection
Watch out: Not a prepaid card, a business current account. Per-transaction fees can add up at high volumes.
AI receipt scanning on every plan, with tax calculations through Auto Accountant
Automatic expense categorisation
Built-in invoicing with payment chasing
Company formation through the app
No monthly fee on the Free plan suits businesses with modest incoming payments
0.95% commission on incoming payments above £1,000 a month on the free plan makes it expensive for freelancers with regular client revenue: £38/month on £5,000 of receipts
On Grow, transfers in and out beyond 15 a month cost 27p each
No FSCS protection on the main account (e-money safeguarded; only the separate Griffin savings account is FSCS protected)
Not a Current Account Switch Service participant
Limited third-party integrations
No overdraft facility
AI receipt scanning, photograph and auto-categorise expenses
Tax estimates through Auto Accountant (£29/month after 4 free months on Free and Grow)
Integrated invoicing with automatic payment reminders
VAT and Self Assessment preparation through Auto Accountant
Revolut Business Basic Account
Multi-currency business account: best for international spend at scale
Multi-currency business account: best for international spend at scale
Revolut Business Basic Account
Revolut Business offers multi-currency accounts with competitive FX rates.
Best for: Businesses already using Revolut wanting multi-currency debit cards alongside their account.
Watch out: Not a dedicated expense platform. Card features limited on lower tiers.
Not ideal if: Businesses that need branch access, cash deposits, or an overdraft, and anyone whose monthly FX volume regularly spikes above the plan allowance
Basic plan£10/month (no annual discount)
Grow plan£35/month billed monthly, or £30/month effective on annual billing (£360/year)
Scale plan£125/month billed monthly, or £90/month effective on annual billing (£1,080/year)
FX allowance (Basic)£1,000/month at interbank rate, then 0.6% markup
FX allowance (Grow)£15,000/month at interbank rate, then 0.6% markup
FX allowance (Scale)£60,000/month at interbank rate, then 0.6% markup
Currencies held25+
Local account detailsGBP, EUR, USD
Team cardsYes (physical and virtual, with spend limits and controls)
FSCS protectionUp to £120,000 on eligible deposits held by Revolut Bank UK Ltd. Check your account terms for your contracting entity.
Eligible entitiesLimited companies, LLPs and partnerships; sole traders unclear, Revolut’s own sources disagree
Eligibility: UK-registered businesses. Apply at revolut.com/business.
Not ideal if: Businesses that need branch access, cash deposits, or an overdraft, and anyone whose monthly FX volume regularly spikes above the plan allowance
Watch out: Not a dedicated expense platform. Card features limited on lower tiers.
FSCS protection up to £120,000 on bank entity accounts
Interbank FX rate inside the monthly allowance
Team expense cards with per-card spend limits and controls
Invoicing on every plan including Basic
API access on Grow and Scale plans
No cash or cheque deposits at all, which rules it out as a sole account for takings
Grow is £35/month and Scale is £125/month when billed monthly
FSCS cover applies only to deposits held by Revolut Bank UK Ltd, and some accounts opened during the phased rollout started on the older Revolut Ltd e-money company
No overdraft facility
FX carries a 0.6% markup above the monthly allowance
Multi-currency accounts with interbank FX inside monthly allowances
Team expense cards with custom spending limits and merchant controls
Best for: Businesses with difficult credit history wanting a real bank account rather than an e-money account.
Watch out: Not an expense management platform. Limited integrations vs Pleo or Soldo. Transaction fees on the free tier.
Not ideal if: Businesses that send more than a handful of transfers a month on the free Business Go plan
Business Go (free)£0/month. 3 free UK bank transfers/month, then 35p each.
Business Extra£9/month. 20 free transfers/month, then 35p each.
Business Pro£19/month. 500 free transfers/month, then 35p each. Includes 0.5% interest-earning savings pot.
Card purchasesFree
OverdraftUp to £10,000 subject to eligibility. Limited companies can apply at account opening; sole traders qualify after 3 months. First £5 interest-free.
Built-in bookkeepingYes, free on all plans: receipt scanning, invoicing, expense categorisation
MTD for Income TaxBuilt in on all plans
Tap to PayFree in-app via Stripe (iPhone XS+ / Android NFC). No Zempler fee; standard Stripe rate applies.
Cash depositsPost Office: £4 minimum or 0.55% of deposit, whichever is greater
FSCS protectionUp to £120,000 (Zempler Bank Ltd)
Phone supportUK line on all plans: 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat, 9am-5pm UK bank holidays, closed Sun. Lost or stolen cards 24/7.
Eligibility: UK-registered businesses and sole traders. Apply at zemplerbank.com.
Not ideal if: Businesses that send more than a handful of transfers a month on the free Business Go plan
Watch out: Not an expense management platform. Limited integrations vs Pleo or Soldo. Transaction fees on the free tier.
Built-in accounting, invoicing and MTD tools at no extra cost
FSCS protected up to £120,000
No monthly fees
Overdraft facility available, rare for a digital bank
UK phone support on every plan, including the free Business Go tier
Free in-app Tap to Pay for accepting contactless card payments, no separate reader or Zempler fee
Only 3 free bank transfers/month on the free Business Go plan, then 35p each
Third-party accounting integrations more limited than Tide or Starling
Fewer digital features than Tide or Starling
Relatively small user base
Free business current account with built-in accounting, invoicing and MTD tools
FSCS deposit protection up to £120,000
No monthly account fees
Free payments a month by plan: 3 on Business Go, 20 on Extra (£9), 500 on Pro (£19), then 35p each
In-app Tap to Pay (via Stripe) to accept contactless card payments, free of any Zempler fee
Airwallex Business Explore Account
Multi-currency account: interbank +0.5% FX, best for international businesses
Multi-currency account: interbank +0.5% FX, best for international businesses
Airwallex Business Explore Account
Airwallex offers multi-currency business accounts with Visa debit cards and FX at interbank rate + 0.5%, significantly cheaper than most high-street bank FX.
Best for: Sole traders and businesses regularly paying or receiving money internationally at low FX cost.
Watch out: Not an expense management platform. Per-transfer fees apply. No FSCS protection.
Not ideal if: Businesses that only transact in pounds, or that need cash and cheque handling, an overdraft, or FSCS deposit protection
Monthly feeFree (one-off £50 setup unlocks full features)
FX rateMid-market rate, no markup
FX conversion feeFrom 0.24% (shown upfront before you confirm)
Currencies held40+
Account details to receive22 currencies (free domestic receipt in 9)
Business and employee cardsYes. Employee expense cards from £3 each with spending controls
Getting paid by cardInvoices, links and QR codes. Card acceptance, closed to new customers, costs 1% on UK consumer cards and 2.9% otherwise
Accounting and APIXero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent; free API; batch payments up to 1,000
Overdraft or lendingNot available
FSCS protectionNo. Funds are e-money safeguarded under FCA rules, not FSCS-protected
Eligible entitiesSole traders, limited and public companies, partnerships
Eligibility: UK-registered businesses and sole traders. Apply at wise.com/business.
Not ideal if: Businesses that only transact in pounds, or that need cash and cheque handling, an overdraft, or FSCS deposit protection
Watch out: Not an expense management platform. Per-transfer fees apply. No FSCS protection.
Real mid-market exchange rate with the fee shown upfront from 0.24%
Hold and convert 40+ currencies; account details to receive in 22
Invoices, payment links, batch payments and a free API (card acceptance is closed to new customers)
Open to sole traders and freelancers (Revolut Business is not)
No monthly fee on the account
Not a full UK bank account: no overdraft or lending
No FSCS deposit protection (e-money safeguarded only)
No cash or cheque handling
Full receiving features need a one-off £50 setup
Multi-currency account: hold and convert 40+ currencies
Real mid-market rate with the fee shown upfront from 0.24%
Account details to receive in 22 currencies (free domestic receipt in 9)
Invoices and payment links; card acceptance is currently closed to new customers
Free API, batch payments up to 1,000, and Xero/QuickBooks/FreeAgent
Who Should Not Use a Prepaid Business Card
If your business spends £200,000 or more a year and you can get a business credit card, a prepaid card leaves money on the table. A 1% cashback card (Capital on Tap, Barclaycard Select Cashback) earns £2,000 a year on that spend, or £10,000 over five years, and prepaid earns nothing. If you clear the balance monthly and qualify for a cashback card, we recommend the credit card first.
Section 75 protection is the other reason to look at credit. It covers a credit card held by a sole trader or a partnership of two or three, and only for a single item costing more than £100 and no more than £30,000. A limited company’s card has no Section 75 cover, so it relies on card-scheme chargeback, the same route a prepaid card uses.
So if you trade as a sole trader or a small partnership and regularly pay large deposits to suppliers, say £3,000 to a trade show organiser, a credit card in your name gives you a claim against the card provider if the supplier fails, which a prepaid card cannot.
And if you’re trying to build a business credit profile for future loan applications, prepaid does nothing for you, because credit bureaux don’t see prepaid or debit spend. Paying off a business credit card on time is one of the few ways to build a business credit score with Experian or Equifax.
Prepaid Business Card FAQs
Do prepaid business cards require a credit check?
No, for standard prepaid usage. You’re spending your own money. Providers run identity verification (KYB/KYC) and may check director IDs, but not credit scores for prepaid. Exception: Moss Credit applies a credit check for the credit facility within Moss. Pleo’s credit limits are for eligible customers only, and they are borrowing rather than prepaid.
Can sole traders get prepaid business cards?
Yes for most, but not all. Tide: yes. Caxton: yes. Equals Money: yes. Card One Money: business applications closed. Wallester: not yet, its freelancer product is on a waitlist. Pleo: aimed at limited companies and SMEs, and it does not publish a yes or no for sole traders anywhere on its UK site. Soldo: no, it serves incorporated entities only. Payhawk: no. Moss: no.
What happens to my money if a prepaid card provider fails?
You should get most of it back, but perhaps not all of it, and not quickly. E-money institutions and authorised payment institutions must safeguard your money, in a separate bank account or with an insurance policy or similar guarantee, and the FCA warns that some costs could be taken by the administrator or liquidator. The FSCS does not cover these firms. It covers eligible bank deposits, where by law it pays most depositors automatically within seven working days. Don’t hold more than you need in a prepaid wallet.
Are prepaid Mastercards accepted everywhere?
Mostly yes. Tide, Soldo, Pleo, Equals Money, Caxton, Moss, and Card One Money all issue Mastercard. Payhawk and Wallester issue Visa. Some merchants restrict prepaid acceptance, particularly at fuel pumps, where the pump pre-authorises a sum it cannot hold on a prepaid card, and at car hire desks and hotels for the same reason.
Can I use a prepaid business card abroad?
Yes, but check the FX fee first. Soldo: 1.5%. Pleo: 2.00% Start, 1.75% Build, 1.49% Optimise. Payhawk: 1.99%. Equals Money: free for held currencies, 1.5% outside. Caxton: 2.49% outside held currencies, free ATM withdrawals. Volopa: the Mastercard rate plus 1% in a currency not loaded to the card. Expend: 3% Essential, 2% Elevate, 1% Enhanced. Wallester: the Visa rate plus 2%. For regular international spend, Equals Money’s pre-loaded currency wallets give the most FX control; hold euros or dollars and pay no card FX fee when you spend them, once you have paid to exchange into them.
Can employees withdraw cash with a prepaid business card?
On most, yes, for a fee. Equals Money: £1.50, in the UK or abroad. Soldo: 1% (min £2). Volopa: 1% (min £2) on a sterling card in pounds, £2 in another currency. Expend: £2 in the UK and £3 abroad on Essential, free on Enhanced. Pleo: £5 on Start, free on Build and Optimise. Wallester: 2% (min €2) in the European Economic Area. A cash machine may add its own surcharge.
Final Verdict: Which Prepaid Business Card?
Tide is the best starting point for most sole traders and small businesses because it combines a free account, FSCS protection via ClearBank and everyday expense tools. If your accountant is chasing you for receipts, Tide’s receipt capture deals with that without adding a monthly fee.
For a team that needs a limit on each person’s card, Soldo is the dedicated expense platform we would price first. Standard costs £27 a month plus VAT for 3 users, well under the £149 a month Payhawk charges for Growth. Soldo publishes no price for extra users, though, so as the team grows, get a Soldo quote and set it against Payhawk Growth, which covers 10 cards and 10 user seats for that £149.
For teams of 1–3 people, Pleo’s Start plan costs £8 per user per month, so three users pay £24 a month, with accounting integrations included. Pleo has no free plan, only a free trial. The catch on Start is the £5 fee for each cash withdrawal, so if your team takes cash often, Soldo’s 1% (minimum £2) will usually cost you less.
Equals Money gives you more control over regular international spending because you can preload euros or dollars. Purchases then come from that currency balance without a card FX fee, though getting pounds into that balance has its own exchange cost.
Compare Volopa alongside it if your staff travel. Its Cards Account costs less a year than Equals Money’s Business plan and holds 14 currencies rather than 21, so the choice turns on which currencies you use and what each charges to exchange into them. Expend is the one to look at if you want the prepaid Classic card and the policy-based Flex card under one roof.
If you can get a cashback business credit card and clear it monthly, think again before going prepaid, because 1% back on £200,000 of business spending is £2,000 a year. Prepaid makes most sense when you can’t get credit, when your main need is to control what a team spends, or when you don’t want the business to borrow at all.
Ranking criteria. We ranked providers on cost, eligibility, features, and ease of access. Cost and protection carry the heaviest weight because these matter across every business type and rarely change with reader preferences.
Data sources. The October 2026 prices and conditions come from each provider’s own terms and pricing pages, which we read for this comparison. We checked every safeguarding and FSCS claim against the FCA register because protection depends on the legal entity holding your money.
Update cadence. We recheck pricing, eligibility and terms regularly, with the page showing the date of the latest full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links; see our editorial policy.
Tide Free Business AccountTop pick: free business account with expense features and FSCS-protected deposits
Soldo Business Expense CardsBest for controls: per-card spend limits and real-time tracking for SME teams
Pleo Business Expense CardsExpense automation from £8 per user per month; receipt OCR from the Build plan
Payhawk Spend Management PlatformSpend management: Growth plan £149/month for under 20 employees; larger plans quote-based
Equals Money Business Prepaid CardBest for FX: free to spend in 21 currencies when pre-loaded; 1.5% otherwise
