Secure Card Process & FAQ
Updated on July 09, 2026
The Prendio Secure Card is a one-time-use virtual Visa or Mastercard generated for each individual vendor payment. It is funded to the exact invoice amount from your company's primary payment account — the same account used for ACH payments — and delivered directly to the vendor. There is no physical card, no statement, and no additional cost to your company.
If interested in enabling Payments, please complete a Support Ticket Request Form.
Payment Method Comparison - Check, ACH, & Secure Card
What is the Secure Card?
Each time a vendor payment is processed through Prendio, a unique card number is generated and loaded with the exact invoice amount. The vendor processes it like any standard card transaction. Once used, the card number is permanently retired and cannot be reused.
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Note: The card is capped at the exact payment amount. It cannot be charged for more, and it cannot be reused once the payment has been processed. |
Key facts:
- Network: Visa and Mastercard
- Cost to your company: No additional charge. Funding is drawn from the same account used for ACH payments.
- Delivery: Sent digitally to the vendor via email or through the vendor's bill-pay portal. No physical card is issued.
Why Vendors Value Secure Card
Vendors choose Secure Card because the overall value — faster payment, guaranteed funds, and reduced administrative work — consistently outweighs the small interchange fee they absorb through their merchant agreement. When vendors are paid the way they prefer, your AP team receives fewer inbound calls.
Faster settlement
Secure Card settles in 2–3 business days — faster than checks (7–10 days) or ACH (3–4 days). For vendors, faster payment means improved cash flow and reduced reliance on credit.
Guaranteed payment
Once authorized by the Visa or Mastercard network, the payment is locked in. There are no reversals and no uncertainty. This is particularly valuable for vendors managing tight cash flow.
Embedded remittance data
Secure Card carries invoice number, PO number, dollar amount, and company name with every payment, enabling straight-through posting in the vendor's accounts receivable system.
ACH does provide an Addenda field and can accompany a separate remittance file; however, this data is less tightly coupled to the payment and may still require manual intervention on the vendor's side to reconcile.
No bank account exposure
Vendors do not need to share routing or account numbers to receive Secure Card payments. Each card number is unique per payment and expires after a single use, eliminating the most common payment fraud vectors.
Lower total cost of receivables
The full-cycle cost of processing a paper check — mailroom handling, manual data entry, exception handling, fraud prevention, and collections follow-up — typically runs $13–$41 per payment. Secure Card, even with interchange, is often the more cost-effective option for vendors.
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Note: Vendor payment preference is our guiding principle. When vendors are paid the way they choose, fewer issues reach your AP team. |
Payment Method Comparison - Check, ACH, & Secure Card
The table below compares the three domestic payment methods available in Prendio. All three are included in your program at no additional cost to your company.
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Method |
Settlement |
Notes |
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Check |
7–10 days |
Can bounce, be lost in mail, or be stopped after issuance. No guarantee until funds clear. |
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ACH |
3–4 days |
Includes Addenda field and separate remittance file, though less tightly coupled. May require manual reconciliation on the vendor's side. |
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Secure Card |
2–3 days |
Guaranteed by Visa/Mastercard network on authorization. Remittance data embedded in the transaction. Fastest domestic option. |
How It Works
From your perspective, the Secure Card payment process is seamless. You approve your payment batch in Prendio as normal. Prendio handles card generation and delivery automatically.
Step 1 — Payment batch approved. Approve your batch in Prendio as usual. No additional steps are required on your side.
Step 2 — Card generated. Prendio generates a unique Visa or Mastercard number loaded to the exact penny of the invoice amount.
Step 3 — Card delivered to vendor. The card number and full remittance details are sent to the vendor's remittance contact via email or through the vendor's bill-pay portal.
Step 4 — Vendor processes the card. The vendor charges the card as they would any standard card transaction. The payment settles within 2–3 business days.
Step 5 — Card expires. Once used, the card number is permanently retired. It cannot be reused or charged again.
Step 6 — Account debited. Funds are drawn from your standard payment account. Payment reporting is available in Prendio under the Payments tab.
Vendor Enrollment
Prendio manages the entire vendor enrollment process on your behalf. Vendors choose their preferred payment method — Check, ACH, or Secure Card — during enrollment, and Prendio honors that preference going forward. Your team does not need to chase vendors for payment setup.
Step 1 — Welcome communication
A Prendio-branded email is sent to the vendor's remittance contact. It introduces the program, sets expectations for the enrollment process, and provides a dedicated support contact.
Step 2 — Self-service enrollment portal
Vendors complete enrollment through a secure, encrypted online portal available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They select their preferred payment method (ACH or Secure Card), confirm their remittance email, and specify how they would like card payments delivered.
Step 3 — Outbound follow-up
For vendors who have not responded to the digital outreach, Prendio's dedicated enrollment team follows up by phone. A live agent walks the vendor through the options and completes enrollment on the call. Every vendor ends up with a payment method on file.
Cost
The Secure Card carries no additional cost to your company. Check, ACH, and Secure Card are all included in your Prendio program.
The interchange fee associated with card payments is paid by the vendor through their existing merchant agreement — the same way any business accepts a credit card. This is factored into the vendor's total cost of receivables.
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Note: All three payment methods — Check, ACH, and Secure Card — are the same cost to your company. There are no additional fees for using Secure Card. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see which vendors are enrolled in Secure Card?
Yes. Vendor payment preferences are visible in your Prendio account. Your Prendio Account Manager can provide a summary report at any time.
What if a vendor does not want to accept card payments?
Vendor preference is always respected. If a vendor opts out of card payments, Prendio will update their profile and they will continue to receive payment via their preferred alternative method (ACH or Check).
What remittance information does the vendor receive?
Every Secure Card payment includes the invoice number, PO number, dollar amount, and your company name. This allows vendors' accounts receivable systems to match the payment automatically, reducing manual work on their end.
Is the card number secure?
Yes. Each card number is unique to a single payment and expires immediately after use. Vendors never share their bank account details to receive Secure Card payments, and there is no risk of the card number being reused.
What happens if there is a payment issue?
Prendio's operations team monitors every payment through to final settlement status. If an issue is detected, the team resolves it directly. Most exceptions are handled without any action required from your AP team.
I updated the Payment Method for a vendor to Check/ACH, but it has updated to Secure Card. How do I change this back to Check/ACH?
Users have the ability to input the payment method and details for a vendor to allow immediate payments before the vendor has the chance to respond to their preferred payment method.
Prendio payments is vendor preference-led. After a vendor responds to the vendor enrollment with their preferred payment method, this preference will take effect and becomes the active payment method for that vendor - replacing any payment method previously entered on the behalf and cannot be reverted back.