Yes, Card applicants need only an access key and the application website URL to initiate the process.

Programme Administrators can share an access key and the application website URL with employees. If the access key requires pre-approval before employees are allowed to apply, Card applicants will enter their contact information to initiate the pre-approval process. Depending on the access key settings, the Card applicant might be asked to name up to three pre-approvers or the pre-approver names will be pre-selected by the Programme Administrator. A Programme Administrator will always need to review completed applications that Card applicants initiate to ensure proper controls for the Card Programme are in place.

You can initiate up to 10 applications at a time using either “Send to Applicant” with an access key or Quick Send.

1. Simply enter each applicant’s first name, last name, and email address.
2. Select the Card type unless pre-selected by an access key, and then select settings for the available optional fields.
   • Available Card types depend on the Basic Control Account (BCA) associated with the application.
   • With Quick Send (no access key), you can select the same or different Basic Control Accounts (BCAs) for applicants in the same request.
3. Global Apply for Card (GAFC) will create a unique Application ID for each applicant that is automatically delivered to them via email from American Express, along with a second email that contains a link to the application website.

Bulk Apply, in Norway and other markets where available, allows you to initiate up to 3,000 Card applications at a time with the same access key by uploading an Excel template.

• You can access the template on the Global Apply for Card (GAFC) dashboard and must enter each applicant’s first name, last name, and email address.
• Depending on the access key settings, you can also enter the optional fields
• Next, select an access key from the list displayed in the GAFC Access Key Overview, then click ‘Bulk Apply’ to follow the steps to upload the completed template.
• You can review access key settings and preview your template data in GAFC before submitting your bulk request.
• Each employee named in the template will receive two emails from American Express inviting them to apply. One email will contain the Application ID and the other will contain a link to the application website.

Applicants will have 7 days to complete their application prior to it automatically expiring.

However, if applicants access their application within the 7 days and click Save for Later, the 7-day period starts again, and Card applicants will have another 7 days to complete their application. Card applicants can save for later as many times as they need to, and the 7-day count will restart each time.

If the application exceeds the 7-day window and expires (applicant doesn’t complete or "save for later") a Programme Administrator (PA) must initiate a new application. The PA should initiate the new application for the same named employee with the same employee email address.

• When an application expires it no longer exists, but the link to the application website does not expire. A new Application ID will be required for the employee to log in and access the new application.
• There is no time limit on when a PA can initiate another application for that named employee.
• For applications that require post-approval before the application can be submitted to American Express, the PA has 45 days to approve the application or route it back to the applicant for corrections. The applicant will have 45 days to make the corrections and submit again.
• The application will only expire if 7 days pass without the Card applicant completing the application or saving it for later to restart the 7 days.

Card applicants will receive email reminders to complete any non-started or incomplete applications during the 7-days before the application expires.

An access key defines the optional fields and approval flows that the Corporate Card application will follow. Each access key is associated with a Basic Control Account (BCA). The access key carries information from the BCA set up such as company name and address, Card type, billing type and liability type to the Card application. In the access key setup, you can choose settings for Rush Card, optional fields, and approval flows. If the BCA has more than one Card type, you will need to select one Card type in the access key.

Access keys can be saved and reused, and they never expire.

All Programme Administrators authorised for the same BCA can create and manage access keys for that BCA. There is no limit to the number of access keys per Programme Administrator or per BCA. Programme Administrators can share access keys on the company’s Intranet site or other internal process to allow employees to initiate their own Corporate Card applications.

To create an access key on the Global Apply for Card (GAFC) dashboard, follow a few simple steps:

1. In the Access Key Overview toward the bottom of the page, click ‘Create New Access Key’
2. Choose the Basic Control Account (BCA) for the access key
3. Set the options you would like associated with the access key (see details on options below).
4. Confirm and Submit.

The following options are available when you create an access key, and all Programme Administrators who are authorised for the Basic Control Account (BCA) can modify access keys under that BCA at any time. These settings in the access key allow PAs to customize the optional content and process of the Card application whether the application is initiated by a Programme Administrator or a Card applicant.

Card type – Select an available Card type from the drop-down list. If the Basic Control Account (BCA) has more than one Card type, you can only select one in the access key.

Employee ID, Cost Center, and Department Code customised fields – Check the radio buttons to display these fields on applications, mandate these fields, and define the length of the fields.. 

Allow Rush Card – Selecting ‘Yes’ will allow applicants to select the ‘Rush’ option, while selecting ‘No’ will hide this field from the application. 

Customise Approvals – Adapt the approval flow for your company’s application process.

• If pre-approval is required, the assigned pre-approvers (up to three) will need to approve the application request before the employee can access the application. Global Apply for Card (GAFC) automatically sends approval requests to assigned pre-approvers. There are three options available for assigning pre-approvers: 

  • The Programme Administrator assigns pre-approvers for the Card applications.
  • The Programme Administrator allows Card applicants to assign pre-approvers by inputting the names and email addresses of the pre-approver(s) for their application.
  • No assigned pre-approver, where no pre-approval is needed.

 

• Post-approval before the application can be submitted to American Express may be required regardless of whether pre-approval is required.

  • When post-approval is required, completed Card applications will be automatically routed to an authorised Programme Administrator before the application can be submitted to American Express. 
  • In the US, post-approval is not automatically required for all Card applications, but Programme Administrators can choose to require it. Applications initiated by a Card applicant with an access key always require post-approval.
    
    Note: Post-approval is always required in the following Global Apply for Card (GAFC) markets: IEC, India, Italy (Central Settlement Only), Japan, Norway, Sweden France and Singapore.

For applications that use an access key -Yes, in the access key settings, you can mandate Cost Centre, Employee ID and Department Code on the application, including the required length of each field. To do so, check the boxes for these items when you create or modify the access key.

For applications that do not use an access key -- When you initiate an application with Quick Send you can still choose to mandate Cost Centre, Employee ID and Department Code on the application. If any of these optional fields must display on the Card application, you will need to complete them yourself. The Card applicant will be able to modify them unless you choose to make them non-editable by unchecking the boxes on the Quick Send form. Quick Send does not have the option to select the number of characters for each field to limit errors when the fields are editable.

In the Access Key Overview section of the Global Apply for Card (GAFC) dashboard, click the arrow to display available access keys. Then select the access key and click on the arrow next to the selection button to view the access key details.

The following details will display:

• Customization settings that have already been selected for that access key.
• Information from the Basic Control Account (BCA) associated with the access key.
  • This information (such as the BCA number, company name and address, Card type, billing, payment and liability type and Card delivery address) will carry to and pre-populate the Card applications initiated with that access key.

IMPORTANT: If company information needs to be updated, such as company address, this cannot be done in GAFC. A Programme Administrator will need to contact the PA Servicing Team to update the BCA information : Phone: (+47) 22 96 08 00

No, all Programme Administrators (PAs) who are authorised for a Basic Control Account (BCA) will have full visibility to create, modify, and use access keys created for that Basic Control Account. There may only be a need for one access key for each Basic Control Account. If a BCA has two or more types of Cards associated with it, there will need to be one access key for each Card type.

If preferred, PAs can create multiple access keys for a BCA, for example, if there are different departments or approver combinations required. These access keys can be used by all PAs who have access to that BCA.

There is no limit to how many access keys can be created for each Basic Control Account (BCA) or by each Programme Administrator. Developing consistent naming conventions and internal workflows will help your organisation optimize the number of access keys created.

No, not always. To initiate an application without an access key, select ‘Quick Send’ to send up to 10 applications at a time under the same or different Basic Control Accounts (BCAs). Quick Send does not have pre-approval or post-approval settings.

In markets where post-approval is always required (Norway included) before an application can be submitted to American Express, Quick Send will route completed applications to an authorised Programme Administrator. All Programme Administrators who are authorised for the BCA will see the application ready for review in their To Do List.

Access keys do not expire. However, if the Programme Administrator who set up the access key moves to a new role or leaves the company, it is recommended that an active Programme Administrator edit the access key to ensure all notifications stay within the group. It is always recommended that at least two Programme Administrators enroll in Global Apply for Card (GAFC) with correct permissions for the same Basic Control Accounts (BCAs) to ensure all roles can be completed any time.

There is no limit to the number of applications issued using the same access key.

Yes, if new Programme Administrators are set up with correct permissions for the same Basic Control Accounts (BCAs), those new Programme Administrators can access, use and maintain the access keys already set up for those BCAs.

Pre-approvers will receive an email shortly after the Card application has been initiated. They can approve or decline whether an employee is eligible to apply by clicking a link in the email that lands on an approval page, without needing @ Work login credentials. Once all required pre-approvals are provided, the employee will automatically receive two emails with instructions to access the application.

When setting up an access key the Programme Administrator has the following approval options available:

• If pre-approval is required, the assigned pre-approvers (up to three) will need to approve the application request before the employee can access the application. Global Apply for Card automatically sends approval requests to assigned pre-approvers. There are three options available for assigning pre-approvers:
  • Programme Administrator assigns pre-approvers for the Card applications.
  • The Programme Administrator allows Card applicants to assign pre-approvers by inputting the names and email addresses of the pre-approver(s) for their application.
  • No assigned pre-approvers, where no pre-approval is needed.

• Post-approval may be required regardless of whether pre-approval is required.
  • When post-approval is required, completed Card applications will be automatically routed to an authorised Programme Administrator before the application can be submitted to American Express. In the US, post-approval is not automatically required for all Card applications, but Programme Administrators can choose to require it. Applications initiated by a Card applicant with an access key always require post-approval
    
    Note: Post-approval by an authorised Programme Administrator or Authorised Signatory is always required in the following GAFC markets: IEC, India, Italy (Central Settlement Only), Japan, France, Sweden, Norway and Singapore.

Once completed, applications requiring post-approval appear in the To Do List tab for all Programme Administrators authorised for the Basic Control Account (BCA). This is the case for all Card applications through GAFC in Sweden.

In addition, the Programme Administrator (PA) who last edited the access key will receive an email notification that the application is ready to review. If the system cannot locate that PA, then the email notification will be sent to the PA who created the access key.

If the PA who set up the access key moves to a new role or leaves the company, it is recommended that an active Programme Administrator edit the access key to ensure all notifications stay within the group. It is always recommended that at least two PAs enroll in Global Apply for Card (GAFC) with correct permissions for the same Basic Control Accounts (BCAs) to ensure all roles can be completed any time.

Use Quick Send when there is a need to quickly initiate applications for employees without pre- and post-approval options or other access key settings. Quick Send allows you to quickly initiate up to 10 applications in the fewest possible steps when you do not need an access key.

• No access key can be used with Quick Send.
• The same or different BCAs can be selected for up to 10 employees in one submission.
  • Select a Basic Control Account (BCA).
  • Enter the employee’s first name, last name, and email.
  • Select Card type from the BCA available choices.
  • Choose whether to mandate optional fields. Settings for character length are not available.
  • Review and submit.
• Quick Send does not have pre-approvers or post-approval options.
• In markets that always require post-approval, Quick Send applications will be routed to an authorised Programme Administrator or Authorised Signatory before being submitted to American Express.

In the ‘Track Applications’ tab, you can view the status of all Card applications under the Basic Control Accounts (BCAs) you are authorised to access.

• Application Expired
• Approved by Amex
• Cancelled by Amex
• Declined by Amex
• ID Check Failed (France only)
• ID Check Fraud (France only)
• PA Declined
• Submitted to Amex
• Pending Amex Approval (IEC only)
• ID Check Pending (France only)
• Pending PA Review
• Pending Pre-Approver
  
• Pending with Signers (Italy only)
  
• Pre-Approver Cancelled
• Sent to Employee
  
  
  

Application status is tracked in the ‘Track Applications’ tab – including the status of applications initiated by Card applicants with an access key. If there are pre-approvers, the status will move from “Pending Pre-Approver” to “Sent to Employee” once all pre-approvals have been confirmed.

When any Programme Administrator authorised for the Basic Control Account (BCA) cancels or rejects an application under the BCA, the applicant will receive an email notification advising that the company has declined their request to apply within 15 minutes.

When American Express declines a Corporate Card application in the US, a notification is sent to the Card applicant. All Programme Administrators authorised for the Basic Control Account (BCA) will see the application status “Declined by Amex” in the Global Apply for Card (GAFC) ‘Track Applications’ tab.

The PA who last edited the access key will receive an email notification that there is a completed application to review.

If the system cannot find that PA, the notification will go to the PA that created the access key

All PAs who are authorised for the Basic Control Account (BCA) will see all applications under that BCA that are ready for review in the To Do List tab on Global Apply for Card (GAFC). Any of those authorised PAs can provide approval for the application to be submitted to American Express.

PAs can take the following actions on Card applications pending post-approval:

• Change delivery address from Home to Office (unless company is set up on central Card delivery).
  
• Edit some information on the application such as Employee ID, Cost Centre or Department Code.
  
• Route the application back to the applicant to correct fields with errors and include a note with details on what the applicant needs to correct.
  
• Select applications to approve the request to apply (for submission to American Express) or to cancel one at a time or all at the same time.

When you route the application back by selecting the link “Route back to Applicant”, you can enter comments on why you are routing it back, and the applicant will receive the details in an email.

At the same time, the application status on the “Track Applications” tab of GAFC will return to “Sent to Employee” as the Card application is again pending with the employee.

The applicant then logs in again using the Application ID and link details they previously received in two Global Apply for Card (GAFC) emails. The applicant makes the requested changes and submits the application for Program Administrator review.

There are two ways to access a Card application, depending on who initiates the Card application (refer to Initiating Card Applications section):  

1. Access Key and a URL Link
   • A Programme Administrator may provide applicants with a link to initiate the Card application and an access key. The Card application link can be found on the GAFC PA Dashboard site under the “Application Link” tile.
   • Access keys may be posted on the Company’s internal intranet site.
2. Email Invitation
   • Applicants receive two emails from American Express, initiated by their Programme Administrator, inviting them to apply for their Corporate Card.
   • One email will contain a link to the application site, the other will contain an Application ID that they will need to log on and complete their application.

Once on the log in page of the application website, applicants will be instructed to enter their corporate email address and Application ID or access key to begin their Corporate Card application.

Please have the employee check their ‘Junk’ or ‘Spam’ folders as emails are sent from a generated email tool. Programme Administrators can resend the invitation to apply emails via the ‘Track Applications’ tab on Global Apply for Card.

If the Card applicant cannot verify their identity with Bank ID, they will need to provide a certified copy of (1) a Government issued identity document, and (2) Proof of residence address. The requirements for these examples are outlined on the Card application.

Yes, applicants will be notified which fields are mandatory while they are completing the online application. Tool tips and validation messages will assist applicants throughout the process.

No, there can only be one Card delivery type for a BCA:

• If Central Card Delivery is ON, their Card will be delivered to the Business Address.
• If Central Card Delivery is OFF, the applicant is advised that their Card will be delivered to the address they selected as their Statement/Billing address (Home or Office).

Unless the company has arranged to distribute Cards centrally, applicants can select either their Home or Office address for Card delivery, however it must be the same as their statement/billing address.

Once applicants have completed all mandatory fields in the application, including the Bank ID verification section, they will reach a review and submit screen. There they can review and modify their entries if necessary.

A screen will then appear confirming that the application has been submitted.