Best expense cards for small businesses in the UK (2026)
Four UK expense card platforms compared on per-user and platform pricing, card FX fees and who issues the cards.
Quick answer
Unlike in the US, UK expense card platforms mostly charge per user or a platform fee. For five cardholders spending £5,000 a month with 10% abroad, Pleo's Start plan costs £50 on published prices: £40 in user fees plus £10 in FX. Payhawk's Growth programme is £149 a month but its card FX fee is not published. Spendesk and Moss price by quote.
Key points
- Pleo Start costs £8 per user a month, billed monthly; Build is £14 and Optimise £18, each with a three-user minimum.
- Pleo's card FX fee falls from 2.00% on Start to 1.75% on Build and 1.49% on Optimise.
- At our profile, Pleo Start comes to £50 a month including FX.
- Payhawk's Growth programme is £149 a month for 24 months for single-entity firms under 20 employees.
- Spendesk and Moss publish no prices, so they are listed but not ranked.
- Pleo is an e-money institution; e-money is safeguarded, not covered by the FSCS.
What you would pay
Set your own numbers. The list below is ranked with this same calculator at our reference profile: five cardholders spending £5,000 a month, 10% of it in other currencies.
- Pleo Start£50.00
- Payhawk Growth£149.00Foreign exchange fee not published on the page read
Regular published prices only. Introductory offers and tax are left out. Figures are arithmetic on the provider’s own numbers, not a recommendation.
The list, in order
Order follows the published method on How we rank. Providers cannot pay for a position.
Pleo
Company cards and expense software priced per user. Start is billed monthly; Build and Optimise are billed yearly with a three-user minimum and lower FX fees.
Suits: small teams that want per-user pricing and published FX fees. Watch for: Start allows one admin and charges £5 per cash withdrawal.
- Start
- £8/user/mo
- Build
- £14/user, min 3
- Optimise
- £18/user, min 3
- Card FX
- 2.00% / 1.75% / 1.49%
Payhawk
Modular spend software sold by quote, with a published Growth programme at £149 a month for 24 months for single-entity businesses under 20 employees.
Suits: small companies that want debit and credit cards in several currencies. Watch for: card FX fees are not stated; the published 0.3% applies to converting between account currencies.
- Growth
- £149/mo for 24 months
- Eligibility
- Under 20 employees
- Conversion
- Mid-market + 0.3%
- Card FX
- Not stated
Spendesk
A fixed monthly subscription plus transaction fees, with no per-user fees and cashback from 1% for eligible clients. Prices are by quote.
Suits: finance teams that want unlimited users. Watch for: no published price, so it cannot be ranked.
- Price
- Quote
- Per user
- No user fees
- Cashback
- From 1%
Moss
A platform fee plus a variable fee based on transaction volume, with no per-user charges. Prices are by quote.
Suits: growing teams with many cardholders. Watch for: no published price, and cards are issued by a firm regulated in Gibraltar rather than by the FCA.
- Price
- Quote
- Per user
- No user fees
Figures read from each provider’s own page on 29 October 2026. VAT treatment is not stated on the pages read. Reference profile: five cardholders spending £5,000 a month, 10% of it in other currencies. Unranked entries publish no price that fits it.
- Soldo — its plan prices could not be read word for word on 29 Oct 2026. To be confirmed by hand.
- Revolut Business — its pricing page refused automated reads on 29 Oct 2026.
UK expense card platforms give staff company cards with limits and collect receipts automatically. Unlike most US rivals, they tend to charge for the software, either per user or as a flat platform fee, and the fee on foreign spending varies by plan.
How the ranking works
We ranked platforms by monthly cost for five cardholders spending £5,000 a month, 10% of it in other currencies, using prices read from each provider's own page on 29 October 2026. A platform whose card FX fee is not published ranks after every fully priced one. See how we rank.
| Platform | Plan | Pricing | Month at our profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleo | Start | £8 per user, 2.00% FX | £50.00 |
| Payhawk | Growth | £149 flat | £149 + FX |
Pleo
Pleo's pricing page lists three plans: Start at £8 per user, Build at £14 and Optimise at £18, the last two billed yearly with a three-user minimum. Card FX fees fall with each plan, from 2.00% to 1.49%, and cash withdrawals cost £5 on Start but are free on the others. Pleo Financial Services UK Ltd is an e-money institution, FRN 1020730.
Payhawk
Payhawk's pricing is modular and mostly by quote, but its Growth programme is £149 a month for 24 months, for single-entity businesses in the UK or EEA with fewer than 20 employees. It offers debit and credit cards in several currencies. Its published 0.3% markup applies to converting between account currencies, not to card spending.
Quote only
Spendesk charges a fixed subscription plus transaction fees with no per-user fees, and cashback from 1% for eligible clients. Moss charges a platform fee plus a fee based on transaction volume. Neither publishes a price, so both are listed below the ranking.
Who holds the money
Expense card money is usually e-money, which is safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected. Moss cards are issued by Transact Payments Limited, regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission rather than the FCA. Our guide to FDIC and FSCS protection explains the difference, and our guide to charge, credit and prepaid cards covers the card types.
Not yet included
Soldo and Revolut Business could not be read word for word on 29 October 2026. The US comparison covers dollar pricing, and the expense card calculator works it out in pounds.
Keep reading
Best expense cards for small businesses in the US (2026)
Five expense card platforms compared on per-user pricing, foreign exchange fees and published cashback, for a five-person team.
Guide · US & UKCharge, credit, debit and prepaid expense cards: how they differ
The four kinds of company card behind expense platforms, and what each means for repayment, interest, limits and who holds your money.
Calculator · UK editionExpense card cost calculator
The same calculator on its own page, in pounds.
Questions
How much does Pleo cost in the UK?
Pleo’s pricing page lists Start at £8 per user a month, billed monthly with one admin; Build at £14 per user, billed yearly with a three-user minimum; and Optimise at £18 per user, also yearly with a three-user minimum. VAT treatment is not stated. Prices were read on 29 October 2026.
What do UK expense cards charge on foreign spending?
Pleo publishes card FX fees of 2.00% on Start, 1.75% on Build and 1.49% on Optimise. Payhawk publishes 0.3% above the mid-market rate for converting between account currencies, but not a fee for card spending. Spendesk and Moss do not state FX fees on the pages we read.
Is money on an expense card protected?
Usually not by the FSCS. Pleo Financial Services UK is an e-money institution, so customer money is safeguarded rather than covered by the FSCS. Moss cards are issued by Transact Payments Limited, regulated in Gibraltar. Our FDIC and FSCS guide explains what safeguarding does and does not do.
Why is Soldo not in the list?
We could read Soldo’s plan prices only in summarised form, not word for word from its own page, when we checked on 29 October 2026. Our rule is to publish only figures we have read directly from the provider, so Soldo is listed as not yet included until its prices are confirmed.
Is a per-user price or a platform fee cheaper?
It depends on team size. A per-user price such as Pleo’s £8 grows with each cardholder, so it suits small teams. A flat platform fee such as Payhawk’s £149 costs the same for 2 or 19 people. The calculator shows where the lines cross for your team.