The remote onboarding playbook: Issuing cards before day one

First days matter. For new hires, it’s the moment they form their first real impression of how your company works. For finance and operations, it’s the start of a new spending relationship.

But too often, onboarding looks like this: no card, no access and an awkward request to ‘just expense it and we’ll reimburse you later.’

That creates friction straight away. Employees are left covering business costs out of pocket. Finance teams are left processing early reimbursements. And something that should feel smooth ends up feeling reactive.

With the right setup, it doesn’t have to be that way. By issuing cards before day one, you can give employees the tools they need to spend confidently from the start, whilst keeping full control over how that spend happens.

Here’s how to do it with Pleo.

Key takeaways:

• Issue virtual cards before day one so new hires can spend immediately without waiting for physical cards or reimbursements.
• Set default limits and controls so every new card follows your policy automatically.
• Use temporary limits to support onboarding needs without overexposing your budget long term.
• Communicate clear expectations early to guide how and when the card should be used.
• Build a repeatable onboarding workflow that scales as your team grows.

Why onboarding and spend are more connected than you think

Spending often starts earlier than expected. It might be a train ticket for a first office visit. Software subscriptions needed to get started. A team lunch in the first week. Equipment that needs to be purchased quickly.

When employees don’t have a company card yet, those costs fall back on them. That creates unnecessary friction and sends the wrong signal: that access comes later, and trust comes slowly.

This issue doesn’t just affect new hires. On the other side, finance teams end up dealing with avoidable reimbursements and fragmented early spend – a hassle that could’ve been avoided.

Issuing a card before day one changes that dynamic entirely. It turns spend into something that’s structured, visible and controlled from the very beginning.

What pre-day-one card issuing actually means

Pre-day-one card issuing is simple.

Before a new hire starts, you:

• Create their profile in Pleo
• Issue them a virtual card
• Set the appropriate limits and controls

By the time they log in on their first day, their card is already there and ready to use.

There’s no waiting for delivery. No temporary workarounds. No reimbursement gap. Just a smooth start with everything in place.

How to issue cards before day one with Pleo

1. Set up default card settings

Start by defining how new cards should behave by default.

In the Pleo web app:

1. Go to Settings
2. Click on General
3. Select Card defaults

Here, you can configure:

• Spending limits
• Allowed categories
• Spending days
• ATM access

These defaults apply automatically to every new cardholder, which means you don’t need to manually configure each new hire from scratch.

2. Add the new employee in advance

Don’t wait until the employee’s first day to get them set up. Go to the People section in Pleo and create their profile ahead of time. This gives you everything you need to prepare their access before they start.

By setting this up early, you avoid last-minute admin and ensure a smoother onboarding experience.

3. Issue a virtual card instantly

Once the employee is added, you can issue a virtual card in seconds.

Virtual cards:

• Are available immediately in the Pleo app
• Can be used for online purchases straight away
• Can be added to Apple Pay or Google Pay for in-person spending

There’s no need to wait for a physical card to arrive. The employee can start using their card as soon as they have access.

4. Set appropriate spending limits

Next, tailor the card limits to match onboarding needs.

You can use:

• Per purchase limits to control individual transactions
• Monthly limits to manage overall spend
• Temporary limits for short-term flexibility

The goal is to avoid slowing down new hires with overrestrictions. Temporary limits are great for this purpose – particularly during onboarding. For example, you might allow a higher limit during the first few weeks for setup costs, then revert to a standard limit automatically.

This gives employees flexibility without creating long-term risk.

5. Communicate expectations clearly

A card alone isn’t enough. Clear guidance makes all the difference.

Before or on day one, let employees know:

• What the card should be used for
• Which categories are allowed
• When receipts need to be uploaded
• Any approval or review processes

This reduces confusion, prevents misuse and helps employees feel confident using their card from the start. Be sure to provide this information in writing so they can reference it whenever they need to.

6. Adjust access as onboarding progresses

Onboarding doesn’t end after day one, and your card setup shouldn’t either.

As the employee settles in, you can:

• Adjust spending limits
• Expand or restrict categories
• Remove temporary limits
• Align their setup with their long-term role

This ensures that your controls evolve with the employee, rather than staying static.

What this means for finance and people teams

Pre-day-one card issuing isn’t just a convenience. It changes how onboarding works across teams.

For finance, it means:

• Fewer reimbursements to process
• Immediate visibility into new hire spend
• Stronger control from the very beginning

For employees, it means:

• No need to cover business expenses personally
• Faster access to the tools they need
• A smoother, more confident start

And for the business, it creates a consistent, scalable onboarding experience that works as the company grows.

Onboarding best practices for card issuing

When a new hire starts, you want an onboarding process in place that’s repeatable, reliable and shows your company in its best light.

Here’s a quick summary of what that looks like when it comes to spend:

• Set strong default card settings for all new hires
• Issue virtual cards before the employee’s start date
• Use temporary limits to support early spend
• Communicate expectations clearly from day one
• Review and adjust card settings after the first few weeks

These small steps ensure that onboarding stays smooth without adding extra admin.

Set the tone from day one with Pleo

Onboarding is more than just giving new hires access to tools. It’s about setting expectations, building trust and enabling people to do their best work from the start.

With Pleo, issuing cards before day one becomes a simple, repeatable process. New hires have what they need from the moment they join. Spend is structured and visible from the beginning. And finance teams stay in control without needing to step in.

The result is a better onboarding experience for employees and a cleaner, more efficient process for everyone involved.

Because when everything is ready before day one, day one just works.