Understanding Card Spend Limits and Category Controls

Once you have decided to issue corporate cards to your team in the UAE, the next step is what controls to put on those cards. Set limits too tight and people stop using the card. Set them too loose and the card is basically the same as petty cash.

This guide covers the practical side of card setup for UAE businesses, including the types of spend limits available, how category controls work and how to configure different cards for different roles. If you need the definitions first, start with our breakdown of spend controls vs expense limits.

Types of spend limits you can set

A spend limit caps how much a card can be used. Most card programs offer 3 types:

• Per-transaction limit: The maximum amount for a single purchase. For example, no single transaction over AED 500
• Daily limit: The total that can be spent in 1 day
• Monthly limit: The total that can be spent in 1 month

Used together, these limits cover different risks.

A per-transaction limit stops one large unauthorized purchase. A daily limit slows down a potentially compromised card. A monthly limit keeps each card within its budget.

With Mamo, you set limits per card from the Mamo Dashboard. As of July 2026, you can also set global spend controls, like a company-wide monthly policy set once, then overridden for specific teams or users. For example, you could set AED 12,000 a month for senior managers and AED 5,000 for all other cardholders.

What are category controls and how do they work

Spend limits control how much. Category controls control where.

Every merchant that accepts cards, in the UAE or elsewhere, is assigned a 4-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) by the card networks, Visa and Mastercard. The code describes what kind of business it is — an airline, a hardware store or a restaurant. Category controls work by allowing or blocking specific groups of MCCs, and the checkpoint happens at the card network level, before the transaction is authorized.

Commonly blocked MCC groups include:

• ATM cash withdrawals
• Gambling
• Cash advances
• Fuel, for teams that don't work in the field
• Restaurants, for teams where meals aren't covered

In Mamo, you set category restrictions per card in the Mamo Dashboard, blocking or allowing specific merchant categories. Because controls apply at the network level, they can't be bypassed at the point of sale. A card blocked from restaurants is declined at the restaurant, whatever its balance or limit.

How to think about controls by card type

There's no single right setup because different businesses configure cards differently for their needs. The right level of control depends on how your team spends day-to-day.

Treat these controls as starting points to adjust, not rules:

Marketing and ad spend cards

Restrict these to advertising platforms such as Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn, and set the monthly limit equal to the campaign budget.

Travel cards

Restrict these to airlines, hotels and transport merchants. Enable global spend for international trips, and set a per-trip or monthly limit.

Operations and supplier cards

Restrict these to hardware suppliers and approved merchant categories, with a monthly limit set by department.

General team cards

Set a modest monthly limit and block ATMs and gambling. No category restriction is needed for all-purpose team use, since a tight limit already contains the risk.

Common mistakes when setting card controls

A few patterns tend to come up when teams set up a card program for the first time:

• Limits set too low: When a card gets declined at the wrong moment, teams fall back on personal cards, which defeats the purpose of the program.
• No category controls: Without them, the card becomes as uncontrolled as petty cash. A limit alone can't stop a purchase that shouldn't happen.
• One shared card for a team: You lose per-person accountability and auditability, which are the main reasons to use corporate cards.
• Limits not reviewed quarterly: Business needs change, so controls need to keep up. A limit that made sense in January may be wrong by April.

Company-wide spend policies vs individual card controls

The best practice is a tiered approach.

Set a company-wide baseline policy as the default, then override it for specific roles, projects or departments. This keeps the program consistent without forcing every card into the same mold, and it means a new cardholder starts with sensible controls on day 1.

Mamo's Policies page, in the Expenses section, works this way. You set a company-wide baseline and layer exceptions on top, so a change to the baseline doesn't mean editing every card one by one. Policies launched in July 2026.

How to set up spend limits and category controls in Mamo

Setting up a controlled card takes under 2 minutes:

1. Go to your Mamo Dashboard
2. Open Cards
3. Select Issue card
4. Set the spend limit
5. Set the category controls
6. Assign the card to a team member

Once the card is live, every transaction appears in the Mamo Dashboard in real time, and cardholders can upload receipts through WhatsApp right after each purchase. Because Mamo cards are unlimited and free, you can issue 1 card per person, project or department instead of sharing.

Issue your first controlled card with Mamo

Setting up a corporate card program in the UAE comes down to 3 things: spend limits that control how much, category controls that control where and a tiered policy that keeps it all consistent.

Per-transaction, daily and monthly limits cap the amount each card can spend. Category controls allow or block merchant types at the network level, before a transaction is authorized. A company-wide baseline with overrides for specific roles or projects keeps the program consistent as your team grows.

Match the controls to each card type, avoid the common mistakes (limits too low, no category controls, shared cards and no quarterly review) and you get a program that stays controlled without slowing your team down.

Issue your first controlled card with Mamo — free.