Do I have to setup a direct-debit?

laoisfan

Hi

Just want to get people's opinions on this. My new place of work is going to be sending me to the states soon on a week long trip.

Now, they give employees company credit cards (AMEX). However, a requirement of getting this is that you setup a direct-debit on your bank account so AMEX can get paid. You recover the costs by submitting your expenses to your company. Seems fairly straight forward.

Anyhow, I am not comfortable with setting up direct-debits. Believe it or not I have only 1 or 2 on my accounts and they are just to do with the mortage and house insurance.

Does my place of work have the right to ask me to set up a direct-debit (or AMEX for that matter).

Just want people's opinions so go easy on me (its Friday for FS)

kenmc

If it's a company credit card why does it come out of *your* account??? that's just silly. I have seen it work where the company pays all the amex bill, but you are allowed to put personal stuff on it, but must pay the company if you do that.
If it's gotta come out of your account anyway, just use your own credit card and claim the expenses back off that - same result, no DD.

Borzoi

laoisfan wrote:

Now, they give employees company credit cards (AMEX). However, a requirement of getting this is that you setup a direct-debit on your bank account so AMEX can get paid. You recover the costs by submitting your expenses to your company. Seems fairly straight forward.

If it's a company credit card - then the direct debit should be from the company's bank account or the bill go directly to the firm.

In reality they seem to be saying off you go and YOU get an Amex. You pay Amex, then they refund.

I would have major objections firstly because they want you to pay Amex, before they pay you, and as you say directly from you're account. Secondly, you've assumed all the associated risk of credit card fraud - small risk - on their behalf. Thirdly, if there is a problem in the accounts dept, or with individual items, you're left out of pocket, again, on their behalf

laoisfan

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated.

Has given me food for thought!!

--laoisfan

AARRRGH

Yeah, it sounds like clueless accounts people more than anything else!

Tom Dunne

laoisfan wrote:

Does my place of work have the right to ask me to set up a direct-debit (or AMEX for that matter).

Double check that application form. I applied for the new Amex card a few weeks back and I am 97% certain I didn't have to set up a direct debit (myself and laoisfan work for the same company).

When the company had the card with Bank of Ireland, you had to set up a direct debit, but with this new crowd in England, I am almost certain I didn't have to set up a direct debit.

I say almost certain

Alun

When the company had the card with Bank of Ireland, you had to set up a direct debit, but with this new crowd in England, I am almost certain I didn't have to set up a direct debit.

Are you saying that Amex no longer use BOI as their agent here? Who handles them now, Amex themselves?

harney

I think it it quite normal for a company to get you a credit card and make you pay and submit expences, it has happened with the last 2 companies I have worked for.

If they force you to initially setup a direct debit just give them a savings account number - the bank will reject the direct debit application.

I currently have a Corporate Amex card, and was given the option to setup a direct debit if I wanted to. I did not as I didnt have a bank account at the time (had just moved to the country), so you will probably have the same option to refuse.

Tom Dunne

Alun wrote:

Are you saying that Amex no longer use BOI as their agent here? Who handles them now, Amex themselves?

No, what happened was the company used BOI for Amex corporate cards, but BOI messed the company/employees around so much that the company decided to go to Amex themselves in the UK.

Gas thing is I rang up BOI before the company cancelled the cards and asked if I could transfer the account from a corporate card over to a personal card (I find it very handy). They really weren't interested. Compare that to Amex themselves - an application for a personal card actually came with the corporate card. They must actually want my business.

Alun

Interesting. When I moved from Holland to Ireland 4 years ago I had a Gold Amex card and wanted to transfer it over here, but since BOI handle everything here, I would have had to have cancelled my current card completely, and re-applied for a new one here (which I wouldn't have got because I didn't have a job at the time) rather than it just being a change of address. I told them to stuff it

0utshined

harney wrote:

I think it it quite normal for a company to get you a credit card and make you pay and submit expences, it has happened with the last 2 companies I have worked for.

I'm just not getting this. If that's the case then what's the benefit of getting a corporate card (+ restrictions your company may apply to usage), rather than using your personal card and getting receipts and submitting them?

I can see how it might be useful if you can't get a card in your own right but if you can/have then what's the point?

0utshined

Alun,

Amex may be different, in fact I think they are, but I have held both a Visa and Mastercard in foreign countries, both issued by banks, and have had no problem changing the address on the card to another country. If you want to change to a different bank it would be viewed as a new application by that bank IIRC.

Tom Dunne

0utshined wrote:

I'm just not getting this. If that's the case then what's the benefit of getting a corporate card (+ restrictions your company may apply to usage), rather than using your personal card and getting receipts and submitting them?

I know the situation now with the company I work for is that you sumbit your expenses and they pay the Amex bill directly. This was one of the major problems the company had with BOI - they either couldn't or wouldn't allow the company to pay an employees bill directly.

0utshined

Your current setup makes a lot more sense. Forcing the employee to pay the bill and giving them money back seems a bad way to operate to me.