What happens when a travel-only card is used at a non-travel merchant?
Short answer
When a travel-only card is used at a non-travel merchant, the transaction will be declined. Travel-only cards are restricted to specific merchant categories—typically airlines, hotels, car rentals, and other travel-related vendors—and cannot be used for purchases outside those categories.
How travel-only cards work
Travel-only cards are configured with merchant category restrictions that automatically block transactions at non-travel merchants. These restrictions are enforced at the point of sale through Merchant Category Codes (MCCs), which identify the type of business processing the transaction.
When a cardholder attempts to use a travel-only card at a restaurant, grocery store, office supply vendor, or any other non-travel merchant, the payment network identifies the merchant category and declines the transaction before it completes.
Common scenarios
Travel-only cards will decline at:
- Restaurants and bars (unless inside a hotel and coded as lodging)
- Grocery stores and supermarkets
- Gas stations (unless at a rental car location)
- Office supply and software vendors
- Retail and e-commerce purchases
- Entertainment and subscription services
Travel-only cards will typically approve at:
- Airlines and travel booking platforms
- Hotels and vacation rentals
- Car rental agencies
- Ground transportation services (taxis, rideshares, trains)
- Travel agencies and tour operators
How it works on Ramp
Ramp allows admins to create travel-only cards with built-in merchant category restrictions:
- Navigate to Cards and select Create card
- Choose Virtual card or Physical card
- Under Spending restrictions, enable Merchant category restrictions
- Select Travel as the allowed category
- Set spending limits and assign the card to the employee
When an employee tries to use a Ramp travel-only card at a non-travel merchant, the transaction is declined in real time. The cardholder receives an immediate notification explaining that the card is restricted to travel purchases.
Admins can view declined transactions in the Ramp dashboard under Transactions > Declined. Each declined transaction shows the merchant name, attempted amount, and decline reason.
When to use travel-only cards
Travel-only cards work best when you want to:
- Separate travel expenses from other business spending for easier reconciliation
- Prevent travel budgets from being used on non-travel purchases
- Give employees dedicated cards for business trips without broader spending access
- Simplify travel expense tracking and reporting
For employees who need flexibility across multiple spending categories, consider using Ramp's general-purpose cards with spending limits instead of category restrictions.