Higher education departments often need a flexible way to make recurring purchases without issuing a physical card to every employee. Athletics may purchase equipment and travel services, dining operations may work with recurring food suppliers, and facilities teams may need frequent access to maintenance and repair materials.
Virtual payment methods are already widely used in business. Mastercard reported in 2026 that nearly 80% of small and midsize enterprises globally use virtual cards in some form. But, what is a ghost card, and is it different from a virtual card?
A ghost card works much like a commercial purchasing card, but the account is generally attached to an organizational need rather than an individual cardholder. For example, a university might establish an account for a facilities department that routinely buys from an approved maintenance supplier. Another account might be dedicated to athletics travel or dining-service purchases.
Depending on the payment platform, institutions may be able to associate the account with:
This structure can give employees access to approved payment methods while allowing procurement and finance teams to maintain centralized controls.
The process can vary by provider, but the basic model is relatively straightforward.
This structure can reduce the need to distribute shared cards or reimburse employees for routine departmental spending.
Department-level purchasing is one of the most practical higher education use cases because many campus units make recurring purchases within relatively predictable categories.
Athletics departments may use dedicated payment accounts for team travel, equipment, uniforms, training supplies, or recurring supplier relationships. Spending limits and supplier restrictions can help keep purchases aligned with departmental budgets.
Dining operations often make frequent purchases from food, beverage, and kitchen-supply suppliers. A department-linked account can simplify payment while making transaction data easier to reconcile against budgets and purchasing records.
Facilities teams may need regular access to repair materials, maintenance supplies, equipment, and approved service providers. Department-level payment controls can provide purchasing flexibility without requiring every employee to hold an individual card.
The terms sometimes overlap, but they are not always identical. A virtual card generally refers to digitally generated card credentials. Depending on the program, those credentials may be created for a single transaction, a specific supplier, or a limited period.
A ghost card is more often a persistent account tied to a department, supplier, cost center, or other defined purchasing purpose.
Feature | Ghost Card | Virtual Card |
Typical assignment | Department, supplier, or cost center | Transaction, supplier, or payment |
Physical card | Usually none | None |
Duration | Often ongoing | May be single-use or limited-use |
Common application | Recurring departmental purchasing | Controlled electronic payments |
Digital payments do not eliminate payment risk, which makes controls especially important. But, with the right controls in place, they are much safer than issuing checks. The Association for Financial Professionals’ 2026 Payments Fraud and Control Survey found that 76% of organizations experienced attempted or actual payments fraud in 2025 ,with 58% of organizations reporting check fraud.
Security can be strengthened by limiting how an account may be used. Depending on the platform, institutions may be able to apply:
These controls can help procurement and finance teams reduce exposure by defining in advance who can spend, where transactions can occur, and how much can be charged.
The greatest value comes when card transactions connect with AP automation, ERP systems, supplier onboarding, reconciliation, and spend reporting. That integration can reduce manual entry, improve visibility into departmental purchases, and make it easier to identify exceptions.
Explore E&I’s competitively solicited contract with Corpay, a fully integrated AP automation platform that streamlines ghost cards and virtual cards, including robust fraud prevention and rebate-generating payment solutions tailored for education.