Case study

Leading retailer consolidates $100m+ in supplier payments using Mastercard virtual cards and Coupa

August 2026

Context and challenge

Across more than 100 locations in North America, a leading retailer relied on store-issued cards and manual checks to manage one-time supplier payments at the individual store level. This fragmented approach limited visibility into supplier spend, created inconsistent payment processes and increased operational inefficiencies. The retailer needed a scalable solution to centralize supplier payments, automate payment administration and improve working capital management while reducing supplier onboarding costs and administrative burden.

Solution

Integrate

Coupa integrated pay-on-request into purchase order workflows, centralizing supplier payments and increasing visibility into supplier spend.

Enable

Mastercard enabled single-use virtual card numbers for supplier payments, helping automate supplier payment workflows while improving security and control.

Simplify

The solution eliminated lengthy supplier onboarding and fragmented off-system payments, reducing administrative effort and supporting accounts payable automation.

Scale

Following a five-location pilot, the retailer expanded the solution to 100+ locations within a few months, centralizing supplier payments at scale and improving working capital management.

Results

By centralizing supplier payments and automating previously manual processes, the retailer increased visibility into supplier spend, improved working capital management and scaled card program value across the organization.

$100m+

additional annual spend consolidated

100k+

one-time suppliers paid without traditional onboarding

$35m

estimated savings from reduced supplier onboarding

$1m

estimated annual increase in card program rebates

Accounts payable solutions

Streamline payments, optimize working capital

Reduce costs, achieve greater control and manage B2B payments more efficiently.

Virtual card platform

Generate virtual card numbers that make payments to suppliers flexible, easy and secure.

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Embedded finance

Integrate virtual card technology and other B2B payment services into platforms you already use.

Explore

Leverage our virtual card platform to simplify B2B payments.

Virtual card solutions

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