Archa is an Australian fintech company that has partnered with Mastercard to offer businesses a line of credit, cards for employees and expense management tools.
It uses technology to offer a faster application process compared to some similar products from major banks, and lets you instantly issue cards for employees without all the paperwork you'd typically expect.
What is Archa?
Archa combines features of business credit cards with spend management facilities. When you sign up for an Archa plan, you'll get a line of credit and a Mastercard with 30-day repayment terms and no interest charges. This is similar to other business charge cards, rather than credit cards (which attract interest).
You can instantly issue additional cards for your employees, which cuts down on time managing expense claims and reimbursements. The Archa app uses clear visuals to break down spending, plus a direct link to Xero accounting software.
Pros and cons
Pros
No foreign transaction fees. This can save you around 2-4% compared to other cards that charge a foreign transaction fee.
Rewards. Archa has its own rewards program offering 1 Archa point per $1 spent, with 2 Archa points equal to 1 Velocity Point when you link it to a Velocity Business account.
Complimentary travel cover. If you pay for the entire cost of your flights on your Archa card, you'll get access to travel insurance covers, including overseas medical expenses, travel accident and travel inconvenience cover.
Spend management tools. You can set up additional cards for employees, update spend limits for cards and track spending instantly through the Archa app. Archa also offers integration with SAP Concur for expense claim management.
Cons
Limited accounting integration. Archa only offers integration with Xero at the moment. So if you have established accounting processes and/or use other software, you may want to consider other options.
Higher credit limits can cost more. Archa's Essentials plan has the lowest monthly fee ($50) but only offers a $5,000 credit limit. The Professional plan offers a higher $20,000 credit limit with a $150 monthly fee, and the option of increasing the credit limit for a $20 monthly fee per additional $5,000.
Features still in development. Archa plans to offer virtual cards, custom card limits, receipt capturing, a desktop platform and more integration with accounting software in the future, but these features are not currently available.
Archa plans
Archa offers plans to suit different types of small- and medium-sized businesses, with slight changes in the features depending on which one you choose.
Essentials
This plan is suited to sole traders and includes the following features:
Physical card. This plan gives you up to 2 Archa cards you can use anywhere Mastercard is accepted.
No FX fees. You won't pay a currency conversion fee when you use an Archa card for overseas payments. This can save you around 3% compared to some other cards.
Credit limit. This account offers a credit limit $5,000, subject to the credit assessment.
30-day repayment terms. The full amount that you spend with an Archa card will be repaid every 30 days by direct debit from your chosen bank account.
Account management. Your account shows detailed transaction data and can be linked to Xero accounting software or SAP Concur to help with accounting tasks. You can also export data in .CSV format for applications like Microsoft Excel.
Travel cover. You can get complimentary travel insurance cover when you pay for the full cost of your flights using an Archa card. As with any insurance, remember to read the policy document for full details of the cover available.
Mobile payments. The Archa card can be added to your Apple Pay and Google Pay accounts for contactless, mobile payments.
Essentials plan pricing
Monthly fee: $50
Professional
If you have employees and want a single account for business spending, this plan includes the following features:
Physical cards. Get Archa cards for yourself and your employees, linked to the one account.
Instant card issuing. You can quickly set up new cards for your employees at any time through the Archa app.
Credit limit. This account offers credit limits up to $20,000, subject to the credit assessment.
30-day repayment terms. The full amount that you spend with an Archa card will be repaid every 30 days by direct debit from your chosen bank account.
Account management. Your account shows detailed transaction data and can be linked to Xero accounting software to help with accounting tasks. You can also export data in .CSV format for applications like Microsoft Excel.
Mobile payments. The Archa card can be added to your Apple Pay and Google Pay accounts for contactless, mobile payments.
Professional plan pricing
Monthly fee: $150 ($19 per additional cardholder after 5 members)
Custom
If you want something different to the Essentials or Professional plan, this plan gives you a way to get a more customised account. Some possible features include:
Dedicated account manager. You'll have contact with the same person for all your account management and questions, which could help you save time on admin and other tasks.
Personalised onboarding. Get training for yourself and employees so you can make the most out of Archa without spending lots of time figuring it out for yourself.
Physical cards. You'll get Archa cards for yourself and your employees, linked to the one account.
Instant card issuing. You can quickly set up new cards for your employees at any time through the Archa app.
Credit limit. This account offers flexible credit limits, with the Archa website currently saying it can offer up to $250,000.
30-day repayment terms. The full amount that you spend with an Archa card will typically be repaid every 30 days by direct debit from your chosen bank account. With this plan, you could also talk to your dedicated account manager about how to manage payments in a way that works for your business to see what's possible.
Account management. Your account shows detailed transaction data and can be linked to Xero accounting software to help with accounting tasks. You can also export data in .CSV format for applications like Microsoft Excel.
Mobile payments. The Archa card can be added to your Apple Pay and Google Pay accounts for contactless, mobile payments.
Custom plan pricing
Customised
How to get an Archa plan
You can sign up for Archa online in a few minutes and will get a response within 48 hours.
Eligibility
Business registration. Your business must have an ABN or ACN.
Business history. You need to have been operating your business for at least 6 months before you can apply for an Archa plan.
Monthly revenue. Your business needs to have an annual revenue of at least $300,000.
Required documents
Business bank details. You need to give Archa access to 6–12 months of business bank statements.
Business information. This includes your business website, LinkedIn or other social media profiles, as well as background on what your business does.
Phone number. You need this to complete the application and set Archa up on your phone or another mobile device.
Personal ID. Your driver's licence or passport details are needed to help verify your ID and the ID of any employees who will be responsible for managing the account.
More information about Archa
Fintech (financial technology) companies like Archa and Volopay are becoming more common in Australia. But because they are not as well-known or established as a bank, you might want to know more before you apply.
So, here are some other details to keep in mind when you're looking at Archa for your business:
Referral program
Archa has a referral program for existing members, which gives you a $50 eGift voucher when you refer a friend and they get an Archa plan. Plus, your friend will get their first monthly subscription fee waived.
Business credit history
Archa will submit your repayment history and some other details to credit-reporting bureaus in Australia, which gives you a way to build up a good credit score for your business.
Security
Archa uses multi-factor authentication for your account, auto-locking for the app and data encryption. It also has fraud monitoring for the account and zero liability for fraudulent transactions through Mastercard.
Financial licence and responsibilities
Archa is an independent company with its own Australian Credit Licence. It also provides information to the credit-reporting bureaus in Australia.
Contact details
Archa has a contact form on its website, as well as a support email address: help@archa.com.au. It is based in Cremorne, Victoria (a suburb of Melbourne).
Archa business history
Archa was originally launched as a neobank but moved its focus to business banking in 2020 and has a principal partnership with Mastercard.
It also has backing from investors and business founders, including Wisr CEO and founder Anthony Nantes, THE ICONIC and Hatch co-founder Adam Jacobs, BetaShares founder and CEO Alex Vynokur and former Macquarie Capital executives John Prendiville and Link Chairman.
Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio
Amy's expertise
Amy has written 565 Finder guides across topics including:
If you’re a business owner that travels or spends overseas, Airwallex Borderless Cards give you a way to save on fees and manage employee spending. Weigh up the features and costs here.
Cape’s all-in-one expense platform gives you a way to track and manage business spending, with virtual and physical cards and no foreign transaction fees.
Live eftpos black is a wireless, handheld EFTPOS option from Australian payment service provider Live eftpos – and it gives you a way to earn Qantas Points for card transactions.
Learn how you can accept credit card payments online, compare a range of online payment solutions, including merchant accounts, payment gateways and extras such as Apple Pay acceptance.
Need to accept credit card payments for your business? Here's a look at options including traditional EFTPOS machines, portable card readers and online credit card processing platforms.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Referral program
Business credit history
Security
Financial licence and responsibilities
Contact details
Archa business history