Test your first
card program.

Choose who gets a card, set the controls, and run a purchase. Your programs save to your own account so you can return on another device.

1. Test first. Save when you’re ready.

Open three test purchases without signing up. Edit the program, run scenarios and export your brief. Device drafts are stored in this browser.

Choose Save across devices when you want an account save. Create an account, confirm your email and sign in; the draft you chose is copied into your private workspace. Other device drafts are not automatically imported. Password recovery is available on the sign-in page.

2. Define the program and cardholders

Start with the template closest to your idea. In Program model, name the program, explain what the cardholder gets, and identify who funds it. Choose Save program model.

In Cardholders, add fictional recipients and their budgets. A synthetic card is created with each cardholder. Suspend a cardholder to test whether spending is blocked.

In Funding & roles, post a modeled contribution and name the people responsible for approvals, support, risk and reconciliation. Contributions change only the simulated balance.

Design the customer’s card

Open Card design. Set the customer-facing brand, card label, logo mark and color. You can upload a small PNG, JPEG or WebP logo. Save the design to keep it in the device draft, account program, share and exports.

Name the client business and sub-client/team, then choose the funding source and recipient type. The initial proposal is corporate-funded USD virtual prepaid. Consumer loading, worker earnings, mixed funding and shared pools remain exploratory. This models a proposed structure; it does not provision issuer sub-accounts or team access.

Issuer/network marks, card artwork and wallet appearance require partner approval. Branding a preview does not approve a production co-brand.

3. Set the spending controls

Open Program controls. Choose the rule kinds and edit their parameters. Amounts in control fields are integer cents: 2500 means $25.00.

Set a shared budget’s history scope to Whole program. Use This cardholder for individual behavior. Choose Validate and save rules after editing. Unsaved form changes must be saved or discarded before switching sections.

Conditional branches are available in the full JSON editor. Appen supports bounded declarative rules, not arbitrary JavaScript or uploaded for-loops. External webhook decisions are not executed and fail closed.

4. Run and inspect a purchase

Open Scenarios. Choose a ready-made case, cardholder, merchant, category and amount. Purchase amounts use dollars. Choose Run and record purchase.

The trace shows each control, the decision, the balance before and after, and why a different outcome did not happen. Recorded purchases and their traces save with the program.

Run one allowed purchase, one disallowed purchase, and one requiring review. Use the simulation clock to test cooldowns, expiration and temporary unlocks. The subscriber template’s Declare purchase button opens its modeled 15-minute window.

Preview three cases runs each case independently without changing the program’s balance or history. Use Run and record purchase when you want an outcome saved in the program.

The Performance summary shows the time for each decision against 1,000 ms. Open it for per-control timings and Check API round trip. That diagnostic sends an independent copy to Appen’s API, resetting history/balance to starting conditions. It measures browser-to-API time and shows a per-call ID; no issuer is contacted. Timeout, errors, review and unconfirmed partial authorization map to decline in the binary diagnostic. Program performance shows the slowest measured decision and share of the 1,000 ms reference budget. Simulation only; excludes network, issuer, data access and saving. Production performance has not been measured.

5. Review approvals and lifecycle events

A purchase requiring approval shows cardholder and approver previews in its trace. Approve or decline the exact request. Approving reruns current controls and does not bypass other limits. Approvals expire after 15 simulated minutes.

An authorized modeled purchase can be cleared or reversed. A cleared purchase can be refunded once. These actions update the model and its saved ledger; they are not card-network transactions.

6. Reopen your program on another device

Without an account, form saves and recorded purchases stay on this device. Choose Save across devices to explicitly copy this draft into your account. Once signed in, form saves, recorded purchases and modeled lifecycle changes save to your account. The status above the workspace shows Saving until the server confirms, then Saved to your account.

Open Your saved programs or your account page to reopen a program. Its name, cardholders, controls, decisions and modeled balances come back together. Opening the sandbox without a program link loads your most recently updated program.

If saving fails, keep the tab open and choose Retry save. Export a JSON backup before closing. If another tab changed the program, export your changes and reopen the saved version rather than overwriting it.

7. Share a fixed version

In Save & share, choose Save private snapshot to capture an immutable version. To invite someone to view a fixed version, choose a viewer or partner-reviewer role, an expiry, and Create private share link.

Anyone holding that link can read the shared snapshot until it expires or you revoke it. They cannot edit your program. A recipient can clone a device draft without signup, then sign in when they want to save across devices. Keep the link private.

To send your program directly to Appen, complete the separate Send this program form and consent to a reply. A receipt confirms that Appen received the submission.

8. Export a program brief

Open Program brief to review your program, funds flow, controls, recent tests and open partner questions. Print it to PDF, or export the complete Markdown and JSON files.

The brief is a discussion artifact, not bank approval. Real issuing, KYC/KYB, custody, settlement and commercial terms require a separate partner review.