Float can automatically lock a card when it exceeds a set number of Submission Policy violations. Users will see a "Transactions Missing Required Info" message in Float. While this feature helps enforce compliance, Admins have the ability to unlock a card manually—either by overriding the auto-lock settings or increasing the violation limit for that card.
Guide Overview
What causes a card to be auto-locked?
How to Unlock a Card that is Locked for Spend Compliance Policy Violations?
- Option 1: Override auto-lock for a specific card
- Option 2: Increase the violation threshold
- Option 3: Mark the transactions as compliant
What if the card isn’t unlocking?
What causes a card to be auto-locked?
When a cardholder doesn’t complete the transaction details required by your business's Submission Policy (like uploading a receipt or selecting a GL code), Float marks the transaction as non-compliant. If the number of non-compliant transactions exceeds the limit defined in the card’s Submission Policy, the card is automatically locked.
The pause will remain in effect until:
The spender resolves enough violations to bring the total below the allowed threshold
An Admin intervenes by overriding the auto-lock setting or adjusting the limit
How to Unlock a Card that is Locked for Spend Compliance Policy Violations?
There are 3 options of actions that can be taken to unlock the card. Once the non-compliant transactions on the card are resolved, the card will automatically be unlocked.
Option 1: Override auto-lock for a specific card
A Float Administrator can manually exempt a specific card from the auto-lock rule configured in its Submission Policy.
To override auto-lock:
Go to Cards > Use the filters to find the card > Select the locked card
-
In the Card Settings box, click the assigned Submission Policy
Check the box for Override auto-lock for this card
Toggle-off Autolock this Card for Policy Violations
Click Confirm
If the card is currently locked and your update brings the current violation count below the new threshold—or disables auto-lock—the card will be unlocked immediately.
Option 2: Increase the violation threshold
If you don’t want to disable auto-lock entirely, you can simply raise the threshold on the number of allowed violations for this card.
Follow the same steps as above, but instead of turning off auto-lock, enter a higher number in the "Number of violations before locking" field.
For example:
- If the policy currently locks a card after 3 violations > A card with 4 violations will be locked
- If you increase the threshold to 5 > The same card will be unlocked as the number of violations is now under the threshold
Option 3: Mark the transactions as compliant
You can unlock a card by marking the related transaction(s) as compliant from the Transaction Export page.
To do this:
Go to Accounting > Transaction Export
-
Use Filters to narrow down results by:
Cardholder
Card
Compliance — set this to "Not compliant with policy"
-
Select the transaction(s) you want to update
Select a single transaction > Select the three horizontal dots menu at the bottom of the Edit Transactions sidebar > Click "Mark as Compliant"
Bulk select multiple transactions with the checkboxes> Click "Force Compliance"
What if the card isn’t unlocking?
If the card remains locked after adjusting the settings, double-check the following:
Has the new threshold been saved and confirmed?
Are there still unresolved non-compliant transactions above the new limit?
Is auto-pause still toggled on?