How it works
The member swipes once. Modern software decides.
At the moment of payment, a routing engine filters by legal eligibility, applies plan priority, splits when needed, and records every decision. That is what legacy benefit cards never really did.
Six step sequence
From merchant data to a decision you can defend
- 1
Inputs
Merchant category, merchant identity, amount, and item data when the merchant sends it.
- 2
Eligibility
Which wallets may legally pay this merchant. Regulation first. Preference later.
- 3
Order
Some orderings are required. The rest follow the plan you set.
- 4
Priority
A good default spends money that expires before money that does not. FSA before HSA.
- 5
Balance and split
If the first wallet is short, the next eligible wallet can finish the charge. Each leg posts to its own ledger.
- 6
The record
What was considered, what was excluded and why, what paid, and how it substantiated.
Routing path
At authorization
Swipe
One card
Filter
Legal wallets
Order
Plan priority
Split
If needed
Record
Full trace
FSA
$857.82
Expiring first
Wage Parity
$192.18
Split remainder
Trace
Full
Why each paid
Why this is hard
Four wallets. Four definitions of available balance.
- Health FSA: exposes the full annual election on day one.
- HSA: exposes only contributions to date.
- Commuter: contributions against a monthly cap that resets.
- Dependent care: reimburses only after services are rendered and cannot prepay. That is IRS rules, not a product limitation.
Who configures what
Regulation
Which merchant categories each program may legally pay.
Plan / employer
Priority among eligible wallets; LSA category sets; program mix.
TPA / document partner
Plan documents, testing, and ERISA paperwork we do not produce.
Phase 3 Benefits
Issuing, routing engine, substantiation, portals, settlement, audit packets.
Interactive routing demo
One swipe. Watch modern software decide.
This is what legacy benefit cards never showed you. Balances persist across scenarios. Run the guided story, or free play. Scenarios 4 and 5 prove the product: split authorization and an explained decline.
Merchant scenarios
Suggested next:
Decision trace
Press Run the story for the full six-swipe arc, or pick a merchant. Keyboard: Tab to a scenario, Enter to run.
Frequently asked questions
What is multi wallet routing?
At authorization time, software filters which benefit wallets may legally pay for a merchant, applies plan priority, and can split a charge across wallets when one balance is not enough.
What is a split authorization?
When the first eligible wallet cannot cover the full amount, the engine draws from the next eligible wallet. Each leg posts to its own ledger.
What is an explained decline?
A decline with a plain language reason and a decision record: which wallets were ineligible or short, and what the member should do next. Legacy cards often leave people guessing.
See splits and declines on your program mix
A clean approval is easy to screenshot. Split authorizations and explained declines are where modern card software earns its keep.