Cardholders

Cardholders are the end users of the CleverCards platform—the individuals who ultimately receive and use the issued cards. They can represent employees, customers, partners, or beneficiaries depending on your business context. Every card and card token must be linked to a cardholder, making cardholders the foundational identity resource in the system.

From a business perspective, cardholders act as the bridge between your organization and the payment instruments that are issued on their behalf. By managing cardholders, you control who is eligible to receive a card, maintain compliance with KYC/AML requirements, and ensure a consistent data model across all issued products.

Capabilities

Identity Management: Create cardholder records with personal details (name, email, phone) that uniquely identify and contact the individual.
Lifecycle Control: Activate, update, deactivate, or reactivate cardholders to reflect their current relationship with your organization. This allows you to enforce operational policies—for example, suspending a cardholder who has left your company while retaining historical data for reconciliation.
Card Issuance: Every card must be tied to a cardholder. This ensures accountability and provides a clear ownership trail for financial reporting, transaction analysis, and compliance audits.
Token Delivery Context: When issuing card tokens, cardholder information helps tailor delivery (e.g., sending to the right email address with personalized messaging).
Integration Hooks: Cardholder events (CARDHOLDER_CREATED, UPDATED, DELETED) are exposed via webhooks, allowing you to sync your HRIS, CRM, or identity systems in real time.

Why It Matters

Treating cardholders as first-class entities in the API provides a consistent, auditable, and secure framework for managing the people behind every transaction. Whether you are distributing rewards, expense cards, or disbursements, cardholders anchor the lifecycle of funds, ensuring transparency, control, and compliance from issuance to usage.