AF Charge Cards are low-cost business charge cards designed to help farming and rural businesses pay non-AF suppliers and manage spending more easily through their AF account.
With almost 1,800 cards issued across 829 Members, AF Charge Cards are widely used across the membership to simplify purchasing and improve financial control.
To ensure the service continues to deliver value, Stephanie Chapman, Charge Card Procurement Manager, regularly reviews the programme and works closely with AF’s banking partner to maintain a reliable, convenient payment solution.
AF Charge Cards help farm and rural businesses:
pay non-AF suppliers easily
control team spending and staff expenses with individual limits
consolidate payments through one account
reduce admin with clear monthly invoicing
access low-cost commercial charge cards.
AF Charge Cards provide a cost-effective way to simplify business spending.
Apply for an AF Charge Card through the AF team.
Set individual spending limits.
Received your card and use it to pay non-AF suppliers.
All spending is consolidated through your AF account.
It has now been 12 months since AF migrated the Charge Card programme to Lloyds Bank, bringing several improvements for Members.
The transition has introduced enhanced systems, improved service, and new payment capabilities.
Members continue to benefit from:
dedicated in-house AF support for Charge Card queries
Lloyds Bank account management and customer service
a secure and reliable payment platform.
Together, this provides Members with both personal support and strong banking infrastructure.
“We use Charge Cards for everything we can. Having all those charges on one invoice makes it a lot easier for our business.”
AF Members spend more than £9 million each year using Charge Cards, making ease of payment a top priority.
A key improvement has been the introduction of digital wallet compatibility, allowing Members to pay quickly using their mobile devices.
Members report that this makes transactions faster, more convenient, and easier to manage when purchasing goods or services.
“We put all our ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram through our AF Charge Card. It's super easy - payment goes through straight away and we keep the receipts and consolidate them at the end of the month for finance.”
AF is continually exploring new ways for Members to pay suppliers, helping to streamline processes and improve efficiency for both businesses and suppliers.
As a not-for-profit co-operative, AF works to ensure every partnership delivers value. Through its relationship with Lloyds Bank, AF has secured competitive treasury account rates, helping maximise surplus funds and reinvest value back into the membership.
To find out how an AF Charge Card can help simplify purchasing for your farm or rural business, or apply for an AF Charge Card, get in touch.
