Case Study: How Verestro Cut International Costs with the Sparados 0% Card
Updated: Oct 20
Hidden bank margins and manual currency exchange quietly drain the budget of any company that earns in one currency and spends in many. Verestro, a technology company with around 100 employees, faced exactly this problem.
By giving its most active teams the Sparados 0% Card, Verestro stopped paying currency conversion margins on business travel and software subscriptions. This case study shows what the company needed, how the solution works and what changed.
Case Study at a Glance
Client: Verestro, a technology company with around 100 employees
Industry: Technology
Challenge: Revenue in EUR, but travel and SaaS costs in USD and other currencies, with bank conversion margins and separate currency wallets to manage
Solution: Sparados 0% Card: virtual business cards linked to one EUR account, with real-time conversion at the Mastercard rate and 0% spread
Result: No conversion margins on travel and software subscriptions, no payments declined because of empty currency wallets and no buying currency in advance
About the Client: Verestro
Verestro is a technology company with around 100 employees. It generates its revenue mainly in EUR, but its daily operations require spending in many other currencies. The team travels often to international conferences and relies on AI tools, large language models (LLMs) and SaaS subscriptions billed in USD.
Verestro was a Sparados customer before the 0% Card launched. Since its first implementation, the company has issued virtual business cards in seconds, set spending rules and limits, and given marketing employees cards with individual budgets. The 0% Card extended this setup to international payments.
The Challenge: Conversion Fees and Split Currency Wallets
The Cost of Currency Conversion
Because Verestro earned in EUR and paid many expenses in other currencies, every foreign payment came with bank conversion costs. Traditional banks add a margin of 2% to 4% to the exchange rate on such payments.
Buying Currency in Advance
Traditional corporate banking also forced the finance team to buy foreign currency long before any spending happened. The team had to estimate expenses in advance, move money into separate currency sub-accounts and deal with:
Fragmented sub-accounts: hours spent logging into platforms to manage separate wallets for different regions.
The "empty wallet" problem: software subscriptions and hotel check-ins were declined when a single currency wallet ran out of money, even though the main company account had funds.
Tied-up capital: money held in foreign currency wallets could not be used elsewhere in the business and was exposed to exchange rate changes.
The Solution: The Sparados 0% Card
Verestro gave its employees Sparados virtual business cards with the 0% Card conversion model. Instead of splitting company funds into currency buckets, the cards draw directly from Verestro's main EUR account in Sparados.
Conversion happens automatically at the moment of payment. When an employee pays in another currency, Sparados converts the exact amount at the live Mastercard exchange rate, with 0% spread and no conversion commission. No one has to buy currency in advance or exchange it manually.
How It Works
Verestro keeps its balance in one main EUR account in Sparados.
The finance team issues virtual business cards to employees in seconds and sets spending rules and limits.
An employee pays in the local currency, for example for a hotel abroad or a software subscription billed in USD.
Sparados converts the exact amount at the Mastercard rate at the moment of payment, with 0% spread.
The amount is deducted from the EUR account. There are no currency wallets to top up.
Spend Controls
Each card has its own rules and spending limits. Employees with marketing budgets use their assigned card, and if they need more, they can request a higher limit with one click in the Sparados app.
The Results: No FX Margins on Travel and Software
Today, Verestro uses the 0% Card in three core areas of its operations:
1. Business Travel Without FX Margins
Whether an executive checks into a hotel in London or attends a conference in New York, they pay with the card in the local currency. Sparados converts the funds at the live Mastercard rate with 0% spread and no added commission, so Verestro no longer pays the markup of around 3% that traditional banks often add to foreign receipts.
2. Software Subscriptions at the Real Exchange Rate
A modern tech stack means paying for platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude and AWS. By moving these monthly subscriptions to Sparados cards, Verestro removed the 2% to 4% bank margins that inflate recurring USD bills.
3. No More Empty Currency Wallets
The finance team no longer moves money between currency pools. As long as the main account has funds, every Sparados card works in any currency.
“For me, Sparados means 'well-organized'. People know exactly how we handle subscription costs and travel expenses at Verestro – even abroad. There are no unnecessary discussions and no paperwork, yet we still have full transparency and control. Before introducing the 0% Card, Verestro paid constant currency conversion fees because we earned revenue in Euros but incurred expenses in other currencies. Now, we achieve tangible savings.” – Michał Maciąg, CTO at Verestro
Before and After Sparados
Aspect | Before Sparados | With the 0% Card |
Paying in foreign currencies | Currency bought in advance into separate sub-accounts | One EUR account; conversion at the moment of payment |
Exchange rate | Bank rate with a 2–4% margin | Live Mastercard rate with 0% spread |
SaaS subscriptions in USD | Bank margins on every monthly bill | No conversion margin |
Business travel | Markup of around 3% on foreign receipts | Payment in the local currency at the Mastercard rate |
Declined payments | Payments declined when a currency wallet ran empty | Cards work in any currency while the main account has funds |
Company funds | Capital locked in foreign currency wallets | Funds stay in the main EUR account |
Finance team workload | Hours spent managing separate wallets | No currency pools to manage |
Why Companies Choose the Sparados 0% Card
Verestro's experience shows where the difference between a traditional bank and Sparados comes from:
Mid-market rates: banks often build a 2% to 4% margin into their exchange rates. With Sparados, you pay the Mastercard rate at the moment of the transaction.
No FX speculation: instead of buying currency in advance and guessing market moves, conversion happens when the purchase is made, which keeps cash flow predictable.
No DCC fees: Verestro employees choose the local currency at payment terminals. This way Sparados handles the conversion at 0% spread instead of a foreign bank applying its own markup.
One account in EUR, USD or CHF: companies keep a single balance and pay in other currencies without opening extra currency accounts.
Read more about the launch of the 0% Card and how the 0% Card works.
FAQ: The Sparados 0% Card
What is the Sparados 0% Card?
It is a virtual business card with direct, real-time currency conversion. The card is funded from one account in EUR, USD or CHF, and payments in other currencies are converted at the live Mastercard rate with 0% spread and no conversion commission.
How does Verestro use the 0% Card?
Verestro uses it for business travel, for AI and SaaS subscriptions billed in USD, such as ChatGPT, Claude and AWS, and to stop managing separate currency wallets.
Which exchange rate does the 0% Card use?
The Mastercard exchange rate at the exact moment of payment. Sparados adds no spread and no conversion commission on top of it.
Do I need separate currency accounts?
No. As long as there are funds in the main account in EUR, USD or CHF, payments in all other currencies are processed automatically. There are no currency buckets to top up.
Why should employees choose the local currency at the terminal?
If a payment terminal converts the amount into your account currency (DCC), the foreign bank applies its own markup. Paying in the local currency lets Sparados convert the amount at 0% spread.
Who is the 0% Card for?
It suits companies that pay in many currencies: business travelers, exporters, importers, startups, SaaS companies and international teams.
Cut FX Costs on Your International Spending
For companies like Verestro that earn in one currency and spend in many, removing conversion margins is a direct saving on every foreign payment. It also frees the finance team from planning currency purchases and topping up wallets.
Want to check how much your company could save? Let's talk about the 0% Card.
