Pairing the convenience, value, and selection of Amazon Business with a Pay by Invoice line of credit can help organizations simplify and streamline purchasing. It’s available by invitation to eligible customers, offers no upfront fees, and no interest for 30 days*, giving you buying power. Plus, the line of credit offers several features that work seamlessly with Amazon Business.

I like to think of it as a cash flow and management tool within the Amazon Business purchasing toolbox. Here are five ways it’ll help you get more from your account.

#1 Set roles and permissions to match your business needs

Amazon Business makes it easy for administrators to quickly add new users and assign roles both of which sets limits on the user’s access to the account.

Let’s review some of the roles that are helpful to use with Pay by Invoice. Administrators have full access to the Amazon Business account and the Pay by Invoice line of credit. Unlike administrators, however, Requisitioners can only place orders, add payment methods, and approve orders. That difference means your purchasing department only has access to the features they need and nothing more.

An administrator can also assign a specialized Finance role to users, allowing them to view account details like invoices, credit memos, and order history without providing access to the full business account. For example, you can assign a Finance role to your Accounts Payable specialist, so they can handle accounting questions.

To add a new user and assign roles, select Business settings from the dropdown menu, choose Add people, enter the new user’s email address, and assign the new user’s roles.

#2 Create custom invoice templates that suit your organization

Through Pay by Invoice, you can customize invoices to suit your organization’s billing needs. For example, if your organization has multiple billing addresses, you can create templates specific to each address and assign that template to different groups within the organization. This feature can be helpful for organizations with different offices, different schools within a district, or the specific cost centers within the organization. Custom templates also allow your organization to receive PDF invoices at different email addresses so that managers of different groups or locations receive the invoices specific to them.

Any administrator is able to create an invoice template. To do so, select New invoice template located in your account’s Pay by Invoice section.

You can also set the tool as a default payment option in external ePayment systems, like Coupa or Arriba. 

#3 Use periodic invoicing for improved flexibility

Unlike many purchasing methods, Pay by Invoice allows your organization to receive consolidated invoices each month, every other week, or every week.

Some organizations may need the detail afforded by per-order invoicing. Others may value the streamlined reconciliation that periodic invoicing provides, since it allows them to schedule a single payment or customize when their organization receive invoices. Pay by Invoice also allows you to to separate invoices by group, PO number, or both.

Whatever your needs, Pay by Invoice has the flexibility to fit the way you work.

#4 Customize Member Controls to ensure compliance

By setting up approval workflows, restricting product categories, and establishing preferred products, administrators can help ensure purchasing compliance across an organization. This automated system simplifies the administrative oversight process and increases organizational transparency, preventing you from having to review the compliance of every purchase – saving you time and effort.

Pay by Invoice’s Guided Buying feature enables you to set company-preferred products and suppliers, to rein in “rogue” spending and make sure buyers are making cost-effective choices. It saves your buyers time too, so they can quickly find what they’re looking for, without having to remember exact model numbers or refer to an approved product list. Users choose from approved selections through display messaging while shopping and checking out.

Through the Groups feature, administrators can establish Guided Buying policies for an organization’s business units, departments, locations, or payment methods. For instance, you may allow your IT group to buy products from the “laptop computer” category, but restrict other groups from making that type of purchase.

#5 Access reports to review and reconcile invoices

You can review and generate several reports to make it easier to reconcile invoices. Within Business Analytics, you can create an Orders report to review invoice details like the PO number, Order ID, and Order Status, as well as Invoice Due Amount, Invoice Due Date, and other details. Simply set a data range and download the CSV file.

There are also several options available to customize the reports so you can zero in on the purchasing details that are most critical for your organization. And you can save these customizations so you can use them each time you access reports.

For additional help customizing your account, visit Business Accounts Help & Customer Service.

*30-Day Terms standard. With an eligible Business Prime account, 45- and 60-Day Terms are available. Subject to credit approval.