Managing expenses is critical for any business, especially for healthcare providers facing rising costs and lower reimbursement rates. Nitra offers a suite of financial products, but the centerpiece offering and the focus of my article today is the Nitra™ Visa® Business Card.
The company claims the Nitra credit card will give clinicians enhanced control, insights, and savings around their spending. But does the card stand up to its tall claims?
Let’s find out.
This article will include:
- What is the Nitra Credit Card?
- The pros and cons of getting this cash back card.
- Tips on maximizing savings with the Nitra Card.
Read more:
Quick Facts
- Card’s full name: Nitra Credit Card
- Who it’s best for: Doctors looking to earn more cash back on their medical supplies and healthcare purchases
- Card issuer: Visa
- Qualifying credit score: N/A
- On FIRE Rating: 4/5
Nitra Credit Card: On FIRE Score
Annual Fee | $0 | 5/5 |
APR | N/A | 5/5 |
Intro Offer | N/A | 2/5 |
Maximum Rewards | Earn 3% cash back rewards on Nitra Marketplace spend.
Earn 2.2% on medical spend. Get 2% back on business spend. |
4/5 |
Everyday Rewards | 1% cash back on all spends. | 4/5 |
On FIRE Score | 4/5 |
What is the Nitra Credit Card?
The Nitra credit card is a commercial credit card targeted at medical practices, with a range of features tailored to their needs. Offering robust rewards and personalized expense management tools, Nitra aims to help providers maximize the value of their spending.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my top pick for your first rewards card. Welcome bonus of 80,000 points worth at least $1,000 when used to book travel (after a $4,000 spend in 3 mo) and other great perks you can learn abouthere.
Specific capabilities offered with the card include:
- Virtual cards: Generate single-use virtual cards to allocate spending to specific uses, employees, vendors, etc. This can help provide oversight and reduce fraud risk.
- Cash back rewards: Earn unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases. Additional bonuses of up to 5% with select vendors and up to 3% back on specific spending categories.
- Integrated spending analytics: The card connects with Nitra’s expense management software to enable real-time visibility and drill-downs into expense data. This process can identify more savings opportunities.
- Exclusive discounts: You’ll get access to special discounted pricing through Nitra’s partnerships with major medical suppliers, lowering your supply costs.
These benefits, combined with the fact that the card comes with no annual fees, make the Nitra Card a worthy cash back option for most of us docs.
How Does the Nitra Credit Card Work?
At its core, the Nitra credit card gives you a means to pay for all practice expenses, while accruing rewards points and accessing associated management tools.
The company is clearly aiming to be the primary payment mechanism for providers.
Key aspects of this card’s usability that should interest you:
- Works similarly to other commercial cards: the Nitra Card can be used to purchase anywhere Visa cards are accepted. Transactions, rewards, and balances work comparably to traditional credit cards.
- Virtual cards enable oversight: you can instantly generate virtual, single-use card numbers for allocating spend to specific suppliers, employees, etc. All activity rolls up into central expenses reporting.
- Rewards are tied to top spending categories: you earn a base 1% unlimited cash back on every purchase. Additional bonuses apply in the medical supply and equipment categories where you tend to spend most of your funds.
- Provides data for software platform: your card’s spending data will be tied to Nitra’s web and mobile spend analytics platform. So, you’ll have a breakdown of your expenses by vendor, category, location, and other factors.
- Payment flexibility: Nitra’s software will let you pay vendor invoices via check and ACH payments, so you won’t need another payment route for suppliers that don’t accept cards.
- Special merchant offers and pricing: Nitra has negotiated exclusive discounting with major medical goods suppliers and recurring services.
In essence, the Nitra card works like other commercial cards but is deeply integrated with Nitra’s healthcare-specific systems for managing expenses.
Nitra Credit Card Fees
Here is a table summarizing the Nitra card’s fee structure:
Fee | Details |
Annual fee | None |
Transaction fees | None |
Purchase and balance transfer APR | Standard credit card interest rates |
Fee for software access | Free for 1 year, and $9 per month after. |
Note: Other fees for cash advances, late payments, and more may apply.
Nitra Credit Card Pros
For medical practices focused on maximizing the value of their expenditures and gaining oversight of spend, the Nitra card offers several advantages:
Significant rewards earnings
With an unlimited 1% base earn rate across all purchases, and up to 5% bonuses in top supplier categories, the Nitra card offers lucrative rewards for everyday healthcare spending. This offering is competitive for a business card with no annual fee.
Virtual cards enable control
The instant, customizable virtual card function gives granular oversight over expenditures—so you can use policies, restrictions, and alerts to manage employee and departmental spending.
Real-time analytics and reporting
Integration with Nitra’s expense analytics platform enables drilling into expense data across hundreds of dimensions in customizable reports, Identifying more savings opportunities for you.
Exclusive discounted pricing
Nitra has partnered with vendors to offer discounted pricing on items like medical supplies, equipment, drugs, and services that practices frequently purchase. This lowers overall spending.
Oversight and fraud prevention
The ability to create virtual credit card numbers reduces the risk of unauthorized spending and payments to fake/unknown vendors. It confirms who is being paid.
Consolidated view of finances
Nitra’s software brings together all transaction information in one dashboard. You don’t need to switch between the card website and your bank website.
Nitra Credit Card Cons
While the Nitra card provides compelling features for many practices, there are also some limitations to consider:
Must qualify for business credit
You need to meet credit requirements like other business cards. Newer practices may need owner guarantees first.
Carries credit card debt risks
As with all credit cards, practices can accrue high-interest charges if monthly statement balances are not paid in full. You’ll need to have disciplined payment habits.
Must stay on top of expenses
Nitra’s analytics are only as good as the spending data on their systems. You’ll need to be consistent with your card usage to gain full benefits. Actively using virtual cards and accurate categorization is key.
How to Maximize Your Earnings with the Nitra Credit Card
To optimize the rewards and savings made from the Nitra card, you should focus on five key areas:
- Meet minimum spending for sign-up bonus: take advantage of higher rewards or statement credits offered for hitting monthly minimum spending targets after initial card activation. These one-time bonuses help offset heavy upfront purchases as you transition payment volumes to Nitra.
- Use for recurring costs like supplies and software: set up payments for high-frequency non-labor expenses like disposable supplies, clinical system subscriptions, facility maintenance services, etc. to accrue ongoing 2%+ cashback from necessary spending.
- Assign employees specific virtual cards: distribute virtual card numbers, each with defined monthly limits, to employees making routine smaller-scale purchases. This enables oversight while still earning rewards.
- Leverage exclusive supplier discounts: tap into negotiated discounted pricing from major vendors of healthcare products and services to magnify savings beyond rewards earnings.
- Pay balance each billing cycle: avoid negating rewards value by accumulating interest charges. Set payment reminders and pay the full monthly statement balance each period.
Is the Nitra Credit Card Worth It?
For medical practices looking to make the most of their limited funds, the Nitra card offers compelling benefits worth considering. It provides cash back rewards, expense-tracking capabilities, and discounted pricing from vendors, enabling both savings and transparency.
The real value lies in consistently using the card for your highest spending categories. When used strategically and paid off monthly, the Nitra card can drive efficiencies across your supply chain, personnel, and facilities-related spending.
The savings and better oversight of expenses can improve your financial health and support your patient care priorities.
In an industry with tight margins and limited resources, any tool that can reduce costs or recover revenue, even slightly, is worth adopting. While the Nitra card isn’t a silver bullet solution for all medical business challenges, optimizing its use can make a measurable impact.
FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the Nitra credit card:
How do I apply for the Nitra credit card?
You can apply online through this link. Approval decisions are usually provided within 1-3 business days. To apply, you’ll require basic information like your medical practice’s EIN, business address, and monthly banking records.
What expenses qualify for the 5% cash back rewards rate?
Purchases made with select major medical suppliers qualify for the top 5% rebate rate. These include vendors like McKesson, Cardinal Health, Henry Schein, and Medline among others. See Nitra’s website for full details.
Can virtual cards be used for recurring payments?
Yes. Unique 16-digit virtual card numbers can be assigned for repeated expenditures like SaaS subscriptions, facility maintenance fees, etc. It’s useful for limiting employee access to core payment tools while still earning full rewards.
Does the card report to personal credit bureaus?
In some cases, a personal credit guarantee is required, which could result in the reporting of liabilities and payment history on the owner’s credit report. However, for well-qualified businesses, only commercial credit data would be impacted.
Can I manage more than one Nitra card account?
Yes. The web and mobile applications support oversight of multiple cards issued across unique business entities, locations, or use cases. Expenses can be tracked, compared, and managed centrally.
Our Methodology
Our credit card reviews aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of both quantitative and qualitative factors.
The quantitative analysis focuses on the financial costs and benefits associated with each card, including interest rates, fees, rewards programs, cash back offers, and other monetary perks. However, we also consider qualitative aspects that impact the everyday use and value of the card.
These include the simplicity of the application process, the structure of the rewards program, the likelihood of utilizing certain card features, and the suitability of the card for frequent or infrequent use.
Our On FIRE rating system allows for quick comparisons between cards within a particular category. When choosing a new credit card, consumers should weigh the quantitative dollar amounts along with qualitative ease-of-use factors to select the best overall option for their needs.