In Dext, a Payment method refers to the last 4 digits of the card used to pay for an expense, as printed on the receipt or invoice. When those digits are visible, Dext automatically extracts them during document processing.

Payment methods help you identify which card was used for a purchase and ensure expenses are recorded correctly.

Where payment methods appear

Payment methods are visible in two places:

On the Item details page

When Dext extracts payment information from a document:

The extracted Payment method appears in the Payment method field.
You can manually apply or change the Payment method for the item if needed.

This allows you to correct or assign the card used before publishing or exporting the item.

Item details page in the Costs inbox showing a receipt image on the left and the Details panel on the right. In the Payment section, the extracted payment method is automatically applied in the Payment method dropdown, with options below to Add payment method or Link to bank account.

In Business settings

All payment methods are managed in Business settings > Lists > Payment methods.

Admin users can view, rename, create, and delete payment methods from here.

Payment methods page in Business settings under Lists, displaying a list of payment methods with Add payment method, Set user defaults, Reload, and Delete buttons visible.

Automatically extracted payment methods

If Dext detects a new card reference on a document:

A new Payment method is created automatically.
It will appear with the name “New” and the extracted last 4 digits.

To ensure Dext recognises this Payment method and assigns it to items automatically:

Rename it clearly (for example, “Company Visa 1234”).
Leave the extracted reference as it is (unless incorrect)

Manually created payment methods

Payment methods aren't limited to what Dext extracts automatically. You can also create them manually to represent any payment type used in your business - for example:

A personal card used for business expenses
A company credit or debit card
Cash or petty cash
Cheques

When you create a payment method manually, you give it a name and a reference. The reference is typically the last 4 digits of the card. When Dext extracts those digits from a document, it matches them to the existing payment method automatically - rather than creating a new "New" entry.

For cash or cheques, there are no digits to extract. You'd apply those payment methods to items on the Item details page.

To create a payment method manually, see Manage Payment methods in Dext.

Linking payment methods to bank accounts

If your account is connected to accounting software, Payment methods can be linked to the corresponding bank accounts to allow paid items to publish correctly.

See: How to link a payment method to a bank account