FAQ
Adding Money to a Production Account
The short answer
Dolly cards are prefunded. They spend money the production has already added to the account. A limit on a card is only a ceiling. If the money is not in the account yet, the card declines, even when the limit looks high enough.
The account has to have the money first
Nothing is borrowed when a crew member swipes. The purchase is paid from funds the production already put in. That is why a brand-new card with a high limit still declines if nobody has funded the account.
Producers add money through the production as the crew spends. There is no cap on how much a production can spend over the life of a show. The most that can sit on an end-user account at one time is $500,000.
Three numbers people mix up
- The account balance is money that is actually there and can be spent.
- The card limit is the most that one card is allowed to spend. Dolly’s ceilings are $50,000 per charge, $100,000 a day, and $500,000 a month. A production can set a card lower.
- A pending hold is money set aside for a purchase that has not finished posting. It is not available for the next swipe, and a pending return does not put it back until the return posts.
Money on the way is not money you can spend
A transfer does not help the crew until it has arrived and shows as available. Sending it this morning does not mean a card can use it this morning. If a purchase matters today, confirm the funds are in the account before someone leaves for the store.
Plan the load for the spending you expect, including holds. Hotels, rentals, and restaurants often set aside more than the final bill. An account that looks big enough for the receipts can still be short once those holds are counted.
Frequently asked questions
- If the card limit is $2,000, can the crew spend $2,000?
- Only if the production account has $2,000 available after pending holds. The limit is a ceiling. The balance is what can actually be spent.
- How much can a production spend in total?
- There is no cap on overall production spend. Producers replenish the account as the crew spends. The most that can sit on an end-user account at once is $500,000.
- I just sent money. Why did the card still decline?
- The transfer has not arrived yet, or pending holds are using up what did arrive. The card can spend the funds only after they show as available.
- Does a pending refund free up money for the next purchase?
- No. A pending return does not restore the balance. The money comes back when the refund posts.
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