Set Spending Limits and Controls on Your Capital One Card

Want more control over your Capital One card? Learn how to set spending limits, lock cards, and monitor usage from the Capital One app or website.

If you want to control how your Capital One card is used—for yourself, a family member, or even an employee—you can set spending limits and customize alerts using the Capital One mobile app or website.

Here’s how to put those controls in place and stay on top of your account activity.

✅ Why Set Spending Limits?

Setting up limits helps you:

• Prevent overspending
  
  

• Monitor teen or authorized user activity
  
  

• Control business or shared card use
  
  

• Catch fraud early
  
  

• Stick to a personal budget
  
  

These tools are especially useful if you’ve added an authorized user or want tighter control over your own purchases.

📱 How to Set Spending Alerts in the Capital One App

While Capital One doesn’t offer hard “limits” that cut off spending (like some prepaid cards), you can still set real-time alerts and daily spending summaries.

Here’s how to enable them:

1. Open the Capital One mobile app
   
   

2. Tap your card
   
   

3. Go to Settings or Alerts & Notifications
   
   

4. Turn on Transaction Alerts
   
   

5. Customize your preferences:
   
   

   • Alert for every purchase
     
     

   • Only get alerts over a set amount (e.g., $50)
     
     

   • Choose push, text, or email alerts
     
     

This gives you immediate visibility into spending.

🧾 How to Monitor Authorized Users

If someone else is using your Capital One card:

• You can’t set a hard cap, but you can:
  
  

  • Receive alerts for every transaction they make
    
    

  • Monitor their spending through your own app
    
    

  • Lock or unlock the card at any time
    
    

To remove or manage an authorized user:

• Log into capitalone.com
  
  

• Go to Account Services > Manage Authorized Users
  
  

• From there, you can remove the user or request a new card for yourself
  
  

🔒 Lock the Card for More Control

Need a break from spending or want to prevent unauthorized use?

• Open the app
  
  

• Tap your card
  
  

• Select “Lock Card”
  
  

• This stops all new charges instantly
  
  

• You can unlock it at any time
  
  

Useful for:

• Pausing your child’s or employee’s card
  
  

• Preventing fraud while traveling
  
  

• Enforcing spending breaks
  
  

📊 Use Capital One’s CreditWise Tool

While not a control feature, CreditWise helps track credit usage and gives insights into spending patterns, balances, and how they affect your score.

Find it in the Capital One app or at creditwise.capitalone.com — and it’s free.

🧠 Tips for Using Spending Controls

• Enable alerts on every card on your account
  
  

• Check daily summaries to track trends
  
  

• Pair controls with a budgeting app like Mint or YNAB
  
  

• If you co-own the account, discuss limits with the other cardholder
  
  

• Review spending every week and adjust alerts as needed
  
  

🔗 Related Help Articles

• Enable Alerts and Paperless Billing in Capital One App
  
  

• Dispute a Fraudulent Capital One Charge
  
  

• Fix a Locked Capital One Card in 3 Steps
  
  

✅ Final Word

Capital One doesn’t offer fixed spending limits on cards yet — but with real-time alerts, lock/unlock controls, and authorized user monitoring, you can still keep tight control of your account. Set your alerts today and stay in charge of every dollar spent.