Why It Matters
Modernizing payouts addresses critical pain points—slow check processing, fraud risk, and poor claimant experience—while unlocking new revenue streams for insurers. As digital wallets and tokenized payments become mainstream, adopting card‑based payouts is essential for insurers to stay competitive and meet rising consumer expectations for speed and transparency.
Key Takeaways
- •Card-based payouts cut claim processing time dramatically.
- •Virtual cards reduce fraud through usage controls and single-use tokens.
- •Interchange fees generate new revenue streams for insurers.
- •API integration simplifies deployment across multiple currencies and platforms.
- •Customer experience improves with instant digital wallets, not mailed checks.
Pulse Analysis
The InsurTech Leadership Podcast episode with Andrew Jurigan highlights how card‑as‑a‑service platforms are displacing traditional checks and ACH wires in insurance payouts. By issuing virtual or branded Visa cards, carriers can deliver claim funds instantly to a policyholder’s digital wallet, cutting processing cycles from weeks to minutes. This shift not only accelerates cash flow for claimants but also opens a new revenue line through interchange fees, turning a cost center into a profit lever. Jurigan emphasizes the flexibility of programmable cards—single‑use tokens for one‑time repairs or multi‑use cards for ongoing living‑expense assistance—tailored to each use case.
Beyond speed, the move to card‑based payouts addresses two persistent industry pain points: fraud and operational overhead. Virtual cards can be restricted by merchant category, geography, and time of day, dramatically reducing the risk of unauthorized spending that plagued phone‑delivered credit numbers. The platform’s API‑first architecture integrates directly with core insurance systems, accounting suites, and third‑party administrators, supporting 111 currencies and both physical and digital card formats. This seamless connectivity eliminates manual data entry, lowers check‑printing costs, and provides real‑time transaction data for analytics, compliance, and audit trails—critical advantages in a highly regulated sector.
Looking ahead, Jurigan predicts that the next wave of innovation will focus on tokenization and deeper digital wallet integration, making ACH‑style bank‑detail collection obsolete. Insurers that adopt these solutions will differentiate themselves through superior customer experience, faster claim settlement, and measurable cost savings. Success also hinges on strategic partnerships and investor alignment; choosing backers who understand both fintech and insurance dynamics accelerates product rollout and market adoption. As the industry embraces digital payouts, carriers that prioritize programmable, API‑driven card solutions will set the benchmark for best‑in‑class claims handling.
Episode Description
Introduction
What if the biggest friction point in insurance isn't underwriting or distribution, but the moment a policyholder actually gets paid? For an industry built on the promise of financial protection, the claims payout process remains stubbornly analog, slow, and vulnerable to fraud.
In this episode of the Insurtech Leadership Podcast, host Joshua Hollander sits down with Andrew Jernigan, Head of Insurance, North America at Pliant, to dissect how card-based payout infrastructure is reshaping claims operations. From single-use virtual cards that eliminate fraud vectors to tokenized wallet payouts that meet policyholders where they already transact, Jernigan makes the case that modernizing the last mile of claims isn't just an ops upgrade, it's a revenue strategy.
Guest Bio
Andrew Jernigan is the Head of Insurance, North America at Pliant, a card-as-a-service platform modernizing claims and benefit payouts for insurers and payers. Prior to Pliant, he was the founder and CEO of Insured Nomads, a company built to serve globally mobile professionals with embedded insurance and financial wellness products. Jernigan brings a rare combination of carrier-side operating experience and fintech product instincts to the claims payout problem.
Key Topics
• Card-Based Claims Payouts - How single-use and virtual cards replace checks and ACH transfers, reducing settlement time from days to seconds
• Fraud Reduction Through Card Infrastructure - Why single-use cards with merchant category restrictions eliminate common payout fraud vectors
• Interchange as a Revenue Lever - The economics of card-based payouts: insurers can generate interchange revenue while reducing operational costs
• Tokenized Wallet Payouts - The near-term future where claims land directly in Apple Pay or Google Wallet, removing the need for physical cards entirely
• Branded Payout Experience - How carrier-branded payment cards turn the claims moment into a customer experience and retention touchpoint
• Implementation Simplicity - Why modern card-as-a-service platforms can integrate in weeks rather than the months-long cycles of legacy payment systems
• Communication as Retention Strategy - The hidden cost of poor claims communication and why payout speed alone doesn't solve the customer experience gap
Notable Quotes
"Use other people's money. That's literally the best advice in payments."
• Andrew Jernigan, Head of Insurance, North America, Pliant
"People are tired of believing that insurance is going to be like pulling teeth. They're waiting for innovation to happen."
• Andrew Jernigan
"It's not just speed. It's control. A single-use card means the money can only go where it's supposed to go."
• Andrew Jernigan
Resources
Guest:
• Pliant: https://www.pliant.io/
• Andrew Jernigan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjernigan/
Host & Organization:
• Joshua R. Hollander on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarhollander/
• Horton International (USA): https://www.horton-usa.com/
• Insurtech Leadership Podcast (LinkedIn Showcase): https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insurtech-leadership-show
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