# Manage controls

Spending controls help you manage your budget and prevent fraud. They restrict spending to:

- Certain types of business, using the [merchant category code](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-controls.md#Apply_MCC_controls) (MCC)
- Specific merchants, using the [merchant identifier](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-controls.md#Apply_MID_controls) (MID)
- A certain [velocity](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-controls.md#Apply_velocity_controls) – that is, how much cards can spend within a given timeframe

You can also add MCCs or MIDs to a velocity control. For example, allow a card to spend a maximum of 500 EUR per month at food businesses.

You can:

- Apply one or more controls to a [specific card](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-controls.md).
- Create a [control profile](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-control-profiles.md) to apply a set of controls to multiple linked cards.
- Create a [control group](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/control-groups.md) to cards or profiles to define how to evaluate combinations of controls.

Checkout.com may also set controls at the [card-product level](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-product-controls.md) that are inherited by all linked cards.

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## Related topics

- [Card controls](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-controls.md): Apply and manage card spending controls that limit how much a card can spend in total, over a set period of time, and at certain businesses.
- [Card control profiles](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-control-profiles.md): Create and manage control profiles that apply a set of spending controls to a group of cards.
- [Card-product controls](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/card-product-controls.md): Apply card spending controls at the level of the card product.
- [Control groups](https://www.checkout.com/docs/card-issuing/manage-controls/control-groups.md): Group multiple controls together and define how to apply the combined outcome.