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# Card lifecycle

A card is issued against a cardholder, stays active until it is frozen or
terminated, and carries an optional spending limit at every point in its life.

## States

| Status       | Meaning                                                     |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `ACTIVE`     | Authorizations are approved, subject to the spending limit. |
| `FROZEN`     | Authorizations are declined; the card can be reactivated.   |
| `TERMINATED` | Permanently closed. A new card must be issued instead.      |

Freezing is reversible, so it suits a card the cardholder has misplaced.
Termination is not, and it releases the card number for good.

## Spending limits

A limit combines an `amount` with a `DAILY`, `WEEKLY`, or `MONTHLY` interval, and
applies from the moment the card is issued. Authorizations that would take the
card past its limit are declined by the authorization host, not by your service.

> **Info**
>
> Issue a card via the [Cards](/cards/api-reference/cards/issue-card) endpoint, then
> change its state with [Update card status](/cards/api-reference/controls/update-card-status).