Stop losing L/C payments: dates, conditions and documents on one screen
In a letter of credit, getting paid depends on the right document being presented on the right date, exactly matching the L/C wording. Sighthem's L/C tracking software brings the latest shipment and presentation dates, the document set and condition checks onto one screen, and alerts you as deadlines approach. Letter of credit and document tracking is a native module; you keep no separate spreadsheet and you spot discrepancy (reserve) risk before shipment.
The critical L/C dates: latest shipment and presentation calendar
The most expensive mistakes in an L/C are date mistakes; a bill of lading dated after the latest shipment date or a missed presentation window stops payment outright. Sighthem puts this calendar at the center.
- Keep the latest shipment date and the period for presentation in the L/C record, and get alerts as deadlines approach
- Track the L/C's own expiry date, and see the presentation window between shipment and presentation day by day
- Compare the bill of lading (B/L) date against the latest shipment date, and catch a late-loading risk at the moment of shipment
- Account for public and religious holidays so you do not compress the presentation plan, and avoid leaving it to the last day
The document set: B/L, invoice, packing list, origin, insurance
An L/C is a documentary instrument; payment looks at the correctness of the paper, not the goods. Sighthem collects every document the L/C requires in one list and shows a missing one before shipment.
- Collect the documents the L/C wording requires (bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, insurance policy) in a single set
- Mark each document as ready, missing or revised, and see clearly which one is missing before shipment
- Track the number of originals and the required copy count (for example 3/3 original bills of lading) according to the L/C term
- Link every document version to the related order and shipment, and never lose track of which version was presented to the bank
Condition checks and catching discrepancy (reserve) risk early
Most export letters of credit catch a discrepancy on first presentation; a single letter, a wrong Incoterm or a missing signature stops payment. Sighthem reduces this risk by keeping the L/C conditions structured.
- Keep company-name spelling identical across all documents, match it exactly to the L/C wording, and prevent upper/lower-case inconsistency
- Align the Incoterm with the document wording; for CIF the B/L should read Freight Prepaid, for FOB it should read Freight Collect
- Keep conditions such as quantity, amount and partial-shipment permission in the L/C record, and stop them from conflicting with the figures on the documents
- Review common discrepancy causes (a late-dated B/L, a missing signature or seal, a typo) with a checklist before shipment
From L/C to shipment: documents fed from the previous step
L/C tracking is not an isolated box; it sits in the same flow as the quote, the order and the shipment. Once data is entered correctly, it carries cleanly into the following documents and copy errors disappear.
- Define the payment method (letter of credit, cash against documents, advance) at order level so the next steps are triggered accordingly
- Feed the proforma and order amounts, the Incoterm and the delivery terms from the same source as the L/C conditions
- Record shipment, package and pallet data together with the lot, keeping the correct measurement and count ready for the bill of lading and packing list
- Produce the export COMMERCIAL INVOICE and the UBL-TR e-invoice in line with the GIB schema, filling line-level GTIP and origin details according to the schema
Cash against documents (CAD) and D/P, D/A flows are covered too
Not every deal runs on a letter of credit; cash against documents also requires tracking the document handover flow and the bank steps. Sighthem tracks this flow on the same screen too.
- In cash against documents (CAD) deals, track the steps from handing documents to the bank through to the buyer's payment
- Keep the distinction between documents against payment (D/P) and documents against acceptance (D/A) in the order record, and never miss the draft acceptance and the maturity date
- Record which document is at the remitting bank and which is at the collecting bank, and see the risk of goods sitting at the port early
- Track L/C and cash-against-documents deals separately on a single customer card, and do not confuse which order runs on which method
Collection, maturity and account visibility: always know where the money is
The purpose of an L/C is collection; at the end of the process you need to see that the money has arrived or is waiting at maturity. Sighthem links the L/C status to the account and the order record.
- Keep the distinction between sight and usance L/Cs in the record, and see the maturity date and the expected collection clearly
- Link the L/C record to the order and the current account, and track which collection belongs to which shipment in one place
- Get approaching presentation and maturity dates as notifications, and bring forward the deals left to the last day
- Report every stage from lead to collection, and see which buyer and which market causes payment problems
Access, mobile and team: the right person sees the right data
In the L/C process, the operations, accounting and field teams work together; not everyone needs to see every document. Sighthem brings the team onto the same data with role-based permissions and mobile access.
- Give operations, accounting and sales teams separate access with stackable permission presets, and control who sees which document
- Get an installable app experience on your phone with the mobile PWA, and see L/C and shipment status instantly while in the field
- Keep all correspondence, calls and documents on a single customer card, and do not scatter bank and buyer communication
- Keep the team in a single workspace, with tenant isolation preserved so data never leaks across workspaces
Most export letters of credit catch a discrepancy on first presentation; the most common causes are a B/L dated after the latest shipment date, inconsistent company-name spelling, an Incoterm-versus-freight-term conflict and a missing signature. Review the document set and dates with a checklist before shipment.
When L/C conditions, dates and the document set live in one structured record, the manual deadline and document tracking your team kept in spreadsheets disappears; because alerts fire as the latest shipment and presentation dates approach, collection is no longer crammed into the final day.
Read the L/C wording before you start loading; if any term deviates from the contract or cannot be met, request an amendment before shipment. Recording the term and building the document set around it is far cheaper than negotiating a reserve after the goods have shipped.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does letter of credit tracking software track?
Letter of credit tracking software keeps the elements critical to getting paid in one place: the calendar such as the latest shipment date, the presentation period and the L/C expiry date; the document set such as the bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and insurance; the payment type (sight or usance); and the match between the conditions and the documents. Sighthem keeps this as a native module, so you need no separate spreadsheet or program and you see a missing document before shipment.
How does it reduce discrepancy risk?
In a letter of credit, payment depends on the documents matching the L/C wording exactly, not on the goods, and most export L/Cs catch a discrepancy on first presentation. By keeping the L/C conditions structured, Sighthem helps you prevent the most common errors: keeping company-name spelling identical across all documents, aligning the Incoterm with the freight term (Freight Prepaid for CIF, Freight Collect for FOB), matching quantity and amount to the conditions, and confirming the B/L date is before the latest shipment date. You review these with a pre-shipment checklist.
Does it also track cash against documents (CAD), D/P and D/A?
Yes. Not every deal runs on a letter of credit; cash against documents also requires tracking the document handover flow and the bank steps. Sighthem keeps the payment method at order level, tracks the distinction between documents against payment (D/P) and documents against acceptance (D/A), records which document is at the remitting or collecting bank, and keeps you from missing the draft acceptance and the maturity date. This way L/C and CAD deals appear separately on a single customer card.
Is L/C tracking connected to the rest of my order and shipment?
Yes, L/C tracking is not an isolated box. The payment method is defined on the order; the proforma and order amounts, the Incoterm and the delivery terms are fed from the same source as the L/C conditions; and shipment, package, pallet and lot data keep the correct measurement and count ready for the bill of lading and packing list. At the end of the process, the export COMMERCIAL INVOICE and the UBL-TR e-invoice are produced in line with the GIB schema. Because data is entered correctly once, copy errors between documents disappear.
Does it alert me for latest shipment and presentation dates?
Yes. The most expensive mistakes in an L/C are date mistakes; a B/L dated after the latest shipment date or a missed presentation window stops payment outright. Sighthem keeps the latest shipment, presentation and expiry dates in the record and sends notifications as deadlines approach. This way, accounting for public and religious holidays, you avoid crowding the presentation plan into the final day.
Is Sighthem a separate L/C program, or part of the platform?
Letter of credit and document tracking is a native part of Sighthem's foreign trade operations platform, not a bolted-on tool. The same platform also includes lead finding, proforma, orders, customs declaration and GTIP, shipment, multi-warehouse and lot traceability, UBL e-invoice and reporting. So you do not have to move data into a separate application to track an L/C; the whole flow runs on one screen. You can try the platform free for 14 days on the PRO plan and test it on a real flow without giving card details.
Manage letter of credit and document tracking together with the rest of your foreign trade operation on one platform. Try Sighthem free for 14 days on the PRO plan, no card required.
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