Travel buyers can think of expense as the “total view” of
travel data. It shows the travel that has been consumed.
Pros & Cons: Most expense tools import corporate
card data, and some can incorporate registered personal cards. Expense data
shows cash expenses, as well. Several expense providers have integrated with
vendors like Uber and Airbnb to provide data more quickly and pre-fill reports
accurately. Not all expense tools are created equal. Some are off the shelf,
while others allow for more nuanced expense types and reason codes. Others
offer custom solutions.
Access/Formats: Program administrators obtain standard reports
and query expense data on providers’ data analytics platforms. Fees for
standard reports are included in basic contracts; custom reports can cost
extra, or it may be up to the corporate to build them. The process is not
always intuitive.