Why Spendesk Travel changes the game
The challenge
Business travel is one of the most expensive and least visible spending categories for companies. Most teams manage it haphazardly: bookings on external sites, payments from personal cards, receipts scattered everywhere, approvals that come too late. Finance teams spend hours reconstructing expenses, employees front their own money, and travel policies remain words on paper.
What Spendesk Travel solves
Spendesk Travel centralises this entire process. Your team books hotels directly in Spendesk. Every reservation is approved before money moves. A dedicated virtual card for each trip pays the hotel automatically — without your employees entering their banking details. And everything appears in real time on your dashboard, with receipts attached.
In practice:
✅ No out-of-pocket expenses for employees
✅ Complete, real-time visibility for Finance
✅ Approvals before booking
✅ Everything in one place: hotels, expenses, reports
✅ Zero booking fees — ever
How it works: from trip to report
The journey of a trip in Spendesk
Every trip starts with a request. Your employee creates a budget request for their trip. You approve it. Once validated, a virtual card is generated — it's their key to everything.
Hotel? Booked directly in Spendesk. Taxis, meals, and miscellaneous expenses while travelling? All covered with that same virtual card, added to Apple Wallet or Google Pay for contactless payments wherever they are.
Finance sees every expense as it happens. No waiting. No surprises.
The travel budget request ⭐ (recommended approach)
A travel budget request covers an entire trip: hotel, transport, meals — everything your employee will spend.
How it works:
The employee creates a request and sets an overall budget (e.g. €800)
Finance reviews: destination, duration, amount — and approves or adjusts
A multi-use virtual card is generated for the entire trip duration
Expenses made with this card are automatically linked to the trip
Finance tracks the remaining balance in real time
Single booking approval
Prefer to approve hotel by hotel? Your employee selects a property and submits the booking for approval. You see the exact rate, cancellation policy, location. Approve, and the booking is confirmed immediately.
Booking a hotel: simple, quick, secure
What you see for each rate
The hotel sets the options, not you. Every rate displays:
Meal options — Room only, breakfast included, half board, full board
Cancellation terms — Free cancellation until a specific date, partially refundable, non-refundable
Payment type:
Full payment at booking — the virtual card is charged the full amount when you confirm
Deposit — a percentage is charged at booking. For the balance, add the card linked to your trip to Apple Wallet or Google Pay and pay directly at the property — or pay from your own pocket and submit an expense claim.
Payment at property — add the card linked to your trip to Apple Wallet or Google Pay and pay on arrival. Note: some hotels place a hold on the full amount — ask them to confirm. Alternatively, you can pay from your own pocket and submit an expense claim.
Local taxes and fees
Local taxes or additional charges may be requested at the property. All details appear in your booking confirmation email, and a reminder is sent before your arrival.
Invoices and receipts 📋
If you pay in full at booking: the invoice is automatically generated and linked to the expense in Spendesk. Nothing to do.
If you pay a deposit or at the property: request the invoice at reception. Upload it directly to your trip in Spendesk.
Best practice: we recommend always requesting an invoice from the hotel, so you have an additional receipt for your records.
The virtual card: one card per trip 💳
Every trip = one unique virtual card, generated at the moment of approval.
What it's for:
Automatically paying your hotel reservation, without entering card details
Contactless payments for taxis, meals, and any spending on site
Adding to Apple Wallet or Google Pay for instant payments anywhere in the world
Expenses paid through other means (expense claims, another card) can be manually linked to the trip for a complete view of total trip cost.
Master your travel budgets 💼
Maximum price per night
Set a price ceiling per night. Results adjust automatically — your employees only see compliant options.
Smart, market-based limits
A more nuanced approach: Spendesk analyses average market rates for a given destination and dates. You set a threshold (e.g. +10% of market rate). Only hotels within that range display.
Advanced reporting and granular policies coming soon.
International travel 🌍
Bookings in all currencies, hotels available worldwide
The Spendesk card handles currency conversion automatically
Apple Pay and Google Pay work internationally for all your contactless payments
Traveller support available 24/7
Support and assistance 🤝
24/7 support via Duffel — accessible from your booking details page (mobile or web app)
Direct line to the Spendesk Travel team: travelbeta@spendesk.com
You're in beta: your feedback matters
Spendesk Travel is in active development. Everything works, but there may still be aspects to refine. Your feedback directly shapes what we fix and build next.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and problems: travelbeta@spendesk.com
Thank you for being part of this journey. 🙌