Did you know that businesses waste an average of 120 hours per year manually processing expense reports? In today’s fast-paced business environment, managing company expenses efficiently can make a significant impact on business performance and growth. Business expense cards and corporate solutions transform how companies handle their finances, saving both time and money.
The shift to digital expense management has become essential as businesses adapt to modern work patterns. With remote teams, global operations, and increasing transaction volumes, traditional expense management methods no longer meet today’s business needs. Digital solutions now process expenses 5 times faster than manual methods and reduce errors by 90%.
To understand how businesses can achieve these improvements, let’s first explore the fundamental tool that makes this transformation possible: business expense cards.
- What Are Business Expense Cards?
- Business Expense Cards for Employees
- Corporate Cards
- Best Corporate Cards for Businesses
- Who Needs Business Expense Cards and Expense Management Solutions?
- Spend Management Solutions for Better Control
- Business Card Solutions by Company Size: Finding Your Perfect Match
- Conclusion
What Are Business Expense Cards?
Business expense cards help companies control and track their spending. Unlike personal payment cards, these cards include specific features for business needs. Companies of all sizes use them to make accounting simpler, reduce paper records, and see spending patterns clearly.
The cards include these key features:
- Software that tracks spending in real time
- Controls that let managers set spending limits by amount, type of purchase, or time
- Reports that list all purchases for accounting and taxes
- Cash back and other benefits for business purchases
While understanding the basics of business expense cards is crucial, their real value emerges when we examine how they serve different business needs. Let’s explore how these cards specifically benefit employees across various roles and departments.
Business Expense Cards for Employees
When companies have many employees who need to make purchases, giving each person a business expense card makes a big difference. These cards let employees buy what they need within set limits. This removes the need for employees to use their own money or get cash from petty cash funds.
These cards create several benefits:
- Clear tracking of who spends money and where
- More time for employees to focus on work instead of expense reports
- Custom spending limits for each employee
- Simple processing of expenses without reimbursement forms
Common uses include:
- Sales teams booking travel
- Marketing teams buying online ads
- Field workers paying for delivery costs
As businesses scale and their financial needs become more complex, they often require more sophisticated solutions. This brings us to corporate cards, which offer enhanced features for larger organizations.
Corporate Cards
Corporate cards serve as special business cards for larger companies. These cards connect to company bank accounts or credit lines and handle large purchases and regular business costs.
Corporate cards differ from regular business cards in several ways:
- Corporate cards work best for bigger companies, while business cards fit any size company
- Corporate cards need higher credit limits and go through more checks for approval
- Corporate cards often include better rewards, higher limits, and more detailed reports
Best Corporate Cards for Businesses
1. Moss
Moss is a leading corporate card and spend management solution that transforms how mid-sized companies handle their finances. The platform extends beyond basic card services to provide complete financial management tools. Companies across Europe use Moss to issue corporate cards, manage employee expenses, and handle digital invoice processing.
Key Features:
- Digital and physical corporate cards
- Automated expense reimbursement
- Smart invoice processing
- Real-time spending controls
- Month-end closing automation
- Liquidity optimization tools
- Accounting software integration
Best Suited For: Mid-sized companies looking for a complete corporate card and expense management solution that streamlines their financial operations.
2. Soldo
Soldo offers a comprehensive expense management platform built around prepaid Mastercard corporate cards. The solution combines smart debit cards with powerful administrative controls and real-time expense tracking. Companies use Soldo to distribute cards to employees and departments while maintaining complete oversight of all spending.
Key Features:
- Prepaid Mastercard corporate cards
- Real-time expense tracking
- Advanced administrative controls
- Mobile app for receipt capture
- Worldwide card acceptance
- Multi-currency support
- Automated expense reporting
- Department-specific budgeting
Best Suited For: Businesses of all sizes seeking strong spending controls and real-time visibility over their corporate expenses.
3. Tipalti
Tipalti stands as a global leader in payables automation, serving major enterprises like Amazon and Twitch. The platform streamlines corporate payments across international markets with support for multiple currencies and payment methods. Beyond standard corporate card features, Tipalti offers comprehensive accounts payable automation.
Key Features:
- Global payment processing
- Multi-currency support (120+ currencies)
- Automated invoice management
- Supplier payment systems
- Tax and compliance automation
- ERP system integration
- Fraud prevention tools
- Real-time financial analytics
Best Suited For: Medium to large enterprises with international operations needing a complete payables and corporate expense solution.
4. Pleo
Pleo leads Europe’s spend management market with over 30,000 companies trusting its platform. Recognized as a G2 leader in UK expense management, Pleo combines smart company cards with automated expense tracking and financial insights. The platform streamlines expense management through intelligent automation and comprehensive integration capabilities.
Key Features:
- Smart corporate cards
- Automated expense tracking
- Real-time financial insights
- Invoice management
- Automated reporting
- Popular software integrations
- Bank-level security
- Complete spend visibility
Best Suited For: Companies looking for a user-friendly, automated approach to corporate cards and expense management with strong integration capabilities.
5. Payhawk
Payhawk delivers a unified spend management platform that combines corporate cards with comprehensive financial tools. The solution serves businesses across Europe, the US, and the UK by merging credit cards, expense management, and accounts payable into one system. Payhawk automates finance processes and provides real-time control over company spending.
Key Features:
- VISA cards in multiple currencies
- Automated expense processing
- Custom spending policies
- Real-time transaction tracking
- ERP system integration
- Competitive FX rates
- Automated workflows
- Complete spend visibility
Best Suited For: Companies seeking an all-in-one solution that combines corporate cards with automated spend management tools.
Understanding the available solutions is just the first step. Now, let’s identify which businesses benefit most from these financial tools and why they’re essential for modern operations.
Who Needs Business Expense Cards and Expense Management Solutions?
Managing business expenses becomes complex as companies grow and evolve. Business expense cards and management solutions prove essential for various types of organizations facing different financial challenges.
Growing businesses need these solutions as their transaction volumes increase. Manual expense tracking becomes inefficient when dealing with numerous daily transactions. A proper expense management system helps these companies maintain control while scaling their operations.
Companies with field teams particularly benefit from business expense cards. Sales representatives, service technicians, and delivery personnel need reliable ways to make purchases. These cards eliminate the need for employees to use personal funds and simplify the tracking of field-related expenses.
Organizations with multiple departments gain significant advantages from expense management solutions. Marketing teams track advertising spending, IT departments manage software subscriptions, and procurement teams handle supplier payments. These solutions provide clear visibility into each department’s spending patterns.
Remote and hybrid companies face unique challenges in managing expenses across different locations. With team members working from various places, digital expense solutions become crucial. These tools handle purchases in multiple currencies and manage digital subscriptions effectively.
Project-based companies require detailed expense tracking for different clients and initiatives. Construction companies, creative agencies, and consulting firms need to separate and monitor expenses accurately. Business expense cards and management solutions provide the necessary tools to track and allocate costs properly.
Spend Management Solutions for Better Control
Spend management tools do more than traditional cards. These systems include advanced features to watch, control, and improve business spending. They make financial tasks simpler and more efficient.
Key benefits include:
- Instant tracking of expenses across teams
- Budget assignment for projects and departments
- Automatic enforcement of spending rules
- Time savings through automated expense processing
Companies need these solutions to:
- Control spending
- Plan finances better
- Make accounting and compliance simpler
Business Card Solutions by Company Size: Finding Your Perfect Match
Choosing the right expense management solution depends heavily on your organization’s size, complexity, and specific requirements. Here’s a detailed breakdown to help you select the most suitable solution for your business:
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Small businesses need cost-effective solutions that provide essential features without overwhelming complexity. These organizations benefit from straightforward tools that offer quick implementation and minimal training requirements.
Recommended Solutions:
Key Features to Look For:
- Simple, intuitive setup process requiring minimal technical expertise
- Basic expense tracking capabilities that cover fundamental needs
- Clear, straightforward reporting tools for quick insights
- User-friendly mobile applications for on-the-go expense management
- Essential receipt capture and storage features
- Basic accounting software integrations
Medium-sized Companies (51-250 employees)
As companies grow, they require more sophisticated features to handle increased transaction volumes and complex departmental structures.
Recommended Solutions:
Key Features to Look For:
- Comprehensive department-specific budget controls
- Advanced reporting capabilities with customizable dashboards
- Multiple user roles and permission settings
- Automated approval workflows
- Enhanced integration capabilities with accounting systems
- Multi-currency support for growing operations
Large Enterprises (250+ employees)
Large organizations need robust solutions that can handle complex operations across multiple entities and geographical locations.
Recommended Solutions:
- Tipalti provides enterprise-grade capabilities required for large-scale operations
Key Features to Look For:
- Global payment processing capabilities
- Advanced compliance and audit tools
- Extensive integration options with enterprise systems
- Multi-entity management capabilities
- Sophisticated fraud prevention tools
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics
- Advanced workflow automation
Conclusion
Business expense cards and corporate cards help companies manage money better. Whether you run a small startup or a large company, solutions like Moss, Soldo, Tipalti, Payhawk, and Pleo can improve expense management, increase control, and save time. Using these cards with spend management systems helps companies see their finances clearly and focus on growth.
Take the first step toward better expense management by scheduling a demo to see these platforms in action and starting your free trial to test the best solution. For detailed pricing and features, contact the providers that align with your company size. If you’re a small business, Soldo or Pleo can provide personalized demonstrations of their solutions. Medium-sized companies can connect directly with Payhawk, Tipalti or Moss teams to explore their comprehensive offerings. Large organizations should reach out to Tipalti‘s enterprise team to discover their advanced capabilities and customization options.
