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The 8 best business travel management tools in 2024
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According to new research, business travel is booming—but so is the cost.
A report published by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) earlier this year revealed that 59% of travel buyers expect their companies to take more business trips this year than they did in 2023.* But with inflation and remote work increasing the cost of business travel, 67% of respondents believe their company’s business travel spend will increase in 2024 as well.
To make the most of their travel budgets, companies must make smarter choices in how they use those funds. This is where corporate travel management software can help.
Here, we’ll look at 8 tools businesses can use to book travel (and save some money in the process), plus what features to look for in your platform of choice.
What is travel management software?
Companies use travel management software to manage corporate travel, book transportation and lodging for business trips, and monitor all travel-related expenses. They streamline the travel booking process, rein in out-of-policy spend, and enable organizations to provide a better travel experience for their employees.
Some of the best travel management tools also come with powerful expense management features, like advanced reporting capabilities and automated approval workflows to keep spending compliant with your corporate travel policy.
8 travel management tools to manage business trips more efficiently
Business travel management software
Many business travelers prefer to book their trips themselves, and it’s easy to see why: This option allows them to build their travel plans around their lifestyle, values, habits, and preferences. In the best-case scenarios, self-booking also helps employees feel satisfied and more in control of their jobs.
On the other hand, employees who are forced to manage their own travel often spend their time stressing over itinerary details instead of completing work. Finance teams that allow employees to self-book must also deal with out-of-policy spending and a lack of control over their travel and expense (T&E) budgets.
Keep your employees happy and protect your bottom line with business travel management software with top picks for booking plus enterprise-grade controls for managing corporate travel spending.
Ramp
- G2 rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (based on 1,927+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (based on 180+ reviews)
- Pricing:
- Ramp Plus plan: $12 per user per month (billed annually)
- Ramp Enterprise: Contact for details
- Free trial available? The Ramp base plan is free to use, with a 30-day trial available for the Plus plan
Ramp Travel is an all-in-one finance operations platform with a broad range of features to help small businesses and enterprises alike with their travel and expense management needs.
Sure, we may be a little biased about giving our platform the top spot in this article, but our G2 and Capterra ratings speak for themselves. And if you need any more reasons to give it a try, here are a few.
For starters, we make it easy for employees to see what flights and hotels are within policy. Our travel management solution pulls together a wide inventory of hotel accommodations and flights—including deals not available elsewhere, thanks to our partnership with Priceline—for employees to review and book.
When used in tandem with Ramp’s expense management automation, finance teams can set granular controls on how employees are allowed to use company funds for business trips. Our real-time reporting capabilities also allow you to actively manage your T&E budget and prevent out-of-policy spend before it happens.
After travelers return to the workplace, there’s no need to play catch-up with their expenses. Ramp prompts employees to submit receipts for transactions made with a corporate card throughout their trip so they can get back to work sooner. Our AI-powered software then automatically reviews and categorizes each transaction, saving finance teams even more time on the back end.
The free Ramp plan comes with our signature travel booking tool, but companies don’t have to use both to benefit from the platform. If you already have a travel management system you’re happy with, you can still use Ramp’s financial tools on their own for easier expense management.
TravelPerk
- G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (based on 1,533+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 404+ reviews)
- Pricing:
- Premium plan: $99 per month, plus 3% per booking
- Pro plan: $299 per month, plus 3% per booking
- Enterprise: Contact for details
- Free trial available? The Starter plan comes with 5 free bookings each month
TravelPerk simplifies corporate travel for mid-market and enterprise businesses by bringing the largest travel inventory in the world onto their platform. In doing so, it reduces the hassle and the headaches that often come with booking business travel under strict company guidelines.
Employees can compare various booking options from all over the internet in real time to find a suitable choice within company policy and budget. Need help booking flights, car rentals, accommodations, or meeting rooms? Users have access to 24/7 customer support and concierge services to assist with every travel need.
TravelPerk offers companies unprecedented flexibility in travel bookings too: With FlexiPerk, you can receive an 80% refund on any travel plans booked through the software—no matter the reason for cancellation.
And if your company already uses Ramp in its tech stack, you can connect the two platforms for seamless expense tracking and greater savings on business travel.
Navan
- G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 7,575+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (based on 176+ reviews)
- Pricing: Contact for details
- Free trial available? Yes
Formerly known as TripActions, Navan is another corporate travel booking tool that helps mid-market companies and enterprises manage their travel plans in one place.
Fire up Navan’s online booking tool to book trips for employees, guests, or groups of up to 50 people. Then, use the software’s finance features (like automatic receipt capture and advanced data reporting) for easy expense management and visibility into your company’s travel spending.
Whether your employees prefer DIY or personalized assistance, Navan offers self-serve tools and 24/7 customer support so they can easily manage their itinerary, even while on the go.
Expense management software
Not all businesses will need a travel management company with all the bells and whistles. Sometimes, a good expense management tool will suffice.
According to a 2023 survey from the Harvard Business Review, 84% of business leaders see tangible business benefits from trips to meet with clients, customers, and prospects in person. However, 52% of respondents also report that limited funds for travel remains one of their organization’s biggest challenges.
Without an efficient system to monitor and control travel spend, your company may be getting less of a return on its travel budget than you think. Expense management solutions like Ramp and the ones below help businesses track, control, and report on their travel expenses and reduce unnecessary spend.
Spendesk
- G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 399+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (based on 215+ reviews)
- Pricing: Contact for details
- Free trial available? Yes
Spendesk’s expense management software is ideal for businesses of all sizes looking to monitor and control their spending.
Its 7-in-1 solution includes company credit cards, expenses, invoices, approvals, accounting automation, budgets, and reports. Together, these offerings give finance teams visibility into their company’s spending while giving employees the flexibility they need to do their jobs.
You can also set up budgets and spending policies for Spendesk’s company cards beforehand, so all employee travel expenses are controlled and tracked in real time.
BILL Spend & Expense
- G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 1,270+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 413+ reviews)
- Pricing: Free
- Free trial available? The tool is free for all businesses
BILL Spend & Expense (formerly Divvy) is another popular expense management platform used by small and mid-market businesses.
Finance teams can use BILL (as well as the software’s mobile app) to monitor employee travel expenses and automate their financial operations, with help from features like customizable spend controls and automatic transaction categorization.
If employees make eligible purchases with BILL corporate cards, your company can also collect rewards points and redeem them for cashback, gift cards, statement credit, or travel.
Circula
- G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (based on 533+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (based on 443+ reviews)
- Pricing:
- Starter plan: Starts at €8.00 per license per month (billed annually)
- Professional plan: Starts at €13.00 per license per month (billed annually)
- Professional Plus plan: Contact for details
- Free trial available? Yes
Rounding out the expense management category is Circula, a solution used primarily outside the US. The platform’s user base ranges from professional service providers and tech startups to large corporations.
Circula’s streamlined, user-friendly platform is made with business travelers in mind. Employees can take advantage of features like mobile-first UX, AI-powered receipt scanning, and Offline mode (to submit expenses without an internet connection). Alternatively, travelers can use Assistant mode to allow others in their organization to submit expenses on their behalf.
Other helpful travel planning tools for businesses
Managing business travel can be a headache, but it doesn’t have to be. Use the following tools as a supplement to your travel management system to make traveling more cost-effective for your company and more convenient for employees.
Rocketrip
- G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (based on 10+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: Not available
- Pricing: Contact for details
- Free trial available? No
Businesses use Rocketrip alongside their corporate travel platform to reduce travel spend and reward employees who save the company money when booking trips.
The software’s algorithm uses the details of your travel program to create a “Price to Beat” and a list of cost-saving options for employees booking travel plans. Travelers who choose these alternatives receive 50% of the money saved for their personal use in Rocketrip’s Rewards Store or your company’s existing incentive program.
TripIt
- G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 43+ reviews)
- Capterra rating: Not available
- Pricing: $49 per year for TripIt Pro plan
- Free trial available? Free plan available
Think of TripIt as your company’s digital travel assistant. When employees send their trip confirmation emails to the platform’s designated email address, the app creates an itinerary based on the booking details. Travelers can also store PDFs, photos, QR codes, and other files on their accounts for safekeeping or easy access during business trips.
And while the free plan already makes travel planning easier for employees on the go, the paid Pro plan comes with even more convenient features, like country-specific travel tools, real-time flight alerts, terminal and gate reminders, and interactive airport maps.
What features should businesses look for in their travel management software?
Since every business is different, your organization’s travel management needs will look different from those of your competitors. However, most companies should look for the following features in the tools they choose:
- Centralized finance workflows: A platform that handles travel booking, expense management, accounting, accounts payable, and more simplifies the finance operations for the entire organization. Employees can use a single app to manage T&E expenses, while finance teams gain greater control and visibility over the company’s spending.
- Easy-to-use interface: The ideal software should make it easy for administrators and business travelers to book and manage trips, with an intuitive interface and access to a wide range of transportation and accommodation options. Platforms with expense management automation features also reduce busywork for employees and finance teams alike.
- Travel policy compliance: Ideally, your travel expense management software should include customizable corporate travel policies and automated approval workflows to cut out-of-policy spending.
- Granular travel expense reporting: To reduce unnecessary spending, you need to know where to look. Software with powerful reporting and analytic capabilities helps you identify new ways to save money.
- Integrations with your tech stack: A connected ecosystem can reveal new insights and opportunities you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. So, look for software that integrates with your accounting provider, vendor management, HRIS, and more for better performance and greater efficiency.
- 24/7 support for travelers: Tools with round-the-clock support help reduce the stress involved with business travel planning and booking. This feature also gives travelers and their employers peace of mind if travel plans are disrupted.
Choose Ramp for stress-free travel booking and expense reporting
Most travel management tools focus on streamlining travel booking or controlling travel spend. With Ramp’s end-to-end travel and expense management software, you no longer have to choose one over the other.
Because Ramp’s travel booking and expense reporting capabilities are fully integrated into one platform, managers and finance teams can easily monitor employee bookings and on-the-road expenses without switching between tools.
Request a demo today to see how your company can manage travel business expenses and bookings more efficiently on the Ramp platform.
FAQs
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- Higher credit limit than traditional business credit cards
- Spend management tools
- Give an unlimited number of physical and virtual cards to employees
- Spending controls and limits for employees
- Average savings of 5% from rewards and expense-reducing features
- More than $350,000 in offers from Ramp’s partners
- No annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees
- No credit check or personal guarantee is required
- No interest accumulation on your balance
- Seamless integration with numerous accounting software
- You must pay back the balance in full at the end of each month
- No elevated cashback rewards for specific categories
- You need $50,000 in your business bank account to qualify
- Cashback rewards
- Issue an unlimited number of employee cards
- Access to over $350,000 in offers from multiple partners
- Automated expense management software
- Track vendors and receive pricing insights from one dashboard
- Automated accounts payable
- Zero fees or interest
- No interest or fees
- Cashback rewards
- No personal guarantee
- Balances do not carry over, so you must pay them by the end of each month
- Your business must be incorporated to qualify for a card
- You need at least $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Average net savings of 5% due to cost-reducing features
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
- Access to $350,000 in deals from various partners
- Automated expense management software
- View vendor information and pricing on a single dashboard
- Automate accounts payable
- No fees or interest
- Cashback rewards with flexible redemption options
- Built-in expense management software
- No credit check or personal guarantee required
- Must be a registered business to qualify
- Must have most of your business spend in the US
- Get cashback on purchases
- Provide unlimited physical and virtual employee card
- Access more than $350,000 in deals from various partner
- Use automated software for expense management
- View vendor information and pricing on a single dashboard
- Automate accounts payable
- No fees or interest
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Built-in expense management software
- No personal guarantee or credit check required
- Must be a registered business to qualify
- Must have most of your business spend in the US
- The Ramp Card is ideal for incorporated businesses
- Comes with automated expense management tools
- Provides 5% net savings on average
- Features AI-powered tools for detailed spending insights and cost-cutting recommendations
- Integrates seamlessly with accounting software to aid financial tracking and reporting
- No annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees
- Best for businesses aiming to streamline financial operations and enhance savings
- Offers 5% net savings on average through expense-cutting features
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- Automated expense management features like spending limits and receipt-matching
- Integration with accounting platforms including NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- Offers AI-powered cost-saving insights
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
- Not available to sole proprietors or unregistered small businesses
- Requires $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
Card Details
The Ramp Card is an innovative corporate card, particularly suited for LLCs, that combines automated expense management features with cashback rewards. It offers detailed spending insights with AI-powered recommendations for cutting costs, and integrates seamlessly with accounting software to simplify financial tracking and reporting. Cards come with no annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees. Ramp is an excellent choice for businesses that want to streamline their financial operations while saving money.
Pros
- Cashback rewards
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- Automated expense management features like spending limits and receipt-matching
- Integration with accounting platforms including NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- Offers AI-powered cost-saving insights
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
Cons
- Primarily focused on cost-cutting, which might not suit all business needs
- Geared mainly towards U.S. businesses, which may limit its appeal for international transactions
Ramp’s charge card program comes with the additional perk of tools designed to help your business track and reduce its spending.
- No personal guarantee
- No annual fee
- Valuable cash back
- Additional tools to track spending
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards with custom limits
- Not available to sole proprietors
- Must have $50,000 in liquid assets
- Unlimited free virtual and physical employee cards
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Customizable spending limits for employees
- Real-time transaction visibility
- Connects with accounting systems like QuickBooks and NetSuite
- Automates bill payments and invoice processing
- Provides a comprehensive audit trail and expert support for negotiations
- Unlimited virtual cards
- Real-time expense tracking
- Integration with accounting software
- Automated bill payments and invoice processing
- Requires full balance payments monthly
- Limited to businesses with most of their operations in the U.S.
- Corporate card and spend management platform
- Free employee cards with custom spending limits
- Cashback rewards on all purchases with no fees
- Built-in fraud protection ensures that your organization's finances are always secure
- Offers an average savings of 5% by identifying cost-saving opportunities
- No annual fees or interest
- Custom spend and vendor controls
- High credit limits
- Automatic receipt matching and expense categorization
- Not available to sole proprietors
- As a corporate charge card, balance can't be carried monthly
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Corporate card and spend management platform
- Unlimited employee cards with custom spending limits
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Offers an average savings of 5% by identifying cost-saving opportunities
- Assists with software price negiotations
- No annual fees or interest
- Custom spend and vendor controls
- High credit limits
- Automatic receipt matching and expense categorization
- Not available to sole proprietors
- As a corporate charge card, balance can't be carried monthly
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Corporate card and spend management platform
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited employee cards with custom spending limits
- Accounts payable software
- Uses business revenue to determine eligibility and credit limit
- No annual fees or interest
- Custom spend and vendor controls
- High credit limits
- Automatic receipt matching and expense categorization
- Only available to corporations, LLCs, and LPs
- As a charge card, balance can't be carried monthly
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Corporate card and spend management platform
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited employee cards with custom spending limits
- Automated receipt matching
- Accounts payable software
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Integrates with accounting platforms like NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- No credit check or personal guarantee required
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, LLC, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and business spending in the US to qualify
- Corporate card with built-in spend management
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Automated expense reports on fuel spending
- Advanced financial management features
- Unlimited free employee cards
- Requires a registered business and $50,000 in a U.S. business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full monthly
- Corporate card with customizable spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- No personal guarantee or credit check required to qualify
- Advanced expense management automations and accounting integrations
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, limited liability company, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (though international purchases are supported with no foreign transaction fees)
- Corporate card with customizable spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Credit limits up to 30 times higher than traditional credit cards
- Sales-based underwriting makes for an easier qualification process
- Advanced expense management automations and accounting integrations
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, limited liability company, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (though international purchases are supported with no foreign transaction fees)
- Corporate card with customizable spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- No credit check or personal guarantee required for eligibility
- Advanced expense management automations and accounting integrations
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, limited liability company, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (though international purchases are supported with no foreign transaction fees)
- Corporate card with customizable spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Advanced expense management automations and accounting integrations
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, limited liability company, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (though international purchases are supported with no foreign transaction fees)
- Corporate card with customizable spending controls
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- Unlimited free physical and virtual employee cards
- Must have $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full each month
- Advanced expense management automations and accounting integrations
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- No annual fee or foreign transaction fees
- Must be a corporation, limited liability company, or LP to qualify
- Must have most of your operations and corporate spend in the US (though international purchases are supported with no foreign transaction fees)
The Ramp Corporate Card is ideal for startups without a credit history. You just need an EIN number and $50,000 in a business bank account to qualify, and there's no credit check or personal guarantee required. Ramp's corporate card offers cashback on purchases and built-in expense management software to streamline your business finances.
Some of its features include receipt matching, subscription management, and AI-powered spending insights. Ramp is an excellent choice for startups that are aiming to earn rewards on business purchases while managing expenses.
- Ramp Corporate Card includes built-in spend management and travel-specific features
- Ability to set and enforce your company's travel spending policy on employee cards
- Features a travel dashboard displaying complete trip itineraries and flight information for each employee
- Offers cashback on purchases, including those made through travel booking platforms
- Provides AI-powered finance automation and insights
- Real-time expense reporting, customizable spending controls, and card templates for efficient financial management
- Seamless integration with over 100 applications, including travel management platforms
- No annual, application, or late payment fees
- Universal cashback reward applicable to all types of travel expenses
- Advanced financial management features suitable for tracking travel spending
- Compatibility with 100+ applications for streamlined travel expense management
- Requires a registered business and $50,000 in a U.S. business bank account to qualify
- Balance must be paid in full monthly
The Ramp Card is an innovative corporate card, particularly suited for LLCs, that combines automated expense management features with cashback rewards on purchases. It offers detailed spending insights with AI-powered recommendations for cutting costs, and integrates seamlessly with accounting software to simplify financial tracking and reporting. Cards come with no annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees. Ramp is an excellent choice for businesses that want to streamline their financial operations while saving money.
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- Automated expense management features like spending limits and receipt-matching
- Integration with accounting platforms including NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- Offers AI-powered cost-saving insights
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
- Primarily focused on cost-cutting, which might not suit all business needs
- Geared mainly towards U.S. businesses, which may limit its appeal for international transactions
- Corporate card particularly suited for LLCs
- Combines automated expense management features with cashback rewards on purchases
- Offers detailed spending insights with AI-powered recommendations for cutting costs
- Integrates seamlessly with accounting software to simplify financial tracking and reporting
- No annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees
- Excellent choice for businesses that want to streamline their financial operations while saving money
- Cashback rewards on purchases
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- Automated expense management features like spending limits and receipt-matching
- Integration with accounting platforms including NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- Offers AI-powered cost-saving insights
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
- Primarily focused on cost-cutting, which might not suit all business needs
- Geared mainly towards U.S. businesses, which may limit its appeal for international transactions
Card Details
The Ramp Card is an innovative corporate card, particularly suited for LLCs, that combines automated expense management features with cashback rewards. It offers detailed spending insights with AI-powered recommendations for cutting costs, and integrates seamlessly with accounting software to simplify financial tracking and reporting. Cards come with no annual fees, foreign transaction fees, or card replacement fees. Ramp is an excellent choice for businesses that want to streamline their financial operations while saving money.
Pros
- Cashback rewards
- No personal guarantee or credit check required for eligibility
- Automated expense management features like spending limits and receipt-matching
- Integration with accounting platforms including NetSuite, Quickbooks, and Xero
- Offers AI-powered cost-saving insights
- Unlimited physical and virtual employee cards
Cons
- Primarily focused on cost-cutting, which might not suit all business needs
- Geared mainly towards U.S. businesses, which may limit its appeal for international transactions
- No annual fee
- Earn a $250 statement credit after spending $5,000 within the first three months of card membership
- Introductory rate of 0% APR for the first 12 months
- 2% cashback for the first $50,000 in purchases each year. Then, unlimited 1% cashback
- Expanding Buying Power lets you exceed your credit limit while still receiving rewards
- 3% balance transfer fee
- No overlimit fees
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months
- Access to more capital
- No annual fees
- You only get 2% cashback for the first $50,000 before going down to unlimited 1% cashback
- No elevated cashback rewards for specific categories
- $39 penalty fee for late payments and returned payments
