Expend, the digital business expense management platform, has reported record adoption of its pioneering product ‘Card Connect™’. This innovation makes Expend the first UK platform to instantly integrate business expense data from Mastercard and Visa into its expense management system.
Clients using Expend now have access to real-time expense processing, which simplifies financial administration and increases overall efficiency.
Expend CEO, Johnny Vowles, said: “Card Connect has two important attributes. It enables companies to connect all of their business cards to our single platform, which has multi-card acceptance. This means that users can view and submit all of their expense claims in one app, whether, for example, they paid on their corporate Barclaycard or business HSBC card.
“The second is that these card payments can be viewed in the app instantly, as they happen. There is no wait time between making the payment and seeing it in the Expend app.”
Vowles added: “Employees can charge business expenses to their Visa or Mastercard business card, and by linking their preferred business cards to Expend, the transaction information is processed quickly and smoothly. Users can attach receipts, categorise the expense and submit it for approval directly in the app at the time of purchase, which is very convenient. So, for example, an expense for team coffees can be submitted by the time the drinks are ready.”
He further explained: “Managers and finance teams can view all submitted expenses from different cards in one place, and then route them through their approval workflow for sign-off and accounting reconciliation. This allows all expenses paid on different cards to be managed in a single platform, removing the hassle of multiple logins and banking apps.”
Vowles continued: “Traditional expense management is an ‘eye roll’ moment for firms of all sizes, and their employees. Paper-based receipts, clunky claims processes, and long sign-off routines create headaches and delays for finance teams and colleagues. However, with Expend’s Card Connect, we are continuing to revolutionise the expense management market.”
He added: “Clients appreciate the flexibility of card choice. Some prefer to use business cards that accumulate travel points or loyalty rewards. Being card-agnostic reduces the friction when companies switch to Expend. High-travel managers can continue using their existing credit facilities while registering their preferred cards without disruption.”
Typically, finance teams spend considerable time processing business credit card payments, often matching them with bank statements. Expend’s Card Connect eliminates this workload and removes the risk of errors caused by manual entry.
Vowles explained: “With Card Connect, whenever a Mastercard or Visa Business Credit or Debit card linked to the company’s Expend account is used, the recipient gets an instant notification to upload their receipt and submit it for approval directly from their smartphone.”
He concluded: “Expend Card Connect continues our mission to improve real-time visibility and zero-touch processing of personal expenses, addressing a key customer need.”
