How the Expensify Corporate Card simplifies international business travel
"Sorry, I can't find the receipt for that client dinner in Frankfurt."
"Why are there three different exchange rates on this expense report?"
"Can someone explain why we're paying foreign transaction fees on every purchase?"
If these phrases sound painfully familiar, you've come to the right place. International business travel creates a unique breed of expense management chaos that conventional corporate cards simply weren't designed to solve.
Most finance teams are forced to choose between painful tradeoffs: tight controls that frustrate travelers, or loose policies that create accounting nightmares. Meanwhile, the actual cost of poor T&E management quietly compounds – lost receipts, hours wasted on manual reconciliation, and the steady drip of unnecessary fees eating into your bottom line.
But the good news? There’s a better way. The Expensify Corporate Card.
What is corporate T&E?
Corporate T&E (travel and expense) is how businesses manage employee travel arrangements and the associated expenses. Traditional corporate T&E cards often function merely as payment methods, leaving the burden of tracking receipts, reconciling expenses, and managing policies largely manual.
In contrast, modern T&E corporate card solutions like the Expensify Corporate Card integrate payment capabilities with expense management, creating a seamless end-to-end process that eliminates data silos between booking and payment systems.
Expensify Corporate Card: Effortless international expense management
The Expensify Corporate Card isn't just another corporate card; it’s definitely not a credit card – it's a complete T&E solution designed to eliminate the common pain points (tracking receipts, reconciling expenses, and manually managing travel policies) of international business travel. What sets it apart is realtime expense management that happens automatically as employees transact around the globe.
With zero foreign transaction fees and the ability to use it anywhere Visa is accepted, the Expensify Corporate Card ensures your team can focus on business, not expense management. Unlike debit cards that require pre-funding, the Expensify Corporate Card comes completely free with your Expensify account with no commitment required.
The perfect travel duo: The Expensify Corporate Card + Expensify Travel
When you combine the Expensify Corporate Card with Expensify Travel, you get a powerful end-to-end solution that handles everything from booking to reimbursement within a single ecosystem.
This integrated approach creates a unique "travel and expense at the speed of chat" experience that transforms how your team manages international travel:
Book flights, hotels, rail, and car rentals directly within the app
Limit inventory to only what's authorized in your travel policy
Pay for bookings using a central virtual card
Automatically capture travel receipts into expense reports
Approve and manage expenses in realtime
For example, when your marketing director books a flight to Tokyo through Expensify Travel, the transaction automatically appears in their Expensify account. The receipt is captured, categorized, and ready for approval – all without manual input.
Here’s how Expensify simplifies your travel and expense management needs:
Maximized eReceipt coverage: Goodbye manual receipt tracking
One of the biggest headaches of international travel is managing receipts across different countries, languages, and formats. The Expensify Corporate Card solves this with Expensify guaranteed eReceipts that automatically generate IRS-ready digital documentation.
Simply swipe your Expensify corporate card, and transactions appear instantly with full digital receipts for all but the largest purchases. This eliminates the need to keep paper receipts while traveling internationally – no more stuffing receipts in pockets or worrying about losing documentation.
For those times when paper receipts are unavoidable, Expensify's SmartScan technology quickly converts physical receipts into digital format, automatically extracting merchant names, dates, and amounts.
Realtime visibility and control across borders
Administrators gain unprecedented visibility into international spending as expenses import in real time the moment employees transact. This eliminates surprises and allows for proactive budget management, regardless of where your team travels.
The SmartLimits feature gives you complete control over individual employee spending. Need to increase a limit for an unexpected client dinner in Paris? Or temporarily freeze a card due to suspicious activity in Bangkok? All these adjustments can be made instantly from your dashboard, providing 24/7 control over all cards regardless of time zones.
Virtual card capabilities for global digital purchases
Beyond physical cards, Expensify offers unlimited Expensify virtual cards for online bookings and subscriptions. These virtual cards enhance security for international digital purchases by creating unique card numbers for specific vendors or recurring payments.
Expensify virtual cards can be managed alongside physical cards in the same system, making tracking digital subscriptions across global markets and recurring international payments easy.
The global cash back advantage
The Expensify Corporate Card offers valuable Expensify cash back rewards on US purchases:
1% cash back on all US purchases with every swipe
Up to 2% cash back on US purchases if monthly spend exceeds $250,000
This cash back is applied directly to your Expensify bill, potentially reducing your subscription costs significantly. Depending on your spending volume, some businesses are effectively using Expensify for free.
For international travel, these savings on US purchases can offset costs associated with global operations, creating a more cost-effective travel program overall.
Smart expense categorization across currencies
Managing expenses across multiple currencies traditionally requires manual conversion and categorization – a time-consuming process prone to errors. Expensify's machine learning automatically categorizes expenses regardless of currency, creating a unified view of spending.
This automatic categorization works seamlessly across different currencies, simplifying international expense reporting and reconciliation. Finance teams save hours previously spent manually converting currencies and categorizing foreign expenses, while travelers can focus on their business objectives rather than expense management.
Automated settlement and reconciliation
The Expensify Corporate Card offers flexible settlement options, allowing automatic daily or monthly payments directly from your business bank account. This automation eliminates the need for manual card payments and simplifies cash flow management.
The reconciliation dashboard provides a comprehensive view of all card transactions, including multi-currency transactions. The system handles currency conversion automatically, ensuring accurate financial reporting regardless of where transactions occur.
Exportable reports integrate seamlessly with popular accounting systems, eliminating double-entry and ensuring your financial records remain accurate and up-to-date. For internationally distributed teams, global reimbursements can be processed quickly and efficiently.
Security features for international travelers
International travel comes with unique security concerns, which is why the Expensify Card includes enhanced security features like Two Factor Authentication for cardholders. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, especially important when traveling through multiple countries.
Administrators can instantly lock cards if issues arise, such as suspected fraud or a lost card. This immediate response capability protects both the company and the traveler, regardless of time zones or location.
The card's fraud protection features are particularly valuable for international travel, where unfamiliar merchants and unusual spending patterns might otherwise trigger false fraud alerts or account freezes.
Getting started: It's simpler than you think
Setting up the Expensify Corporate Card is straightforward. Once you have a verified business bank account, cards can be provisioned and sent to employees quickly. The activation process is equally simple – employees receive their physical cards by mail, along with instructions to activate through the app or website by entering the last four digits of their card.
Virtual cards are immediately available in their accounts, allowing for instant use while physical cards are in transit. On-boarding specialists assist with setup, ensuring a smooth transition for your entire team.
The intuitive mobile app makes expense management easy for travelers on the go:
Track expenses and capture receipts from anywhere
Book travel directly through the app
Manage approvals (for managers)
View remaining card limits
Request limit adjustments when needed
Rethink international business travel expenses
The Expensify Corporate Card transforms international business travel expenses from an administrative burden into a streamlined, automated process.
With key Expensify Corporate Card features designed specifically for global travel, this solution eliminates manual receipt tracking, simplifies currency management, and provides realtime visibility, saving time and reducing stress for both travelers and finance teams.
Key benefits include:
Zero foreign transaction fees
Automatic receipt capture and expense categorization
Realtime visibility and control
Seamless integration with travel booking
Enhanced security for international transactions
Cash back on US purchases
Streamlined expense reimbursement processes
Ready to simplify your international T&E process?
FAQs about corporate T&E
-
T&E stands for Travel and Expense, which encompasses the processes businesses use to manage employee travel arrangements and the associated costs, including transportation, accommodation, meals, and other business-related expenses.
-
A T&E transaction is any purchase or payment related to business travel and expenses. This includes flights, hotels, meals, ground transportation, client entertainment, and other costs incurred during business travel. These are typically reimbursable expenses that need to be properly documented for accounting purposes.
-
To qualify for the Expensify Corporate Card, businesses need a verified US business bank account. There's no credit check, no commitment, and no additional fees. The card comes free with your Expensify account, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
-
Yes, the Expensify Card is a true credit card that doesn’t require pre-funding. Additionally, it's a corporate expense card that doesn't require credit checks or affect your business credit score. The card connects directly to your verified business bank account and offers automatic settlement options without the constraints of traditional credit cards.
-
The Expensify Corporate Card works globally with no foreign transaction fees. The system automatically handles currency conversion at competitive rates, and all transactions appear in your Expensify account with both the original currency and your home currency equivalent. This global solution for expense management eliminates manual conversion and simplifies reconciliation.
-
Yes, the Expensify Corporate Card can be used alongside any existing card programs. This flexibility allows for gradual adoption or departmental implementation without disrupting your current expense management processes.
-
The Expensify Corporate Card includes access to special discounts and perks from industry-leading partners. Cardholders can access these benefits when they sign up using the Expensify Corporate Card, enhancing the value beyond just payment functionality. The receipt scanner for business travel capabilities add additional convenience for travelers.
-
Yes, the Expensify Corporate Card includes enhanced security features like Two Factor Authentication, instant card freezing capabilities, and fraud protection. Administrators have 24/7 control over all cards and can instantly adjust limits or block cards if security concerns arise.
