Business Travel Executive, February 2019

AND ANOTHER THING 38Business Travel Executive FEBRUARY 2019 Waking Up to Realities Business travel without expense reports Is it just a dream As travel expense reports become increasingly complex I find myself focusing more of my attention on them and dreaming of business trips that dont generate expenses that need to be reported and reimbursed Even with the options I have in front of me now I am trying my best to eliminate as much of these out of pocket expenses for travelers as I can The good news is there are fast moving changes already underway in this space Payment technologies like virtual card app based payment and even blockchain solutions continue to make serious advances Airlines are in the process of re bundling amenities and airfare discounts into packages to sell via the new distribution capabilities Identifying travelers with retinal scans or facial recognition technology is becoming commonplace at the airport These payment and identification platforms are even making inroads in applications beyond the travel industry such as confirming services and granting admission into entertainment venues and sporting events It seems increasingly apparent to me that virtual card for hotel is becoming a must have for any size travel program and I hope to have some form of it in my own program very soon Apparently at this point the only real limitations on the question of how and when virtual cards or similar payment technologies can be used is based on who and what can accept this form of payment As those roadblocks fall the payment platform can only gain more and more acceptance In my dream trip a corporate traveler could be issued X amount say by loading up a mobile payment app to cover meals incidentals and everything on a trip not paid for directly by the corporation Airlines will most likely offer corporate airfare discounts along with whatever bundles of the preflight and inflight amenities they offer when purchased through the NDC and via the corporations preferred channel Technology driven changes like these could bring a lot more value back to the companys travel program curb leakage and minimize those hard to track ancillary fees and other expenses travelers pay out of pocket The use of facial retina and other forms of biometric identification will continue to grow beyond just getting through security faster and a no touch car rental pickup transactions could be similar to an Amazon GO like experience but with controls and reporting to manage trips Of course arrangements for ground transportation could be made in advance and would then be even more secure with another means of identification linked to payment options Travelers no longer lending their money to companies on trips Travel vendors having the ability to sell their service and product more efficiently and securely And for corporations a slow welldeserved death to a big chunk of all these expense reimbursements Sure there are still details to cover questions to answer and problems to solve But maybe just maybe its more reality than dream BTE Once travelers get through the security checkpoint and are on the airside or in any secured space such as a concert venue sports event etc they could be paired with some method of payment Then the David Smith