American Express expands virtual cards for business travel

American Express and Conferma have expanded their partnership to extend virtual card use for business travel spending. Eligible American Express Business Travel Account customers can now use virtual cards for more trip-related purchases.

Customers can create and manage American Express Virtual Cards through the Conferma mobile app for approved expenses including meals, retail purchases, car rentals and rideshare. They can also add the cards to a digital wallet for contactless and online payments.

The arrangement broadens the use of the Business Travel Account, a centrally billed account already used for higher-cost travel expenses such as air fares and hotels. It is aimed at companies seeking tighter oversight of spending during trips, an area that often sits outside central booking systems and creates extra work for finance teams.

Virtual cards use unique digital card numbers rather than physical plastic cards. Businesses can set spending limits and time restrictions, and apply multi-level approval workflows for travel-related purchases made while staff are away.

Wider spend

The system is designed to cover a broader range of workers than traditional corporate card programmes, including frequent and occasional business travellers, employees without a corporate card, contractors, interns and people involved in recruitment programmes.

By moving those transactions into a centrally managed virtual payment setup, companies can reduce the use of personal cards, cash and later reimbursement claims. Finance teams also gain access to transaction data on Business Travel Account statements, along with custom reporting and digital receipt capture through the Conferma app.

The latest step builds on more than a decade of collaboration between the two companies. The service is available to US-based American Express Business Travel Account customers, and several organisations are already using it.

The update comes as virtual cards become more common in commercial payments, especially where businesses want tighter control over who can spend, how much they can spend and when a payment can be made. Travel is one of the more complex use cases because spending often spans centrally booked services and smaller point-of-sale purchases made during a trip.

For travel managers and finance departments, those smaller purchases can be difficult to track in real time. They can also fall outside policy controls if employees use personal cards and later reclaim the costs through expense systems.

American Express said the expanded arrangement is intended to address that gap by linking on-trip spending more closely to centrally billed travel payment tools. Conferma's app serves as the interface through which authorised users can receive and use the virtual cards.

"Businesses want simpler ways to manage spending while maintaining control and visibility. Our continued partnership with Conferma complements the central billing capabilities of BTA with virtual cards for on-the-go travel expenses, making it easier for businesses to manage spending while making it more convenient for travellers," said Widad Choui, SVP, Corporate and B2B Solutions at American Express.

Manchester-based Conferma works with banks, travel management companies and businesses on virtual card issuance and transaction management. It has long focused on travel payments, where virtual cards are used both for booked travel and, increasingly, for purchases made during a trip.

The mobile wallet element is a notable addition because it lets travellers use a virtual payment credential in a way that more closely resembles a standard consumer card experience. That may help companies extend controlled payments to workers who do not carry a physical corporate card while still keeping spending within company-set rules.

"While travel bookings have become increasingly digitised, managing on-trip spend often remains a challenge. Together with American Express, we're helping organisations bridge that gap by enabling Amex Virtual Cards to be managed through the Conferma mobile app and provisioned to digital wallets, combining a seamless payment experience for users with greater visibility and control for finance teams," Sonya Geelon, Chief Commercial Officer at Conferma, said.