The solution for managing your business travel expenses

Mooncard can be used for travel expenses and business travel anywhere in the world. Employees’ expenses can be monitored and approved in real time and pre-filled expenses claims help make the process of managing business travel expenses much easier. Mooncard Corporate is a new, secure, customisable solution to all your business travel needs.

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How does it work?

Pay, take a photo of the receipt, and your expenses are sent to the accounts.

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    Pay with your Mooncard during a business travel

    Your transport tickets, meal expenses, hotel nights, fuel costs.

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    Take a photo of your receipt

    You will receive an SMS reminding you to take a photo of your receipt. You can then throw it away because it is digitally archived.

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    The expense report is automatically generated

    The expense report is pre-filled thanks to our algorithms capable of identifying the nature, the amount, the VAT, etc. from the bank transaction.

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    The expense report is submitted for approval

    Depending on the approval process defined by the company, the expense is then checked and validated by your manager or accountant.

All about business travel

A professional may have to perform his duties away from his usual place of work or home. Business travel is subject to legal rules. Mileage allowances, travel management, company travel policy... Discover how business travel works with Mooncard.

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Table of contents

Reimbursing travel expenses

Travel is essential for many companies. Employees may need to travel on company business for a wide variety of reasons and for varying lengths of time, from just a few hours to London for an important management summit, to several weeks in another country to help a global company set up a new office. This travel gives rise to additional costs, known as travel expenses. Employees can be reimbursed for a wide range of business-related travel expenses, including:

  • Train, bus and air tickets
  • Road tolls, congestion charges, fuel, vehicle wear and tear, insurance
  • Visits to or meetings with clients, suppliers, etc.
  • Overnight accommodation such as a hotel
  • Car rental
  • Meals, drinks and tips
  • Conference fees
  • Parking fees
  • Dry cleaning

Business phone calls and printing costs

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Mileage allowance

An employee may decide to use their own personal vehicle during a business trip within the UK or elsewhere in Europe. This also incurs costs, including fuel, wear and tear, road tolls, congestion charges and parking fees. These costs can be reimbursed by the employer in the form of what is known as a “mileage allowance”. A certain level of mileage allowances can be paid to an employee each year without having to be reported to HMRC. These are known as “approved amounts”. Anything above the approved amount has to be reported to HMRC and included in the company’s tax returns.

The tax rates for business travel are based on the type of vehicle used (car, motorbike, van, etc.) and the distance travelled.

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Business travel management

Within a company, a specific member of staff may be appointed to undertake all tasks relating to business travel management. This may be someone within the HR, accounting or purchasing departments and they may be referred to as the ‘travel manager’. Their role is to ensure a consistent view of business travel across the company and to help make employees’ lives easier when travelling. The tasks that they are responsible for include:

  • coordinating travel
  • booking tickets
  • booking accommodation
  • ensuring safe travel for employees
  • collating receipts
  • monitoring expenditure
  • reimbursing employees for eligible expenses
  • reporting on expenditure
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Developing a travel policy

A corporate travel policy sets the framework for business travel for all staff across the company. It is an internal document which covers every aspect of business travel including:

  • The budget to be respected for each reservation
  • Suitable types of accommodation
  • Eligible modes and classes of transport
  • Conditions for the reimbursement of costs
  • Safety rules
  • Partner travel companies to be used
  • Partner hotels to be used
  • The allocation of air miles and other loyalty schemes
  • Internal approval procedure, etc.

An internal corporate travel policy aims to ensure that rules are applied fairly and transparently to all employees within the company, while ensuring the corporate travel budget is optimised. When well-prepared, it can save time, facilitate travel arrangements, and ensure transparency.

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Business travel and air miles

When travelling on business within the UK, Europe or further afield, employees may be able to benefit from what are known as “air miles” offered by various airline companies. Air miles are basically loyalty points which airline companies use to reward frequent flyers. They can be collected and then exchanged at a later date for upgraded travel or hotels, airport transfers, flights, etc. For most companies, air miles are seen as a means of compensating employees for the inconveniences associated with business travel, including jet lag, night-time flights, fatigue, stress and the impact on their home life.

 
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FAQ

How are travel expenses justified?

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Travel expenses may be advanced by the employer before the business trip takes place or may be reimbursed to the employee after the trip upon submission of a receipt. Employees must be able to justify the expenses they have incurred during business trips. These expenses must be reasonable and necessary as part of their trip. Luxurious, extravagant and unnecessary expenses are not reimbursed. Receipts allow employees to recover the actual cost of the business trip when they return to the workplace. Receipts are essential for good book-keeping and to ensure compliance with HMRC regulations.

Valid receipts must include the date of the expense, the total amount of the expense, the vendor’s name and the purpose of the expense.

What is the purpose of business travel?

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Certain aspects of corporate life are best carried out face-to-face, and employees may be required to travel for business for any number of reasons. Meeting clients and suppliers in person is a great way to consolidate business relationships. Prospecting for new clients or scouting new locations can only really be achieved by travelling to the site. For a multinational company, regular visits to other branches or offices may also be an essential part of maintaining links across different parts of the same company.

Are all expenses covered?

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Eligible travel expenses are those which are necessarily incurred when travelling for the purposes of conducting business-related activities and services. Only reasonable and necessary travel expenses are covered, such as transport, accommodation and meals. Luxurious, extravagant or unnecessary expenditure is not covered by travel expenses. Receipts containing information on the exact nature of the expense are usually required to justify costs.

How long is a business trip?

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A business trip may last just a few hours, as in the case of an employee taking a train from Manchester to another city to take part in an event. However, business travel may also involve being away from the workplace for several days to take part in a conference, or even weeks if the employee is helping set up a new office or monitor progress on a large project. The nature of the business travel expenses covered will obviously depend on the nature of the trip and how long the employee needs to be away from home.

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Need more information?

Our team is available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to present the Mooncard solution to you and work with you to design a tailor-made quote corresponding to your business needs.