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Many companies manage travel on three systems: booking, payment, and accounting. They only are reconciled once a trip is over and the money spent. A complete accounting for business trips may not be available for days or weeks, with policy violations identified only in retrospect.
A partnership between KAYAK for Business and Mesh Payments closes those gaps.
Together, the two platforms create a seamless travel experience from beginning to end. Travelers search, book and manage travel on KAYAK for Business through a familiar, traveler-first experience. Payments can be made through Mesh’s card program, with policies applied at the moment of purchase. Every transaction is matched to the trip so expenses are reconciled automatically.
The partnership brings together each company’s recognized expertise: KAYAK for Business for booking and trip management; Mesh Payments for spending controls and expense management.
To learn more about KAYAK for Business, book a demo.
One solution for every step
Outdated travel management is a collection of uncoordinated steps: booking, approval, mid-trip changes, expense report, accounting. The combination of KAYAK for Business and Mesh Payments replaces this jumble with a single, unified workflow. No dropped handoffs, no wasted time, no crossed signals.
This process begins with booking. KAYAK presents a broad range of flights, rail, hotels and ground transportation, highlighting the options that optimize cost control, efficiency and traveler preferences. With AI-powered tools, the request can even be made by voice or natural-language query.
Company policies are applied at the moment of choice, with out-of-policy selections flagged and accompanied with an explanation and suggested alternative. If a manager’s approval is required, it’s automatically requested.
When the traveler reaches checkout, a Mesh virtual card is issued – identifying the traveler, purpose of the trip and other details. It applies company policies and tracks expenditures in real time, so there’s no confusion or forgotten details. Best of all for travelers, there’s no expense report to file. If a company decides that expenses during the trip are out-of-pocket, Mesh creates the reimbursements requests for the traveler.
During a trip, duty of care is provided with 24/7 support through self-help tools, AI-enabled chat requests, or contact with a live agent.
The time savings continue after the trip ends. The Mesh virtual card prevents policy variances, maintains an accurate record, and understands the purpose of every expenditure in the context of the trip.
Finance sees the real number as the trip happens rather than weeks later. No manual coding. No end-of-month scrambling for omitted details. And when Mesh cards are issued for all trips, it’s possible to accurately forecast future travel spending.
Every step in the process – from initial booking to final accounting – is handled through a single unified system. No switching between apps. No hunting for missing information. The entire trip is in one place: the content and intuitive experience travelers want and the controls that finance needs, with nothing left to reconcile later.
Everyone benefits
The combined solution from KAYAK for Business and Mesh Payments offers advantages for everyone involved.
For anyone booking a trip, the process is simple and quick, just as today’s consumer expects.
For travelers, everything is geared to making the trip fully productive.
For finance staff, real-time numbers replace guesstimates, and expenses are reconciled automatically.
For managers at all levels, company policies are applied proactively at every stage, reducing the chance of booking leakage and surprise fees.
To appreciate all that an integrated solution can do, book a demo.
About KAYAK for Business
KAYAK for Business combines the power of the world’s leading travel search engine with tools designed specifically for business travelers. It serves companies of every size, from fast-growing startups to global enterprises, helping them book, manage, and track business travel in one place.
For more information, visit https://www.kayak.com/business/.
