Paying for business travel is where many companies struggle most. Handing company cards to employees makes control harder and raises the risk of a lost card. Asking employees to pay on their own card and claim it back wears out both the employee and the finance team. There is a third way: register the company card once, securely, and pay for employees’ bookings from it. This article explains how to book travel on a company card without sharing it, what to look for on security, and how it works on the LONDONOS corporate portal.
For the wider picture, see our corporate travel management guide; for the portal’s features, visit the corporate travel portal page.
Three ways to pay for business travel
- The employee’s own card: easy to start, but the employee lends the company money, waits for reimbursement and collects receipts.
- A company card per employee: convenient for staff, but every card is another risk and another statement to reconcile.
- One central company card: the card stays with the manager and bookings are charged to it; employees never see it.
The third option combines control and security. The card itself stays with one person, yet the whole team can book.
Adding the company card on the LONDONOS portal
Once the company account is approved, the manager adds the company card in the panel. At this step the card is verified once through our payment provider, Stripe; if your bank asks for 3D Secure authentication, it happens here and only here. Card details are stored by Stripe. We never see or keep the full card number; we record only the card brand, last four digits and expiry date so the panel can show which card is on file. The manager can replace the card at any time.
How employees book
Employees log in on the corporate login page and search the site as usual: hotels, flights, tours, or transfers such as Istanbul Airport transfers. Prices include the discounts set for your company. At the payment step there is no card form; the screen says the booking will be charged to the company card, for example “Visa •••• 1234”. If no company card is on file, employees cannot book and see a clear message saying so.
When is the card charged?
That depends on the mode the manager has chosen:
- Instant mode: the company card is charged when the booking is made; as with any booking on our site, a hold is placed first and the amount is taken once the booking is confirmed.
- Manager approval mode: the booking is saved and the manager receives an approval e-mail. On approval, price and availability are checked again before the card is charged. If nobody approves within 24 hours, the booking is cancelled.
If the card is declined or the bank wants authentication
If the company card is declined, the booking is held; the manager receives an e-mail with a link to update the card or try again, and the employee is told the booking is waiting on the company. If the bank asks for extra authentication, the manager completes it from the link in the e-mail. If it is not resolved within 24 hours, the booking is cancelled and both are told.
Why this is safer
- One cardholder: card details are never shared with staff or sent around by e-mail.
- We do not hold card data: the full card is stored by the payment provider; we keep only identifying details.
- Access control: when someone leaves, the manager deactivates their access in the panel; there is no card to cancel.
- Every booking recorded: each booking appears in the panel with the name of the employee who made it.
Easier for finance
Because every payment comes from one card, the bank statement and the booking list match up easily. In the panel you can filter bookings by employee, date and product, see total spend and export the list to Excel or CSV. Confirmations for every booking go to both the manager and the employee, and an optional monthly e-mail can summarise the company’s travel bookings.
A quick checklist before you start
- Decide which card will be used and who will be its manager on the portal.
- Agree whether your company will book instantly or with manager approval.
- Tell your bank to expect online travel payments, to avoid unnecessary declines.
- Invite employees only once the card is on file, so their first booking goes through smoothly.
When someone leaves or the card changes
One of the biggest advantages of a central card is that changes in the team never touch the card itself. When an employee leaves, the manager deactivates their access in the panel; there is no card to cancel or reissue. When the company card expires or you want to switch cards, the manager adds the new card in the panel and verifies it once more, and employees carry on booking without noticing the change. Because the expiry date is shown in the panel, it is easy to plan the renewal ahead of time.
A word on card limits
Because all travel payments go through one card, keep an eye on its limit in busy periods. Reviewing the limit with your bank before a trade fair or a team trip reduces the chance of declines. If a payment is declined, the booking is not cancelled straight away; the manager has 24 hours to update the card or try again.
Conclusion
Being able to book travel on a company card without handing cards out lets the whole team travel while the card stays with one person. The card is verified once, its details are stored securely by the payment provider, and every booking is tracked in one panel. To set this up for your trips to Türkiye and the UK, apply for a corporate account.