Managing business expenses without spreadsheets: here's how it works

Managing business expenses often takes more time than it should, while real-time visibility is still missing. This makes it harder to stay in control of cash flow, budgets and compliance. In many organisations, expense management still relies on Excel or Google Sheets. That may work at first. But as your organisation grows, spreadsheets become more error-prone and harder to maintain. For that reason, more and more companies are moving towards modern expense management. In this article, you will see how that works in practice.

In short

• Many finance teams still spend more time than necessary managing expenses in spreadsheets.
• Excel and Google Sheets do not offer real-time visibility of expenses and carry a high risk of errors.
• Linking business credit cards to an expense management system makes the process more transparent, controllable, and efficient.
• By combining business and virtual credit cards with expense management solutions, International Card Services helps finance teams maintain clear oversight and control of employee expenses.

How finance teams save time and reduce errors with automated expense management

Working with spreadsheets often feels familiar. But as volumes increase, the process becomes more complex. Travel expenses, subscriptions and online purchases each come with separate receipts, different payment methods and manual follow-up, making it harder to maintain a clear overview of expenses over time.

When you link business credit cards to an expense management system, transactions are captured automatically and become visible in the system almost instantly. You spend less time checking and correcting data, and the risk of errors decreases. Below, you’ll learn why more organisations are choosing this approach.

Why spreadsheets are no longer enough for managing business expenses

Excel and Google Sheets are powerful tools for analysis, but they are not designed to manage a company-wide expense process. Once multiple teams, countries or budget holders are involved, complexity increases. Tabs multiply, formulas become harder to track, and maintaining a reliable overview requires more and more effort.

Manual processes leave room for errors

Managing expenses in spreadsheets involves exporting data, copying and pasting, categorising transactions, and correcting inconsistencies. As transaction volumes grow, so does the workload. Expense claims arrive at different times, so you may find yourself chasing information, reviewing multiple files and reconciling different overviews. Small mistakes, such as incorrect dates, missing receipts or costs assigned to the wrong department, are easy to make. When different spreadsheet versions circulate, those mistakes are not always noticed immediately.

Lack of real-time visibility

With spreadsheets, your insight depends on when employees submit their expenses. If claims are filed weeks or months after the expenses were incurred, your reports reflect the past rather than the current situation. As a result, you often respond to budget overruns after they have already occurred, which makes proactive cash flow management more difficult.

Audits become more complex and compliance risks increase

Spreadsheets do not have built-in controls. You need to manually verify who incurred each expense and whether all supporting documents are available. During an audit, this can mean extra time spent reconstructing transactions and checking details. The more manual the process, the higher the risk of inconsistencies or missing documentation.

Spreadsheets do not scale

As your organisation grows, so does the number of transactions. What was once manageable in a single spreadsheet becomes harder to control. Files grow larger, formulas become fragile, and maintaining clarity takes more time.

If you operate internationally, complexity increases further. Different currencies, VAT rules, and approval workflows must be considered. Spreadsheets cannot automatically account for these differences, which means more manual work for your team.

Pressure on the month-end close

Open expense claims also affect your closing process. Until all transactions are submitted and approved, you are working with incomplete data.

You may need to follow up on missing receipts or make corrections before you can close the books. This adds pressure to reporting deadlines and makes the closing process less predictable.

How business credit cards simplify expense management and reduce errors

When you link business credit cards to an expense management system, much of the manual work disappears. Transactions are captured automatically, giving you better visibility and greater control over expenses. Without this integration, you still need to carry out manual checks and follow up.

1. Automatic transaction registration

When your business credit card is connected to an expense management system, transactions are recorded automatically and become visible shortly after payment. There is no need to retype data or upload separate files. For example, a hotel booking appears directly in the system and can be assigned to the correct project or department.

2. Fewer receipts and expense claims

Employees can upload receipts digitally, usually via an app, so paper receipts no longer need to be stored or processed manually. With transactions already registered in the system, administrative work is reduced for both employees and the finance team.

3. Spending limits and controls for each employee

Spending limits and restrictions can be set for each individual cardholder. For example, you can define daily limits, block certain merchant categories, or require additional approval for higher amounts. This reduces the risk of unauthorised spending and minimises the need for corrections later.

4. Up-to-date cash flow visibility

When business credit cards are linked to your expense management system, transactions are visible almost instantly, giving you insight into expenses by department, project or country. This supports faster decision-making, better budget monitoring, and more accurate forecasting.

5. Full audit trail

Each transaction is recorded with relevant details such as time, location, employee and cost centre. The expense management system assigns expenses to the appropriate cost centre when the employee links the receipt or invoice to the transaction. This makes it easier to track spending, detect irregularities and complete audits more efficiently.

6. Fraud prevention

Business credit cards include 24/7 fraud monitoring. If you use ICS payment solutions, additional fraud prevention measures are applied. Transactions are monitored continuously, and if suspicious activity is detected, the cardholder is contacted as soon as possible.

Expense management systems: control and compliance in one process

An expense management system standardises how employees submit, approve and process expenses. This reduces errors and missing information, and it makes reporting more reliable. Research by ICS shows that organisations with manual expense processes spend an average of 41 hours per month on processing expense claims and following up. When business credit cards are connected to an expense management system, most of that administrative work is eliminated, and only exceptions need to be reviewed.

How it works in practice

• Payments made with business credit cards automatically appear in the system
• Employees upload receipts via an app
• Managers approve expenses with one click
• Transactions are automatically processed in your ERP system

As a result, manual data entry is no longer necessary, the VAT rates are recognised automatically and reporting becomes more consistent.

Tighter reporting and a more predictable month-end close

When transactions are registered daily and expense claims are processed quickly, your records stay up to date. The month-end close becomes more predictable and less stressful. You have direct insight into project costs, budget overruns and outstanding expense claims.

The benefits for your finance team include:

• Fewer outstanding expense claims
• Improved data quality
• Clearer allocation of expenses to cost centres
• Automatic VAT recognition
• Fewer corrections after posting

This saves time and supports a smoother closing process.

Practical example: How Royal Swinkels maintains control over business expenses

Royal Swinkels combines business credit cards with SAP Concur, giving Group Treasurer Mathieu Ummelen almost instant visibility into expenses in the app. Employees take a photo of the receipt, which is automatically linked to the transaction, and managers approve expenses with one click.

This leads to:

• Fewer errors through automated data capture
• Less administrative work for the finance team
• Real-time insight into costs by project or department
• A simpler process for employees

“The use of business credit cards and the SAP Concur expense tool provides convenience, time savings and insight for both users and administration.” - Mathieu Ummelen

Managing business expenses without spreadsheets becomes straightforward with ICS

With ICS, expense management is organised in a more structured and reliable way. Transactions are collected automatically and can be linked directly to your expense management system. This provides real-time insight, reduces manual work and lowers the risk of errors.

What this means for your organisation:

• Worldwide acceptance of payments via Mastercard and Visa
• Integration with expense management systems
• Immediate visibility of transactions by employee, project or department
• Secure and controlled processes
• Clear reporting that supports faster audits

For example, the finance team at Hortilux Schréder previously spent between one and one and a half hours per week processing expense claims. With an automated setup, this is now done within minutes.

Time for the next step: scalable expense management without Excel or Google Sheets

Spreadsheets alone are no longer sufficient if you want to manage expenses efficiently. They take hours to update, carry a high risk of errors and don’t provide real-time insight.

By combining business credit cards with an expense management system, you:

• Spend less time on manual processes
• Gain clearer visibility of expenses by department, project or employee
• Standardise workflows and reduce errors
• Close the month faster and with greater predictability

If you want to scale your organisation without increasing manual workload, this is a logical next step.

Frequently asked questions about managing business expenses without spreadsheets

Below you will find answers to common questions. Is your question not listed? Please get in touch and we’ll be happy to assist you.

How does a business credit card help me manage business expenses better than a spreadsheet?

A business credit card records transactions automatically so you no longer need to enter data manually in spreadsheets. This gives you instant visibility into spending and reduces the risk of errors. You can also see what has been spent per employee or project.

When is a combination of business credit cards and an expense management system more beneficial than separate expense claims?

When receipts are automatically linked to transactions and managers can approve expenses digitally, you no longer need to review multiple spreadsheets. This saves time, reduces errors and creates a clear audit trail for each expense. For example, a hotel booking is recorded automatically without the need to process receipts manually.

How much time can finance teams save by switching from spreadsheets to an automated system?

When transactions and expense claims are processed automatically, finance teams save several hours per month on average. At Hortilux Schréder, the finance team previously spent up to one and a half hours per week processing cardholder claims. With automation, this process now takes only minutes.

How do business credit cards linked to an expense management system support cash flow and budget control?

When business credit cards are connected to an expense management system, expenses are recorded instantly and made centrally visible. The finance team has direct insight into spending and can identify budget overruns more quickly, allowing timely action when needed.

How do business credit cards combined with an expense management system support compliance and group-level audits?

This combination ensures that every business transaction is fully traceable by time, location, employee, and cost centre. This makes audits faster and more transparent and helps maintain compliance across the organisation.

How does ICS support compliance and audits compared to manual Excel administration?

With ICS, every transaction can be clearly tracked. Details such as time, location, and employee are directly visible. Cost centres become visible once the expense management system is configured accordingly and the employee links the invoice or receipt to the transaction. This makes audits more efficient and reduces the time spent searching for and verifying information.

Is switching from spreadsheets to a business credit card and expense management system complicated?

No. In many cases, integrations can be live within a few weeks. ICS supports you throughout the implementation process, enabling your finance team to get started quickly and minimise onboarding time.

How does ICS ensure compliance and data security in expense management?

Data is processed within the secure environments of Mastercard, including measures such as two-factor authentication and fraud prevention. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further details. In addition, the finance team can set spending limits and monitor transactions, helping to prevent errors or unauthorised payments.

Can my ERP system connect to the expense management solutions of ICS?

Yes. ICS expense management solutions can be integrated with a range of commonly used ERP systems. Transactions are automatically updated in your existing systems, without manual input. This reduces errors and improves visibility for your finance team.