Corporate travel payments firm AirPlus International is rolling out a new commercial card solutions designed for businesses with employees that travel throughout Europe.
The company announced its European Corporate Card, according to Tuesday (June 19) reports in TravelDailyNews. The solution will first roll out in France in September, while AirPlus has plans to expand the offering to business clients across 18 European countries. The European Corporate Card provides businesses and their employees with a way to manage and analyze business travel-related expenses.
“With the new European Corporate Card solution, AirPlus meets the need of multinational customers to standardize payment processes,” said AirPlus CEO Patrick W. Diemer in a statement. “AirPlus customers and their employees can now count on a single partner who centralizes, simplifies and harmonizes all processes: from the implementation of the card program to payment and reporting.”
In addition to the card, AirPlus is linking its service to insurance coverage, reports noted. The card uses the Mastercard network, which is accepted across 210 countries, the company said in its announcement.
AirPlus acquired commercial card issuer BCC Corporate, based in Belgium, last year as part of its broader efforts to strengthen operations across Europe. At the time, the company noted that the takeover was part of its initiative to address changing commercial card regulations across Europe, too.
“Our industry is remodeling quickly in response to the recent legislation on interchange fees,” said Diemer. “The current patchwork of local rules and solutions is too complex: There is clearly a need for a global solution with standardized products and processes. Therefore, this agreement is particularly timely for our customers. It is the best way to help them conduct business efficiently all over Europe, by offering a comprehensive solution and a clear pricing model.”
Earlier this month, AirPlus International, alongside the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), released new data on the digitization of corporate travel payments. According to the report, only 11 percent of corporate travel programs have a virtual card solution deployed, and only about a fifth said their card solutions can be integrated into a mobile wallet.
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