Spending on business travel increased in 2024 with international travel volume increasing by 5% and spending patterns becoming more stable.
SAP Concur’s 2024 Global Business Travel Survey found that nearly a third of business travellers said their company was cutting back on travel costs.
Despite this, Concur Expense data collected in 2023 and 2024 showed that the total number of expense transactions in the UK increased by 14% year over year, with an average expense transaction of £73.
“Concur Expense data showed a more ideal year for corporate spending in 2024 – one where we saw increased spending yet fairly flat average costs per transaction,” said Chris Juneau, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Marketing for SAP Concur.
Looking at the total number of expense transactions in each spending category, trains, ground transportation and meals saw the highest percentage increases.
Train purchases were up 19%, meals were up 17% and ground transportation was up 15%.
Categories such as telecom-related expenses, including the cost of mobile devices (4%), and gas-related transactions often tied to driving personal vehicles (2%) saw smaller changes.
The company also saw modest growth in mileage (11%) and parking related transactions (11%). Employees may have opted for alternative transportation methods, with car rentals up 9% and ground transportation (including taxi and ride share) up 15%.
Some expense categories experienced modest increases, such as air travel-related transactions, rising from £503 to £539, and train travel, rising from £57 to £61.
Concur says these changes are likely due to inflation, increased demand for travel or shifts toward premium travel options.
It says, on average, 15-20% of expense reports contain non-compliant spend that stems from errors and wasteful spending rather than employees acting with malicious intent.
