Don't forget your wallet

On a recent trip to Europe, I thought I had packed everything, that was until I needed to hire a car. In an instant, I realised forgot to pack my wallet, and in it was my driver’s licence.

At home my trusty leather wallet has become redundant. COVID was its downfall, it disappeared along with cash, virtually overnight. My phone has become my new wallet. I use it to seamlessly pay for work and personal expenses at home and while I’m away.

Tap and pay dominates payments everywhere; public transport (except in Melbourne....don't get me started), coffee, meals, accommodation, rental cars, trains, and importantly, pastries at the local market.

No fussing around with withdrawing money from an ATM or swiping plastic through a machine. Tap payments are everywhere and there are few exceptions.

However, as easy as it is for travellers, the blend of old payment processes and the emergence of new platforms is presenting headaches for finance managers everywhere.

A lot like travel bookings, there isn't a stand alone solution organisations can implement to manage payments. There are simply too many options to pay for travel goods and services, including lodge cards, personal cards, virtual cards, business cards, invoice terms and cash.

This is a significant challenge for businesses managing travel programs. It’s also one we have just embarked on solving starting with integrating TMC payments.

Nutrip prides itself on solving complex problems for its customers. This is what we do and we’re pretty good at it.

Now where did I put my phone?