Article Edit Discuss

Best Business Travel Apps for iPhone LoungeBuddy vs Concur vs Expensify ... and 3 more

Edited by Jasmin, Eng, Maria Quinney

6 Methods:

Traveling can be stressful for anyone but business travel tends to be particularly demanding. On top of catching flights and booking hotels, you have to worry about deadlines, meetings, and sales dinners. When your job depends on a successful and efficient trip, you need some handy tools in your back pocket; or wherever you carry your iPhone. There are a ton of great apps to help you get through every business trip with ease.

Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Pre-Planning

1
For trip reservations check out the Skyscanner app, which can book flights, hotels, and cars all in one go
.
If your trip requires something more accommodating and comfortable for long-term stays, check out residential rentals on the Airbnb app.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
As far as travel itineraries go, TripIt Pro is a great option for business purposes.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
And for navigation in any city definitely try the Here WeGo app, which compares multiple modes of travel at once to get you the fastest, quickest option.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
For those traveling by airplane, you'll also want to check out the following app.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Method 1: LoungeBuddy

1
How it Works
.
The LoungeBuddy app lets you view, book, and access airport lounges around the world, so you can make the most of your time in the airport.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pricing/Upgrades
.
Free.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Pros
.
- Book your lounge pass in advance or once you arrive at the airport.
- Enter any of your elite memberships, premium credit cards, etc., to your profile details for more personalized search results. There may be lounges you can access for free, or forever with a one-time payment.
- Offers access to more than 800 airports and 2000 plus lounges.
- Filter search results by your preferred amenities.
- Before paying for access to a lounge, read reviews, view photos, and browse amenities and guest privileges so you know what you're getting.
- Leave photos and reviews of your own.
- Integrated with Apple Pay, Wallet, TripIt, and Concur.
- Widget available for iPhone's Today page.
Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Cons
.
- Doesn't offer lounge location details.
- If you're not using a trip itinerary app that LoungeBuddy is integrated with you have to enter all your details manually, which can be timely.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
Verdict
.
LoungeBuddy is a must-have for frequent business travelers. If you're spending a ton of time in airports you might as well be enjoying it as much as possible, and this app can help you do just that. It will also come in handy for lengthy layovers when leaving the airport isn't an option. Download here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

On The Job

Method 2: Concur

1
How it Works
.
With Concur you can reserve flights, hotels, and cars, manage your itineraries, and track expenses on the go; all in one handy app. For this review, let's focus on the expense tracking aspect of Concur.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pricing/Upgrades
.
Free, with monthly subscription options. Prices vary by what you or your business team is looking for but start around $8 per month per employee. Everyone with a subscription can use Concur's online service to backup their mobile data, and
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Pros
.
- Get a feel for the app with a free trial.
- Easy to add, edit, delete your expenses even when offline or in airplane mode.
- Itemize hotel charges.
- Submit travel requests for approval.
- Submit reports whenever they're completed and your managers will be notified. They'll have immediate access to approve your claim, so reimbursement can happen much quicker.
- Snap photos of every receipt and attach to reports and claims.
- E-receipts are automatically creating detailed reports.
- Imports data from your personal and corporate credit cards.
- Integrated with Tripit and Tripit Pro.
- Supports file exports to Excel.
- Offers messaging and calendar features.
- Customer support via phone and email.
Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Cons
.
- Manual data entry is necessary for many aspects including mileage monitoring, as the app doesn't provide GPS tracking.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
Verdict
.
Despite the wide availability of travel booking and itinerary apps, Concur stands out in the crowd by combining all of that with travel expensing. Concur is a must-have app for frequently traveling business teams. Download here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Method 3: Expensify

1
How it Works
.
The app that makes tracking travel expenses a breeze, by eliminating the need for time-wasting spreadsheets and manual data entry. Simply scan your receipts to the app and let Expensify do the rest.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Pricing/Upgrades

The app is free to download. If you have minimal expenses (10 receipts per month) you can use the basic level for free as well. Smaller businesses and teams may want to opt for the $5.00 per active user a month subscription. This allows for unlimited receipt scans, integration with QuickBooks and Xero, and more. Larger businesses and teams with more complex needs should go with the $9 per active user a month option. That one gets you everything from the $5 level, corporate card reconciliation, custom report exports, and much more. Click here for a more detailed description of the different pricing options.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Pros

Unlimited receipt storage, and customer support via chat or email for all pricing levels.
Categorize, tag, and group expenses into different reports.
Manual input of receipts is optional and helps you get around the 10 scans per month on the free access level.
Tracks your time and mileage spent on each trip.
Intelligent and user-friendly interface.
Offers a 30-day free trial to get you started.

Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Cons

Cached information tends to take up more storage than other apps, so frequent syncing with the online platform is necessary. Unfortunately, automatic syncing with the platform is not provided.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Verdict

While Expensify can support the needs of small and large businesses, the app is most ideal for one or two business travelers. It's low monthly fees (or the free option) are perfect for sales and accounts managers who go on short but frequent trips, and don't need all the bells and whistles of something like Concur. Download here.

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Method 4: HelloSign

1
How it Works
.
HelloSign offers a simple way to scan, edit, and sign any document on the go. Simply import your PDF files or take a photo of the document you need to have signed. Then email the document to your desired recipient(s).
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pricing/Upgrades
.
The app is free to download and the free version offers 3 documents per month. There's also a Pro version for $13 per month or a Business version for $40 per month; they both offer unlimited documents as well as other features. Learn more here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Pros
.
- Easy to use with its fingertip signing feature.
- Open a PDF file directly from your email inbox.
- Finished documents are immediately imported back to your email inbox to make sending even easier.
- Supports multiple popular file formats such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel
- Can be used for NDAs, real estate contracts, consulting agreements, and more.
- Sends status notifications.
- Integrated with Google Drive, Gmail, Evernote, and Dropbox.
- Documents are protected by SSL encryption.
- Sensitive documents are safe with HelloSign's Access Code two-factor authentication.
- Clean and straightforward interface.
- Customer support via phone and email.
Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Cons
.
- Signature line is too small, especially on older model iPhones.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
Verdict
.
Closing deals on the go have never been simpler than with the HelloSign app. Compared with other signing apps on the market, this one offers a much better monthly subscription value for any company from small businesses to large enterprises. Download here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Method 5: Charlie

1
How it Works
.
An app that helps you make stellar impressions in all your business meetings. Charlie scours the Internet to find even the smallest details on clients and companies you're meeting with and turns it into a one-page brief. You'll have tons of talking points based on information like the companies and client's professional backgrounds and goals, their competitors' stats, your shared contacts and interests, and much more.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pricing/Upgrades
.
The app is free to download and use for 30 days. A $19.99 per month subscription is required after the free period is up.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Pros
.
- All you need is basic contact information for the person or company you're meeting with.
- Syncs with iCal and other scheduling apps to pull in your next meeting's contact info.
- Briefing will be sent directly by email an hour before your scheduled meetings.
- Searches through social media accounts, and provides links to the client or company's feeds.
- By searching dozens of websites for you all at once, Charlie saves business travelers precious time they could be using on something other than client research.
- Information provided is strictly for professional use and never gets too personal.
- Briefings are well designed and easy to read, with different sections and headers to group relevant information.
Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Cons
.
- Clients or companies who aren't very active on the Internet won't give Charlie much data to work with. This could be an issue with new businesses.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
Verdict
.
Charlie is the perfect app for making great first and long-lasting impressions on all your clients. Because of the monthly subscription fee, this app is best suited for those who conduct multiple meetings a week; especially those that regularly involve new faces and companies. Download here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Method 6: OpenTable

1
How it Works
.
Search and discover restaurants while traveling, and make in-app reservations on the go; no phone calls required.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2
Pricing/Upgrades
.
Free.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3
Pros
.
- Filter search results by party size, cuisine type, price range, date, time, neighborhood, and even the type of atmosphere you're looking for.
- Read reviews, view photos and menus and learn the dress code for every restaurant.
- Easy and free to edit or cancel reservations.
- Add reservations to shared calendars and send invitations by iMessages or email.
- More than 40,000 restaurants worldwide are at your fingertips.
- Every reservation earns you points towards a free meal.
- Get access to mobile-exclusive restaurant deals.
- No booking fees.
- Integrated with Apple Maps and Apple Pay. (Only in iOS 10.)
Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4
Cons
.
- Some restaurants only offer limited reservation times during popular hours.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5
Verdict
.
Whether you need to make a last-minute reservation for dinner with clients or you're simply taking a break from your busy schedule to eat, OpenTable is the perfect app for finding restaurants close by. Being able to search restaurants by the type of mood you're hoping to set is a definite bonus for making impressions on clients. Download here.
Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help