No More Paper: The Corporate Case for Real-Time Digital Receipts

Across travel, mobility, and hospitality, businesses are modernizing the way expenses are managed. Yet one outdated element still lingers: the paper receipt. For employees on the move, handling receipts remains one of the most time-consuming and frustrating parts of the expense process. Real-time digital receipts are now closing that gap, providing instant, verified proof of purchase directly into corporate systems. The result is faster reimbursement, fewer errors, and smoother experiences for both travelers and finance teams.

The evolution of receipt management

For many companies, expense reporting still begins with a paper receipt, a process that relies on employees keeping track of small slips, photographing them, and uploading them manually to an expense tool. Each step takes time and introduces errors. According to AirPlus’ report on digital receipts, handling a paper receipt takes an average of 13.8 minutes from purchase to approval. Even scanning or photographing the receipt still requires manual work, averaging 9.2 minutes per transaction.

As organizations adopt smarter tools, efficiency improves. Apps with built-in receipt capture and auto-match functions cut handling time to around 2–5 minutes per receipt by interpreting data and linking it to the right transaction.

The biggest leap, however, comes with real-time digital receipts delivered directly from the point-of-sale to the expense platform. These “direct receipts” are automatically paired with the transaction in the background, requiring no manual action from the employee or finance team. What once took more than ten minutes now happens in seconds, saving time, eliminating errors, and providing a seamless experience for everyone involved.

How real-time digital receipts work

When a transaction is completed, a digital receipt can be sent directly from the merchant’s point-of-sale to the card network and into the expense platform in seconds. No scanning, photographing, or manual entry. ReceiptHero’s infrastructure connects the merchant, payment terminal, and financial institution so that the digital proof of purchase is instantly available to both the cardholder and the finance team.

Most expense apps today still rely on employees to take photos or upload scanned receipts after each purchase. While this looks digital, it does not remove the manual work or the risk of lost documentation. Real-time digital receipts go further, connecting the merchant’s POS directly to the expense platform and automatically linking the receipt to the correct payment without any user action.

This approach means receipts are automatically matched with the correct payment and ready for reimbursement or accounting. For business travelers and corporate cardholders, it feels seamless the moment a payment is approved, the receipt is already waiting in the expense app.

Benefits across key segments

Mobility and EV charging

Fleet and mobility operators are under pressure to simplify expense management and document environmental impact. Real-time digital receipts provide reliable data for every refueling or charging event, identifying who charged, where, and at what cost. This not only accelerates reimbursement but also helps companies analyze energy consumption and report on carbon performance.

For drivers using company or fuel cards, digital receipts mean no more missing proof of purchase, fewer rejected claims, and quicker month-end reconciliation. As the EV infrastructure expands, the ability to deliver charging receipts instantly becomes a must-have for corporate fleet programs.

As mobility ecosystems evolve, digital receipts are also reshaping how fleet payments are managed. Learn more in our article ReceiptHero Joins Visa’s Fleet & Mobility Partner Programme, where we explore how real-time receipts enable smarter expense reporting for fleet and fuel payments.

Travel and hospitality

Frequent travelers juggle countless small transactions: taxis, meals, hotels, and flights. Digital receipts streamline this entire experience. Instead of returning from a trip with a wallet full of paper, each expense appears automatically in the traveler’s expense management system, pre-matched to the right transaction.

For employers, this translates into cleaner audit trails, better policy compliance, and faster approvals. Finance teams can focus on analysis rather than administrative checks, while employees enjoy a smoother, paper-free process.

See how ReceiptHero is helping merchants digitize the checkout process in Enabling a Paperless Experience at Checkout with a Multi-Touch Solution.

Accommodation and events

Hotels and conference venues often issue detailed receipts that include multiple tax categories and service lines. When those receipts are digital and standardized, they can be automatically coded for VAT recovery and accounting. For both travelers and accountants, that means fewer corrections and quicker reimbursements.

Value for cardholders and finance teams

Data from AirPlus’ Nordic report on digital receipts (formerly Eurocard, 2021) shows that organizations adopting apps or direct receipt integrations experience major productivity and satisfaction gains:

• Up to 12.5 minutes saved per transaction compared to paper handling

• 190% higher employee satisfaction with app-based or direct receipt solutions

• 77% of companies reporting improved control and compliance processes

For finance departments, the advantages go beyond efficiency. Digital receipts create a verified data trail that helps prevent fraud, improve policy adherence, and simplify audits. With no missing or unreadable receipts, teams can trust the integrity of every expense claim.

Digital receipts also help reduce disputes and chargebacks, improving transparency for both merchants and finance teams. Read more in Minimizing Chargebacks with Digital Receipts.

A sustainability and compliance win

Sustainability is another strong driver. In Sweden alone, producing paper receipts consumes the equivalent of 60,000 trees each year. Switching to digital alternatives drastically reduces waste and helps organizations meet their environmental commitments.

At the same time, digital receipts support stronger compliance with local tax and record-keeping requirements. As more governments and financial institutions promote standardized e-receipt formats, real-time solutions are expected to become the industry norm across Europe.

The road ahead

With partners such as AirPlus, Talenom, Visma M2, Fennoa, and Zevoy driving innovation, real-time digital receipts are rapidly becoming the new standard for corporate transactions. They connect merchants, payment providers, and business systems in one continuous data flow that benefits every participant.

For companies in travel, mobility, or hospitality, adopting real-time digital receipts is more than a convenience, it’s a step toward operational excellence. Employees spend less time on administration, finance teams gain full visibility, and sustainability goals move forward.

Real-time digital receipts close one of the last paper gaps in the business expense process. Whether it’s a driver charging an EV, a traveler checking into a hotel, or a finance team reconciling monthly spend, the impact is the same: faster, smarter, and greener operations.

ReceiptHero is at the forefront of this shift, helping merchants and payment partners deliver digital receipts instantly and securely. The result is a better experience for employees, stronger control for finance teams, and a more sustainable future for everyone.