Business travel app guide: Using the Bolt app on a business trip

18 Jan 2023

How to turn Bolt into a business travel app

Planning a business trip and getting familiar with your destination can feel overwhelming. Still, you can organise every aspect of your journey from your phone by downloading the best business travel apps.

When you leave for a business trip, you’ll need several corporate travel apps to cover transport, expenses, and work. In this article, you’ll find out the best travel apps for business travel to help make your trip enjoyable — without taking up too much space on your phone.

What is a business travel app?

A business travel app helps you plan, remain productive, or overcome challenges while travelling for work. No single corporate travel app will cater to all your business travel needs, so you’ll need to download several.

As 87% of business travellers use their smartphone while on a business trip, it makes sense to download corporate travel management apps. That way, you’ll increase your chances of success during your trip.

The best apps for business travellers

Downloading business travel apps to your phone will give you the headspace to focus on the purpose of your business trip. In this article, you’ll discover the best apps for business travellers to get around the city, find the best places to eat, and manage your expenses.

Getting around the city

Flights and accommodation are high priorities when arranging a business trip, but they should never come at the expense of ground travel. Companies should ensure employees have a comfortable, reliable, and safe way to travel around a city once they arrive.

1. Bolt

The Bolt app allows business travellers to travel in 500+ cities across 45+ countries. But if you’re only using Bolt for leisure, you’re not getting the most out of the service — it’s also a powerful business travel app

By setting up a Work Profile — a free feature in the Bolt app — you get all the convenience of Bolt with the addition of pre-filled ride receipts, which means no lost receipts, no paperwork, and no more time spent filling out expense reports.

2. Google Maps

For anyone with an Android phone, Google Maps is the go-to app for finding your way around a city. You can plan a route, explore street views, and see real-time traffic conditions.

3. Apple Maps

On iPhone, Apple Maps will help you get where you need to be. You’ll get a convenient route to your destination, understand public transport options, and also includes in-door maps to help you find your way around shopping centres. 

4. Komoot

Cycling around a new city — where you may not know where the safest cycling infrastructure is — can be daunting. With Komoot, you’ll get a route to your destination that takes you along the safest route when riding a bike.

5. CityMapper

If you plan to use public transport during your trip, then CityMapper is an essential business travel app. You’ll find out your travel options and get real-time updates on arrival times.  

Managing your expenses

Expense management tools save you the time and hassle of collecting and holding onto receipts during your business trip. The business travel app you use to manage expenses must match your company’s software. 

6. SAP Concur

With the SAP Concur app, you can take a photo of a receipt, and all the details will be uploaded to your company’s Concur expense account. 

7. Expensify

The Expensify app lets you track your expenses while you’re on the move. It’s easy to scan your receipts, and all essential data will be collected — speeding up the process of claiming back your expenses.

8. Rydoo

By taking a photo of a receipt using the Rydoo app, you capture all the essential details (including the date, the total amount spent, and the merchant’s name). You can either upload your receipts as expense reports or email them to the relevant person.

9. Zoho Expense 

From the Zoho app, you can turn pictures of receipts into expense reports and continue recording your expenses offline. And if anything’s left unfinished, you’ll get notifications and reminders to submit an expense report.

Converting currency

10. XE Currency Converter

When you’re working abroad, you may need to convert currencies. With the XE Currency Converter on your phone, you can check the exchange rates of over 170 currencies and get alerts when the rate hits your desired amount.

Discovering the best food

11. Bolt Food

With Bolt Food, you can search for your favourite dishes and get a list of the best restaurants in the area. Best of all, your order will be delivered to your meeting, hotel, or office.

Keep working

Remaining productive can be challenging when travelling for work — especially if you’re driving. But all the means of transport available to business travellers now makes working while in transit more manageable than ever.

With these corporate travel apps, you can remain productive as you travel. 

12. Google Drive

If you plan to work while in transit, you can use apps like Google Drive to keep on top. 

13. Zoom

Travelling no longer means having to miss important meetings. By downloading the Zoom app, you can stay updated with developments in your team via video conferencing.

14. Slack

You may need to check in with your colleagues occasionally, and Slack is the perfect tool. 

Finding a workspace

Finding a productive place to work from during a business trip can prove challenging — unless you’ve downloaded these apps.

15. Liquid Space

With Liquid Space, finding and booking a working space perfect for solo working or your whole team is simple.

16. Coworker

Discover co-working areas, airport lounges, and private offices to keep you productive in cities worldwide with the CoWorker app

Best language apps

17. Google Translate

Language barriers are one of the challenges of working abroad — even in the best business travel destinations. Fortunately, there are plenty of solutions now, including Google Translate. With Google Translate, you can translate unfamiliar words by typing them into the app, scanning them with your camera, or speaking into the microphone.

You can download language-learning apps like Speakly, Duolingo, and Memrise if you want to learn a few phrases before your trip. 

Networking

18. Linkedin

When you meet people during your trip, it’s good to have a way to stay connected. With LinkedIn on your phone, you can connect and discover mutual connections. 

While you’re there, follow Bolt Business.

Making payments

Having a payment app on your phone means you don’t have to carry as much around.

19. Apple Pay

iPhones have a Wallet app where you can add debit and credit cards — allowing you to make contactless payments without a physical card. 

20. Google Pay

If you’re an Android user, then Google Pay allows you to pay by debit and credit cards using your phone.

Finding a business travel safety app

Many business travel apps have safety features to support your health and well-being. 

With Bolt, your safety is our priority before, during, and after your journey. Some of the safety features included in the Bolt app include:

  • 24/7 support.
  • Emergency assist.
  • Comprehensive insurance.

Your safety is also essential when using micromobility services, such as our electric scooters:

  • Beginner mode.
  • Cognitive reaction test.
  • Tandem riding detection.

Learn more about riding scooters safely.

Business travel app FAQs

Are business travel apps worth it?

Every business traveller should download business travel apps before their business trips. They’ll make it easier to get around the city and find everything you need while you’re there.

What do companies use to book travel?

Companies use travel management software for booking, managing, and tracking employee business travel.

What makes a good business travel app?

The corporate travel apps you download should make travelling easy and allow you to focus on the primary purpose of your trip. 

How many corporate travel apps do I need?

You should download an app to support you in all areas of your business trip, and this can include:

  • Ground travel.
  • Making payments.
  • Finding a space to work.
  • Managing your expenses.
  • Translations (if you don’t know the local language).

What’s the best app for travelling for business?

The best business travel app depends on your needs, but ground travel is an often overlooked part of a business trip. By downloading the Bolt app, business travellers have a convenient, reliable, and safe way to travel for work. 

Benefits of using Bolt as a business travel app

Travelling with a Work Profile is the easiest way to travel for work and claim back your expenses.

Every time you travel using your Work Profile, a digital receipt, pre-filled with your company’s details, will go straight to an email of your choice. And by adding a company card, you can charge all work rides to your employer without making an expense claim. 

There’s also no need to download a separate app for managing your travel expenses as you can connect your Work Profile with several leading expense providers:

  • SAP® Concur®;
  • Expensify;
  • Rydoo;
  • Zoho Expense.

And many more are to be added soon.

Once connected, your ride receipts will go straight to the provider, which makes handling expenses much smoother. 

“Signing up for a Work Profile turns Bolt into a business travel app. It’s as easy as clicking a button, and we handle all your payment needs. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a company card or claiming the fare back from your employer — we make it simple for you.”

Neil Cranswick, Work Profile Product Manager, Bolt Business

Turn Bolt into a business travel app

Creating a Work Profile is as simple as opening up your Bolt app and tapping Expense your rides from the menu on the left-hand side. Then, follow the onscreen instructions and add a work payment method if needed. 

It’s then just a case of switching to your Work Profile before you travel for work.

How to set up a Bolt Work Profile in the Bolt app

Give your whole team a corporate travel app with Bolt Business

The Work Profile is ideal for individuals who need a business travel app to keep trips for leisure and work separate. But to give your whole team or company a reliable way to travel for work, you should consider Bolt Business. 

Bolt Business lets you control, manage, and pay for all work rides from a single dashboard. After setting up your account, you can add team members who will see your company as a payment method in their Bolt app. But they can only choose this payment method if the trip meets your company’s travel policy.

You can sign up for Bolt Business online in minutes or contact our team to discuss how we can meet your team’s ground travel needs.

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