Bolt Business account vs. Work Profile: which is right for you?

Jan 3, 2024

Employee travelling for work using a Bolt Business account or the Bolt Work Profile.

There are two ways to use Bolt for work-related travel: a Bolt Business account and the Bolt Work Profile

In this article, you’ll find out which is best suited to your travel needs. But before going too in-depth, these are the key differences:

Now it’s time to find out which is best for you. 👇

Bolt Business vs. Work Profile: what’s the difference?

Let’s start by looking at Bolt Business. (If you’d prefer to begin with the Work Profile, follow this link to jump down to the Work Profile.)

💡 Worth knowing: you can use both Bolt Business and the Work Profile. For example, if your company has a Bolt Business account, allowing you to charge Bolt trips straight to them, you can still use a Work Profile for other purposes.

If your company’s added you to their Bolt Business account, you may also want a Work Profile if you plan to track how much you spend commuting or need to claim expenses for other work-related travel.

Bolt Business account

You need a Bolt Business account to manage corporate ground travel for your entire organisation — whether that’s a handful of people or thousands.

You can manage all aspects of your company’s ground travel from a single dashboard. This includes adding employees who must travel for work, setting spending limits, and monitoring every order. 

By adding an employee to your account, you’re allowing them to charge work rides straight to your company (they’ll see your company listed as a payment method in their Bolt app). Ultimately, this removes the need for employees to spend time manually filling out expense reports for their travel.

Your employees can only charge your company rides if the trip meets your travel policies. Travel policies can include:

  • Spending limits;
  • Specific pick-up and drop-off locations;
  • Time restrictions on when employees can travel.

You can add as many employees to your account as you need — deactivating users is simple, too. And the same goes for account admins (those who manage your company’s Bolt Business account).

In terms of payment, you can charge every order straight to a company card. Alternatively, it’s possible to pay by monthly invoice — either charging a card on the same day each month or making a bank transfer.

In short: 

  • Manage corporate ground travel for your entire organisation from a single dashboard.
  • Set spending limits and build travel policies.
  • Your employees can choose your company as a payment method in their Bolt app (as long as the ride meets your travel policy).
  • Pay for each ride as it happens, or get a monthly invoice.
  • Sign up online in minutes.

💡 Learn more in Everything you need to know about Bolt Business.

Now, onto the Bolt Work Profile. 👇

Business person managing business travel with Bolt Business.

Bolt Work Profile

When travelling for work with Bolt, keeping those rides separate from your personal trips is a good idea. And that’s where the Work Profile comes in. 

The Work Profile is a free feature in the Bolt app that makes it simple to expense your work rides. You can charge rides to a company payment method (or a personal card), and a receipt will go to an email of your choice — pre-filled with your company’s details.

If your company uses expense management software, you can connect your Work Profile with several leading providers:

In short:

  • Add a company payment method.
  • Send ride receipts to an email of your choice.
  • Connect it with your company’s expense management software.
  • Get a monthly report of your work rides.
  • Set up your Work Profile in the Bolt app.

Learn more about the Bolt Work Profile.

A business person booking a work ride in the Bolt app.

Using a Bolt Business account

You can manage company-wide transport from one place with a Bolt Business account. 

You have complete control over travel from a Company Dashboard. And the employees you add to your account can set your company as the payment for work rides in their Bolt app.

Meanwhile, you can also book travel for others using Ride Booker

Let’s look at each of these in more detail. 👇

Company Dashboard

You can manage everything related to your companywide ground travel from an easy-to-use dashboard. 

Your Company Dashboard is where you add employees, choose travel restrictions, and set spending limits. You’ll also get complete visibility of every order made by your team.

In-app company payment method

In your Company Dashboard, you can add employees who need to travel for work with Bolt. They’ll see your company as a payment method in their Bolt app. And they can choose it when they order a work trip aligned with the relevant travel policy. 

Ride Booker

You’ll also have access to Ride Booker, a tool that allows you to book rides for employees, clients, and guests. 

  • Book several rides simultaneously;
  • Arrange travel in any city where Bolt operates;
  • The traveller doesn’t need the Bolt app (they’ll get an SMS with all the travel details).

Compare the Bolt app with Ride Booker.

Using the Bolt Work Profile

Setting up a Work Profile in the Bolt app lets you organise your work rides and makes expense management a breeze.

Work payment method

Charge your work rides to a company card by setting your payment method to ‘work’ before you travel. 

Simple expense management

A ride receipt for every trip (prefilled with all your company’s details) will go to an email of your choice — speeding up the expense process.

And if your company uses expense management software, you can connect your Work Profile with several leading tools to speed up your expense claims even more.

Bolt Business vs. Work Profile: the similarities

Bolt Business and the Work Profile give you a convenient way to travel for work. And they’ll both save you time when it comes to expense reporting. 

You’ll also have access to a range of Bolt services across 45 countries and 500+ cities.

Reliable work rides

When travelling for work, use the Bolt app to connect with a driver. You can get picked up in minutes or schedule your work rides up to 3 days in advance.

A business person travelling for work in a work taxi.

Commute on a Bolt scooter or e-bike

For shorter work rides, you can travel on a Bolt scooter or e-bike — fast, efficient, and sustainable alternatives to driving. 

Get behind the wheel with Bolt Drive

Rather than committing to a long-term lease for company cars, you can use our car-sharing service, Bolt Drive.

Using the Bolt app, your employees can find an available vehicle, unlock it, and drive. You only pay when using the vehicle; we cover the insurance, fuel, and maintenance costs. 

You get all the benefits of a company car without buying one. 

Decision time: Bolt Business or a Work Profile?

If you fit into one of the below categories, then the Work Profile is your best option: 

  • Freelancer;
  • Self-employed;
  • Small business owner;
  • Often travel for work and need to claim expenses;
  • Keep track of how much you spend on commuting.

Follow these steps to set up your Bolt Work Profile:

  1. Download the Bolt app;
  2. Open the menu and tap Work Profile;
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Every time you take a ride for work, choose your Work Profile as your payment method to charge the fare to your chosen work payment method. A receipt will also automatically go to the email of your choice.

To manage ground travel for your entire organisation, you need a Bolt Business account.

Start using Bolt Business today

Set up your company’s Bolt Business account online in minutes. Your team can start travelling for work on the same day.

Download Bolt

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