Business travel account (BTA)

A business travel account (BTA) is a centralized payment solution used by companies to manage and streamline travel expenses. It allows businesses to book flights, hotels, and other travel services without requiring employees to pay out of pocket. 

An example is the American Express BTA, which allows companies to issue Virtual Account Numbers (VANs) to eliminate the need for physical cards or multiple individual accounts. When employees book trips through their company’s TMC, the BTA assigns a unique VAN to each booking so that all travel expenses are tracked and recorded in one place. At the end of each month, the company receives a consolidated statement detailing all BTA travel expenses.

BTA simplifies the payment process and provides better oversight of corporate travel spending, as all travel expenses are charged to the company’s account.