Download the SpendSmart™ Travel Trends Q2 Insights 2019-2022 in PDF format
Miscellaneous spending overtook Ride Hailing as the most expensed category with 16.5% of all transactions. Supplies also increased by 82% compared to H1 2019-reinforcing the value in reviewing and analyzing company spend annually.
| T&E Category Benchmark Averages in H1 20201 % of receipts by category |
|
|---|---|
| Miscellaneous | 16.5% |
| Meals | 15.8% |
| Ride Hailing | 13.3% |
| Fuel | 12.0% |
| Airfare | 11.0% |
| Hotel | 9.0% |
| Supplies | 8.7% |
| Cell Phone | 5.3% |
| Car Rental | 3.2% |
| Shipping | 2.5% |
| Grocery | 1.8% |
| Tolls | 0.5% |
| Parking | 0.4% |
Eight out of thirteen categories saw an increase in average cost compared with H1 2019. The Miscellaneous category saw the largest increase at $31.85, while the Airfare and Supplies decreased.
| Category | H1 2020 Average Expense | Change from H1 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous | $135.93 | +$31.85 |
| Meals | $45.35 | +$7.18 |
| Ride Hailing | $27.12 | -$1.31 |
| Fuel | $38.02 | -$1.21 |
| Airfare | $290.10 | -$17.40 |
| Hotel | $271.40 | +$5.31 |
| Supplies | $94.11 | -$30.01 |
| Cell Phone | $98.88 | +$1.61 |
| Car Rental | $208.36 | +$12.60 |
| Shipping | $165.94 | +$18.05 |
| Grocery | $60.89 | -$15.48 |
| Tolls | $41.97 | +$2.54 |
| Parking | $41.26 | +$4.18 |
Walmart jumped up the list from the ninth most expensed vendor in H1 2019 to fourth place, bumping Delta off the top-five. Ride hailing giant, Uber, maintains its number one spot with 10.3% of all transactions despite a significant decline.
| Vendor | H1 2020 Expense Percentage |
H1 2019 Expense Percentage |
H1 2018 Expense Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber | 10.3% | 12.5% | 10.6% |
| Amazon | 7.8% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Starbucks | 3.4% | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Walmart | 3.4% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Lyft | 3.2% | 3.7% | 2.4 |
| American Airlines | 2.9% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Delta Airlines | 2.8% | 3.5% | 3.6% |
| The Home Depot | 2.8% | * | * |
| Shell | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| United Airlines | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| * Vendor did not reach threshold for most expensed vendors overall. |
The most expensed brands by category remain unchanged from our 2019 Year in Review Report except for the airfare category. American Airlines overtook Delta as the most expensed airline in H1 2020.
| Meals | STARBUCKS | 22.9% |
| Hotel | MARRIOTT | 16.7% |
| Car Rental | NATIONAL CAR RENTAL | 28.9% |
| Ride Hailing | UBER | 71.9% |
| Airfare | AMERICAN AIRLINES | 24.5% |
The highest-rated brands3 in 2020 have found the right balance of convenience, quality, and price when catering to businesses and their employees' needs.
| Meals | CHICK-FIL-A | 4.7 |
| Hotel | MARRIOTT | 4.5 |
| Car Rental | ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR | 4.6 |
| Ride Hailing | UBER | 4.9 |
| Airfare | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES | 4.7 |
The restaurant summary includes data for all meal expenses (breakfast, lunch, dinner). See which vendors are most frequently expensed, the average amount per transaction, and average ratings.
| STARBUCKS | 22.9% |
| MCDONALD'S | 12.6% |
| CHICK-FIL-A | 9.4% |
| PANERA BREAD | 7.3% |
| DUNKIN' | 6.6% |
| PANERA BREAD | $57.15 |
| CHICK-FIL-A | $37.46 |
| MCDONALD'S | $19.26 |
| DUNKIN' | $15.50 |
| STARBUCKS | $14.18 |
| CHICK-FIL-A | 4.7 |
| CHIPOTLE | 4.6 |
| JIMMY JOHN'S | 4.6 |
| PANERA BREAD | 4.6 |
| STARBUCKS | 4.6 |
Encompassing data for all lodging expenses. See which vendors are most frequently expensed, the average expense amount, and average ratings.
| MARRIOTT | 16.7% |
| HAMPTON INN | 14.8% |
| COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT | 11.9% |
| HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS | 9.1% |
| HILTON GARDEN INN | 7.6% |
| MARRIOTT | $308.50 |
| HAMPTON INN | $244.86 |
| HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS | $241.57 |
| HILTON GARDEN INN | $232.82 |
| COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT | $207.50 |
| MARRIOTT | 4.6 |
| HYATT | 4.5 |
| EMBASSY SUITES | 4.4 |
| HILTON | 4.4 |
| HOMEWOOD SUITES | 4.4 |
The airline summary includes all expenses for booked airfare. Data identifies which vendor is most frequently expensed, the average expense amount, and the average ratings.
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | 24.5% |
| DELTA AIRLINES | 23.8% |
| UNITED AIRLINES | 18.8% |
| SOUTHWEST AIRLINES | 18.3% |
| ALASKA AIRLINES | 2.8% |
| DELTA AIRLINES | $414.05 |
| UNITED AIRLINES | $350.58 |
| AMERICAN AIRLINES | $327.49 |
| ALASKA AIRLINES | $268.93 |
| SOUTHWEST AIRLINES | $264.17 |
| SOUTHWEST AIRLINES | 4.7 |
| ALASKA AIRLINES | 4.6 |
| DELTA AIRLINES | 4.6 |
| JETBLUE AIRWAYS | 4.5 |
| UNITED AIRLINES | 4.3 |
The car rental summary includes all expenses for rental car bookings. See which vendors are most frequently expensed, the average expense amount, and average ratings.
| NATIONAL CAR RENTAL | 28.9% |
| ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR | 22.8% |
| HERTZ CAR RENTAL | 18.5% |
| BUDGET CAR RENTAL | 17.8% |
| AVIS CAR RENTAL | 12.0% |
| ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR | $272.63 |
| HERTZ CAR RENTAL | $226.50 |
| AVIS CAR RENTAL | $222.31 |
| NATIONAL CAR RENTAL | $219.15 |
| BUDGET CAR RENTAL | $211.51 |
| ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR | 4.6 |
| NATIONAL CAR RENTAL | 4.5 |
| BUDGET CAR RENTAL | 4.3 |
| HERTZ CAR RENTAL | 4.2 |
| AVIS CAR RENTAL | 3.9 |
Scooter rentals declined overall as in-office switched to the home office. First-to-market leaders Bird and Lime continue to dominate with a combined 75% of transactions in 2020 so far.
| LIME | 44.7% |
| BIRD | 31.1% |
| RAZOR | 11.9% |
| SPIN | 7.1% |
| SCOOT | 4.9% |
| LIME | $9.92 |
| BIRD | $9.90 |
| SPIN | $9.79 |
| RAZOR | $6.97 |
| SCOOT | $3.70 |
| BIRD | 4.0 |
| LIME | 4.0 |
| SPIN | * |
| RAZOR | * |
| SCOOT | * |
| * Vendor did not reach threshold for average rating. |
Ride hailing companies held the majority of receipts, continuing to overshadow traditional taxis. The category experienced a sharp 32.7% decline when compared to H1 2019.
| UBER | 71.9% |
| LYFT | 24.0% |
| TAXI | 4.1% |
| TAXI | $34.14 |
| UBER | $29.84 |
| LYFT | $25.64 |
| UBER | 4.9 |
| LYFT | 4.7 |
| TAXI | 4.1 |
Even with travel decreasing, the desire for a comforting meal was a priority. Food delivery has seen a 110% year-over-year growth compared with the first half of 2019. Seamless took top marks for average rating but lacked the numbers to reach top-5 overall.
| Doordash | 36.0% |
| Grubhub | 25.1% |
| Uber Eats | 17.1% |
| Postmates | 11.5% |
| CAVIAR | 5.7% |
| CAVIAR | $120.22 |
| SEAMLESS | $75.30 |
| GRUBHUB | $74.52 |
| DELIVERY.COM | $71.18 |
| DOORDASH | $57.51 |
| SEAMLESS | 5.0 |
| DELIVERY.COM | 4.8 |
| UBER EATS | 4.7 |
| GRUBHUB | 4.6 |
| DOORDASH | 4.4 |
About This Report
The Certify SpendSmart™ Report provides a snapshot of the current spend trends of business travelers in North America with all data compiled from actual expense data from submitted expense reports.
For all media inquires please contact Tim Wheatcroft of Certify, pr@certify.com or 888-781-0088 x4468.