Best Direct Billing Solutions for Field Technician Travel

Your lead technician just called from a remote job site. The hotel wants a credit card for tonight's room, but your company policy prefers direct billing if available and approved. Meanwhile, you're staring at a stack of expense reports from last month that still need project codes assigned. 

Managing travel expenses for a mobile workforce can be a major headache. Here's how the major direct billing platforms stack up for field service operations.

What Each Platform Delivers for Direct Billing

Three major platforms dominate direct billing for field service operations, each with distinct strengths for different operational needs. Here's how they compare on features that matter for project-based companies.

Here's how each platform handles the specific challenges of field service direct billing.

Engine

Best for: Project-based or field service teams needing consolidated invoicing and job code tracking

How it works: Your service crew needs accommodations for a multi-week installation project. Engine provides consolidated invoicing that eliminates individual expense reports while enabling project code tagging at the point of booking. The platform focuses on project-based cost allocation, allowing field technicians to assign travel expenses directly to specific job codes during the booking process, ensuring accurate cost tracking without post-trip reconciliation work.

Strengths:

• Automatic cost allocation to specific jobs through project code tagging at booking time
• Single monthly billing per project eliminates dozens of individual expense reports
• Cancellation flexibility with both refunds and travel credit options depending on booking terms
• Mobile-optimized interface designed for field technician use 
• Integration with major accounting systems, including QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct

Pricing: Free to join and use with no membership fees, contracts, or minimum spend requirements. Engine takes a small commission from our travel partners on each booking while still delivering documented savings of up to 60% on accommodation costs compared to standard rates. Direct Bill (requires credit approval) is available for companies needing consolidated monthly invoicing.

Real-world results: Combined Transport's call center team struggled to track spending and reconcile billing for drivers on the road 12+ weeks at a time across 48 states. With Engine, they book driver accommodations through a single platform with transparent pricing and job code tracking on every receipt. The result: $111K+ saved on hotel rooms, at least an hour saved on each invoice, and improved driver retention.

Engine's project-focused approach creates a foundation that other platforms build upon with different strengths.

Navan (TripActions)

Best for: Companies needing integrated expense management for individual business travelers rather than crew-based field operations

How it works: Navan enables companies to pay vendors directly on behalf of travelers through its corporate cards and virtual purchase cards.

You receive a single consolidated monthly invoice per entity, for easier payment reconciliation while maintaining detailed transaction visibility for cost tracking and allocation.

Strengths:

• Native expense management built into the platform eliminates separate expense tool requirements
• Free tier for companies up to 300 employees (first 5 expensing users); additional users at $15 per user monthly
• AI-powered spend insights and extensive integrations, including NetSuite, QuickBooks, and Sage Intacct
• Job code tagging at booking time enables cost allocation without post-trip work
• Commission-based revenue model eliminates additional transaction fees for most companies

Limitations:

• Per-user expense module pricing ($15/user/month after first 5 users) increases total cost of ownership for companies exceeding 5 expensing users
• Enterprise pricing requires custom quotes for organizations with more than 300 employees, limiting budget predictability during initial procurement
• Commission-based model reduces transparency around total margins and potential booking incentives
• Product focus is on corporate travel, rather than field-based teams

Pricing: Free for companies up to 300 employees (includes first 5 expensing users); $15/user/month for additional expensing users beyond 5; Enterprise plan requires custom quote

If you run large enterprise operations that require comprehensive system integration, SAP Concur offers a different level of capability.

SAP Concur

Best for: Enterprises already in the SAP ecosystem needing full expense integration

How it works: SAP Concur provides car rental companies (Enterprise, National, Hertz, Avis, and Budget) and select major hotel chains, with automated expense report population including mobile receipt capture and policy compliance checking during submission.

Strengths:

• Enterprise-grade platform with integrated travel and expense management
• SAP integration with pre-configured scenarios for companies already using SAP systems (provides significant implementation advantage for SAP customers, though integration complexity increases for non-SAP accounting system environments)
• Automated expense reports using OCR-based receipt capture and machine learning, with mobile app support for field technicians
• Global operational capabilities, including multi-currency support and VAT/GST handling

Limitations:

• Direct billing limited to major car rentals and select hotel chains: employees still pay out-of-pocket for flights, hotels (except major chains), and other travel
• Enterprise-level pricing requires custom quotes without published rate information, creating budget feasibility challenges in early evaluation stages
• Implementation timelines for field service deployments typically range 3-6 months, accounting for system integration complexity, device deployment logistics, change management requirements, and distributed workforce adoption challenges
• Mobile app concerns including synchronization delays and stability issues merit evaluation during pilot testing

Pricing: Custom quotes required; no published pricing tiers available; usage-based model with pricing typically starting significantly higher than $9 per user per month

Questions to Ask Before You Commit

Before signing any contract, get specific answers that reveal true operational fit and total cost of ownership. Focus on these critical areas:

These questions help you distinguish between platforms that deliver operational value and those that create new administrative burdens. Pay attention to how vendors answer questions about hidden costs and cancellation terms: vague answers signal potential problems.

Get Total Financial Control Over Field Service Travel

Your finance team spends hours reconstructing last month's travel expenses instead of analyzing current project profitability. Your field crews advance personal funds for business travel, creating cash flow strain and administrative overhead. Your project budgets suffer from out-of-policy bookings discovered weeks too late.

Engine eliminates these problems by enforcing policy at booking time, not after money's spent. When your technician searches for accommodations near the Cleveland job site, they only see options within your per diem limits and approved vendor list. Out-of-policy bookings become impossible instead of something you discover during month-end reconciliation.

Every booking automatically tags to the right project code at the point of reservation. Your Phoenix installation project gets its own line item on one consolidated monthly invoice. No more hunting through credit card statements to figure out which charges belong to which job.

Direct Bill consolidates all your hotel charges into one monthly invoice with every booking pre-tagged to the correct project code. Apply for direct billing credit approval, and once approved, Engine pays suppliers directly while you maintain complete visibility into every dollar spent.

When projects shift—and they always do—FlexPro coverage protects your budget. Cancel reservations up until noon on check-in day and get direct refunds, not travel credits. Cut trips short mid-stay when the job finishes early. The hotel's cancellation policy doesn't matter.

See what field service companies are saving:

• Combined Transport saved $111K+ on hotel rooms while improving driver retention through simplified booking and job code tracking. 
• RMS Energy, with nearly 600 employees traveling over 40 weeks a year, saved $87K on stay modifications and cut receipt-chasing time by 4x using Direct Bill and FlexPro.

Book your first field service trip in under two minutes. Engine gives you total financial control over crew travel with one consolidated monthly invoice, automatic project code tagging, and flexibility when plans change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do accounting system integrations work?

Most platforms offer API-based integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage through RESTful connections. Navan offers synchronization through webhook-based approaches, while others employ scheduled batch processing. SAP Concur provides integration for companies already using SAP ERP systems.

What's a realistic implementation timeline?

Implementation timelines vary significantly by platform. Engine's basic booking platform works immediately with no implementation required—your team can start booking right away. Direct Bill credit approval typically takes 48-72 hours. Enterprise platforms like SAP Concur typically require 3-6 months for field service deployments, accounting for system integration complexity, device deployment logistics, and distributed workforce adoption challenges.

According to change management research, full organizational adoption from vendor selection to complete rollout spans 4-9 months when you include system integration (2-3 months), pilot programs (1-2 months), and full rollout with change management (2-4 months). Deployment turnover can extend timelines 37%, so factor this risk into project planning.

What questions should I ask vendors during evaluation?

Focus on three critical areas: total cost of ownership, including hidden fees, project code tagging capabilities at booking time rather than post-travel allocation, and cancellation policy terms including refund timelines. Always request customer references from similar-sized field service companies and verify accounting system integration depth during vendor demos.