If you thought travel and expense (T&E) management was already evolving at lightning speed, brace yourself, for 2026 is gearing up to be a full-on plot twist. With technology leaping ahead, geopolitics doing somersaults, and economic currents shifting on a whim, leaders are finding it trickier than ever to predict what’s around the corner.
However, SAP Concur says the good news is the savviest organisations are leaning into agility, data intelligence and next-gen automation, especially in the world of T&E. From agentic AI to new flavours of expense fraud (yes, really), they’ve offered five smart, future-proof ways to get your travel and expense strategy ready for the year to come.
1. Implement AI wherever it adds value
AI is no longer the optional shiny new toy. It has evolved into a highly necessary engine quietly powering the travel ecosystem. Think biometric airport security, predictive aircraft maintenance and itinerary planning that feels suspiciously psychic.
Travellers themselves are getting increasingly cosy with AI booking their entire journey, not just suggesting hotels with breakfast buffets. Embedding AI into T&E workflows is now essential for faster, cleaner, more intuitive travel experiences.
And beyond convenience, AI is becoming a guardian angel for traveller safety. As Jen Moyse, Vice President of Product and Head of UX at SAP Concur, explains: “[Businesses] will use it to enhance duty of care, predicting risks and personalising safety alerts to individual travellers.”
2. Build a trust-first strategy for AI
AI may be dazzling, but it’s only as good as the data it chews through. And with AI adoption accelerating across corporate travel, so do the risks of bias, privacy gaps, inaccurate outputs and even clever new types of fraud.
A trust-first approach is now non-negotiable. That means rock-solid security, ethical data standards, human oversight and (crucially) reassuring your teams that AI is here to help them, not replace them.
Charlie Sultan, President of Concur Travel at SAP Concur, puts it plainly: “All eyes will be on companies and how they approach talent and staffing in response to AI adoption. Establishing trust and ensuring transparency will be critical in the year ahead.”
In other words, it’s important communicate, clarify, and not let AI’s sparkle blind you and your team to its pitfalls.
3. Let your systems speak to each other and to AI
AI is now baked into everyday work tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Workspace. That means booking trips, submitting expenses and approving reports increasingly happens right inside the apps employees already live in.
This shift will reshape T&E completely, and Christopher Juneau, SVP and Head of Product Marketing at SAP Concur, predicts a major transformation: “In a few short years, the concept of an ‘expense report’ may be obsolete, replaced by agentic AI that audits, reconciles, and reimburses automatically in the background.”
To get ready for that future, organisations must connect their data streams (itineraries, receipts, invoices, payroll, etc.) directly into their AI systems. The more complete the data picture, the more accurate and trustworthy AI becomes.
4. Innovate boldly, but keep a hawk eye on costs
With markets wobbling and budgets tightening, organisations are being forced to do a tricky dance of spending smarter while still backing the tech that unlocks growth. For many small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), that means laser-focusing investment on high-impact tools like automation and strategic travel.
The pressure for travel to deliver clear ROI will only intensify in 2026. Automation helps by killing off manual admin, strengthening compliance and spotlighting savings opportunities in real time.
And new technologies are joining the fight. As Kacey Flygare, General Manager and Global Business Head, SMB, at SAP Concur, explains: “Pre-spend controls such as virtual cards and dynamic card controls will be gamechangers in how organisations control spend, lower risk, and reduce the burden of cash outlay for business expenses.”
This means smarter spending, fewer headaches, and happier finance teams.
5. Adopt a ‘fail-forward’ mindset
AI-led finance teams know the secret sauce, and that is innovation requires experimentation, including the occasional, carefully-supervised flop. As AI takes over repetitive admin tasks, finance professionals must evolve into testers, explorers and strategic thinkers.
That can feel uncomfortable in a field where accuracy is sacred. But learning through iteration is key to unlocking AI’s full value.
Sonja Simon, Chief Financial Officer, SAP Americas, puts it brilliantly: “Leaders must lead by example and create an environment where taking calculated risks is encouraged, mistakes are examined without blame, and learning is celebrated as progress.”
She adds: “Only when failure becomes a data point, not a downfall, will the finance function fully unlock AI’s potential to reimagine decision-making, growth, and value creation across the business.”
In other words, permission to experiment – granted.
So it seems travel and expense management is entering a new era that’s getting faster, smarter, more automated and infinitely more connected. Organisations that keep pace with evolving T&E trends, embrace AI thoughtfully and stay agile will position themselves as industry pacesetters. And those who don’t may still be arguing about missing receipts, while the competition zips ahead.
Also read: Smarter tech, stronger loyalty: The emerging trends ahead of HSMAI MEA 2025
