Best business expense trackers for New Zealand companies

Key takeaways

• Most business expense trackers handle receipt scanning and basic reporting, but the real difference shows up in multi-currency expense tracking, GST categorisation, and how well the tool fits into your existing accounting stack.

• When comparing the best business expense trackers in New Zealand, consider features that your business needs now as well as platforms that will allow you to grow.

• If you pay international suppliers, reimburse a distributed team, or manage spend across multiple entities, an all-in-one platform like Airwallex handles cards, expenses, bill pay, and FX in one place – without the manual reconciliation that comes with stitching together separate tools.

Managing business expenses used to mean shoeboxes of receipts, end-of-month spreadsheet marathons, and chasing staff for missing invoices. Today, dedicated expense tracking software handles most of that automatically. The right tool for your business also needs to handle Goods and Services Tax (GST) correctly and keep up when you're paying suppliers or reimbursing staff across borders.

What is a business expense tracker?

A business expense tracker is software that records, categorises, and reports company spending – replacing spreadsheets and paper receipts with an automated system your whole team can use. Think of it like a digital filing cabinet that sorts every receipt the moment it arrives, labels it correctly, and files it in the right folder without anyone touching it. That means less time on month-end admin, and cleaner data for your accountant at tax time.

The difference between expense tracking and spend management matters, because people use the two terms interchangeably – but they're not the same thing:

• Expense tracking: Records what's already been spent – receipts, reimbursements, and reconciliation.

• Spend management: Controls what happens before money moves – card limits, pre-approval workflows, and budget rules that stop out-of-policy purchases before they happen.

Most traditional tools only do the first. Platforms like Airwallex do both.

Here's how a typical expense workflow runs end to end:

1. Employee makes a purchase: They pay on a corporate card or out of pocket.

2. Your receipt is captured: Via a mobile app photo, email forward, or automatic card transaction data.

3. AI categorises the expense: The platform reads the receipt and assigns the right category and tax code.

4. Approval routing: If the expense exceeds a set threshold or falls outside policy, it routes to the right approver automatically.

5. Sync to accounting software: Approved expenses flow directly into Xero or QuickBooks – no manual re-entry.

6. Reimbursement: The platform pays out-of-pocket claims directly back to your employee.

Business expense trackers at a glance

Here's how the main platforms compare before we go deeper into each one.

What are the best business expense trackers in New Zealand?

The platforms below were evaluated on automation depth, NZ accounting compatibility, multi-currency capabilities, and total cost as teams scale.

Airwallex

If you're running a business that pays overseas suppliers, reimburses a distributed team, or manages spend across multiple entities, Airwallex is built for exactly that. It combines Expense Management, Corporate Cards, Bill Pay, and international payments in one place – so your finance team isn't reconciling data from three different tools at month-end.

The AI Expense Policy Agent checks every transaction against your company's rules in real time, not at month-end when it's too late to act. Your employees can spend on local-currency cards without triggering a foreign exchange (FX) conversion on every transaction – which matters if your team travels or pays overseas regularly.

Key features

• AI receipt extraction: Reads receipt photos and auto-fills expense details including merchant name, amount, and date.

• Automated categorisation: Assigns the correct category and GST tax code without manual input.

• Multi-currency Corporate Cards: Instantly create multi-currency Visa corporate cards with built-in controls and issue them to your team across 60+ markets.

• Approval workflows: Set rules so any expense over a set amount routes to the right approver automatically.

• AI-powered expense management: Put an AI agent on every expense so every submission is checked against your policies instantly and you can close your books faster,

• Native Xero and QuickBooks sync: Approved expenses flow into your accounting software with no manual re-entry.

• Bill Pay and Purchase Orders: Pay domestic and international invoices in the same platform as your expenses.

• Payouts to 200+ countries: Pay overseas suppliers via local payment rails, not just SWIFT wire transfers.

Pros

• An all-in-one AI-powered platform combining expense management, cards, FX, a global account, Yield, payment acceptance, and more

• Multi-currency is native, not bolted on

• Multi-currency cards to help you save on currency conversion and control team spend

Cons

• Broader feature set means more to configure initially compared to a receipt-only tool

Weel

Weel is an expense management platform built for businesses that want more control over company spend, not just a place to upload receipts. For New Zealand businesses, it combines expense tracking with virtual cards, approvals, reimbursements, and accounting integrations, so you can see spend as it happens and close the loop faster.

Key features

• AI-powered receipt capture and expense categorisation

• Instant virtual corporate cards with custom spend limits and merchant controls

• Automated approval workflows for expenses and reimbursements

• Real-time transaction feeds for live visibility over team spending

• Accounting integrations with Xero, MYOB Business, QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage Intacct

• Support for both Australian and New Zealand businesses

Pros

• Strong spend controls with virtual cards

• Real-time visibility across cards, reimbursements, and bill payments

• Broad accounting integrations for easier reconciliation

Cons

• Better suited to full spend management than basic expense-only tracking

• Some features, like purchase orders and NetSuite integration, are still in beta

• May feel heavier than simpler tools if your team only needs receipt capture and reports

Expensify

Expensify is a dedicated expense tool known for its SmartScan receipt capture, which reads receipts accurately and auto-fills expense reports. It also includes integrated travel booking, making it practical for teams that travel frequently and want receipts and itineraries in one place.

Expensify's Collect plan (NZ$9/member/month) charges per unique member added to the workspace, not just those who submit expenses. The Control plan charges only for active members — those who create, submit, or approve reports in a given month. Costs can scale quickly during busy travel periods. Multi-currency support is available, but foreign transactions are converted rather than settled natively – which adds cost if you're paying overseas.

Key features

• SmartScan receipt capture, which lets you point your phone at a receipt and Expensify fills in the details automatically.

• Xero and NetSuite integrations mean you can sync expense data to your accounting software directly.

• Integrated travel booking to book flights and accommodation inside the app. Expenses are then created automatically.

Pros

• Accurate receipt scanning

• Flexible pricing for teams with variable submission volumes

Cons

• Per-user costs can add up quickly for larger teams

• Tracking multiple currencies requires multiple workspaces

Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a dedicated expense tracking tool – not a full accounting platform – built for teams that want affordable, scalable expense tracking with solid multi-currency reporting. It's part of the broader Zoho ecosystem, so it works well if your business already uses Zoho Books or Zoho CRM.

The free tier covers up to three users, so very small teams can get started at no cost. It connects to Xero for NZ-based businesses, though you'll need more set-up time for advanced automation if you're working outside the Zoho ecosystem.

Key features

• Free tier for up to three users

• Log business travel distances and calculate reimbursements automatically.

• Xero integration so you can easily sync your expense data to your accounting software

• Multi-currency reporting lets you track and report on expenses across multiple currencies.

Pros

• Genuinely free for small teams

• Clean interface and easy to set up

Cons

• No corporate card issuing

• Advanced automation works best within the Zoho ecosystem

Xero

Xero is primarily accounting software – its expense features are included in the Grow, Comprehensive, and Ultimate plans for a set number of users (1, 5, and 10 respectively), and you pay NZ$5/month for each additional user. The entry-level Ignite plan does not include expense features. The expense functionality covers receipt capture, mileage tracking, and one-click approvals, but it doesn't include corporate cards or pre-spend policy enforcement.

If you're already on Xero, the native GST categorisation and Inland Revenue Department (IRD) compliance tools are a genuine advantage – your expense data and your accounts are already in the same place. Just note that you'll pay NZ$5/month for each additional expense user beyond your plan allocation.

Key features

• Native GST categorisation means expenses are coded to the correct GST treatment automatically.

• Upload receipts via the Xero Me mobile app and attach them to transactions.

• One-click approvals lets managers approve expenses directly from the Xero interface.

• IRD-compliant record keeping

Pros

• Seamless fit if you're already on Xero

• Strong GST and IRD compliance tools

Cons

• Expenses not included in the entry-level Ignite plan; included in Grow and above with user limits

• No corporate card issuing or pre-spend controls

SAP Concur

SAP Concur is the enterprise-grade option here – built for complex multi-entity approval chains, cross-jurisdiction tax compliance, and deep integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. An ERP is software that manages core business processes like finance, HR, and supply chain in one system.

Implementation costs are substantial and the interface is more complex than leaner tools, which makes it hard to justify unless you're running a larger, more complex operation. Pricing requires a custom quote, so you'll need to contact SAP Concur directly.

Key features

• Multi-entity approval workflows let you manage expense approvals across multiple business entities and jurisdictions.

• ERP integrations to SAP, Oracle, and other enterprise systems.

• Cross-jurisdiction tax compliance

• Book travel and manage expenses without switching tools.

Pros

• Built for complex, multi-entity enterprise operations

• Strong compliance and audit trail features

Cons

• High implementation cost and complexity

• Custom pricing makes budgeting harder upfront

What to look for in a business expense tracker

Before you commit to a platform, run through these questions to make sure it fits how your business actually works. What works if you're a five-person team paying domestic suppliers looks very different from what you'd need if you're reimbursing staff across three countries.

Does it sync with your accounting software?

When expense data syncs automatically to your accounting software, you're not manually re-entering transactions or fixing coding errors before closing the books. The key distinction is between a native (direct, two-way) sync and a middleware-dependent integration. Middleware is a third-party connector that sits between two systems – and it adds another potential point of failure. Xero is the dominant accounting platform for NZ small businesses, so make native Xero integration one of the first things you check.

Does it support multi-currency spend?

Most expense tools were built for single-currency markets and adapted for international use – which means every foreign transaction triggers a conversion rather than settling natively. If you're paying overseas suppliers or reimbursing staff who travel, those conversion mark-ups add up. Native multi-currency support means employees spend on a local-currency card, the platform settles in that currency, and no conversion happens unless you choose it.

Does it keep GST-ready records?

The IRD requires you to hold GST records for at least seven years and to distinguish taxable from exempt spend.⁵ An expense tracker that auto-categorises transactions with the correct GST treatment can save you meaningful time at tax time and reduce the risk of errors in your return. Not all platforms support NZ GST tax codes out of the box – so it's worth confirming before you sign up.

Does it automate approvals and reimbursements?

Automated approval workflows do more than save time – they create an audit trail that proves every expense went through review before payment. The best tools let you set rules (for example, any expense over NZ$500 requires manager sign-off, or any expense in an unapproved category flags for review automatically) rather than relying on manual checks.

Does pricing stay predictable as your team grows?

There are three main pricing models to understand:

• Per-user pricing: A fixed monthly fee for every user on the account, regardless of activity.

• Active-user pricing: You pay only for users who submit an expense that month – costs vary with submission volume.

• Interchange-based pricing: The software is free; the platform earns revenue from card transactions instead of subscription fees.

Interchange-based models tend to scale more predictably for growing teams. Before you commit, model out what costs look like at twice your current team size.

Why businesses choose Airwallex for global expense management

Airwallex gives Kiwi businesses a simpler way to manage spend, with cards, receipts, approvals, reimbursements, and accounting sync in one place. Instead of relying on separate tools and manual processes, teams can stay on top of expenses, enforce policy faster, and keep month-end moving.

• Manage global spend from one platform: Airwallex brings together cards, expenses, bills, and purchase orders in one system for multi-entity teams across 60+ countries.

• Issue cards for teams in 60+ markets: Create multi-currency employee and company cards in minutes, with built-in spend limits and rules to help keep spending under control.

• Use an AI agent to review every expense: Airwallex’s Expense Policy Agent checks submissions instantly, flags exceptions, and shows the policy rule behind each decision so approvers can move faster.

• Automate receipt matching and coding: AI can match receipts to transactions, extract the key details, and suggest the right account code, reducing manual admin.

• Set tighter spend controls: Apply limits by card, merchant, category, or transaction amount in real time to help prevent out-of-policy spend before it happens.

• Track expenses by entity automatically: Create separate accounts for each entity, while expenses, receipts, and reimbursements are mapped to the right subsidiary.

• Close the books faster: Approved expenses can sync automatically to your general ledger, with integrations for platforms like Xero, QuickBooks, and NetSuite.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Airwallex Expense Management and a standalone expense app like Expensify?

Expensify focuses on receipt capture and expense reporting. Airwallex connects those same features to corporate cards, bill payments, and international payouts in one platform – so you're not reconciling data across separate tools at month-end.

Does Xero's built-in expense feature replace the need for a dedicated expense tracker?

Xero's expense features cover receipt capture and GST categorisation, but they don't include corporate cards or pre-spend policy enforcement. If you have more than a handful of employees, or any cross-border spending, you'll typically need a dedicated tool on top of Xero.

Can expense tracking software auto-categorise GST for NZ tax returns?

Most platforms auto-categorise expenses by GST treatment and generate reports that map to IRD requirements, but accuracy depends on whether the tool supports NZ tax codes out of the box – so it's worth confirming before you sign up.

How does active-user pricing work in Expensify and why does it matter for growing teams?

Active-user pricing means you're charged only for users who submit an expense in a given month. That sounds flexible, but costs can spike unexpectedly during busy travel periods – so it's worth modelling what your bill looks like in a high-activity month, not just an average one.

Can Airwallex issue corporate cards for NZ-based employees?

Airwallex issues corporate cards in 60+ markets. Make sure you confirm NZ card availability when you sign up – card issuing eligibility can depend on your business type and location.

What does "native multi-currency support" mean in practice for a NZ business paying overseas suppliers?

Native multi-currency support means your employees can spend in a foreign currency on their card, and the platform settles in that currency without converting it first. With most tools, every foreign transaction is converted at a marked-up rate – with Airwallex, you hold the currency and convert only when you choose to.

Sources

1. https://www.expensify.com/pricing

2. https://letsweel.com/product/expense-management 

3. https://www.zoho.com/expense/pricing/ 

4. https://www.xero.com/nz/pricing-plans/ 

5. https://www.concur.com 

6. https://www.ird.govt.nz/gst/record-keeping-for-gst

The information in this article is based on our own online research. Airwallex was not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. This research is reviewed annually. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [[email protected]]. Airwallex (New Zealand) Limited is registered with the New Zealand Financial Service Provider Register (FSP No. 1001602) to provide a range of financial services in New Zealand.