BCD Travel vs CWT – 2023 Comparison

If you’re a travel manager there’s a chance you’re already using either BCD Travel or CWT as your go-to travel management solution. Or maybe you’re currently looking to onboard a travel management service and you’re trying to choose between these two popular options.

BCD Travel and CWT are both well-established travel management companies (TMCs). Each has its strengths and its weaknesses, and there are plenty of good reasons to go with either option.

This guide will offer a clear analysis of each travel solution, and a side-by-side comparison between the two. We’ll also throw in another company worth looking at to give you a better idea of what’s available today.

BCD Travel

If you’re looking for something more than just traditional business travel management services from your chosen travel solution, BCD Travel can deliver. Expense management, meetings management, and carbon-emissions tracking and reporting are some of the other solutions it offers.

BCD Travel works with the traditional travel agent and online booking system, with multiple online booking tools available through a software suite of separate platforms.

All-in-all, this is a traditional, global travel management company, with many positive features and strengths.

BCD Travel core differentiators and main strengths

Let’s have a closer look at the key features and advantages BCD Travel has to offer.

1. Real-time alerts

Through the BCD Alert mobile app, you can receive real-time threat notifications for traveler security. The app allows you to confirm that your travelers are safe, and also track their responses and communicate with them if they’re at risk. It is available for both iOS and Android.

(BCD Travel’s COVID-19 information hub also provides up-to-date COVID-19-related information, to help you make better pandemic-related travel decisions.)

2. Spend management

The BCD Pay app allows you to easily manage your spend with a number of clever features.

With smart payment booking, the right form of payment is automatically applied according to your policy. This helps to eliminate traveler hassle and increases accuracy of cost allocation.

The app is an open, secure platform, allowing for end-to-end spend data visibility and seamless data movement between ecosystems. It also features integrated artificial intelligence to improve the reconciliation process, and additional services like audit and VAT reclaim.

BCD Travel claims the app has been shown to improve invoice mismatch assessment by 80%, increase automatch by 70%, and reduce end-to-end monthly reconciliation processing time by 80%.

3. Data reporting

With BCD Travel’s business intelligence platform DecisionSource®, you can receive visualized data within 90 minutes after booking. This data will include:

• An overview of program or category spend over time and across key metrics.

• Spend analyses that address key aspects of your travel program.
• Program benchmarking to highlight areas for improvement.
• “What if” analyses and scenarios.

4. BCD Travel’s TripSource®

The BCD Travel TripSource® tool allows your travelers and travel arrangers to manage an entire trip in one place. Travelers can easily access travel details, add meetings, sync details to itineraries, and share travel changes with friends and family. Travel arrangers can easily track compliance, spend management and security.

5. Duty of care obligations

BCD Travel will help you meet your legal duty of care requirements by building a travel risk management program based on a comprehensive assessment. This will help to ensure that all your employees are safe and secure when traveling.

BCD Travel user reviews

As far as we can see, BCD Travel does not currently have any customer reviews on platforms such as G2, Capterra, or other popular software review sites.

CWT

CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel) is one of the oldest travel management providers around. With global headquarters in Minneapolis in the US, it operates in over 150 countries worldwide.

Originally founded in 1872, CWT offers an API-based product for corporate travel and expense management, which simplifies flight bookings, hotel reservations, and trip planning.

As well as traditional travel management services, CWT also offers data analytics and reporting, employee care functionality, expense management, carbon footprint tracking, and dedicated hotel management and booking integration to streamline room reservations.

CWT is an experienced player in the business travel industry, and it offers a reasonable inventory for companies of all sizes.

CWT core differentiators and main strengths

Here’s a little more detail about what features and offerings make CWT stand out.

1. Hotel booking integration

With CWT’s hotel booking integration tool RoomIt, you can get access to special prices for budget-friendly trips, with choices of over 800,000 properties worldwide. CWT’s team of hotel experts use a data-backed approach to help you achieve cost savings, compliance, and satisfaction with all your travel bookings.

When booking a room, your employees can use CWT’s integrated digital booking platform to find relevant results based on your policy, and their preferences. And you can also use a ‘Loyalty Booster’ feature, and automated messaging tools, to encourage your employees to book within your corporate channels.

2. Safety and security resources

CWT has created dedicated resources to provide travelers with up-to-date information relating to COVID-19 and other unexpected emergencies.

Its employee care functionality features mean you can easily locate any employee who might be in danger, and trigger mitigation efforts to safeguard their well-being.

CWT is very focused on ensuring maximum risk mitigation, with robust contingency plans to ensure your employees always feel safe while on business trips.

They have also formed a partnership with International SOS to offer extra support to corporate travelers from the LGBTQ+ community.

3. AnalytIQs and expense tracking

With AnalytIQs, CWT’s analytics and reporting tool, you can get actionable insights for all your trips. This tool includes:

• Real-time data, available immediately after a booking is made.

• A benchmarking feature that allows you to compare your program performance to your peers.
• Advanced integration which allows you to integrate additional products and data sources.

CWT also offersreporting and visualization capabilities for tracking your travel expenses.

4. Data security

CWT has a dedicated global cybersecurity team to help your employees navigate data threats and security issues. Information confidentiality, integrity, and availability is ensured through the CWT security awareness and compliance program.

5. Sustainability

As well as offering features that help you calculate and reduce your carbon emissions, CWT has also developed a 5-step end-to-end service to build responsible travel programs for clients.

CWT user reviews

Here’s a little example of what CWT users like about the platform:

“We have always been happy to take advantage of the booking for corporate travel (hotel, transport and flight) of this company. The network is very well developed worldwide. The accounts are detailed and correct. We save a lot of time.” – Florian G, review from G2

And here’s what they don’t like so much:

The system is clunky, not user friendly, and often has flight prices listed at a cost higher than the airline’s website. – Lauren J, review from G2

Overall, users seem to appreciate the range of travel booking services offered by CWT, but some suggest that CWT does not always offer the best prices.  

TravelPerk

Deciding between BCD Travel and CWT is far from an easy choice, but there is one other great option!

TravelPerk has been carefully designed as an all-in-one platform that covers all of your business travel needs. It’s packed full of features, with 7-star customer service, industry-leading inventory, and award-winning technology.

If you’re looking for a business travel management solution that does it all, TravelPerk is certainly worth considering.

TravelPerk core differentiators and main strengths

Here’s where TravelPerk is ahead of the game.

1. Get the best rates

If price is important to you, TravelPerk can deliver.

The platform’s industry-leading travel inventory guarantees that you’ll always find the best rates for your business travel. With negotiated pricing and endless options, TravelPerk will help finalize every trip for you at record speed and cost. So you never have to worry that there are better rates elsewhere.

And all of this comes in an easy-to-use booking tool that simplifies the booking process from start to finish.

2. 7-Star human customer support

With TravelPerk you can get help in just 15 seconds with 7-star human customer support; the best in the industry.

TravelPerk’s team of dedicated, experienced travel agents work 24/7, in more than 30 languages, so you’ll never have an issue getting your problems solved quickly and efficiently.

You can contact TravelPerk customer support via app, website and phone.

3. Flexibility

FlexiPerk is an exclusive TravelPerk feature that lets you get at least 80% of your money back, no questions asked, if your plans change and you need to cancel a trip. This is the only product on the market that makes all your trips refundable.

4. Award-winning, developer-friendly technology

TravelPerk also comes with award-winning technology, and a developer-friendly API that enables your company to:

• Develop the integrations you need, besides the standard ones offered.
• Enhance the platform’s automation capabilities and ROI.
• Embed the platform within your business workflows and augment its utility.

New APIs are also constantly added to suit current needs, like Travel Restrictions API and GreenPerk API.

5. Sustainable travel options

If environmental sustainability is important for you, TravelPerk also offers a feature called GreenPerk. GreenPerk uses data to help you set travel emissions targets, work with carbon compensation solutions, and reach net zero.

It allows you to offset your business travel carbon footprint by investing in verified, sustainable projects. You can follow the impact of this investment with comprehensive and transparent sustainability reports.

6. Everything all in one place

Ultimately, with TravelPerk there is no need to compare multiple websites to find the best prices, no back and forth to select the best option and get it approved, and no invoice chasing. All the info you need is in one place, and can be easily accessed by all your employees.

It’s an all-in-one travel management platform that covers all of your commercial travel needs.

TravelPerk user reviews

TravelPerk users report that TravelPerk offers an excellent user experience, support when most needed, and that TravelPerk is the “best business travel app with fantastic customer support.” Here’s what some users are saying:

“I have found in the use of Travel Perk during these two years an extremely useful platform, which helps save time, finding the best lodging and transportation offers in real time and with the best accommodations. The customer service and schedule adjustment is incredibly attentive, I have used it about 7 times and I have really felt very comfortable with its patience and attention.” – Luis Carlos P, review from G2

“Anytime I have had to adjust trips or engage with airlines or hotels, the Travel Perk representatives have assisted me professionally and quickly to resolve any issues. Using Travel Perk takes a burden off of me by knowing that I’ll be supported no matter what happens with my travel.” – Colin B, review from G2

Overall, users love TravelPerk’s fantastic customer service, user-friendly software, incredible flexibility, and extensive travel inventory. Whether you’re a startup, small business, or international enterprise, TravelPerk is a top solution for all your corporate travel needs.

Try a TravelPerk demo today

This guide has hopefully helped save you some time in your search for an ideal travel management solution. BCD Travel and CWT are both great options. But if you feel you’d prefer a more flexible, powerful alternative, TravelPerk is the go-to solution for your business. Try a demo today to experience how TravelPerk can benefit your business and improve the travel experience from start to finish.