Comparison
silentVIP and SAP Concur, side by side
SAP Concur sells a self-booking tool and expense software, with bookings fulfilled by a travel management company. silentVIP is a managed travel program. This page sets out where each one does more, with a source for every statement about SAP Concur.
In short
Which fits which program
SAP Concur is likely the better fit if…
- Employees should search and book instantly without waiting
- You want travel booking and expense management from one vendor, with bookings flowing into expense reports
- You need live connections to your ERP, HR and finance systems
- You already work with a TMC, or want to choose one separately from the booking tool
silentVIP is likely the better fit if…
- You want a named specialist to source and own each trip
- You want one team for booking, service and the portal, rather than a booking tool and a TMC
- You want published fees you can see before talking to sales
- You bill several legal entities, and recovering refunds and unused credits matters to finance
Comparing more providers? Alternatives to Navan for 300 to 1,000 employees profiles SAP Concur Travel alongside Perk, Amex GBT and Egencia, and FCM. Replacing Concur Travel? Read alternatives to SAP Concur for 100 to 1,000 employees, or Navan and SAP Concur compared.
Scope
What this comparison covers
What is compared
SAP Concur's Premium plan, the one that includes Concur Travel, together with Concur Expense and a TMC, against silentVIP's Essentials and Managed plans. silentVIP Enterprise is by quote. What a TMC adds varies from one TMC to the next, so this page describes only what SAP's own pages say about it.
Sources and dates
SAP Concur's details come from its own product, pricing and partner pages and SAP's onboarding page for Concur Travel, checked on Oct 22, 2026. SAP Concur may have changed things since, so confirm anything that matters with SAP Concur in writing. Spotted something out of date? Email support@silentvip.com.
How it's bought
Concur Travel comes with a travel management company
SAP Concur sells the software; the bookings themselves are fulfilled by a TMC you choose from its partners. That's how SAP's own pages describe it.
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
Concur Travel, the self-booking tool
- SAP Concur describes Concur Travel as a travel management platform and booking tool: employees search, compare and book flights, hotels, rail and rental cars themselves, within company policy. Source
- On the pricing page, Concur Travel appears only in the Premium plan, alongside Concur Expense, with “Custom pricing”. Source
Concur Expense
A travel management company
- SAP's onboarding page for Concur Travel says working with one of its TMC partners is a requirement for activation, and that every Concur Travel booking needs a TMC to fulfill it and provide support and services. Source
- The same page lists what TMCs offer jointly with SAP Concur: policy and itinerary management, approvals, bookings, payments, duty of care, compliance, reporting and forecasting. Customers choose a TMC from SAP Concur's Partner Directory. Source
- SAP Concur runs a TMC partner program with GBTNetwork, in which TMCs reach Gold or Silver status through certification. Source
- SAP Concur also sells software to TMCs themselves, such as Concur Compleat, which automates tasks like ticketing, and Trip Approval. Source
What that means in practice
Our reading of the pages above: with Concur Travel you'd normally have two relationships, one with SAP Concur for the software and one with the TMC for fulfillment and help with trips. That can mean two contracts, two sets of fees and two support lines, so ask each which parts it answers for.
How silentVIP differs
silentVIP is the travel agency and the portal in one: our team books every trip, and the portal holds the policy, approvals, billing and reporting. There's no separate booking tool and no third party to bring in. If you keep SAP Concur Expense, employee-paid travel items go to it as a file.
Booking
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Employees search, compare and book flights, hotels, rail and rental cars themselves, through the booking tool or the SAP Concur mobile app. Source
- Every booking is fulfilled by the TMC you choose, which SAP says also provides “value-added support and services”. Source
- Booking Agent, an AI assistant in Concur Travel, helps employees search, compare and book flights, hotels and rental cars within policy. This is SAP Concur's own description. Source
- SAP Concur says more than 20,000 organizations use Concur Travel, in more than 150 countries. This is SAP Concur's own statement. Source
silentVIP
- There's no live self-booking engine. Travelers or assistants send a request, our team sends options within 4 business hours, and the traveler compares and selects them in the portal, with the full price, fare rules and policy status on each option.
- Assistants book for the travelers delegated to them, without shared logins. Our team takes phone and email requests under the same policy.
- The portal works in a phone browser and can be installed on a phone's home screen, with your upcoming trips and the urgent numbers available offline. There's no app-store app.
The difference: Concur Travel suits travelers who want to search and book instantly themselves, with a TMC behind the bookings. silentVIP is the agency and the portal in one: a specialist sources every trip, at the cost of waiting for options rather than booking on the spot.
Policy controls and approvals
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Out-of-policy options are flagged while the traveler books, and preferred options and negotiated rates are highlighted. A justification can be required for exceptions, depending on how the company sets it up. Source
- Exceptions can go to a manager or travel administrator for approval before travel is finalized, and each company chooses how strict to be, from a warning to a required approval or a blocked booking. Source
- Concur Request, a separate product, handles requests and approvals before money is spent, including from the SAP Concur mobile app. Source
- Policy Navigator, an AI assistant, explains the travel policy and answers travelers' questions while they book. This is SAP Concur's own description. Source
silentVIP
- Rules for cabin by flight length, hotel caps by city, advance booking, preferred suppliers, a maximum trip cost and restricted destinations. Policy groups for standard, senior and executive travelers.
- An out-of-policy choice needs a written justification and goes to the traveler's approver, or a delegate while the approver is away. A change after approval is approved again.
- Approvals are part of every plan, and the same rules apply whether the booking comes through the portal, an assistant or our team.
The difference: Both check policy before anything is booked, and both ask for a reason when a traveler goes outside it. With SAP Concur, pre-trip requests are a separate product, Concur Request. silentVIP keeps the request, the justification, the approver's decision and any later change in one approval record.
Payments and expenses
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Concur Expense covers receipt capture (including ExpenseIt, which reads receipts), corporate card feeds, approvals and reimbursement. Source
- With Concur Travel and Concur Expense together, travel bookings are captured and reconciled in the same system as expenses. Source
- SAP lists payments among the services TMCs offer jointly with SAP Concur. Source
silentVIP
- No corporate card and no expense-management product. Bookings are billed to the company, charged to a company card or marked employee-paid. Employee-paid items go to your expense system as a file.
- SAP Concur Expense is one of the expense systems we make that file for.
- Invoices per legal entity, with every charge allocated to an entity, department and project when it's booked.
- Refunds are tracked from requested to received, and unused ticket credits are tracked to expiry and applied to new bookings.
The difference: If you want expenses, card feeds and reimbursements from the same vendor as travel booking, SAP Concur covers more ground. silentVIP covers travel billing only, with entity invoicing on every plan and close tracking of refunds and unused credits, and it can sit alongside Concur Expense through a file.
Integrations
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Concur Travel is described as integrating with TMCs, global distribution systems, ERP platforms, HR systems, finance applications and expense software. Source
- SAP Concur says it has “hundreds of integrations and partner apps” for connecting Concur Expense to ERP, HR and accounting systems. This is SAP Concur's own statement. Source
- Concur TripLink captures trips booked outside the booking tool, so the company can still see them. Source
- Concur Request has an API that developers can use to build on it. Source
silentVIP
- Accounting, expense and HR connections are files: journal files for QuickBooks Online, Xero and NetSuite, a general ledger file, expense files for Expensify and SAP Concur, and an HR roster import. Exports that fail because data is missing show the rows to fix.
- File exports are included on every plan; a custom export format costs $750 once.
- User provisioning from Okta and Microsoft Entra through SCIM, and a read-only connection (MCP) that lets an AI assistant your company already uses, such as Claude, answer questions about your own travel data.
- Sign-in by single-use email link, with two-step sign-in available. Single sign-on with Google or Microsoft is available on request, and an account can require it for everyone.
The difference: SAP Concur connects directly to many more systems. silentVIP's accounting, expense and HR connections are files someone downloads or uploads. If you need live accounting or HR syncing, that's a real gap.
Reporting
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Dashboards and reporting tools, with policy violations tracked for finance and travel teams. Source
- The pricing page's plan cards list Reporting on Plus and Premium, and Intelligence on Premium. Source
- SAP lists reporting and forecasting among the services TMCs offer jointly with SAP Concur. Source
- Concur Travel shows travelers carbon and sustainability information as they book. Source
silentVIP
- Dashboard of spend by entity, department, project, supplier and traveler, with policy exceptions, outstanding refunds, unused credits and data coverage. Every table downloads as CSV.
- A monthly report with findings, recommended actions, owners and follow-up dates.
- Flight emissions estimated with UK government (DESNZ) factors.
The difference: SAP Concur reports on travel and expenses together, and your TMC may report too, so ask which reports come from whom. silentVIP's monthly report is fixed in format, but every finding comes with an action, an owner and a date.
Support
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- SAP's onboarding page says the TMC provides support and services for every Concur Travel booking. It doesn't give hours or response times, so those depend on the TMC you choose. Source
- The pricing page lists a User Support Desk and “24/7 support from experts” on the Plus and Premium plans. Source
- For duty of care, Concur Travel keeps a central view of itineraries and bookings, including trips brought in through TripLink, and sends travelers real-time itinerary updates. Source
- SAP Concur lists a self-service knowledge base and dedicated channels for escalating issues. Source
silentVIP
- Urgent help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; office hours 8am–8pm ET and 8am–8pm AET, Monday to Friday. After-hours calls cost $45 each on Essentials and are included on Managed and Enterprise.
- Managed and Enterprise clients have a named account manager. Essentials clients are served by a shared team, with a named lead through implementation.
- Published commitments for urgent issues: acknowledgment within 5 minutes and ownership within 15 minutes.
- A named person owns each issue until it's resolved. No AI agent handles client requests.
The difference: With SAP Concur, help with a trip comes from the TMC and help with the software from SAP Concur, so ask both for their hours and response times in writing. With silentVIP one team answers for both, with published commitments for urgent issues. On Essentials, after-hours calls are charged.
Implementation
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- SAP's onboarding page for Concur Travel sets out three phases, setup, validation and rollout, each with an assigned Travel Activation Coach. Source
- Choosing a TMC partner comes first, and the TMC must authorize your site before it's validated, in a live environment. Source
- SAP Concur lists guided onboarding with structured milestones, administrator training and configuration guides. It says setup at onboarding is the biggest factor in long-term satisfaction. This is SAP Concur's own statement. Source
- There's no free trial of Concur Travel on its own; there's a self-guided demo and a 30-minute on-demand walkthrough. Source
silentVIP
- 4 to 6 weeks, in eight stages with a named owner and your responsibilities at each stage.
- Implementation is included for up to 500 travelers, with a fixed $3,500 fee above that.
- Existing bookings, unused tickets and open refunds move over on a tracked list.
The difference: SAP's onboarding page gives no timeline, and a Concur Travel rollout involves two parties, SAP Concur and your TMC. silentVIP publishes its timeline and implementation fee, and there's one party to set up.
Total cost
SAP Concur
Each statement links to SAP Concur's or SAP's own page, checked Oct 22, 2026.
- Concur Expense: the Base plan starts at $7 per report and the Plus plan at $11 per report, both with unlimited users. Source
- Concur Travel is listed only in the Premium plan, which has “Custom pricing” and a button to request a quote. Source
- Price can vary based on monthly commitment, and the more you buy under your contract, the less you pay per report. Source
- The pricing page shows no price for Concur Travel and none for a TMC's services. Source
silentVIP
- Essentials: $8 per active traveler a month, $22 per flight booking and $12 per hotel or rail booking, with a $600 monthly minimum. Changes cost $15 each.
- Managed: $14 per active traveler a month, $30 per flight booking and $15 per hotel or rail booking, with a $2,000 monthly minimum. Changes are included.
- We take no commissions from airlines or hotels; you pay the fees on our pricing page, and any hotel-program fee paid to us is shown on your invoice (how we're paid).
The difference: With Concur Travel you'd normally have two prices to compare: SAP Concur's quote for Premium and the TMC's own fees. Neither is on SAP Concur's pages, so there's no worked example here. How to compare the cost sets out what to ask for.
Cost
How to compare the cost
A worked example needs published prices on both sides. SAP Concur publishes its Concur Expense starting prices, but not the price of Concur Travel, and a TMC's fees aren't on SAP Concur's pages. So this page doesn't price an example month: any figure for SAP Concur would be a guess.
What to ask for
- SAP Concur's written quote for the Premium plan, or whichever plan includes Concur Travel for you, with the monthly commitment it assumes
- The TMC's fee schedule: per booking, per change, for an agent-assisted booking and for after-hours calls, plus any service or implementation fee
- Both over 12 months, for the same trips
Our side, on your numbers
Our fees are published, so you can work out ours today. The plan finder suggests a plan from your volumes, and the cost tool on our pricing page sets a year of our fees against what you pay now. Put the SAP Concur and TMC quotes in as your current arrangement.
Or get a 12-month quote, itemized.
Before you choose
Questions to ask SAP Concur and the TMC, or us
Our suggestions. The same questions work for any travel provider.
Who does what
- Which TMC would book our trips, and who do travelers call when a flight is canceled at night?
- Are support hours and response times in the contract, for the software and for the TMC?
- Who keeps unused ticket credits and refunds, and how are they reported to finance?
The price
- What does the plan with Concur Travel cost at our volume, and what monthly commitment does that assume?
- What does the TMC charge per booking, per change and for an agent-assisted booking?
- Is there an implementation fee from either, and how much?
For the full list of questions and a three-week evaluation plan, read how to choose a travel management company.
Sources
Where this comes from
- SAP Concur: Concur Travel product page and FAQ (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP Concur: pricing (plan cards and comparison) (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP Concur: Concur Expense (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP Concur: Concur Request (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP Concur: TMC solutions (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP Concur: TMC Partner Program (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- SAP: onboarding resource center for small and midsize businesses, Concur Travel activation (checked Oct 22, 2026)
Statements are summaries in our own words; short quoted phrases are SAP Concur's or SAP's. Last reviewed: Oct 22, 2026.
Next steps
Read next
silentVIP and Navan compared
Booking, policy, payments, integrations, reporting and support, with sources.
Read more →How travel agencies get paid
Percentage fees, flat fees, subscriptions and commissions, with examples.
Read more →Find the right plan
A plan suggestion from your own volumes, with the reasons.
Read more →Compare both on your own numbers
Bring your trip numbers and any SAP Concur or TMC quote. We'll go through them with you, including where silentVIP isn't the right choice.
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