Key takeaways
- Pleo charges £8, £14 or £18 per user a month for its Start, Build and Optimise plans, with Build and Optimise billed yearly and needing at least 3 users, checked on 6 November 2026.
- Soldo Standard costs £27 a month plus VAT and Plus costs £39, each with 3 users, 3 cards and a monthly cap on outbound bank transfers.
- Payhawk's Growth programme is £149 a month fixed for 24 months for single-entity UK or EEA businesses with fewer than 20 employees; other Payhawk plans are quoted.
- Pleo's card FX fee falls from 2% on Start to 1.49% on Optimise; Payhawk charges the mid-market rate plus 0.3% to convert GBP, EUR, USD or CHF.
- All three connect to Xero and QuickBooks; Pleo also lists FreeAgent, and Payhawk lists NetSuite and Sage Intacct as ERP add-ons.
- E-money held by spend management firms is not FSCS protected; it must be safeguarded, and stricter FCA safeguarding rules took effect on 7 May 2026.
- HMRC lets you keep a scanned receipt instead of the paper original if the image shows all the details needed for VAT, and VAT records must be kept for at least 6 years.
Spend management software gives staff company cards with limits, captures receipts in an app and posts the spending to your accounting software. Pleo starts at £8 per user a month, Soldo at £27 a month for 3 users, and Payhawk at £149 a month on its Growth programme for small businesses. All figures come from each provider’s own pricing page, checked on 6 November 2026. Providers are listed alphabetically and are not ranked.
What does spend management software do?
It replaces expense claims and shared company cards with individual prepaid or charge cards for each employee. Typical features are:
- physical and virtual cards with spending limits per person or team
- receipt capture by photo, matched to each card payment
- approval workflows for spending and reimbursements
- automatic export of transactions to Xero, QuickBooks or another ledger
It suits businesses where several people spend company money. A sole trader with one card usually gets enough from a bank account feed and the expenses tool in their accounting software. See our expenses software hub.
How much do Pleo, Soldo and Payhawk cost?
Monthly prices range from £8 per user to £149 for a fixed bundle. Prices exclude VAT where the provider says so.
| Provider and plan | Price | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Payhawk Growth | £149 a month for 24 months | 10 seats |
| Pleo Start | £8 per user a month, monthly | From 1 |
| Pleo Build | £14 per user a month, yearly | From 3 |
| Pleo Optimise | £18 per user a month, yearly | From 3 |
| Soldo Standard | £27 a month plus VAT | 3 |
| Soldo Plus | £39 a month plus VAT | 3 |
| Soldo Unlimited | On request | Unlimited |
Payhawk’s other plans are quoted, based on modules, seats, cards and transaction volume. Neither Pleo nor Payhawk stated on the pages we opened whether their prices include VAT.
Pleo
Pleo prices by user. Start is billed monthly; Build and Optimise are billed yearly with a minimum of 3 users. Fees vary by plan.
| Fee | Start | Build and Optimise |
|---|---|---|
| Card FX fee | 2.00% | 1.75% and 1.49% |
| International payment | £8 | £6 |
| Direct reimbursement | Not included | 0.90% |
Optimise adds HR system integrations and cashback for eligible customers. Pleo’s integrations page names Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, NetSuite, Xledger and Twinfield; it does not list Sage.
Soldo
Soldo charges a flat monthly fee per company. Standard (£27) and Plus (£39) each include 3 users and 3 physical or virtual cards. Standard allows up to 20 outbound bank transfers a month and 1 company wallet; Plus allows 30 transfers, 3 wallets and multi-currency spending. Both have a 30-day free trial.
Soldo names Xero, QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Exact Online and DATEV among its integrations. It says card issuance and cash withdrawals may cost extra, set out in a separate fee summary.
Payhawk
Payhawk sells modules for cards and expenses, accounts payable, procurement and travel, quoted per business. Its Growth programme is £149 a month locked for 24 months for single-entity UK or EEA businesses with fewer than 20 employees. It includes 10 cards, 10 seats (8 employees and 2 admins or accountants), and up to 15 invoices and 15 reimbursements a month.
Payhawk lists live integrations with Xero, QuickBooks Online and Exact Online, with NetSuite, Dynamics 365, SAP and Sage Intacct as ERP add-ons. Currency conversion is at the mid-market rate plus 0.3% for GBP, EUR, USD and CHF. The same page says Payhawk is not available to UK micro-enterprises or small charities under FCA Consumer Duty definitions, so check eligibility first.
Is money in a spend management account protected?
Money held by an e-money institution is not covered by the FSCS. The FCA says e-money firms must instead safeguard customer funds, for example in a separate bank account, and that if a firm fails you should get most of your money back, though it may take time and costs may reduce it.
Stricter FCA safeguarding rules took effect on 7 May 2026, including daily checks and monthly reporting. Keep only working balances on cards and the rest in a bank account. Compare business bank account fees for where to hold the rest.
Does a photo of a receipt satisfy HMRC?
Usually, yes. VAT Notice 700/21 says that if a scanned image contains all the details needed for VAT, you generally do not need to keep the original. If software holds only selected data from an invoice, you must keep the original. VAT records must normally be kept for at least 6 years.
For purchases of £250 or less including VAT, a simplified invoice is enough to reclaim VAT. Set out the rules for staff in a staff expenses policy.
Which applies to you?
- If only one or two people spend money, your bank card and accounting software’s expenses feature may be enough.
- If you have 3 to 10 card users, compare Pleo per-user pricing against Soldo’s flat fee for your headcount.
- If you pay many overseas suppliers, compare FX and international payment fees, not just the subscription.
- If you run NetSuite or Sage Intacct, check the integration is live on your plan, not an add-on.
- If you have fewer than 20 staff and want accounts payable too, ask Payhawk whether the Growth programme applies.
What to do now
- Count card users, monthly reimbursements and overseas spend.
- Price each provider for your numbers, including FX and transfer fees.
- Confirm the integration with your accounting software. See accounting software prices if you are reviewing that too.
- Check whether contracts are annual and how they renew.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Pleo cost in the UK?
Pleo’s plans cost £8 (Start), £14 (Build) or £18 (Optimise) per user a month. Build and Optimise are billed yearly with at least 3 users, checked on 6 November 2026.
How much is Soldo per month?
Soldo Standard is £27 a month plus VAT and Soldo Plus is £39 a month plus VAT, each with 3 users and 3 cards. Unlimited is priced on request.
Does Payhawk publish its prices?
Only for its Growth programme, at £149 a month for 24 months for UK or EEA businesses with fewer than 20 employees. Other plans are quoted.
Do Pleo, Soldo and Payhawk work with Xero?
Yes. All three list Xero and QuickBooks integrations on their own websites.
Is my money FSCS protected with a spend management card?
No, if it is held as e-money. E-money firms must safeguard customer funds instead, under FCA rules tightened from 7 May 2026.
Sources
Rates, thresholds and rules in this guide were checked against HMRC and GOV.UK guidance on 6 November 2026. Tax rules change, so check the current position on GOV.UK or with a qualified adviser before acting. This guide is general information, not personal advice.