How to Submit and Manage Your Spend Requests
Spend Requests let you get pre-approval for company spend before it occurs. Whether you're booking travel, purchasing software, or planning a big team event — it all starts with a request.
What is a Spend Request?
A Spend Request is a formal request for permission to spend company money. It helps finance teams stay in control and ensures spend is aligned with budget, policy, and approvals.
Spend Requests are typically required before:
- Making a large company purchase (new products or services
- Booking travel, large client entertainment costs, or planning major team events
- Requesting to receive a virtual or physical employee card
How to Submit a Spend Request
- Go to the Spend Requests page in Airwallex
- Click “Create Request”
- Fill in the required fields:
- Purpose - What category the purchase is in (e.g. travel, subscriptions, marketing, general expenses)
- Description - What the purchase is for (e.g. “Business trip to Kyoto”)
- Amount - How much you plan to spend, and whether the amount is one-off or recurring
- Start / End date (Optional) - When you need to spend
- Comments (Optional) - More detail about your requests for approvers or admin
- Click Submit
- Once submitted, your request will be routed to the appropriate approver(s) based on your company’s approval workflow.
How to Track Your Requests
After submitting your request, you'll see the status update in real-time. You’ll also receive notifications as your request progresses.
On the Spend Requests page, you can:
- View all your current and past requests
- Filter by status (Pending, Approved, Rejected)
You can click on a request to view more details, comments, and a timeline of activity.
Approvers and Admin can also track and manage requests submitted by their teams.
What Happens When a Request is Approved?
Once your request has been approved, you may be:
- Issued a virtual company card
- Issued a virtual or physical employee card
Be sure to check the card details to review the approved amount and any additional controls.
Learn more about the different types of Airwallex Cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a request after submission?
Yes - but you’ll need to resubmit if anything changes.
Is a Spend Request always required?
That depends on your company’s policy. Some low-value purchases may not require prior approval.
Can I submit a request using the Airwallex mobile app?
Not yet - iOS and Android support for Spend Requests is coming in 2025.