Real-time Transactions and Reservations in Acubiz

With the Real-time Transactions module in Acubiz, credit card transactions are registered in the system immediately after the purchase is made. The module is optional and requires the following before activation:

• Acubiz Setup: Activation and configuration in your existing Acubiz agreement.
• Agreement with Card Provider: An extended agreement with your credit card provider for the delivery of real-time data and Smart Receipts.

Technical and Functional Value

At the moment of purchase, Acubiz receives an authorization (reservation transaction) directly from the credit card company. This means the expense is available in the employee’s app immediately. The reservation transaction contains all necessary data and can be coded, processed, and finalized in exactly the same way as a traditional bank transaction. This eliminates waiting time and significantly optimizes the expense management workflow.

Contents of this Article

• Reserved and Cleared Transactions
• Finance Functions and Overview
  • Export Overview
• Manual Deletion of Reservations
• Automatic Deletion of Reservations
• Real-time Notifications
• Smart Receipts (Digital Receipt)

Reserved and Cleared Transactions

When the module is active, Acubiz automatically handles any discrepancies between the originally reserved amount and the final cleared amount. Discrepancies are rare in daily operations but are handled according to the following principle:

Example of Value Adjustment

1. Reservation (Real-time): An authorization is registered in Acubiz for the reserved amount – e.g., 400.00 DKK.
2. Clearing (Final Transaction): When the bank settles the transaction finally, the amount has changed to 412.00 DKK (typically due to currency exchange adjustments or foreign transaction fees).

Impact on the Employee’s Workflow

If the employee has already finalized the expense based on the reserved amount, the transaction is automatically returned to the employee’s Inbox. The employee only needs to re-verify that the amount on the receipt matches the updated transaction, after which the usual approval flow continues.

Finance Functions and Overview

The finance department has access to updated overviews providing full insight into which transactions are cleared and which are awaiting clearing (reserved).

Export Overview

ℹ️ Note: Reservations are only transferred to the accounting system once they have been finally cleared by the bank.

• Cleared Amounts: The transaction has been cleared by the bank. The amount is final and ready for export.
• Reserved Amounts: The transaction is awaiting clearing from the bank (usually expected 1–2 business days after the purchase) and is not yet exported.

ℹ️Special Note for Travel Expense Reports: If even one transaction is awaiting clearing, the entire report is held back until all items are approved.

Overview of Reservations

This overview shows all currently reserved transactions in the system.

Manual Deletion of Reservations

Users with finance rights have the option to manually delete a reservation—regardless of where it is in the workflow. This usually happens after a request from an employee.

ℹ️ Since a reservation is only a temporary hold on an amount until the bank’s final clearing, deleting it does not affect the monthly bank reconciliation.

Why Does the Need for Manual Deletion Arise?

When making card purchases, the amount is reserved immediately. In certain situations, the reservation does not automatically match the final transaction, leaving unresolved reservations in the system.

Typical scenarios include:

• Electric Vehicle Charging: When using a payment card or app at a charging station, a standard amount is reserved. If the charging station fails and the employee switches to another station, a new reservation is created. Erroneous reservations are usually automatically deleted by the bank but can sometimes remain in the system.
• Hotel Reservations: When booking online, an amount is reserved. If the stay is subsequently paid for at the reception upon departure, it often occurs via a new, independent transaction. Because there is no data match between the online reservation and the final payment, the reservation remains.

Note: If unresolved reservations are not deleted by the bank, the finance department can delete them manually in the overview. Alternatively, inactive reservations are automatically deleted by Acubiz after 30 days.

Automatic Deletion of Reservations

If the bank determines that a reservation should be canceled, an automatic deletion is sent to Acubiz. These deletions are recorded and displayed in a separate overview of automatic deletions.

The reasons for automatic deletions are the same as those described under manual deletion.

You can always navigate back to the active reservations directly from this overview.

Real-time Notifications

The Acubiz app sends automatic push notifications for both card transactions and receipt of Smart Receipts. Since card data and digital receipts are processed independently, there may occasionally be a slight time difference between the two notifications, even though they relate to the same purchase.

Prerequisite: The employee must have enabled push notifications for the Acubiz app in their phone settings.

Smart Receipts (Digital Receipt)

Selected points of sale offer automatic digital receipts that are linked directly to the transaction in Acubiz. This removes the need to photograph a physical paper receipt.

ℹ️Smart Receipts are provided exclusively by retailers connected to the digital receipt network. Acubiz does not maintain a complete list of registered points of sale.