Calling cut! on reimbursements: Simplifying employee expenses at Pathé

Why Pathé chose Payhawk

After extensive software research, including multiple provider comparisons, Pathé chose our solution.

The top three deciding factors?

• Ease of use: Cinema managers can now make payments independently using corporate cards and the Payhawk app, without roadblocks or delays
• Flexible control: The finance team works with team leads / budget owners to manage spend using customisable monthly limits, giving them complete oversight and control and helping cardholders stay accountable.
• Fast approvals: The team uses an automated four-eyes principle to ensure that any expenses are reviewed and approved by both a manager and finance.

Hans explains:

The system's ease of use won us over. I spoke with several Payhawk users, and everyone was extremely happy. Once we started using it, we never looked back.

Banishing spend bloopers with improved efficiency

Since switching to our solution, the Pathé team has not only streamlined spend management but also reduced errors and manual workload.

Renée Brand, Accounting & Reporting Manager at Pathé, describes:

Payhawk is not only user-friendly and fast but also helps us cut down on errors. Now, onboarding new employees takes almost no time, and the chat function is incredibly useful for quick questions. It all adds up to significant time savings.

Business manager Hans Unger also sees a big difference. "We have real-time control since moving to Payhawk. Now, if someone needs to go over their limit, they can request approvals instantly. It all happens in no time.”

At Payhawk, we help businesses like Pathé eliminate manual work and reduce human error by automating expense management from start to finish. Instead of relying on time-consuming data entry, paper receipts, and manual approvals, finance teams get a fully digital, streamlined process.

Smart features like OCR scanning, automated approval workflows, and real-time spend tracking ensure that teams can track every transaction accurately, reducing the risk of mistakes and missing information. By removing manual interventions and repetitive tasks, finance teams can focus on higher-value work while maintaining greater control and compliance — without the inefficiencies of outdated processes.

Thanks to this structured yet flexible approach, the process is now simpler and faster Pathé, without adding extra work for finance or cinema staff.

Learn more about our time-saving automations in the short video below.

Rolling out a blockbuster spend culture

At Pathé, building a responsible and efficient spend culture is a priority. The team values strategic spending and aims to ensure that every transaction supports the bigger financial picture.

Like many businesses, one of the biggest challenges was around striking the right balance between spend control and autonomy. How could they give teams the flexibility to spend when needed while maintaining complete oversight and accountability?

Since moving to Payhawk, the Pathé team has automated workflows, spend limits, and real-time tracking, giving the finance team complete visibility without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Hans explains:

Payhawk’s payment solution fits perfectly with how we work. We can pay anywhere without hassle while staying within clear spending limits.

By embedding pre-set limits, automated approvals, and transparent oversight into daily operations, Pathé has strengthened its spend culture — ensuring that employees can spend efficiently and responsibly without delays or roadblocks. This approach has improved financial discipline across teams and boosted accountability, enabling managers to make informed decisions while finance stays focused on strategy, not chasing receipts.

AI, advice, and the future of finance

As finance teams move away from manual data entry and reactive spend management, AI-driven finance tools are opening up new possibilities for predictive insights, smarter decision-making, and increased efficiency.

At Pathé, our AI-powered OCR scanner already eliminates manual expense reporting, reducing errors and saving valuable time. But AI in finance is going way beyond automation; it can analyse financial data, support travel, and even highlight spending trends before they become issues.

Spoiler alert: If your company is struggling with expense claims, manual approvals, or a lack of spend visibility, you should try Payhawk. As Pathé’s experience with us demonstrates, modern finance teams need a solution that balances control with efficiency and keeps spend management running smoothly without any unexpected plot twists.

Hans describes:

If you want an easy-to-use system that actually works... and is valued by both employees and finance teams, Payhawk should definitely be on your shortlist.

Ready to take control over spend, reduce admin, and streamline spending like Pathé? Discover what Payhawk can do for your business. Book a personalised demo with one of our experts today.