Level 3 data: How to get the most value out of your B2B transactions

Finance teams work hard to manage spend and suppliers, but without fully leveraging their payments data, they’re often missing the key to doing it better.

That’s where Level 3 data comes in – a deeper, richer form of transaction information that unlocks visibility, efficiency, and strategic value across the entire payment ecosystem.

What is level 3 data?

Card data is organized into distinct levels, each defined by its own set of data fields and the depth of information they contain. Let’s take a closer look into each level and what they represent.

Level 1 data

This is the baseline information required for any card transaction:

• Merchant name
• Transaction amount
• Date

This data is useful for simple reporting, but insufficient for robust corporate spend management.

Level 2 data

Adds more business-relevant information, including:

• Tax amounts
• Customer codes
• Merchant category details

Better for reconciliation and accounting but still lacking depth for complex B2B spend.

Level 3 data

Offers full, granular transaction visibility, including:

• Item descriptions
• Quantities
• Unit prices
• Shipping costs
• Duty and tax breakdowns
• Product/service codes
• Additional merchant-provided data

This level of detail is invaluable for organizations that require accuracy, automation, and control in their spending processes – especially in procurement-heavy or travel-intensive industries. Level 3 data is the most detailed tier of transactional data available in corporate cards and B2B payment systems.

To understand the differences between them, think of it as going from a simple receipt to a fully detailed report – delivered instantly and at scale.

How does level 3 improve on level 1 and level 2 data?

With access to level 3 data, the possibilities for optimization expand significantly.

Unlike Level 1 or 2 data, Level 3 data provides full visibility into the details of each transaction, allowing finance and procurement teams to take actions that save time, reduce costs, and increase control.

Here’s what organizations can achieve with Level 3 data:

Streamlined expense management

By capturing line-item details automatically, Level 3 data eliminates manual entry and reduces errors. Expense management tools can ingest this rich data directly, speeding up approvals, reimbursements, and reporting.

Enhanced reconciliation accuracy

Detailed transaction information ensures that each payment matches invoices, purchase orders, or bookings.This reduces exceptions, simplifies audits, and accelerates month-end closing.

Smarter spend analysis and supplier management

With granular item-level insights, organizations can identify spending patterns, optimize supplier relationships, and spot opportunities for cost savings. Product or service-level data helps procurement negotiate better contracts and consolidate purchases effectively.

Improved compliance and policy enforcement

Level 3 data allows organizations to ensure transactions adhere to internal policies and regulatory requirements. Outliers and non-compliant spend can be flagged automatically before they become issues.

Where can you get full-depth level 3 data?

Being on the UATP network, the AirPlus Company Account also provides you with access to ticket information not available elsewhere, not to mention Level 3 data. This data can then be transferred to downstream systems such as expense management tools, ERP systems, or any other third-party software, helping you achieve the benefits discussed here.

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Banner photo by NDABCREATIVITY on Adobe Stock