Meal caps that look clear until the client dinner lands

Most travel policies in Hong Kong publish a tidy meal table: breakfast, lunch, dinner, sometimes a separate “client entertainment” line. Trouble starts when a traveller submits a single restaurant bill that mixes personal meals with a customer table, or when the entertainment line has no per-person ceiling.

What we test

On a travel expense claim audit we ask three questions. Was the meal inside the travel window? Does the policy require attendee names? Was a waiver issued before or after the dinner? Bills without attendee lists fail more often than over-budget bills that were pre-approved in writing.

A pattern we see

Sales staff returning from Shenzhen often attach WeChat screenshots instead of itemised receipts. If your policy still demands a merchant receipt, those claims should not pass on a screenshot alone — unless a reconstruction clause explicitly allows it.

Practical step

Before your next quarter close, pick ten entertainment claims above the dinner cap and check for waivers dated before the meal. That short exercise usually surfaces whether managers approve after the fact.