What is level 3 data?
Level 3 data is the most detailed level of card transaction data, providing item-level information about individual purchases. In addition to basic transaction details, it can include product descriptions, quantities, unit prices, shipping costs, and tax breakdowns.
But to best put things into perspective, let’s take a closer look into the different levels of data and what they represent.
What is the difference between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 data?
Card transaction data is split into three levels, corresponding to how extensive the data is. Think of it as going from a simple receipt to a fully detailed report that is delivered instantly and at scale.
Here is the breakdown:
Level 1 data
Level 1 data 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
Level 2 data adds more business-relevant information, including:
- Tax amounts
- Customer codes
- Merchant category details
This level is better for reconciliation and accounting, but still lacks depth for complex B2B spend analysis.
Level 3 data
Level 3 data is the highest standard of card transaction data, providing deep insight into spending with information such as:
- Product descriptions
- Quantities
- Unit prices
- Shipping costs
- Duty and tax breakdowns
- Product/service codes
- Additional merchant-provided data
This level of detail is invaluable for organisations that require accuracy, automation, and control in their spending processes – especially in procurement-heavy or travel-intensive industries.
What are the benefits of level 3 data?
Compared to 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.
With access to level 3 payment data, the possibilities for optimisation expand significantly.
Here’s what organisations 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, organisations can identify spending patterns, optimise 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 organisations 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?
AirPlus products that operate on the UATP network provide 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.
But with great data comes great responsibility. Beyond the availability of detailed transactional data, organisations need to consider how their payment provider supports data ownership, accessibility and security. Learn more from AirPlus CEO Mads Krumhardt Enggren about why taking control of corporate payment data is becoming increasingly important.
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