Miscellaneous Travel Related Expenses

Tips and Gratuities

Tips and gratuities should be reasonable. Tips and gratuities on meals and taxi expenses should not exceed 20% of total charge. Bellhop/porter tips should not exceed $1.00 for each bag. Gratuity amounts beyond the recommended 20%, regardless of reason, are the responsibility of the individual diner/traveler.

Air Travel Baggage

The university will reimburse for one (1) checked bag, unless the employee is transporting printed materials for the university.

Laundry Service

Laundry, cleaning and pressing charges are allowed only when an employee will be away from home more than five days.

Telephone

Business calls from non-university telephones that are reasonable and necessary will be reimbursed on a per call basis. Employees may be reimbursed for one personal telephone call (not to exceed 10 minutes in duration) for every day an employee is traveling away from home overnight. The use of telephones aboard aircraft is not permitted except in cases of extreme emergency.

Passport and Visa Fees

Fees for passports and visas are reimbursable, if specifically obtained for the business trip.

Registration Fees for Conferences and Professional Meetings

Whenever feasible, registration fees for conferences and professional meetings should be paid in advance to obtain available discounts.

Foreign Currency Conversions

Accounts Payable requires that all foreign currency transactions be verified by providing proof of the foreign currency conversion rates. This can be done with one of the following 3 options:

A receipt from a foreign currency exchange showing the conversion rate.
A credit card statement showing the rate or actual US Dollar amount charged to your card
A website that shows historical conversion rates. www.oanda.com