As the Concur Travel System Project transitions from its preliminary “Phase 0” to the broader “Phase 1” (where it will be piloted by DFA, CIT, ILR and AA&D, plus the departments of Ecology & Evolutional Biology and Neurobiology & Behavior), one of the subjects most asked about is the university-liability travel and meal card associated with the service.

In order to better inform groups participating in Phase 1, plus share details with other interested members of the Cornell community, here are some specifics.

To begin by answering a common question, use of the card is not required unless your unit designates it so, but many of its features are extremely helpful and convenient. This means if someone is thinking of sticking with their own card to collect points or miles with it, they’ll want to weigh the value in comparison with the time and effort they can save in creating every Expense Report by using the corporate card. Plus, use of the new card doesn’t preclude the traveler from earning reward points or miles directly from hotels and airlines.

When using the travel and meal card, there are no out-of-pocket costs and no bills to pay. Expenses can be paid prior to the trip, so among other benefits, it reduces the need for cash advances. Also, no personal liability is incurred, unlike with a personal credit card, and there’s no chance of a credit check being triggered.

Expense report completion is much quicker, because the travel and meal card purchases automatically feed expenses into expense reports–they don’t require manual data entry. In turn, the amount of paper receipts that need to be collected is reduced. No currency conversion documentation or calculation is needed, either.

The new travel and meal card also supports paying for locally hosted business meals as well as the option for travelers to make their own conference registrations in advance of a trip, yet easily be able to include it in their Expense Report. Insurance for travel accident and lost luggage is already included, and where applicable, university rebates will automatically be applied.

General use of the new cards in a department can be a boon for that department’s travel arranger, too. With each traveler’s card stored securely in their profile, a departmental travel arranger can book for many travelers in a more streamlined fashion–bookings are automatically associated with the appropriate traveler’s expense report, without additional effort on the travel arranger’s part, which reduces administrative burden.

For more information about the travel and meal card, please see the section dedicated to them in the Frequently Asked Questions page.