Admission’s Travel Guide – Admissions Newsletter

Transportation

Rental Cars

In the DC/Maryland/Virginia region the university is contracted to use Enterprise vehicles. Outside of the DMV area you are not required to use Enterprise, but it is still strongly recommended due to our good rates. If you choose a different car company the choice needs to be approved in advance of your trip.

Rental cars are the preferred option if driving long distances, typically over 100 miles per day. Use the rental car calculator to figure out which option would be cheaper – rental vs. personal. Renting a car does take additional steps – but the insurance covers any accidents where as if something happens to your personal car you are on the hook for it. https://dgs.virginia.gov/fleet/travel-planning/trip-calculator/

Do not check or accept the option for the company to fill up the tank after you drop off the rental vehicle, these expenses will not be reimbursed. Please fill up the tank before returning your rental car to avoid this charge.

Always try to pick up and return a vehicle at the same location to avoid a fee.

Book with Enterprise Directly

If you book with Enterprise directly you will pay for the rental out of pocket and get reimbursed after the trip is complete.

Visit https://elink.enterprise.com/en/geomaso.html
Choose “x – Business Use – All Locations”
Enter in your preferred pick up/drop off location
Enter in the dates and times for your rental
Click on Browse Vehicles
Choose a vehicle that is compact, economy or mid-size class (anything above that size will not be reimbursed)
Skip any upgrades or extras
Enter in your information on the final page
- Under Confirm Trip Purpose – choose yes
- Under Billing – choose no

Book with Motor Pool

If you book with Motor Pool you will still pick up a vehicle at the Enterprise location of your choice, but the rental will be direct billed to the university, no reimbursement required.

For your first time booking with Motor Pool you would fill out this PDF form: https://transportation.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Motor-Pool-Vehicle-Rental-Request-1.pdf
Submit the form via email to [email protected]
The next time you need to rent a car you would be able to log into their online system to request a car (https://transportation.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Requesting-a-Motor-Pool-Vehicle-Online-Requestors.pdf)

Motor pool can also provide you with a gas card if you like – that would be direct billed to the office as well, but you have to pick it up directly from them in advance of your trip.

Insurance

Do not take the extra insurance option – the university will not reimburse you for that cost. The university has their own insurance. Please read through the Vehicle Insurance page and make sure you know the procedure for reporting accidents if one happens: https://risk.gmu.edu/insurance/vehicle/

Driver Awareness Training

Driver Awareness training is required every 2 years, please make sure you have taken this training before renting a vehicle: https://risk.gmu.edu/training/driver-training/

Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) Request

Anyone renting a car or driving on behalf of the university is required to have a MVR completed (typically done when hired). If Risk Management requests an updated background check on your driving record, please comply as quickly as possible to prevent any delays in renting a vehicle.

If you receive any traffic infractions they need to be reported to Risk Management as soon as possible. For the full policy visit https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/vehicle-use/

Mileage Reimbursements

You can use your personal vehicle in lieu of a rental car as long as the daily mileage does not exceed 100 miles a day. If you have an extended trip, please rent a car. Mileage reimbursement rates are available here: https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates

If you use your personal vehicle you will not be covered by university insurance, but your own personal vehicle insurance. Any damage sustained to your car during a business trip is your own responsibility.

If you need to use your personal vehicle instead of rental car and you are driving over 100 miles in a day, or are taking an extended trip, please get approval prior to the trip start date.

Tolls

You can pay for tolls in cash (get a receipt) or with an E-ZPass – just print out the list of charges and highlight the ones that belong to that trip.

Avoid express way tolls – ex. 95, 66 or 495 in this area with variable tolls to avoid traffic.

Flights

When purchasing flights please be mindful of costs and shop around for a competitive price. That being said, you do not need to fly terrible airlines that are unreliable.

Always fly coach, do not purchase any upgrades such as priority boarding, advance seat selection and/or other amenities. Do not pay extra for a refundable ticket.

For more information on acceptable flight classes, visit https://fiscal.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Airline-Travel-Flight-Comparisons.pdf

Ticket receipts need to be itemized, including cost, fees and taxes, itinerary and class of service.

Do not purchase flight insurance, the university will not pay for that expense.

Do not purchase internet on a flight unless you have pre-approved the expense with your supervisor.

Trains

Train tickets must be coach tickets, do not purchase any upgrades such as priority boarding, advance seat selection and/or other amenities. Do not pay extra for a refundable ticket. Acela service is not allowed.

Ticket receipts need to be itemized, including cost, itinerary and class of service.

Hotels

Please stay within the basic rate which is based on the location of your hotel. You can check the location of the hotel using the zip code on the GSA website. There are some hotels that list their location as a city, but the zip code falls outside of the city lines – so it is important to check the location before proceeding. If you cannot find lodging within that rate you may go up to 150% of the basic rate.

Do not prepay for any lodging, any fees or cancellation costs that are incurred will not be reimbursed by the university and you will be responsible for paying those fees out of pocket.

Per Diem

When traveling you get a flat fee for each meal, and on travel days you will get 75% of that cost.

If you are attending a conference or event where the cost of the meal is included in registration – then you must check on your reimbursement that you will not be getting the per diem for that meal.

If you are staying at a hotel and they provide breakfast – then you must check on your reimbursement that you will not be getting the per diem for breakfast.

There is no need to keep or track food receipts for travel purposes.

Tips

Tips for concierge services or meals are factored into your per diem reimbursements.

You may tip taxi, Uber, or Lyft drivers but you are limited to 15% – the system will block you from requesting reimbursement for any tips higher than that. If you choose to tip over 15% that amount will come out of pocket.

Ways to Pay

University P-Card – can be used for common carrier transportation: airfare, trains (not Acela)
Travel Card (optional) – provided through the university but it is your responsibility to pay this card in full within the allotted time. You must be on top of your reimbursements. This can be used for any travel expenses that you incur while traveling for the university.
Motor Pool/Enterprise

Mason Finance Gateway

Pre-Approvals

All travel must be pre-approved either verbally or in writing. Written travel authorizations are required for trips exceeding $1,000 or a trip that includes international travel. If you aren’t sure if your trip will be under the $1,000 threshold, do the pre-approval to make sure.

When doing a travel pre-approval, think of all possible costs. It is better to overestimate and then have a lower reimbursement, then the other way around and risk not receiving a full reimbursement. Things to consider: baggage fees, gas, parking, mileage, internet charges at hotel (avoid on flights), tolls.

When entering in your hotel information please put the address of your hotel into the description – helps approvers verify you have your location and per diem amounts correct.

Reimbursements

Submit these as soon as possible after your trip, within 4 weeks is the recommendation. If you wait over 60 days then you will be taxed on your reimbursement as if it is income so you will get less money then what you spent on travel.

DO NOT request a reimbursement for a past fiscal year. DON’T DO IT!

All reimbursements are completed in the MFG system. If you have a pre-approval completed you can convert that over to a reimbursement, edit the expenses as needed, and upload necessary receipts.

Please use Admission’s activity codes to indicate the area you traveled in; the full list is available here: https://admissionsnl.gmu.edu/?page_id=588#ActivityCode

Receipts

Receipts are required for most transactions, except for meals. It is a good habit is to take a picture of your receipt as soon as you get it that way you don’t have to worry about keeping the physical receipts. In the Mason Finance Gateway you can even download and app and upload it directly from your phone, or email it to the system and it keeps it in document locker for you. More information is available here: https://fiscal.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/MFG-Submit-Receipts.pdf

Best Practices

Flying vs. Driving

Cost is always key in making travel decisions. If you are able to find a cheap flight that is less than the cost of driving, the office will support your decision as long as it is documented and approved in advance of the purchase. If a destination is within 4 hours driving time, then it is recommended that you drive instead of fly. If there are other circumstances that come into play – discuss it with your supervisor.

Shipping vs. Carry-on

If you are shipping materials to your destination, please plan ahead to save costs. We have a FedEx account, the discounts are deep and you should use that for your shipping. NO OVERNIGHT, NO RUSH. We get direct billed when you use the FedEx account, so that is one less thing to allocate on your P-Card. Planning ahead really pays off here.

Be Mindful of Costs

Please be mindful of cost at all times – we are not expecting you to pay for things out of pocket, but remember that we are accountable for being fiscally responsible and you should spend this money carefully. You will be questioned on your charges, so be ready with a justification for any exorbitant costs.

Personal Travel with Business Travel

It is possible to combine personal travel with business travel, but it must be properly documented. Full instructions are available here: https://fiscal.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Personal-Travel-with-Business-Travel.pdf

If you do not plan ahead and follow the steps properly, you may end up being responsible for your travel expenses, including the parts that were for work purposes. Make sure to talk this through with you supervisor and the HR/Finance Director before booking your travel.