Stanford Return to Travel
The summer newsletter includes ways to save time with improved access to vital Stanford Travel Program information on Fingate, a more efficient visitor travel reimbursement payment option, and timesaving system enhancements. We also highlight new information about car rentals, a new cost-saving Egencia tool, and a reminder of how Stanford Travel policy exclusions accommodate a wide range of Stanford travelers.
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Stanford Travel Policy, Exclusions and Travel Guidance for Return to Travel
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As a reminder, effective June 15, 2020, university funds may be used to purchase or reimburse new university-sponsored travel expenses only when booked through one of the Stanford Travel booking channels: FCM (formerly Casto), Egencia, United Corporate Direct, StudentUniverse, and Anthony Travel (used exclusively by Athletics). This policy applies to Stanford faculty, staff and students booking airfare, hotel, and/or car rentals.
This policy includes a number of exclusions. For example, the travel policy does not apply to:
- Conference hotels, which can be booked directly at the conference rate.
- Airline ticket reissues or exchanges, which can be re-booked with the original booking source.
- Visitors, guests and groups of 10 or more Stanford travelers.
To see the full list of travel policy exclusions, including which must be manually entered in the university’s Travel Registry, visit the Business and Travel Expense Policy page on Fingate.
To get started booking through Stanford Travel, use travel.stanford.edu to find a chart with easy access to booking channel information, or click the Stanford Travel Program tile in the Featured Topics section of the Fingate homepage.
Before booking travel, always check Health Alerts for the latest Stanford travel guidance related to COVID-19. Currently, to ensure reimbursement for domestic and international trips, Stanford travelers must be fully vaccinated and have uploaded proof of COVID-19 vaccination to Stanford Health Check before departure.
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More Efficient Visitor Travel Reimbursements with Digital Payments
Digital Payments is a new payment option in the Expense Requests System (ERS) used to reimburse visitors for up to $1,000 of domestic, non-tax reportable travel expenses.
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Digital Payments routes reimbursements through JPMorgan Chase Bank to pay visitors securely and efficiently through Zelle or Automated Clearing House (ACH) bank transfer.
For visitors who qualify, Digital Payments can replace the time-consuming payee setup process in Stanford's Supplier Payee and Request tool. To learn more about Digital Payments, including how to access it in ERS, visit the Digital Payments topic overview or review the change readiness toolkit. For questions about Digital Payments, please submit a support request.
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Egencia Savings Finder Can Save Money on Hotels and Airfares
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If you book a hotel or airfare through Egencia, the savings may continue even after you make your reservations as Egencia’s Savings Finder tool automatically searches for and applies any lower rates.
How does the tool work?
- For hotel bookings, the tool searches for lower rates until the hotel check-in day. If the Savings Finder finds a discount of $10 or more, Egencia will rebook the same room type and amenities at the lower price, then email the traveler the updated booking information.
- For airline bookings, the tool searches for lower airfare on the same flight for up to 24 hours after it has been booked. If the fare drops, Egencia will book the lower-priced ticket, with the same or a similar seat on the plane, credit back the remaining ticket value, and send updated details to the traveler. Ancillary items such as baggage will not be affected.
After the tool processes the lower hotel or airline rate, the traveler is charged an Egencia fee based on the percentage of savings. As a reminder, these Egencia fees are allowable and reimbursable charges.
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Car Rentals: Change to Policy
Car rentals through Stanford Travel are no longer available for solely personal use.
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Travelers who book a rental car for university-sponsored travel may extend the car rental for personal use if they reimburse Stanford for the personal portion of the rental bill.
As a best practice, plan ahead and book a car rental as soon as you know your travel dates. Reconfirming with the car rental company 48 hours before your arrival and canceling a reservation if it is no longer needed is highly recommended. For more information about car rentals, visit the Ground Transportation Policy page on Fingate.
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ERS Enhancements Include Auto-Populated Airfare Fields
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Several changes to ERS that launched on July 19 help meet the needs of the university and can save time for preparers.
When a preparer adds a transaction line to ERS using the Airfare expense type and clicks the Details icon, two new fields are visible at the top of the Additional Information section: Traveler’s Name (required) and Ticket Number (optional). If the ticket was booked through Egencia for a traveler with a valid SUNet ID, when a Ticket Number is selected the remaining required fields in the Additional Information section will auto-populate. The Additional Information fields also appear in a slightly different order.
To learn more about these and other ERS changes, and view screenshots, please visit July 19 ERS Updates to Late Submissions and Airfare Details.
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StudentUniverse is Now Easier to Use
As of July 30, all Stanford undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral students automatically have profiles in Student Universe.
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They no longer need to create their own profiles to book travel on StudentUniverse. For instructions on how to access the profile, visit the StudentUniverse booking channel page.
Students may use the StudentUniverse booking channel to book both university-sponsored travel and personal flights to and from campus sessions. Booking through StudentUniverse is the recommended option for students traveling to Stanford overseas programs.
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Travel Resources
Use these resources to stay informed and to get help with travel questions.
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Prepare to travel again:
Fingate resources:
Slack channels:
- Follow the Stanford Travel Slack channel #fms-stanford-travel for announcements and updates.
- Follow the Stanford-wide FMS channel #fms-news to stay updated on important financial news, tools, and deadlines.
Traveling for SLAC?
Visit the Travel @ SLAC website or subscribe to the new Travel @ SLAC newsletter to stay up-to-date on SLAC travel topics.
Not Subscribed to the Stanford Travel Newsletter?
To subscribe to the Stanford Travel newsletter, fill out the subscription form.
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