Updated July 26, 2013
All Vanderbilt business travelers, travel assistants (those who book travel on behalf of the traveler), and expense report delegates (those who prepare expense reports on behalf of the traveler) must complete profiles in the new travel system at vanderbilt.edu/travel. People must complete travel training and wait until the travel system goes live on July 30 to fill in their profiles.
A completed profile will be required to book travel and receive reimbursements for travel expenses. The process is easy, and access to a 10-minute online training module is available in The Learning Exchange for those needing further support. The federal Transportation Security Authority requires the date of birth and gender profile information. Optional information includes travel preferences (e.g. aisle or window seat, type of hotel room and rental car) and travel-related loyalty programs.
Although profiles will be prepopulated with faculty and staff names from Vanderbilt’s PeopleSoft system, travelers will need to be sure that the name on the profile matches the name on their travel documents (driver’s license or passport). This is very important to ensure airline tickets are accurately fulfilled.
Information needed to populate profiles include:
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Default cost center
- Routing number and account number for personal checking account to support direct deposit of reimbursements
- Personal credit card for booking hotels and rental cars
The new travel system, powered by Concur, provides a one-stop online tool for travel booking and business expense reporting and features best-in-class technology and faster reimbursement times. Beginning July 30, all faculty and staff must use the Concur tool to book business travel and submit requests for reimbursement of business-related travel expenses.
With the new travel system, faculty and staff can view all flight, hotel and ground transportation options when making travel plans. The flight options presented will include Southwest Airlines, a favorite of many travelers. Airfares will be direct-billed to Vanderbilt at the time of booking in Concur, rather than requiring payment by the traveler at the time of purchase. The expense reimbursement process is simplified, as the Concur tool provides a list of all travel plans and expenses. Reimbursements will be direct-deposited into the traveler’s bank account within days of the electronic approval of their expense report.
As of July 29, procurement cards (PCards) may no longer be used for travel expenses, including hotel or rental cars, and the Concur system will not recognize PCards. Faculty and staff who do not have a personal credit card or whose card does not have a high enough limit for their expected travel expenses may apply for a Travel & Entertainment card. Guest travel coordinators may also apply for the card. The application is on the Travel and Payment Cards website and may be submitted after your Concur profile is completed.
The new travel system is one of the first projects being implemented by the Division of Information Technology. Questions may be directed to the travel team at travel@vanderbilt.edu.
