Approval of Travel
All travel must be approved by your immediate supervisor/manager.
Payment for Travel
For travelers that have been issued a company credit card, this card should be used for all approved travel, including airfare, lodging, etc. where possible. If the corporate card is not accepted or otherwise cannot be used, other methods such as cash or personal credit card can be used and expenses submitted to the company for reimbursement. Receipts must be obtained and submitted for all expenses, including receipts for expenses on the company credit card. Credit card bills are paid directly by the company to credit card company. It is the employee’s responsibility to maintain their expenses through the Concur system and submit it for approval as requested at the end of each month.
Transportation
Transportation expenses will be reimbursed based on the most economical mode of transportation, using the most commonly traveled route consistent with the purpose of the trip.
Air Travel
Coach class or other discounted class airfare should be used for air travel. Employees booking travel for themselves or for others should avoid upgrading tickets for the purposes of priority boarding or priority seats. If a higher priced fare is selected at the time of booking for priority boarding or seats, the employee will be responsible for reimbursing the company for the difference in fare.
Tickets should be booked a minimum of 21 days in advance, where possible, to take advantage of the most economical airfares. When possible, book tickets directly through the airlines own website (delta.com, united.com, aa.com, etc.) as lower fares are often available on their site. Low fare airlines such as Southwest should be used were possible. Today, many airlines are adding extra charges for services such as changing a ticket or flying standby. These extra charges should be avoided where possible. Southwest does not charge extra for canceled or changed tickets, so if your plans might change, please check flight availability with Southwest.
If flying Delta, please give Delta the following Sky Bonus number – US592304539. This number is a corporate Advantus number and will not affect your Frequent Flyer account in any way. You will still earn the FF points. To add the Sky Bonus number, tickets must be booked directly with Delta at Delta.com.
If flying American Airlines, please give American the following Business ExtrAA Program number – 785729. Like the Delta program, it will not affect your Frequent Flyer account in any way.
Airfare over $500 must be approved by your immediate supervisor/manager.
Parking
Any airport parking should be done in Long Term or off airport discount lots. USA Park at Jacksonville International Airport offers covered and uncovered parking at discounted rates and 24/7 shuttle service to and from the airport. For all travelers flying out of JIA, USA Park must be used for parking. You can sign up at https://www.usapark.net/signup .
In most cities, airport discount parking is available at hotels or motels near airports or at discount parking company lots that have shuttle buses. No short term, hourly or daily lots should be used.
Automobile Travel
Business miles driven in a private vehicle are reimbursed at the federal rate per mile, which is listed on the Travel Expense Report located under Shared Documents – Accounting on the Wiki. This reimbursement covers all automobile expense such as fuel, service, repairs, insurance, etc. Mileage is computed as the actual miles driven between the traveler’s headquarters (homes for those travelers working remotely) and the destination, using the shortest or most commonly traveled route.
Employees are prohibited from using their personal vehicle for passenger transport, such as ridsehare (Uber, Lyft) or on-demand food/package delivery (GrubHub, Door Dash), while on company business.
Expenses related to the purchase of meals locally are not reimbursable. Mileage will not be paid for trips to and from local restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
Travel between HQ and the 12th Street warehouse for required business travel is reimbursed at 26 miles each way.
Rental Cars
A vehicle may be rented when it is more advantageous to the company than other means of transportation such as a taxi or Uber/Lyft. Advance reservations should be made and a compact or economy vehicle requested. Rental cars should be booked with Hotwire.com or Priceline.com when at all possible to obtain the most favorable rates. Costco members should also check Costco.com as more favorable rates are often available.
Travelers renting cars should obtain a copy of the Fleet Insurance Identification Card from the HR department prior to renting a vehicle. Carry this card at all times while renting the vehicle. This is your proof of insurance on the rental car. Additional insurance coverage on the vehicle should be declined.
Miscellaneous Transportation Related Expenses
Charges for tolls, bridges, ferries, taxis, buses, trains and parking while on company business may be claimed. As an alternative to traditional taxis, Uber or Lyft should be used whenever possible. You can download the Uber or Lyft app on your smartphone.
Lodging
Lodging for overnight stays while on company business is reimbursable at the actual cost of lodging, including applicable taxes. Lodging should be reserved in advance to obtain the best available rate. Although lodging rates vary greatly from city to city, every effort should be made to find the best available rates for your destination. Approved hotels should fall into the mid-grade quality hotels. Examples include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, Red Roof Inn, and LaQuinta.
In the event a group is booking a hotel stay for meetings or trade shows, mid-grade quality hotels will be selected. Employees who prefer to stay in their hotel of choice rather than with the group will be responsible for reimbursing the company the difference in rates.
Hotels should be reserved directly with the hotel reservation system or through one of the on-line reservation services such as Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Hotels.com or Priceline.com. These web sites often have special, unpublished lower rates than can be found elsewhere. However, most of these services require payment upfront at the time of the reservation, which may not be refundable should plans change. Please check the service prior to making the reservation. If your plans might change, do not select the prepayment option. Priceline.com offers significantly lower rates than you can generally find elsewhere. They may also require payment up front at the time of the reservation which is not refundable if plans change, so please take that into consideration if your plans might change. When reserving through Priceline.com, choose the 2.5 or 3 star hotel level.
NOTE: As a supplier for the government, Advantus employees are eligible for the Government hotel rate. When making a reservation directly with the hotel or through one of the on-line reservation services, please request the Government rate. This rate should be compared to the other rates available and the reservation made at the lowest possible rate.
When traveling with another Advantus employee of the same sex, hotel rooms should be shared to reduce expenses. Employees are not, however, required to share a room with their immediate supervisor. This includes normal travel as well as travel to tradeshows.
Hotel rates greater than $150/night must be pre-approved by your immediate supervisor/manager.
Meals and Incidental Expenses
Advantus Corp. will supply individuals traveling for business purposes (other locations, Trade Shows, Consumer Shows) a meal per diem. This daily rate will be in accordance with government guidelines for the city of the event. The per diem rate includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
As a guideline, the IRS has established a federal per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE). These rates range from a low of $51 per day to a high of $74 per day, depending on the city. For example, Orlando has a federal per diem rate of $59 per day. Chicago has a federal per diem rate of $74 per day. Federal per diem rates can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287.
Each individual is responsible for maintaining their meal expenses within the allowance they are given. Any amount spent above the allowance will be considered a personal expense and will not be reimbursed. Conversely, it is not necessary to submit receipts or return any remaining funds. These dollars have already been allotted to the travel budget accordingly.
In order to receive the per diem payment, requests must be submitted at least 7 days prior to the travel date.
Managers are responsible for requesting the per diem for members of their staff who are traveling for business purposes.
Meals are often shared with employees who have company credit cards. It is the responsibility of the employee who received the per diem to request a separate check and pay for their meal using the per diem provided.
If a group meal is scheduled during tradeshow, conference, or consumer shows, the manager is responsible for reducing the per diem request to account for the company paid meal.
Director-level and above employees will not be given a per diem for travel and are reimbursed at the actual cost of the meal, including tip (at the recommended rate of 15%). Company credit cards should be used where possible. If the corporate card is not accepted, other methods such as cash or personal credit card can be used and expenses submitted to the company for reimbursement. Receipts must be obtained and submitted for all meals and incidents, including receipts for expenses on the company credit card.
Expense Reporting and Reimbursement
In general, travel expenses are reimbursed for reasonable and practical expenses incurred while traveling on company business. All expenses incurred while traveling on company business must be documented and reported using the Concur system if the employee is an AMEX card holder. Out of pocket expenses incurred (non-AMEX charges) must be submitted for reimbursement using the Travel Expense Report located under Shared Documents – Accounting on the Wiki.
Non Exempt Employee Travel
When a non-exempt (hourly) employee is required to travel for Advantus business, the following guidelines apply in determining whether the time is hours worked. Employees must report their hours to the Department Manager upon return from travel.
COMPENSABLE
- Non-exempt employees will be paid for one hour prior to the departure time of the flight.
- Travel on non work days (like weekends) also counts as hours worked, i.e., time spent on an airplane would be considered hours worked.
- If an employee is required to attend meals, social events, etc., that time is counted as hours worked. The determining factor is whether you are REQUIRED to attend the event or if it is at your discretion.
NON COMPENSABLE
- Regular meal periods do not count as hours worked.
- Time spent sleeping does not count as hours worked.
- Travel between home and work or between hotel and worksite is considered normal commuting time and does not count as hours worked.
MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
- The employee is not compensated for time not working even if it occurs within the employee’s regular work schedule (e.g., employee goes sightseeing instead of attending a session of the conference or the conference sessions are only from 9 – 4).
Advantus Corp. pays overtime to all Non-Exempt (hourly) employees for time worked in excess of 40 hours per week. The workweek begins at 12:00 am on Monday and ends at 11:59 pm the following Sunday. PTO is not considered time worked and is not included when calculating hours worked for overtime pay.