All procedures related to UMD travel are outlined in each topic area.
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Baggage Fees | Yes | Allowable to support business travel, receipt must be provided for expense reporting. |
| Booking Air Travel | Campus departments are required to use Concur Travel or Collegiate Travel Planners to book all air and rail tickets (ex: Amtrak for out of State travel) regardless of use of Tcard or personal credit card | |
| Early bird seating | Conditional | Early bird seat selection that incurs an additional cost requires Department Head approval. |
| First class Airfare | No | The purchase of first class airfare is not allowed. |
| Fly America | N/A | All Federally funded travel must comply with the Fly America Act and the use of U.S. flag air carriers which require that a United States flag carrier be used unless an exception applies. Refer to Office of Research Administration for additional details . |
| Frequent Flyer Miles/Points | N/A | Frequent flyer miles may be accumulated in the traveler's name when using the Tcard. Points accumulated during travel may be accumulated through the use of a personal credit card. However, points and frequent flyer miles used in the course of business travel will not be reimbursed. |
| TSA Pre-check/Global entry membership | No | Not an allowable expense. Fees for TSA pre-check and global entry membership will not be reimbursed and are not to be charged to a UMD Tcard. These fees are considered a personal expense. |
| Use of vouchers, points, travel gift cards | No | The use of personal vouchers, airline points and/or coupons are not reimbursable to the traveler. Business Travel is to be booked using either the Travel Card, or via personal credit card for reimbursement. |
| Premium Seating | Yes, conditional |
University travelers are expected to book the lowest, logical fare considering time and cost. The purchase of premium seating (includes all types of premium seating including Comfort Class, Business Class, Coach Plus, etc) is allowable under the following circumstances, with departmental pre-approval:
Travelers may sit in an upgraded section of the plane when there is no additional cost to the university. Travelers are to consider the lowest cost options first. Department approval of upgrade to premium seating is required and departments are to apply upgraded seating equitably. All sponsored travel is required to comply with the rules/regulations of the sponsor which may vary from UMD's travel rules/policies |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Alternative short term car rental services on campus (Zipcar rentals) | No | Alternative on campus car rentals (Zipcar) are exclusively for personal use and cannot be used for University business travel. If on campus travel is regularly required, personal vehicles may be used or campus units can lease/rent a car through UMD Motor Transportation Services. |
| Car Rental in U.S. (Employees)-Insurance Coverage, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW/LDW) | No | Not an allowable expense. The State of Maryland is self insured. When signing the rental agreement, the renter must include his/her name, University of Maryland, and State of Maryland. Travelers are advised to utilize discount codes . LOGIN to view discount codes. |
| Car Rental Outside the U.S.(Employees & non-employee business travelers)-Insurance Coverage, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW/LDW) | Yes |
CDW/LDW is reimbursable for international rentals, outside the 50 United States. Travelers are advised to use the available car rental contracts listed on the Travel Discounts page.
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| Car Rental in U.S. (Non-employee business travelers)-Insurance Coverage, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW/LDW) | Partial | Only CDW/LDW is reimbursable. |
| Fines/Violations | No | Not an allowable expense. Fines including, but not limited to, fines for traffic, toll, photo enforcement, and parking violations are the personal financial responsibility of the individual who incurred the violation. The driver is responsible for payment of the violation as well as any associated fees received from the issuing jurisdiction. |
| No receipt available | Yes, conditional | If any single taxi journey reimbursement is $75.00 or less and no receipt is available, the traveler must provide details in the "Comment Section" field of the "Expense Report." Details must include (for each taxi journey) the date, origin/destination, and cost per trip. |
| Parking Fees | Yes | Parking Fees and tolls are reimbursable when required for business travel. |
| Personal vehicle use-mileage reimbursement | Mileage for use of personal vehicles is calculated at the current State of Maryland rate. | |
| Personal vehicle use-mileage reimbursement | Yes | "Mileage is calculated from the traveler's official work location (or from their home) to their business destination, including airports, train stations, and lodging locations. Personal vehicle use does not include commuter travel or work related travel on campus or in the adjoining communities where UMD has facilities (i.e., Severn Building, College Park City Hall, Discovery District, etc.)." |
| Ride Share Service (i.e., Uber and Lyft) | Yes | Ride share services such as Uber and Lyft may be used as an alternative to car rental, taxi, and shuttle services while traveling and may be charged to the Travel Card or be reimbursed. If using the Travel Card, the Travel card holder must register with the service for a business account using the Travel Card as a form of payment. For travelers who do not have a Travel Card, they are to register with the service for a personal account and use a personal credit card as a form of payment and seek reimbursement after trip completion. |
| Toll Charges | Yes | Reimbursable for business-related travel. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Foreign Currency Charges | Yes | Foreign currency charges will be automatically converted in Concur when the invoices are added to the Expense Report. There is no need to use a separate currency converter. |
| Passport/Visa | Conditional | When a passport/visa is required for official business purpose fees associated are an allowable expense. If the travel is Federally funded the traveler or delegate must confirm whether it is an allowable expense by checking with the Office of Research Administration. |
| Vaccinations/Immunizations | Yes | Not allowable for payment with the Tcard. May be reimbursed on an Expense Report after trip completion. All travelers are advised to check with the UMD Health Center prior to obtaining vaccinations from another provider. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Alternative Lodging (i.e., AirBnB) | Yes | Alternative lodging such as AirBnB is allowed for reimbursement only. Alternative lodging may not be booked using a UMD Tcard due to liability and risk issues. |
| Extended/Recurrent lodging needs for UMD business | Yes, conditional | Extended or recurrent travel may necessitate special requirements to be coordinated by the Approving Authority, University Controller, Travel and Card Services Administrator on a case by case basis. An example is a residential stay for which a lodging per diem may be established in the absence of traditional tariffs and receipts. |
| In-room movie, pay per view, additional cable charges | No | In-room movie, pay per view, and additional cable charges not included in the room rate will not be reimbursed. These are considered personal charges. |
| In-State lodging | Yes | All travel, including In-State travel with an overnight stay, requires pre-approval. |
| Lodging loyalty programs | Employees may participate in lodging loyalty programs, however UMD will not reimburse travelers for lodging stays using points, vouchers, gift cards, or other promotional payment methods | |
| No Show charges | No | UMD will not reimburse "no show" charges. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Alcoholic Beverages | No | Alcoholic beverages are not allowed using the UMD Tcard and will not be reimbursed using UMD funds. |
| Per Diem Rates | Yes | "UMD uses the Federal Per Diem rates for domestic and international travel." |
| Per Diem Rates - Days of active travel | Yes | Per diems will be paid at a rate of 75% for 8 hours of active travel on the day of departure and return. If active travel is less than 8 hours, a per diem may only be paid if the meal is within 2 hours of an expected meal time. |
| Room Service meals | Yes | If a traveler orders room service for a meal during travel status, the meal must be deducted from the room total and a per diem claimed to cover the cost. If the cost of the room service meal exceeds the per diem and the room is paid via Tcard, the additional cost will be payroll deducted. If the cost is to be reimbursed, the traveler may only be reimbursed at the per diem rate. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Meals, taxis, bus, shuttle, limo | Yes | Reasonable, not to exceed 18%, must be detailed on Travel Report. |
| Porter, hotel | Yes |
Tips and gratuities for hotel personnel (porters, housekeeping) must be reasonable and detailed on the Travel Expense Statement. Allowable up to $1 per bag. Travelers with disabilities may tip up to $5 due to additional needs. When Federal funds are being used, the department can allow up to $5.00/day for incidentals consistent with the GSA schedule for Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE). |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Foreign Currency | N/A | When completing an expense report for charges that were in a foreign currency, the traveler is to calculate the daily exchange rate using the calculator in Concur. |
| No receipt available | N/A |
"When no receipt is available for Tcard charges that are <$75, the traveler or delegate is to complete the No Receipt Provided Form. Examples of charges this may apply to include
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| Submittal and Process | N/A | Travel reports are to be processed within thirty days return from the trip. Travel reports processed after 90 days may be subject to taxation. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| Trip Cancellation and Change Fees | Yes | Trip cancellation and change fees are allowable in emergency situations or for the convenience of the university. |
| Trip Cancellation Insurance | No | The Policy on University System Travel prohibits the use of institutional funds for the purchase of additional flight insurance. If it is believed the trip may be canceled, or a change in travel plans may be required, travelers and delegates are to purchase a refundable ticket. This covers trip cancellation and the department will receive a credit from the airline if a Travel card was used to book the flight. In the case of personal credit card used to book the flight, the traveler will receive the credit negating the need to process a reimbursement for the airfare. |
| Category | Allowable Expense | Procedure |
| ATM Withdrawals on Tcard | Yes | ATM withdrawal is allowable and limited to $500.00 every seven days. Department approval is required. Detailed receipts are required to substantiate the full amount of the withdrawal. (Note: All cash withdrawal transactions are 100% audited.) |
| Gift Cards, gift certificates, gift purchases | No | Gift card, gift certificates, and gifts of sentiment purchases are prohibited using UMD funds. |
| Laundry/Valet | Yes | Allowable with itemized receipt, when domestic travel exceeds 5 working days. Note: International laundry is included in per diem allowance. |
| Membership fees | No | UMD will not pay any membership or booking fees for loyalty programs such as for lodging, frequent flyer or advantage programs |
| Registration and Conference Fees | Yes | An itemized receipt and and department head approval is required. Registration for courses and certificate programs with college credits are not payable or reimbursable using this method, these are to be paid through the UMD Tuition Remission process. |
| Telephone, fax, internet access fees while in travel status | Yes | Allowable when used for university business, and while in an approved business travel status. |