Travel & Entertainment FAQ
Topics
Travel card do's and don'ts
Meal delivery services, P2P and booking apps
Expense report requirements
How to write an effective business purpose
Registration for travel outside of California
Travel Card
Please follow the policies from your Travel Card training. They're listed below:
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Travel Card Sleeves: The Business Operations Center (BOC) provides Travel Card and Pcard RFID credit card sleeves with these policies listed on them. Please reach out to bocsupport@ucanr.edu if you would like card sleeves mailed to your office (or dropped off to your desk if you work out of the 2nd Street building). There is no charge for the sleeves or mailing them.
Can I use meal delivery services for my business meeting or event?
Using Instacart, Grubhub, Doordash, etc. is acceptable, it is best practice to always have an itemized receipt. However, you cannot use meal delivery services to send meals/refreshments to Zoom meeting attendees.
Can I use Expedia.com, Hotel.com, or a similar service to book travel and accommodations?
Yes, you can use third party sites. However, you must have itemized receipts. You can request a travel folio from your hotel's front desk at the time of check out.
What are the policies for using software/applications to pay for travel and entertainment expenses?
If using Venmo, Zelle, Cash App or another peer-to-peer (P2P) vendor, you need to include in your AggieExpense report a copy of the contract or business agreement from the vendor matching the bank statement from the payment service.
What do I need to include in my AggieExpense report?
- Itemized receipts: (subtotal, taxes, and fees)
- Meeting or conference agenda
- Names and roles for all attendees
- If driving: Google Maps screenshots showing the number of miles traveled (see Mileage Calculation section of BOC’s Travel, Entertainment, and Relocation webpage)
- Business purpose (specific and descriptive)
If you need help with your expense report please reach out to your business partner team.
Can I combine all meals for a day of business travel on one line in the expense report?
Yes. If you combine all your meals on one line for the day, you must break down each meal in the comments with the location and the dollar amount. You must attach receipts to the AggieExpense report.
What are some examples of effective business purposes?
Insufficient business purposeAll of the following are too vague | Sufficient business purpose
The following are specific and descriptive enough for the expense report to be approved.
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Attended Statewide conference
| To attend the 2018 UC ANR Statewide Conference to connect with colleagues from across the state about shared challenges, concerns, opportunities and solutions. Why is this a good business purpose? |
Conference Registration
| Advance registration for John A. Seed to attend the “District VII” conference hosted by CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) in San Francisco, CA. Employee is attending to present his lecture on “Donor Pipeline Strategies.” Why is this a good business purpose? |
| Meeting with SunGard | Jeff Dines to attend the multi-day “Higher Education Summit” hosted by SunGard in Boston, MA for the staff-development purpose of workshop training and networking with industry peers in the Donor Communications field. Why is this a good business purpose? |
| Donor meeting | Lunch meeting hosted by Martha Bows with donors [redacted] to discuss future 4-H Foundation events at Seasons Restaurant. Why is this a good business purpose? |
| Annual site visit meeting | Entertainment expenses incurred during the site visit by UC ANR Senior Leadership to the Westside Research & Extension Center. Expenses include catered breakfast, lunch, light refreshments, and dinner. Detailed agenda is attached. Why is this a good business purpose? |
Registration for Travel Outside of California
Frequently Asked Questions
UC Away Instructions
AggieExpense Trip Registration
Per UCOP Policy BFB-G-28, travelers must register all out-of-state and foreign business trips. Travelers should book through Connexxus’ preferred travel agencies and supported online booking tools, except for SWABIZ (Southwest), which automatically registers travel, Otherwise, the traveler must register the trip through the UC Away travel registration portal before an out-of-state trip occurs.
Registration is not required for travel within California.
Does the international trip registration requirement apply to non-employee travelers?
Yes, trip registration for foreign travel is required for all university business travelers, whether employee or guest. Guests cannot register themselves through UC Away so a UC Davis staff member will need to process the registration for them. Remember, if a guest’s airfare is purchased through AggieExpense, their trip is automatically registered.
If booking through SWABIZ (Southwest Business), are travelers automatically registered?
SWABIZ purchases do NOT auto-enroll travelers in university insurance. You will still need to register those travelers separately in UC Away. Please note: Southwest Airlines tickets are available for purchase in AggieExpense which will automatically register the traveler.
SWABIZ and AggieExpense are two separate entities.
I purchased a flight through AggieExpense and the trip was canceled. When I reschedule my trip, do I need to re-register?
Yes. Trip registration is trip specific, so each trip needs to be registered on its own.
I am currently abroad. Do I need to register my trip?
Yes. You should register your trip via UC Away by entering the current date as the “start” of your trip and entering the corresponding end date.
I made a mistake registering my travel or changed my travel plans. Can I edit or delete an existing trip registration made through UC Away?
Trips registered through UC Away cannot be edited or deleted. You will need to register for a new trip.
I am unsure if I registered a trip. How can I check if I did?
You can check the status of your registered trips by creating a Crisis24 Horizon account. Details for establishing your account can be found in the “Welcome” email that you receive when a trip is registered (either through UC Away or by booking travel via AggieExpense). Search your Inbox for an email from support@crisis24horizon.com.
Do I need to register my Sabbatical trip?
Anytime UC is responsible for a traveler, they should be registered. UC needs to know where to send help if a natural disaster or other emergency happens.
UC Away
You must use your ucdavis.edu email to log in.
The first page will give you an overview of UC Away Register Travel and at the bottom of the page will show you all your registered trips. Use Start Form to register a new trip.
Fill out the sections on the form. You will need to rename the form and once it is filled out click the submit button on the top right corner of the page. Once submitted, it will provide you a form showing your registration. You will need to save as PDF and attach it to your expense report when you reconcile your trip. You will also receive an email confirmation that your trip is registered.
AggieExpense Trip Registration
When you choose a Destination of Out of State or Foreign for Destination on your Report Header you will be required to note if you registered your trip.
Within the expense one of the questions that is required is Trip Registration if you have not registered you will not be able to submit the report. The trip will automatically register if you book through Connexus (not Swabiz) or you must self-register through UC Away. You will receive an error in the report if you choose option 3.
