[NA] Business travel credit card?

[CJones]

It looks like my job will start requiring more travel soon.

I currently have a Travelocity rewards credit card, but it looks like I have to spend around $5000 to get $50 back.

For those of you that travel, what do you recommend to use as a 'rewards' type of credit card for biz travel?

 

[wsuffa]

It looks like my job will start requiring more travel soon.

I currently have a Travelocity rewards credit card, but it looks like I have to spend around $5000 to get $50 back.

For those of you that travel, what do you recommend to use as a 'rewards' type of credit card for biz travel?

Do you focus your travel on one particular airline, or one particular hotel chain? If so - and if you will use the free flights/hotel rooms rather than turning the points into merchandise - then look there.

For example, if you fly Delta, look at their AmEx card that gives you redeemable points, and also "qualifying" points for elite status if you spend enough $$$. Marriott Hotels has a Visa card that gives you points towards status, plus other perks including 15 nights credit toward elite status (which is enough for Silver status by itself) in their program each year. Higher status = more benefits (for example, Marriott and Starwood give their top status levels free internet at any hotel worldwide).

OTOH, if you won't be focusing your travel on any particular airline, then the Travelocity card may be OK, or look at AmEx cards (the expen$ive AmEx Platinum gives free lounge access for several airlines) with their "Membership Rewards" program. The AmEx points can be transferred to a variety of other programs.

One other thing to keep in mind: the whole "rewards cards" landscape may well change if the Feds succeed in changing/limiting the swipe-fee structure.

I've got three "rewards" cards, including the AmEx Platinum and I do use it to access airline lounges regularly (much cheaper than buying access to AA and DL's lounges).

 

[CJones]

Do you focus your travel on one particular airline, or one particular hotel chain? If so - and if you will use the free flights/hotel rooms rather than turning the points into merchandise - then look there.

For example, if you fly Delta, look at their AmEx card that gives you redeemable points, and also "qualifying" points for elite status if you spend enough $$$. Marriott Hotels has a Visa card that gives you points towards status, plus other perks including 15 nights credit toward elite status (which is enough for Silver status by itself) in their program each year. Higher status = more benefits (for example, Marriott and Starwood give their top status levels free internet at any hotel worldwide).

OTOH, if you won't be focusing your travel on any particular airline, then the Travelocity card may be OK, or look at AmEx cards (the expen$ive AmEx Platinum gives free lounge access for several airlines) with their "Membership Rewards" program. The AmEx points can be transferred to a variety of other programs.

One other thing to keep in mind: the whole "rewards cards" landscape may well change if the Feds succeed in changing/limiting the swipe-fee structure.

I've got three "rewards" cards, including the AmEx Platinum and I do use it to access airline lounges regularly (much cheaper than buying access to AA and DL's lounges).

Well, I'm based in ATL, so the majority of my travel will be on Delta by default. My company pays for flights directly, though, so I don't get the double-dip of paying for flights with a SkyMiles card AND getting the miles from the flight - I just get the miles.

As far as hotels - I don't really have a preference yet. I don't think my company has a preferred hotel, either - just go with the 'best value' (though last week, we went with the $130 Hampton over the <$130 LaQuinta). Several of the people I was traveling with last week had Hilton Rewards cards but I'm not sure if that is their personal preference, or if it happens to work out well with our company's policies.

It seems like every airline and hotel chain out there has some sort of rewards credit card nowadays, and since I don't have any preference toward one over the other, it's a lot of buzz words to wade through to choose the best 'deal'. ha

 

[AggieMike88]

Credit Card rewards actually true rewards? Yeah.. Right! Link#2


When I travel on company business, I just use the company debit card. In the past 5 years since doing so, I've had no issues with acceptainces at airlines, hotels, or car rentals.

Nice and straight forward simple, easy to reconcile to Quickbooks when I return, and never any danger of having the trip "follow me home" (paying interest on the balance).

 

[ScottM]

I have to use a corporate AMEX card so no real choice. But back in the day when we could use whatever card we wanted several people I worked with would use their favorite hotel points card. They were earning miles from all the air travel so having a bunch of points on a hotel card, Holiday Inn was popular, meant that they could take the family with them and pay almost nothing. I earned my points at the hotels the old fashioned way and had more than enough when I traveled to stay at Hyatts and Hiltons.

 

[wsuffa]

I have to use a corporate AMEX card so no real choice. But back in the day when we could use whatever card we wanted several people I worked with would use their favorite hotel points card. They were earning miles from all the air travel so having a bunch of points on a hotel card, Holiday Inn was popular, meant that they could take the family with them and pay almost nothing. I earned my points at the hotels the old fashioned way and had more than enough when I traveled to stay at Hyatts and Hiltons.

Will the company let you get the points on AmEx membership rewards? A company I used to work for allowed us to get the AmEx points on the corp. card. I racked up a lot of points that way.

Current employer REQUIRES that we use company Citi MasterCard. No points for that, but I do get the hotel, airline & rental car points. I put mine into Marriott & Starwood....

Almost all of my points come from butt-in-seat (BIS) and/or actual hotel stays. The credit card points are a nice "plus", but the real value is getting status with the airlines/hotels. All the reward points get you are.... more travel... just what you want after traveling a lot on business. (To be fair, I've made some very nice trips on a personal project that I'm working on).

 

[ScottM]

Will the company let you get the points on AmEx membership rewards? A company I used to work for allowed us to get the AmEx points on the corp. card. I racked up a lot of points that way.

Nope. It is a corporate version of Amex. The company gets all the points and uses them to keep some of our other travel costs down....Allegedly.

 

[wsuffa]

Nope. It is a corporate version of Amex. The company gets all the points and uses them to keep some of our other travel costs down....Allegedly.

Depending on your company's deal, SOME corporate cards can allow you to accumulate personal points, too. It was great for me back when I had it as I'd earn points on both the corporate card spend & the personal card spend (I had two AmEx cards: one personal, one corporate). But a lot of companies cut the personal point benefit in exchange for some fee-deal with AmEx (usually no-fee cards or some kind of discount on other stuff).

 

[CJones]

The credit card points are a nice "plus", but the real value is getting status with the airlines/hotels. All the reward points get you are.... more travel... just what you want after traveling a lot on business. (To be fair, I've made some very nice trips on a personal project that I'm working on).

I've started tagging my Delta SkyMiles number to everything I can in my corporate travel profile. I'm a bit over the height of 5'4" that the airlines designed their seating for, so any easy bump-ups or preferential seat choices that I can get will be a bigger bonus than getting a free upgrade to a king bed at the hotel. One of the guys I was travelling with last week is a Gold Medallion member on Delta. When he checked in for our original flight, he got bumped to first class. Then we changed flights to an earlier flight at the last minute, so he lost his upgrade, but didn't have to pay to change his flight. While standing waiting for boarding, he got bumped to first class again. *That* is what I call a worthwhile 'perk' to traveling a lot.

 

[Everskyward]

But a lot of companies cut the personal point benefit in exchange for some fee-deal with AmEx (usually no-fee cards or some kind of discount on other stuff).

That must be what we have because I have never heard of points going to either the company or the employees with the company AMEX. The only points I get through company travel are hotel and airline, and we don't travel on the airline very much.

 

[Keith Lane]

I've started tagging my Delta SkyMiles number to everything I can in my corporate travel profile. I'm a bit over the height of 5'4" that the airlines designed their seating for, so any easy bump-ups or preferential seat choices that I can get will be a bigger bonus than getting a free upgrade to a king bed at the hotel. One of the guys I was travelling with last week is a Gold Medallion member on Delta. When he checked in for our original flight, he got bumped to first class. Then we changed flights to an earlier flight at the last minute, so he lost his upgrade, but didn't have to pay to change his flight. While standing waiting for boarding, he got bumped to first class again. *That* is what I call a worthwhile 'perk' to traveling a lot.

All true...
I've been on the road 5 weeks in a row now, with Chyenne and Seattle coming up, and have been upgraded on 6 legs.
I have a personal Delta Amex that I put everything on and my Holiday Inn Priority Club points and Avis Preferred go towards Delta.
So my wife and kids get a trip to upstate New York on my Skymiles for her 30th high school reunion over Memorial Day weekend. I get to stay home and watch the dogs.....

 

[Ghery]

My corporate card is an Amex card. The only way I'd have an Amex card. If there are any benefits, my employer gets them. Fortunately I get to keep miles on my UA and AS frequent flier memberships, and the various hotel programs (if I can remember which hotels go with which programs, it's a mess).

 

[Ted]

Use a personal American Express and take all the points you can get. I would avoid taking a corporate card unless:

1) You can't get an AmEx (or any card with a high credit limit)
2) They take forever to pay back

My company does very quick paybacks, and I wish I'd never gotten the corporate card. I would've gotten a ton of points on last year's travel, and having to do everything with the corporate card makes for a real pain. Nevermind the fact that I have too many cards in my wallet.

Get your various rewards programs for whichever airlines and hotels you prefer and/or will use most often. I use Priority Club and normally stay with Holiday Inn, as that's typically the most convenient to where I have to go. I think it's a very good rewards program - I practically have enough points from work to never have to pay for a personal hotel stay for the rest of my life. You effectively get double points this way - specific points for the program, and then points on your AmEx. The AmEx points are great, so far they've bought me a Nikon D40 and a Sony HandyCam.

 

[wsuffa]

Use a personal American Express and take all the points you can get. I would avoid taking a corporate card unless:

1) You can't get an AmEx (or any card with a high credit limit)
2) They take forever to pay back

My company does very quick paybacks, and I wish I'd never gotten the corporate card. I would've gotten a ton of points on last year's travel, and having to do everything with the corporate card makes for a real pain. Nevermind the fact that I have too many cards in my wallet.

That assumes you can. We are prohibited from using personal cards except under exceptional circumstances (such as: corporate card not accepted). Any exception to the policy has to be approved by the CFO.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

It looks like my job will start requiring more travel soon.

I currently have a Travelocity rewards credit card, but it looks like I have to spend around $5000 to get $50 back.

For those of you that travel, what do you recommend to use as a 'rewards' type of credit card for biz travel?

Look for the card with the best rewards for you that's accepted where you travel (I do some international, some cards aren't accepted overseas). Last year a dividend card gave me 5%(!) back on hotels as part of a promo to get people to use their card. Real sweet deal, getting 5% of money I was reimbursed for and I was using hotels almost 1/2 the time during the promo.

These few months, I'm using a combination of points and miles.

Also, don't forget about hotel loyalty programs. The sales team I work with like HHonors (Hampton Inn) and Holiday Inn Express. They aren't great hotels but you know what you are getting. You can get free days in addition to your credit card rewards if they are separate (HHonors offered me a card). Also remember car rental loyalty programs.

 

[Everskyward]

That assumes you can. We are prohibited from using personal cards except under exceptional circumstances (such as: corporate card not accepted). Any exception to the policy has to be approved by the CFO.

I always thought having a company card was a good thing. That way you aren't fronting the company money. Most of the complaints I hear are from the employees who don't get issued a card. I don't think most companies would abuse this but you never know. For instance, a friend of mine told me that his employer, an aircraft management company, declared bankruptcy owing him about $20,000 in expenses. Luckily the aircraft owner made things right for him.

 

[wsuffa]

I always thought having a company card was a good thing. That way you aren't fronting the company money. Most of the complaints I hear are from the employees who don't get issued a card. I don't think most companies would abuse this but you never know. For instance, a friend of mine told me that his employer, an aircraft management company, declared bankruptcy owing him about $20,000 in expenses. Luckily the aircraft owner made things right for him.

That's a hitch with many corporate cards - and most employees don't realize it: the card companies have recourse against you personally if the company doesn't pay (some will even run a hard credit inquiry on you...).

So you can get burned either way.

 

[Ted]

That assumes you can. We are prohibited from using personal cards except under exceptional circumstances (such as: corporate card not accepted). Any exception to the policy has to be approved by the CFO.

Of course. My company's policy is you get a corporate card if you travel 5+ times per year. So I got mine when it was obvious I would be travling that amount.

As you later point out, you can get burned either way. I'd rather get the AmEx points for it.

 

[Everskyward]

That's a hitch with many corporate cards - and most employees don't realize it: the card companies have recourse against you personally if the company doesn't pay (some will even run a hard credit inquiry on you...).

So you can get burned either way.

I knew that but it seems like it's still a better idea to let the company pay the bill.

 

[jesse]

I use my corporate amex when it's business because the last thing I want are more expense reports to fill out.

I use a personal AMEX card for everything I possibly can in life. It really simplified my finances. I just pay the one bill a month. If they won't take the AMEX I have a Visa as a standby.

 

[Ted]

I use my corporate amex when it's business because the last thing I want are more expense reports to fill out.

Your company might be different. At mine, you have to fill out an expense report regardless.

I use a personal AMEX card for everything I possibly can in life. It really simplified my finances. I just pay the one bill a month. If they won't take the AMEX I have a Visa as a standby.

That's my strategy as well. The only thing my MasterCard gets used for is self-serve AvGas where they don't take AmEx and Sam's Club (also don't take AmEx).

The points are very nice.

 

[ScottM]

I use my corporate amex when it's business because the last thing I want are more expense reports to fill out.

Your company might be different. At mine, you have to fill out an expense report regardless.

Ditto here too. I still have to fill out an expense report even when using the corporate card. The only nice thing is that the expense report gets populated with the Amex expenses for me. I just have to provide the receipts and show what the charge was used for.

 

[JeffDG]

Ditto here too. I still have to fill out an expense report even when using the corporate card. The only nice thing is that the expense report gets populated with the Amex expenses for me. I just have to provide the receipts and show what the charge was used for.

For the most part, I don't even need to provide receipts for most stuff...airfare and hotel, yes. But meals, taxis, and the like, provided they're within reasonable limits, nope.

There's a little tab on our expense reporting application "Card Data", just select the items that apply to a specific report and voila...insta-expense report.

 

[Ted]

Ditto here too. I still have to fill out an expense report even when using the corporate card. The only nice thing is that the expense report gets populated with the Amex expenses for me. I just have to provide the receipts and show what the charge was used for.

That's pretty much how mine works as well. It does make things easier to populate and fill out.

 

[ScottM]

That's pretty much how mine works as well. It does make things easier to populate and fill out.

I agree, once the charges actually show up. I have found hotels are horrible at reporting charges. It seems like you check out on a Friday and it may be Tuesday before they finally run the charge and it gets on the bill. Then add a day for it to get onto the company account. I like coming back from business and sitting down on first thing Monday to get the expense report done. But can no longer do that.

 

[Ted]

I agree, once the charges actually show up. I have found hotels are horrible at reporting charges. It seems like you check out on a Friday and it may be Tuesday before they finally run the charge and it gets on the bill. Then add a day for it to get onto the company account. I like coming back from business and sitting down on first thing Monday to get the expense report done. But can no longer do that.

Agreed. That is a definite issue, and one that I have as well.

 

[CJones]

I just filled out my expense report for last week's trip. It took me a little less than 1 hr, but most of that was due to the fact that it was the first time I have used our corporate travel software. I'm sure I could do the complete report in well under 30 mins, now.

One nice thing about our company travel service is that there is an app that I d/l to my phone that allows me to create expenses on-the-go. Key in a few details, snap a pic of the receipt, and save it. When I get to my computer, all the expenses I entered from my phone are already listed along with the photo of the receipt. I just have to select them and apply them to my current expense report. Items that I reserve through the travel service (hotel, flight, car) are already saved in the expense list, so I just have to verify the amount and make changes if necessary, scan and upload a receipt, and apply it to the report. Since the only thing that goes directly to the corporate card is the flight, I don't have to wait for the other expenses to trickle down to the point that I can claim it for reimbursement.

Since I already have the Travelocity AmEx, I'll probably stick with it as my primary 'travel' card and make sure I get signed up for frequent traveler programs as necessary. After browsing over the different cards, it doesn't seem like there is really a homerun type of rewards card out there - especially since I don't have a strong preference to one chain over the other. At least with Travelocity, I can use my 'points' for all hotels/airlines/car rental places without any problems. Hopefully the frequent traveler programs will get me 'bonuses' for when I am traveling for biz and the Travelocity points will pay off in a cheap trip for the wife and I for pleasure.

 

[Everskyward]

I agree, once the charges actually show up. I have found hotels are horrible at reporting charges. It seems like you check out on a Friday and it may be Tuesday before they finally run the charge and it gets on the bill. Then add a day for it to get onto the company account. I like coming back from business and sitting down on first thing Monday to get the expense report done. But can no longer do that.

I always get a zero-balance receipt from the hotel when I check out so I know what the charge will be. On the other hand I often have problems finding out what the car rental charge is because we usually return it to an FBO and many of them can't figure it out themselves.

 

[Ted]

I always get a zero-balance receipt from the hotel when I check out so I know what the charge will be. On the other hand I often have problems finding out what the car rental charge is because we usually return it to an FBO and many of them can't figure it out themselves.

The problem with a lot of the expense reporting software (at least mine, and probably Scott's) is that you need to wait for the expense to appear on the credit card if you want the credit card to be paid.

I once had an error on a hotel receipt that I didn't catch until it processed and I was then trying to do my expense report. Then I had to call the hotel, get them to reverse the charge, and wait for it to show up in my expense software before I could finish up the report.

 

[jesse]

If I use the corporate AMEX I'll just get a print out once a month of all the charges. Staple the receipt to that print out and I'm done.

If I pay with my own card then I need to fill out additional expense reports.

 

[Everskyward]

The problem with a lot of the expense reporting software (at least mine, and probably Scott's) is that you need to wait for the expense to appear on the credit card if you want the credit card to be paid.

I see. We still do expense reports with paper and pencil.

 

[ScottM]

I see. We still do expense reports with paper and pencil.

Oracle and SAP sell enterprise finance solutions that get inflicted upon the corporate traveler. I get to work with a lot of people from many big companies and there is no one perfect solutions. But it seems the bigger the company the bigger the bureaucracy and financial tyranny when it comes to expense reports. But it is far from the number one complaint that I hear from my fellow travelers.

 

[gprellwitz]

Oracle and SAP sell enterprise finance solutions that get inflicted upon the corporate traveler. I get to work with a lot of people from many big companies and there is no one perfect solutions. But it seems the bigger the company the bigger the bureaucracy and financial tyranny when it comes to expense reports. But it is far from the number one complaint that I hear from my fellow travelers.

Not just big companies, but governmental institutions, too! Never mind that our "policy" references a travel service that we haven't had a contract with for years, or that we have NO travel support department. Each traveler is up to his or her own devices. Oh, and our expense reports are an Excel spreadsheet to which we are to attach ORIGINAL receipts, AND show that it has posted to our personal credit card.

 

[Everskyward]

I guess there are good things about being on the trailing edge of technology. Which reminds me, I need to go downstairs to have the hotel FAX my flight log...

 

[CJones]

Oracle and SAP sell enterprise finance solutions that get inflicted upon the corporate traveler. I get to work with a lot of people from many big companies and there is no one perfect solutions. But it seems the bigger the company the bigger the bureaucracy and financial tyranny when it comes to expense reports. But it is far from the number one complaint that I hear from my fellow travelers.

Around here, the people that rarely travel's #1 complaint is the expense report/travel service software.

The people that travel frequently's #1 complaint is the fact that they travel frequently.

It's all relative, I guess...

 

[JeffDG]

The people that travel frequently's #1 complaint is the fact that they travel frequently.

I haven't been doing much travel up until a couple months ago...so I have gone to the "Lackey" status with airlines.

I was getting onto a plane a couple weeks ago and someone turns to me and asks "How does it feel to be in the all other passengers group?" after they had called all the Platinum, Ruby, Diamond, Palladium, Uranium, and Kryptonite level passengers...my response: "It feels like I'm travelling the right amount."

 

[ScottM]

Around here, the people that rarely travel's #1 complaint is the expense report/travel service software.

The people that travel frequently's #1 complaint is the fact that they travel frequently.

It's all relative, I guess...

How true.

Years ago I had a guy who worked for me that was a fresh out grad. He refused to take the corporate credit card that would allow him to get free cash advances, in fact he did not believe in any credit cards at all. I had to have him travel and he complained that he was forever without money because his paychecks were going to front the company travel and it was taking too long to get reimbursed. There simply was no system for finance to give him a cash advance without a credit card.

He eventually quite over this issue and that I would never give him projects that he thought he was worthy of. He was a new guy and had yet to pay his dues but he wanted the projects that I would give to Sr. Engineers and technical staff. I tried to explain to him that he was the most jr. guy on the team and he had to be the one collecting field data for the other more sr. engineers for a while. When he proved that he could do those simple tasks then he would get more complex and higher visibility jobs. I was not sorry to see him go.

 

[wsuffa]

I use my corporate amex when it's business because the last thing I want are more expense reports to fill out.

I use a personal AMEX card for everything I possibly can in life. It really simplified my finances. I just pay the one bill a month. If they won't take the AMEX I have a Visa as a standby.

Your company might be different. At mine, you have to fill out an expense report regardless.

Likewise. We have to suffer with a miserable corporate travel agency (required) and horrid online expense reporting (SAP based). We have to fax receipts to a giant mailbox, they are then associated with the expense report and archived, but we have to hang on to the paper receipts for a year for possible audit.

I haven't had a problem with hotels, but the airport parking expenses take forever to post, and if too late can cause a delinquency in submitting expenses, which in turn causes late corporate payments to the card, which in turn generates nastygrams from accounting.

Jesse, you're very lucky if you don't have to do expense reports.

 

[Ted]

Jesse, you're very lucky if you don't have to do expense reports.

Jesse also works for a smaller business than either of us (assuming about you - I forget exactly who you work for).

Small businesses are typically much more logical than large ones.

 

[TMetzinger]

That's because at big firms accountants and HR types think that their job is to define reality rather than describe it. And they get quite annoyed when reality persists in being different than what they want.