Paying for Conference Registration or Hotel Deposit

Complete Going on a Trip in TravelLink.

Note: Preauthorization is required, regardless of the method of payment or reporting expenses.

• Express Card: For conference registration only, not travel expenses, such as hotel.
  • Note: Registration fees paid using the Express Card should not be claimed as a travel expense, regardless of the reporting method.
• UCSD Travel Card: For travel within 21 days.
• Personal form of payment (e.g., personal credit card)
• Request prepayment using TravelLink or foreign wire, depending on the destination (e.g., domestic or foreign)

• Express Card (for registration fees):
  • Provide the card number and ask for a confirmation number.
  • Don't enter registration paid by Express Card as an expense in MyTravel. Instead, add a note on the MyTravel Registration tab:
    "Registration fee of $___ was paid using the Express Card."
  • Once the charge appears in ECManager, select an account code:
    • In-state conference: 652010
    • Out-of-state conference: 652910
• UCSD Travel Card:
  • Provide the card number and ask for a confirmation number.
  • If paying 21 days or more in advance of travel for registration or hotel deposit, set up a second event number in TravelLink (e.g., titled “Amend Evt (00######), Reg/Hotel, 6/29/2008”) then use MyTravel to report the expense(s) immediately to prevent late payment.
    Note: In place of the trip dates, use the payment date. When using the Travel Card to pay registration and hotel deposit, payment dates should be as close together as possible to allow expense reporting via a single amendment event.
  • For hotel deposit, pay the bill timely and claim the expense after travel is over. If this creates financial hardship, use a Travel Expense Form (TEF) and contact the Travel Team to request a review of exception to policy.
• Personal credit card:
  • Provide the card number and ask for a confirmation number.
  • You must complete the trip before requesting reimbursement.
• Request prepayment for domestic travel (TravelLink):
  • Request the hotel's and/ or conference vendor's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) and billing address.
  • For hotel only:
    • Reserve the room and ask for the amount of the room rate and any applicable taxes.
    • Provide a personal credit card number to hold the room and ask for a confirmation number. In most cases, the account will not be charged as UCSD Travel will issue a payment to the hotel after you complete the request in TravelLink.
  • Use TravelLink to request a prepayment.
  • Complete individual prepayment requests in TravelLink for:
    • Hotel deposit
    • Conference registration
      Tip: For vendor ID, you can either enter the FEIN or search using the spyglass icon next to the Vendor ID field.
• Request prepayment for foreign travel (foreign wire):
  • Reserve a room for the duration of stay. Mail or fax the completed conference registration form directly to the conference vendor. Retain a copy for your records.
  • Follow requesting a wire instructions to complete a foreign wire form (Excel) for each prepayment for each traveler.
  • Write the event number and traveler ID on the top of the wire form, and either scan as a PDF to e-mail to travel@ucsd.edu or fax it to UCSD Travel, (858) 822-1546. For registration, include a copy of the completed conference registration form.
    Note: The copy of the conference registration will be used for documentation purposes only and not accompany the wire to the banking institution.

The turn-around time for UCSD Travel to approve and issue a prepayment or wire is generally 4 days.

Check the status of a prepayment or wire at any time by viewing the Event Summary screen in TravelLink.

Notes when requesting prepayment using a foreign wire:

• Calculating the number of days it takes for a wire to reach a foreign banking institution is difficult and depends upon many factors. Please consider time zones, weekends, holidays (including those specific to a given country or region), and bank processing times.
• Contact the conference vendor or hotel directly to confirm that the payment has been received and properly credited to the traveler. Confirmation is important when payment is being made via wire, since banking institutions may or may not include traveler information when depositing the monies in the conference vendor's or hotel's account.