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Find answers to common questions about travel processing, policy, and the UCSD Travel Card program. Some questions appear in more than 1 section.
In the right place? For questions on other travel and entertainment related topics, see:
Advance/ prepayment
UCSD Travel Card
Direct deposit
Event number/ preauthorization
Expense reimbursement (MyTravel)
Expense reimbursement (Paper TEV)
Mileage reimbursement
Traveler account
Q: Can I be paid for expenses before travel?
A: No. Travel reimbursement occurs after travel concludes. If you need to make a payment for conference registration fees more than 21 days in advance, there are several options:
Q: Which receipts are required, and what do I do if one is missing?
A: The following receipts are required:
See more about required receipts and what to do if you are missing one.
Q: How do I check the status of a prepayment (such as for a hotel, registration, or cash advance)?
A: Use TravelLink's Event Summary feature:
Q: What is the turnaround time?
A: Allow up to 4 business days from the time UCSD Travel receives the request. Processing time may be shorter depending on the type of request (advance, entertainment, mileage, or paper Travel Expense Voucher). If requests are first routed through your business office for approval, check to see when it was approved. Processing time may be longer if there is an error to be resolved.
Q: What is the UCSD Travel Card? What is it used for?
A: The UCSD Travel Card is available to employees who travel or entertain on behalf of the university. It's used to pay expenses for official business travel or entertainment.
Q: Is my bill paid automatically?
A: No. As a courtesy, UCSD Travel offers, on request, the option of issuing a payment to your UCSD Travel Card account on your behalf. When you report expenses, using either MyTravel, a paper Travel Expense Voucher, or a paper Entertainment form, you can indicate the amount to be paid to your UCSD Travel Card account.
Q: I asked for payment to go to my Travel Card account. When will it be applied to my bill?
A: Timing depends on when your claim was processed. Travel sends daily payments, which typically post to accounts in three banking days. You can verify that a payment was applied by checking your online statement or viewing the Event Summary in TravelLink (payments show a document number starting in “TC”). Late fees are the cardholder's responsibility.
Q: How should airfare charged to UCSD Travel Card be listed on the paper TEV?
A: List any airfare charged to the UCSD Travel Card as a prepaid expense on the TEV. Do not include on the "Direct Payment Corporate Card" line, as it has already been paid by UCSD.
Q: What does "memo only" mean on a UCSD Travel Card statement?
A: A "memo only" item is a charge that has been automatically "stripped" or deducted from the cardholder's account and paid by UCSD Travel. It is not included in the cardholder's amount due. When reporting expenses online via MyTravel, the amount should automatically show as UCSD-paid. If you need to use a paper TEV, list the amount as an advance/ prepayment in box 14.
Q: Why are there late fees on my UCSD Travel Card account?
A: Late fees are assessed when a cardholder's account is past due. It is each cardholder's responsibility to keep the account current and pay any late fees incurred.
Q: How do I enroll in direct deposit for Travel/ Disbursements?
A: Follow the enrollment instructions for Disbursements Direct Deposit.
Q: Why do I need an event number?
A: The event number is required. It allows for and tracks prepayments and cash advances associated with the trip. (See instructions for obtaining an event number/ preauthorizing travel.)
Q: Is my Social Security number required to set up a travel event/ preauthorization?
A: Only for a non-UCSD employee who is traveling for the University for the first time. A non-employee's Social Security number is required for initial traveler account setup only. (Learn more about setting up a traveler account.)
Q: Can I change an index after obtaining the travel event number/ preauthorization?
A: Yes, when reporting expenses. An index different from that used to set up the travel event/ preauthorization can be entered in MyTravel or the Travel Expense Voucher.
Q: How do I cancel a travel event/ preauthorization?
A: First make sure there are no advances or prepaid expenses:
Q: What is the difference between TravelLink and MyTravel?
A: They are two distinct applications:
Q: Where do I go to approve a MyTravel claim?
A: Go to MyApprovals where you can see MyTravel claims awaiting your review.
Q: How do I check the status of a MyTravel claim?
A: In MyTravel, on the Start tab, Select Event page. You will see the status to the right of the event information (for example, "Pending Traveler Certification"). For additional details, click on the status to see a list of actions along with dates and times.
Q: What happens with receipts for MyTravel?
A: Your department is responsible for retaining receipts for a MyTravel claim. (See guidelines for receipt retention.)
Q: Why is the event number not listed in MyTravel?
A: There are 2 possible reasons:
Q: Does "MyTravel" mean my travel?
A: Not necessarily. MyTravel is the name of UCSD's online travel expense reporting tool. As a UCSD employee, you can use MyTravel to complete your own claim. Those who assist travelers can use MyTravel to complete claims for employees and non-employees.
Q: What is the MyTravel approval process?
A: It depends on who completed the MyTravel claim:
Q: What if the traveler did not get an e-mail requesting certification?
A: Go to MyTravel and resubmit the claim to generate a new certification request e-mail.
Q: Is it foreign travel if a visitor is coming to UCSD from a foreign country?
A: No. If the destination is in the continental U.S., it's domestic travel from UCSD’s perspective, regardless of the visitor’s point of origin. However, for federally funded travel for foreign visitors traveling to the U.S., the account code must comply with federal requirements. To reimburse travel expenses, visa requirements must be met first for any non-U.S. citizen visitors.
Q: Do I need to submit a mileage log?
A: See the answer for your specific expense reporting method:
Q: Can I submit multiple trips on 1 claim?
A: Yes. Regardless of the method used to claim mileage, include all the necessary information, such as locations visited, dates, business purpose(s), mileage rate, and total expense amount for each trip.
Q: Can I put "UCSD business" for the purpose of my mileage claim?
A: No. Regardless of the method used to claim mileage, list the specific business purpose(s) for the claim. (You can only claim mileage if you are on official UCSD business.)
Q: What would delay my claim from being reimbursed in a timely manner?
A: If you're submitting a claim using the MLG template in Payment Authorization, a TEF, or a TEV, delays can happen if the claim is incomplete or if mileage log/ parking receipts are required and not received by Travel.
Notice: UCSD travel policy, as published in Blink, is decisive. It has been adapted to UCSD's organization, delegation of authority, terminology, chart of accounts, and processing applications. The source for UCSD travel policy is UC Travel Policy and Regulations.