Renting a Car for UC San Diego Business Travel

Last Updated: August 16, 2023 12:56:13 PM PDT

Use this step-by-step guide to rent a car for university business travel.

In the right place? This page covers rental cars for business travel. Personal rentals must be done via Connexxus.

For claiming an expense or requesting reimbursement, see instructions for using Concur.

If you purchased liability coverage and an exception applies, note the exception in the comments section of the Expense in Concur.

UC policy is to not distribute company identification numbers associated with regular cars since those numbers are embedded into Concur. For more information regarding renting a vehicle for business or personal travel please refer to Connexxus Resources in the Company Notes section of your Concur home page.

1. Review rental guidelines.

Rental car reimbursement is for up to an intermediate-size model unless a no-cost upgrade is provided. An expense for upgrading, including to obtain built-in GPS, is generally not eligible for reimbursement.

If a traveler is unfamiliar with the location of travel, an expense for hand-held or uninstalled GPS may be eligible for reimbursement. This must be documented in the Additional Comments field on the Expense in Concur.

To contain expenses, return the rental car with specified amount of gas in the tank so that refueling by the agency is not required. If necessary, an expense for refueling may be eligible for reimbursement when using a rental agency with a UC agreement. Not to exceed $1.50 per gallon plus the location’s average retail gas price per gallon at the time of rental.

2. Make pre-travel arrangements.

Obtain trip and traveler information, including citizenship
If a non-citizen, see requirements.
Create a Travel Request using Concur.

3. Find out about rental car coverage.

Review coverage when renting using a UC agreement (Concur Travel) which generally includes Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and liability insurance. Rental car insurance can be reimbursed only under special circumstances.

4. Follow these steps to rent from one of the car rental agencies with a UC agreement.

Use Concur Travel as agreements are automatically applied. Provide your Travel & Entertainment Card or personal credit card as payment method. UC policy is to not distribute National/Enterprise, or Hertz/DTG CDP numbers associated with regular cars since those numbers are embedded into the agency reservation systems.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), also known as a Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), and liability insurance are included as provided by the UC Agreement. Decline any CDW or liability insurance coverage offered by the agency.

Note: UC employees and students are restricted from renting 15-passenger vans for business travel due to safety concerns.

Note: If the type of travel requires a vehicle that is not covered by an agreement (such as some vans, trucks, SUVs, and some foreign destinations), then you may purchase collision damage coverage and be reimbursed after travel is over.

5. Pick up the rental car, and retain your receipt.

Confirm that the UC agreement (Concur Travel) special rate ID is noted on the contract before you sign it.
Retain your receipt. You must submit an original, itemized receipt for car rental reimbursement.

Find answers, request services, or get help from our team at the UC San Diego Services & Support portal.

Notice: UC San Diego travel policy, as published in Blink, is decisive. It has been adapted to UC San Diego's organization, delegation of authority, terminology, chart of accounts and processing applications. The source for UC San Diego travel policy is UC Travel Policy and Regulations (PDF).