FAQs: Travel Planning and Expensing

VPF Contract Advisors are authorized agents to sign any supplier contract on behalf of MIT. DLC staff do not have the authorization to sign supplier contracts on behalf of MIT.

Contact VPF Travel at travelsupport@mit.edu or come to the Travel Drop-in Sessions, Wednesday, 10–11 am in NE49-3100.

Yes, Concur is an optional tool available to travelers and is easily used for simple trips. Travelers and departments are welcome to use any of MIT’s preferred agencies for longer trips. Itineraries for trips booked with Concur or with The Travel Collaborative (an MIT preferred travel agency) will automatically appear in the Upcoming Trips sections of the traveler’s profile. These can quickly be converted to expense reports.

For booking questions call:

Jessica Tam 617-253-2756

For Concur expense reporting questions call:

DonnaMarie Cusano  617-715-4747

Katie Diaz                  617-258-0370

For credit card inquiries call:

Kathy McGrath   617-253-8366

Kim Harmon       617-253-8360

For accounting inquiries call:

DonnaMarie Cusano  617-715-4747

• Wrong cost object listed to charge expenses
• Missing original receipts above $75
• No original detailed hotel bill
• No receipt for business meeting regardless of the amount
• No receipt for local travel and dining regardless of the amount
• No itemized receipt for meals above $75
• No original detailed car rental receipt
• No original passenger receipt or detailed website receipt for airline tickets;
• No documentation on business-related meetings that involve food/meals (list of participants, affiliation and topic of discussion)
• No discretionary account for unallowable expenses
• Excessive costs
• Incorrect mailing address for guest travelers
• Required additional approval from Research Administration Services, Senior Officer or Provost
• Foreign bank draft reimbursement
• Use of a foreign-flag carrier on a sponsored project
• Alcohol charged to a sponsored project

If the traveler has direct deposit with MIT HR/Payroll they will receive a reimbursement several days after it is approved for payment. If a traveler is reimbursed though a guest expense report they will receive a check in seven to ten days.

Direct Deposit is available if the traveler has direct deposit information on file with HR/Payroll and has created the expense report in his or her Concur profile and not a guest profile.

When you use the MIT Online Travel Booking and Expense Reporting System to reserve your flights, MIT’s preferred travel agency, The Travel Collaborative, will handle fulfillment/ticketing in the same manner as a phone reservation. Electronic tickets are issued unless otherwise requested.

Yes, you can make changes before your ticket is issued. To add or modify your trip, click the name of the trip on the Upcoming Trips section of My Concur and then click Change Trip.

On the My Concur page, review the Upcoming Trips section. For more detailed information, click the appropriate trip name in the Trip Name/Description column and then click View Itinerary.

To make changes to your seat assignment or add a hotel or car reservations to a trip, click the trip name in the Upcoming Trips area of the My Concur if you booked using Concur or The Travel Collaborative. To change your air itinerary contact your travel agency directly. Call the airline if you booked the air travel on an airline website or call the travel company if you booked the air travel on a third party travel website.

Note: When you contact your travel agency to cancel your reservation, the itinerary is not
automatically removed from the Upcoming Travel section on My Concur. To remove the canceled itinerary from the Upcoming Travel section:

1. In the Upcoming Travel section, select the appropriate itinerary
2. Click View Request and then click Withdraw Request.

The MIT Online Travel Booking and Expense Reporting System will send your itinerary to you immediately after you confirm the trip. Your agency will email your final itinerary when it is ticketed. In addition, you can view your itinerary in the Upcoming Trips section on the My Concur or Travel pages.

MIT has many preferred hotels throughout the Cambridge/Boston area along with other cities out of state and internationally. All preferred hotels with MIT negotiated rates can be booked for personal travel by the MIT community. 

MIT's preferred travel agency is The Travel Collaborative, who serves as the fulfillment agency for reservations made with Concur. 

Negotiated fares and discounts, for most MIT discounted airlines, are for business related travel only.

Yes, some vendors provide e-receipts, but they may not contain sufficient detail so please attach the detailed receipt you receive from the travel agency.

MIT has two car rental Preferred Suppliers Budget and Avis.

These rental car companies can be used for official Institute business and also for personal travel (however, be sure to use the correct corporate ID numbers which can be found on Supplier Search). Travelers using rental cars for domestic official institute business travel should not purchase any optional insurance coverage such as loss, collision, personal accident or liability. If so, the expense will be deducted from the travel expense report, regardless of whether a preferred rental car company is used. The MIT preferred companies have included the cost of insurance in their rates, therefore, should a traveler get into an accident, MIT will be fully covered. The rental insurance should, however, be purchased for international rentals or rentals in Alaska and Puerto Rico.

Please note: MIT’s insurance will only cover travelers who rent a car for MIT business. MIT’s insurance does not extend to personal travel.

You would submit a second expense report with the original report name and “Addendum” in the new report name. Any additional expenses pertaining to a previous trip should be added to the NEW expense report and submitted. For records purposes, please note the TR number (can be found in MIT detailed report) of the original report in the new report.

Yes. All expenses will be entered manually as “out of pocket” expenses and will be reimbursed after the completion of the trip.

Whenever a meal involves a non-MIT party, it must be classified as a business meeting.