University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Prior to making hotel reservations, review UW-System lodging and meal maximums. The meal maximums are found in the column labeled 'Local Meals'. As with travel within the States, there are city maximums in foreign countries and meal maximums vary from city to city. If the destination city is not indicated, the meal maximum rate used is 'other'.

As a reminder, when seeking reimbursement for meals, the reimbursement is limited to what was actually spent while not exceeding the maximum.

Travelers should contact Safety and Risk Management regarding Medex medical emergency assistance coverage. This program isn't a health insurance program; employees are covered by worker's compensation while in travel status on University business.

• Ensure the availability of competent health care as promptly as possible in situations where health care may not be available or not be up to U.S. standards.
• This coverage is free to the traveler and could prove to be enormously valuable if the need for medical services should arrive.

Warning: Some U.S. medical insurance policies are not valid outside the United States. While employees are covered under worker's comp, individuals accompanying an employee are not. Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas may face extreme difficulties so check before leaving!

• U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States.
• Please check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies overseas. Other questions to ask are:
• Are there provisions for medical evacuation?
• Will payment be made to the overseas hospital/doctor or will the traveler be reimbursed later for expenses that are incurred
• Some insurance policies also include coverage for psychiatric treatment and for disposition of remains in the event of death.

Useful information on medical emergencies abroad, including overseas insurance programs, is provided in the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs brochure, Medical Information for Americans Traveling Abroad, available via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page.

Special note on group travel:
Whenever travel includes groups of students, there are liability issues involved with ground transportation, lodging, etc. No arrangements should be made without contacting Purchasing Services.

US Bank cardholders can continue to use their magnetic stripe Visa card in countries. Merchant terminals are designed to recognize and prompt appropriately, and you should still be able to sign a transaction receipt. US Bank Corporate Travel card is available to all employees. As a reminder, airfare, lodging and car rental must be charged to this card.

Tips: In some of the less developed countries, cards of any kind aren't accepted. With the US Bank Corporate Travel Card's cash advance feature there's no need to carry large amounts of cash. The advance is normally limited to $200/month, however this limit can be increased on an 'as needed' basis. Please contact the Travel Auditor in Accounting Services prior to departure to discuss the issue.

With all credit cards there's a chance of a computer mix-up and a card could be suspended. Because of this it's a good idea to carry both the US Bank Corporate Travel card and another card.

Usually exchanging money at a bank in the destination country affords the best rate of exchange. When submitting the TER, all receipts must be converted to the U.S. equivalents. Please review the conversions instructions below.

Tip: Any foreign currency not spent should be converted prior to leaving that country. Exchanging foreign currency upon returning to the States involves producing a State ID and paying a flat fee. Since the traveler has the option to do conversions prior to returning home, any conversion fees incurred here are the responsibility of the traveler and not a reimbursable expense.

How to Obtain the Exchange Rate
All expenses claimed on a TER must be converted to U.S. dollar. Source of conversion rate must be stated on TER and documented. Conversions rates can be done by:

• Exchanging money in destination country. Retain original receipts to submit with expenses.
• If exchanging more than once, use average of all exchange rates
• NOTE: Commission charged must be claimed as a separate line item
• Wait for credit card statement and use the amount billed by the company
• NOTE: Since credit card companies often tag-on a service charge, the exchange rate they reference may be higher than the actual exchange rate was during that time period. Because of this, expenses not on the credit card need to be converted by the actual exchange rate.
• When submitting expenses, a copy of credit card statement must be included as documentation of exchange rate.
• Use the Oanda currency converter to find the conversion rate for dates of travel.
• There's no need to specify the conversion rate for each day of travel. Selecting a date in the middle of the trip and using that for all conversions will suffice. Print screen of Oanda must be attached to TER as documentation.

• Reduce time spent completing TER since conversions are done automatically
• Reduce audit time so traveler receives reimbursement more quickly

• Customize the built-in formula to reflect the correct exchange rate for the period of time they were traveling
• If help is needed for customizing the formula, contact Travel Auditor
• Complete worksheet online so formulas will do the calculating
• Indicate in the appropriate cell on the worksheet the exchange rate used and attach documentation confirming the rate
• Number receipts to correspond with number on the worksheet
• Attach the worksheet and exchange rate documentation to the TER when submitting

Rules vary from country to country so it's important to know, prior to making arrangements for a trip, what foreign entry requirements there are for the destination.

Reasonable charges for passports, visas and associated required photographs are reimbursable when incurred in connection with official UW business. The cost of inoculations and other routine medical procedures required for entry into certain foreign countries, which is not covered by insurance, is also reimbursable. Receipts are required if the claim exceeds $25.

Cell phone and prepay phone cards are no longer reimbursable. Employees making official business phone calls must provide an explanation for the call as well as a receipt.

Airfare

• Passenger receipt portion of ticket or original E-ticket
• Itinerary showing traveler's name, destination, departure and return dates
• Documentation showing amount of fare, routing, class of travel
• Proof of personal purchase by US Bank card

World Airports is a great site for information for before-hand knowledge of taxis, shuttle services or any ground transportation. Maps showing terminal layouts can make transferring between terminals easier and help a traveler locate where to find the ground transportation.

Bus Travel

• Bus fares for University travel are reimbursable
• To/from information is required on the TER Receipts if conversion rate is over $5
• TIP: Write on the receipt when it's purchased regarding the to/from information. Most tickets are dated, however if they aren't, write date on the ticket

Car Rental

• National will afford Eligible Renters with International Flat Rates, which are quoted in local currency. A complete set of rates for National Rental's (US) Inc. global system exists in countries throughout Europe, Middle East Africa (EMEA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Asia and the Pacific Basin. Rates are accessible through all reservation systems worldwide.
• International discounts are subject to change without notice and may differ wherever local government restrictions limit or prohibit these discounts. International Flat Rates include the minimum required amount of liability protection as determined by the applicable laws of each country. The rates also include coverage for damage and/or theft (where applicable). These rates do not include personal accident insurance. Using the US Bank Travel Visa card (UW-System) will provide full primary collision insurance on car rentals
• As with travel within the U.S., a rental car can only be reimbursed if it complies with regulation guidelines.

Rail Passes

• Europass - This offers travel within the five most frequently traveled countries in Europe
• Eurail pass allows travel within 17 different countries
• BritRail allows travel within England, Scotland and Wales
• Single country passes

All the general guidelines for submitting an expense report apply to TERs involving foreign travel but there are also a few additions. This section is meant to expedite reimbursement of the traveler's expense.

• Get organized even before leaving! Traveler must sbumit original, itemized receipts. Knowing this, some travelers bring envelopes to date and put receipts in each day.
• Whenever possible, obtain receipts showing the Value Added Tax (VAT) as UW System has contracted with a firm to recover VAT in some countries.
• Use the TER found on the Travel Forms page.
• Write a note of explanation on the receipt at the time it is received to help when filling out a TER.
• Expenses must be listed in chronological order (per UW-System).
• All expenses/receipts must be converted to USD when completing the TER
• All expenses/receipts must be in English (or translated)
• Purpose of trip needs to be clearly defined.
• If going to a conference, include the documentation to indicate dates and location of an event
• If visiting foreign schools, a daily itinerary needs to be included along with names, dates and purpose of visit
• Include emails, letters, etc. confirming dates of meeting
• The more information that is provided with the TER, the less time it should take to do the audit.
• Use the description area to explain expenses - including miscellaneous expenses. If lumping miscellaneous expenses together its important to indicate a breakdown of expenses in the description area of the TER (i.e. $2 maid tip, etc).