NEWSLETTER: Spring 2019

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UPCOMING TRAINING

The Travel & Expense Management team hosts a quarterly Lunch & Learn series to review information related to the travel and expense management programs. The PantherExpress Travel & Expense Management team is committed to ensuring that the community feels comfortable and confident with the travel and expense management tools, the Travel Card, and Concur system. The summer brown bag sessions will be:

  • Wed., July 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the William Pitt Union, University Ballroom
  • Thu., Aug. 1, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the William Pitt Union, University Ballroom

Both sessions will cover the same topics and provide time for questions and answers. The dates linked above direct to the University Calendar where you can download files to add to your personal calendar. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch; food will not be provided.

Have a topic you’d like to see covered? Submit your request to Emily Duchene, Travel Program Manager, by emailing educhene@cfo.pitt.edu.

NEW & EXCITING

Credit Card Administrator

Makia Hall joined the Payment Processing and Compliance department on March 5 as the Credit Card Administrator. Makia will be responsible for overseeing the P-Card, Travel Card, and Vincent card programs. She is replacing Margie Jaczesko, who transferred to Children’s Hospital in January of this year. Please submit all P-Card and Travel Card inquiries using the Payment Processing web inquiry forms.

 

University Airline Partnerships

The University of Pittsburgh has agreements with the four airlines we have the largest ticket volume with: American, Delta, Southwest, and United. All airlines offer discounts to our travelers and these discounts can be accessed only by booking through the Concur online booking tool or by working with Anthony Travel.

As part of our American Airlines agreement, Pitt travelers are eligible for Group 5 Preferred Seating. To receive this seating benefit, travelers must be enrolled in the AAdvantage program by going to aa.com/enroll. The AAdvantage membership number must then be entered into the Concur travel in the user’s "Profile Settings” in their profile. Travelers eligible to receive a higher boarding priority based on ticket class or AAdvantage Elite Status will still receive that higher priority boarding.

 

Southwest Airlines

Southwest expanded their nonstop flights from Pittsburgh on March 15, 2019. Each day there are up to 33 flights to 17 cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Cancun, Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston (Hobby), Las Vegas, Los Angeles (LAX), Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, St. Louis, and Tampa.

To secure the University of Pittsburgh rate, you must book through the Concur online booking tool or by working directly with an Anthony Travel agent. For Southwest ticket discounts to apply in Concur, you must wait for all options to fully load before clicking on any particular flight.

 

British Airways

As of April 2, 2019, British Airways has reentered the Pittsburgh market with a nonstop flight to London’s Heathrow Airport from Pittsburgh. The flights to London will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, leaving at 9:50 p.m. and arriving at 10:25 a.m. the next day. The flights returning to Pittsburgh will leave at 4:10 p.m. and arrive at 7:25 p.m. on those same four days. All times are local.

British Airways is a partner of American Airlines so the University receives the same discounts with both airlines. To benefit from the discounts, Pitt travelers must use the booking tool in Concur or working directly with Anthony Travel.

Travel Card Audit Reminders

As we approach the end of the academic and fiscal year, we wish to remind all cardholders about University Travel Card policies. The Travel Card is designed to be used by the cardholder to streamline the process of purchasing and paying for their travel and business entertainment expenses (i.e. University-sponsored events).

Per our policy, only the Travel Card cardholder may use their assigned card for which they are personally responsible. Cardholders must not allow others to use or take their Travel Card and should diligently secure their card to guard against fraud. Misuse of the Travel Card or oversight failures by supervisors or business administrators will result in sanctions, as defined in the policy, which may include Travel Card termination and disciplinary.

Travel Cards are available to all faculty, staff, and student employees who travel on University business and it is the recommendation of Payment Processing that each individual maintain their own card. Some cardholders may book for other travelers through Anthony Travel or the Concur booking tool; they must not give their Travel Card or card number out to others. Departments may place additional restrictions on the use or assignment of Travel Cards.

Certain departments with Travel Card super users may have exceptions, if agreed upon with Payment Processing in advance. Please contact Payment Processing using the Travel Card Inquiry to discuss whether a Travel Card super user option might be available for your department, or if you have any other questions about the Travel Card policy.

REAL ID Updates

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began offering REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards on March 1, 2019. Pennsylvania residents who wish to receive a new, REAL ID compliant card will need to present up to four forms of identification:

  • An original or certified copy of a birth certificate with a raised seal or valid U.S. Passport,
  • An original Social Security card,
  • Proof of all legal name changes, such as a marriage certificate or order issued by a county family court,
  • Two proofs of your current, physical Pennsylvania address. This can include your current driver’s license and a bank statement or utility bill that is no more than 90 days old and includes your name and address.

In addition to the regular renewal fee, currently $30.50, customers will pay a one-time fee of $30 to upgrade to REAL ID. The expiration date of new, REAL ID will be four years from your existing one. For more information on Pennsylvania REAL ID, please visit the Pennsylvania DMV website. Residents of other states should visit the Department of Homeland Security website for information about their state of residence.

REMINDER

Year End Reconciliation

All Expense Reports that should be charged to current fiscal year budgets must be submitted in accordance with the General Accounting Close Schedule. The FY19 schedule has not been published but we expect the date to be June 24. It is critical to the University’s financial statements that all expenses are properly recorded as University expenses in a timely fashion.

Payment Processing has a defined procedure forforced reconciliation of older expenses to ensure compliance and reconcile outstanding liabilities. All expenses made prior to April 1, which would be more than 90-days old at the close of the fiscal year (June 30), will be included in this process. We will send a message to Concur users about this process on Wednesday, April 17.

For future travel expenses purchased before April 1, 2019 that should be applied to FY20 (next fiscal year) budgets, please follow the procedure to exclude those Travel Card charges from the process.

RECAP

PEXT Travel Fair

We want to thank all University travelers and purchasers who attended our first annual PEXT Travel Fair for making it such a success. Over 250 members of faculty and staff participated in the Fair on March 19 in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. Attendees learned about the benefits provided by our partnering vendors and the PantherExpress Travel Program.

The event featured nearly 30 vendors, including all of our major airline providers and many of our local hotel and signature venue partners. Our rental car company, airport parking, and University partners, such as UCIS Global Operations, were also in attendance.

 

Photos from the event.

 

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