Trip Authorization and Approval

The Trip Authorization feature is how organizations enable company travel policy for trips requiring approval prior to purchase.

• Authorization – Using email notifications, Abacus Travel provides an approval process for companies requiring booked trips to be authorized before purchasing.
• Policy Control at Availability –Abacus Travel provides companies with the ability to warn or prohibit users within Abacus Travel during the shopping process, such as if a trip is over a certain dollar amount or currency.

To view your organization’s current, active Trip Authorization Policy:

Terms to know:

• Always assume approved: All trips in the policy are assumed to be approved and do not require action by the Authorizer.
• Conditional approval (only applies to ‘Require trip Approval’): Use if the trip condition in the Description column requires approval. The condition applies when the Require Trip Approval box next to it is marked.
• Policy Control at Availability: Use these options to create a soft stop, a hard stop, or to provide no indicator for travelers when they search for travel:
  • Do Not Apply – Select this option if the company does not need to notify its travelers when they come across this policy. For example, if the trip does not include a return flight, the traveler is not warned or stopped from booking the trip.
  • Warn – Select this option if the company wants to warn its travelers when they encounter the policy violation. For example, if the trip does not include a return flight, or the cost is over a certain amount, the traveler receives a warning.
  • Prohibit – Select if the company needs to prevent travelers from booking the trip when they encounter the policy violation.

Trip conditions which can be configured with conditional approval are:

• ITINERARY
  • No return flight
  • No return rail
  • No overnight hotel
  • No rental car
  • Trip total cost over [amount] [currency of country]
  • Air/Itinerary booked less than [# days] days prior to departure.

   

• AIR
  • Did not take lowest airfare
  • Did not take preferred air option
  • Air Violated Class of Service Policy
  • Did not take any offered air contract
  • Did not take offered U.S. Flag carrier
  • Did not take offered air contract [contract name]
  • Air cost more than [amount/percent] [currency] over the lowest airfare offered
  • Total air cost more than [amount] [currency]

   

• CAR
  • Did not take offered contract car
  • Average daily car cost more than [daily car rate] [currency] (excluding taxes and surcharges)

   

• HOTEL
  • Did not take preferred hotel option
  • Did not take offered FEMA compliant hotel
  • Hotel nightly rate more than [nightly rate] [currency] (excluding taxes and surcharges)

   

• RAIL
  • Did not take lowest rail fare
  • Rail Violated Class of Service Policy
  • Rail cost more than [amount] [currency] over the lowest rail fare offered
  • Total rail cost more than [amount] [currency]