Concur Requests & Travel
About
The University has partnered with World Travel, Inc. (WTI) to assist travelers in making their arrangements. University-related travel can be booked using the Concur Travel portal or over the phone with a WTI travel agent. This allows travelers to make arrangements consistent with Columbia's travel policies and affords several benefits:
- 24/7 support with changes, cancellations, or itinerary modifications when needed
- Air or rail travel booked using the Central Pay method will be paid directly (no out-of-pocket reimbursement required)
- All international travel will be automatically registered for International SOS (ISOS) itinerary monitoring and will receive automatic real-time push alerts for destination countries
- All international travelers will be automatically registered for international travel insurance coverage through Aetna
If you have any questions, please contact the Concur Team at concur@law.columbia.edu. For travel booking questions, contact World Travel at 1-855-961-0313.
Noteworthy
- All Faculty & Staff need a Concur profile in order to book travel with Concur or receive reimbursements. Get Started with Concur
- Only designated Staff, Travel Arrangers, can book travel on behalf of Students and Guests
- All travel requires a Detailed Business Purpose addressing the 5 W's: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
- SpeedChart Key and SpeedChart Description must be provided
Transaction Fees
To review a complete description of Business Travel transaction fees for travel booked in the Concur Travel portal or with a WTI Travel Counselor over the phone, refer to the following chart: Transaction Fee Chart
Pre-Trip & Advance Requests
Log into Concur and click on the Requests tab to start a request
Guidance for users submitting Pre-Trip/Advance Requests in Concur:
Type of Request
Select from the drop-down menu:
CU Travel Cash Advance to request a cash advance for travel related expenses
CU Non-Travel Expense/Advance to request a cash advance for business related expenses (non-travel)
CU Pre-Trip Request to request pre-trip approval in order to travel and be reimbursed for travel related expenses
CU Pre-Trip Request w Advance to request pre-trip approval in order to travel and request a cash advance for travel related expenses
School, Division, Sub-Division and Admin Department
This section should default from your Concur Profile, but you can edit if necessary
Request Name
Use the following report naming convention: Traveler's UNI and Traveler's Name
- Example: MGP203 Mary Grace Peterson
This section only appears if you chose "CU Non-Travel Expense/Advance" as the Type of Request:
Start Date of Expense
End Date of Expense
This section only appears if you chose "CU Pre-Trip Request" as the Type of Request:
Business Travel Start Date
Business Travel End Date
Trip Purpose
Final Destination City
Detailed Business Purpose / Funding Source
Include the SpeedChart Key and SpeedChart Description followed by a detailed explanation of the business purpose which should include who, what, when, where, why and how it ties into Columbia University’s business (include additional destinations if applicable):
- Example: 55AOP60 Law Administration Professional Development. Mary needs to request pre-trip approval for an economy class airfare to attend the Annual Business Administration Conference as part of the professional development initiative at Lauder University in Florida, on January 24, 2021.
This section only appears if you chose either "CU Travel Cash Advance" or "CU Pre-Trip Request w Advance" as the Type of Request:
Travel Type
Trip Type
Will this trip include personal travel?
Personal Travel Dates? (mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy; mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy; etc...)
Comment
GL BU, Department, PC Business Unit, Project, Activity, Initiative, Segment, Site
These ChartFields default from your Concur Profile, but you may need to override any of the existing values to match the values of the SpeedChart you selected.
- Example: If the GL BU, Department, PC Business Unit, Project, Activity, Initiative values all match, but the Segment appears to be different. Override the existing value in the Segment field to match the value in the Segment you see in the SpeedChart.
Cash Advance
This section only appears if you are requesting a cash advance request:
Purpose for Advance
Payment via Direct Deposit / ACH / Check
Cash Advance Amount
Cash Advance Comment
Follow this training guide to reconcile an approved Travel/Cash Advance by creating an Expense Report from the Request in Concur and follow our Expense Report Guidance to complete the report header.
Job Aid: Reconciling Pre-Trip and Travel/Cash Advance Requests
Concur Travel Portal
Pre-trip approval is required for all travel in advance of the trip to be able to book travel and get reimbursed for travel related expenses. You will not be able to submit an Expense Report without obtaining pre-trip approval beforehand. Submit a Pre-Trip Request
First/Business Class Travel
Airfares should be booked in economy class. If you need accommodation due to a documented medical condition that has been approved by the University's Leave Management office, need to book a flight that has a scheduled in-air flight time in excess of five hours, or need to travel in first class due to extenuating circumstances, your trip must be pre-approved by our Senior Business Officer.
Log into Concur and click on the Travel tab to start booking
Guidance for users booking travel using the Concur Travel portal:
The first step is to set up your Concur profile in order to book travel with Concur or receive travel and expense reimbursements. If you have already set up your Concur profile there is no need to take any additional action. For those who have not had the opportunity to set up a Concur profile, please follow these guidelines: Get Started with Concur
If you need help regarding your profile setup, workflow or have questions about local travel and business expense policy, please feel free to contact our Business Office at concur@law.columbia.edu
The second step is to book your University-related travel using the Concur Travel portal or over the phone with a WTI travel agent. To learn how to book domestic flights, hotels, and car rentals in Concur Travel, watch the following video:
Video: Using Concur Travel to Purchase Domestic Air, Hotel, and Rental Car
International Travel
Travelers are advised to contact a Columbia University designated Travel Counselor at World Travel, Inc. (WTI) at 1-855-961-0313 to book their international trip and ensure all requirements are met to travel internationally. For more information visit International Travel
Concur users can designate their colleagues as Preparer Delegates to book travel on their behalf. Follow this job aid for guidance on how to assign and manage your delegates:
Job Aid: Assign and Manage Delegates
Only designated Travel Arrangers can book travel on behalf of Students and Guests.
Only designated Travel Arrangers can book travel on behalf of Students and Guests.
Learn more about our travel providers including requirements and restrictions when booking travel:
Travelers in need of ground transportation including taxis, private car service, buses, or personal vehicles, click here to learn more: Ground Transportation
Follow this job aid for guidance on how to connect Uber and Lyft apps to Concur: