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Business trip voucher dilemma
Posted on 2/10/26 at 9:34 am
Posted on 2/10/26 at 9:34 am
Our small company normally doesn't travel to other locations but a large international client wanted us to visit another of their locations that they were shutting down and relocating the equipment as part of our project. The boss bought flights on the company card. Of course they were expensive because it was short notice. My wife and I already had a week plus vacation at WDW planned and would be flying back the night before the business flight. By the end of the vacation I was wiped out, took a covid test and of course positive. Let my boss know that night and we agreed that I shouldn't fly the next morning and then spread to another fight and our clients. The airline wouldn't refund and instead gave a voucher, and since the ticket was in my name, the voucher is in my name. My boss said when I want to use it just pay him back the $900. I don't think he feels comfortable asking for reimbursement for a ticket that wasn't used. The client company sends their people all over the world. My wife and I are planning a trip to Europe for this summer but feel like we are stuck with buying that airline which is more expensive than others we are finding. Am I wrong to tell my boss to stick it and ask for reimbursement or just eat it for saving the client's employees (and him, other people on the flight, at the airport,...) from getting sick?
2
Posted on 2/10/26 at 10:35 am to coldcoldcajun
Who tests for COVID in 2026? Oh, Minnesota.
Do *not* allow yourself to be constrained on airline choice by that credit for a trip to Europe, you already have the cost factor, but then you may end up with a routing issue. For instance, if the credit is on American, but you want to fly into Amsterdam, you'll have to route through the UK or Spain*, whereas if you flew Delta/KLM, it's a straight shot from MSP.
Plan a quick vacation in the spring or fall with the wife to use it.
ETA: *Or additional stops in the US, possibly having to check, gather, and recheck bags to switch between airline alliances before you get to Europe.
Do *not* allow yourself to be constrained on airline choice by that credit for a trip to Europe, you already have the cost factor, but then you may end up with a routing issue. For instance, if the credit is on American, but you want to fly into Amsterdam, you'll have to route through the UK or Spain*, whereas if you flew Delta/KLM, it's a straight shot from MSP.
Plan a quick vacation in the spring or fall with the wife to use it.
ETA: *Or additional stops in the US, possibly having to check, gather, and recheck bags to switch between airline alliances before you get to Europe.
This post was edited on 2/10/26 at 10:38 am
Posted on 2/10/26 at 10:54 am to LemmyLives
If he's in MSP I'm going to assume its a Delta voucher. Flights are likely more expensive due to the "nonstop premium" and OP may be fine with connecting.
I agree with you to just use it on a separate trip. Voucher should be good for up to a year from the original travel date though you will only be able to use it on yourself, with the wife having to pay full fare. Since it was issued in your name I don't believe you can split it.
I agree with you to just use it on a separate trip. Voucher should be good for up to a year from the original travel date though you will only be able to use it on yourself, with the wife having to pay full fare. Since it was issued in your name I don't believe you can split it.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 1:03 pm to coldcoldcajun
tell your boss that is the cost of doing business.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 3:35 pm to H2O Tiger
Yes it's Delta. The best fare we've found so far is $711 on Air Lingus non-stop. The Delta fares for those same dates and approximate times are $300 more for non-stop and $255 more for a 3 hour longer flight with a stop in Boston. So $500 - 600 more with my wife's ticket. I'd rather spend that on Guinness and fish and chips while I'm over there.
Should I challenge my boss to ask him to chip in? I've had a lot of people tell me he would have asked for the reimbursement from the client. I'm going to retire in July anyway, but I've been with him for over 35 years and he's been a great boss.
Should I challenge my boss to ask him to chip in? I've had a lot of people tell me he would have asked for the reimbursement from the client. I'm going to retire in July anyway, but I've been with him for over 35 years and he's been a great boss.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 4:28 pm to coldcoldcajun
quote:
Should I challenge my boss to ask him to chip in? I've had a lot of people tell me he would have asked for the reimbursement from the client. I'm going to retire in July anyway, but I've been with him for over 35 years and he's been a great boss.
Goodness. I certainly wouldn't stress over that.
I also don't know how vouchers work but I can't believe that you couldn't put a voucher back on a company card that bought it. That makes little sense to me.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 4:28 pm to coldcoldcajun
quote:
s $711 on Air Lingus non-stop. The Delta fares for those same dates and approximate times are $300
That's almost 50% higher than the alternative. And your other option is inconvenient routing. I feel satisfied.
H20, I figured there was a 50/50 chance of it being Delta, or the client was somewhere that he would have had to fly on AA into somewhere in Oklahoma or other odd location.
OP, just on the off chance, look at SNN instead of DUB. It's closer to the stuff you'll want to see and keeps you out of the urban mess that it appears Dublin has become. I know Delta flew into SNN from ATL back in the day, which is how I discovered it 20 years ago.
So for the client thing, I wouldn't expect the client to reimburse for travel not flown/service not provided. *If* you had a bunch of travel expenses to bury it under, he might have gotten away with it, but it sounds like your ticket would stick out like a sore thumb. If your boss eats the cost on the project, the project profit margin will be impacted. If this is a 15k project, it's one thing, but if you guys are grossing 500k off of it, he should eat it. Look for some of your corporate documentation that addresses "ill" employees. The employee handbook probably tells you that it wasn't even your decision to make.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 9:43 pm to LemmyLives
Thanks Lemmy, good business points. We’ll eat the extra cost I guess.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 9:51 pm to baldona
Baldona, the office manager tried that first, but Delta said it had to be a voucher in the ticket holder’s name. Not sure how other airlines would have done it.
Posted on 2/10/26 at 10:42 pm to coldcoldcajun
quote:
voucher in the ticket holder’s name.
He's not totally unreasonable in thinking since you're at a Delta hub, you're going to use it eventually. But, I also think of the amount of time doing reconciliation that goes like this: We spent money with Delta. We now get money from a freezing cajun. Where do we allocate this? Where did it come from? Do we move this here, or there? What do we do with this? Do we need to report it as taxable income?
etc. It's more clean accounting wise to eat it, he just probably doesn't realize it. It'll cost more to deal with the fallout than to eat it (I'm not an accountant, just been on the traveler side of the equation being subject to this crap.)
Posted on 2/11/26 at 5:05 am to coldcoldcajun
quote:
We’ll eat the extra cost I guess.
Have you spoken with your boss at all about the additional cost you’ll have to incur to use the voucher? He’ll likely understand that you shouldn’t be pigeonholed into using delta, especially if it’s going to cost YOU an extra $600. $600 to you as an individual is a higher burden to bear than $900 for the company. If you’ve been with the company for 35 years and your boss is as great as you say, he will probably see it your way.
Now if you are set on not rocking the boat too much, you could offer a compromise by flying delta and offer to pay back only part of the amount of the voucher, the $700ish it was going to cost you to fly the cheaper airline. You’ll still end up paying more overall than if you didn’t fly delta, but not as much if you just accepted what your boss initially said.
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