What You Can Purchase
The Travel and Meal (T&M) card may be used for:
- Travel-related expenses such as airfare, transportation, hotels, and conference registration fees.
- Incidental supply needs that may arise during travel, such as replacing a traveler’s lost laptop power cord.
- Travel expenses for other university travelers, including students, authorized incoming guests.
- Hosted meals (local or traveling).
You should not use your card for:
- Individual travel meals. Cornell reimburses meals at per diem, which means your meal purchase may exceed the per diem and you may have to reimburse Cornell. It's best to purchase meals out-of-pocket.
- Purchasing goods and services. Never use it for non-travel related goods and services, catering, event space rental, or any other services that require a contract or purchase order.
- Personal purchases. Understandably, personal purchases may occur sometimes, such as when it's impractical to separate a bill when a spouse attends a business meal. When this happens, identify the charge in Concur as personal/non-reimbursable. Do not make a payment to U.S. Bank.
- Cash advances. If you need a cash advance, you must make your request through the Concur Request module. You cannot obtain cash from ATMs using your card.
Spending Limits
Payments to merchants that the bank has categorized as travel-related (transportation, lodging, restaurant meals) are not limited.
The limit for non-travel purchases is $6,000 per cycle. Keep this cycle limit in mind when making payments such as conference registration fees. Contact the bank if your card is declined.
For the protection of our cardholders, U.S. Bank blocks certain high-risk merchants from accepting the card (e.g., jewelers, antique stores, casinos).
Foreign Currency/Traveling Overseas
There is a 1% conversion fee:
- Best practice: Notify the bank if you are traveling overseas.
- Contact Credit Card Programs when traveling with a group and anticipate large expenses.
- You may need a PIN when making overseas purchases. Contact the bank if you do not currently have a PIN.
Declined Transactions
Contact the bank if your card is declined. In most cases, the quickest route to resolving the issue is through the bank’s customer service. If you have difficulties with this process, contact Credit Card Programs.
Travel Accident/Life Insurance
Cardholders are insured up to $500,000 while traveling on a common carrier only when the ticket is charged to the T&M card. Contact the bank for further details on coverage.
Baggage Insurance
Cardholders have a maximum coverage of $1250 on checked or carry-on baggage. Claims are paid after settlement with the common carrier. Includes domestic and international coverage. Contact the bank for further details on this coverage.
