Travel Card

The purpose of the Travel Card is to prepay expenses related to official university travel. You may be eligible for a Travel Card if you are a state-side employee who:

  • Takes 5 or more business trips each year;
  • Organizes team travel for students; or
  • Frequently books travel for non-employees.

Cardholders and their Approving Officials are granted limited authority to make travel purchases on behalf of San José State University.

For more information, please refer to the SJSU Travel with Concur Checklist 2026.

Responsibilities

Cardholder

Approving Officials

Apply for a Travel Card
  1. Make sure that you meet the following criteria:
    • Takes 5 or more trips each year
    • Organizes team travel for students; or
    • Frequently books travel for non-employees.
  2. Before applying for a Travel Card, you will need to complete two required training courses:
  3. Here are the steps to apply for a Travel Card::
    • Log into Concur.
    • Click on "Create Request."
    • Select Request Type: "Credit Card Service Request."
    • Select Type of Card: "Travel Card."
    • Complete the form.
    • Add Expense
    • Select Request Type: "01. New Card."
    • Include the following in the Comments section
      • legal name
      • date of birth
      • department name
    • Submit the request.
  4. Review the Concur Toolkit for more information:
  5. The Travel Card Program Coordinator will receive a copy of the application and follow up with the requester.
Manage Your Card

Once you have been issued a card, you will need to maintain your account information for:

  • Name change[s]
  • Increasing/decreasing your credit limit
  • Transferring departments

To make changes to your Travel Card account, submit a Credit Card Service Request in Concur.

The Travel Card Program Coordinator automatically receives a copy of the request once it's completed.

Training
Allowable Expenses
  • Conference Fees
  • Registration Fees
  • Airfare*
  • Car Rentals* [from strategic partner Enterprise]
  • Lodging
  • Toll Fees
  • Parking/Taxi/Shuttle

* Please note that Airfare and Car Rentals can be booked and paid directly in Concur without the use of a Travel Card.

What Cannot be Purchased with a Travel Card
  • Meals
  • Cash Advances
  • Gasoline
  • Payments to another California State University
  • Memberships [unless billed together with registration]
  • Any expense not related to University business 
Using the Travel Card
  • Make purchases in person, or via telephone, internet, or mail.
  • A detailed receipt is required for every purchase. The receipt must show what you bought, the cost of each item, taxes, and the total amount paid.
  • Auxiliary organization funds are not an allowable funding source, unless a purchase is split funded with an auxiliary fund.
Reconciliation and Submission

There is no longer a monthly reconciliation process for the Travel Card.

Employee Reconciliation: Travelers must add their Travel Card charges, Instant Card charges, Travel Agency direct-bill charges, and out-of-pocket travel expenses to their Travel Expense Report in Concur. To avoid having reimbursements treated as taxable wages, they must submit the report within 60 days after their trip ends.

Non-Employee Reconciliation: Employee Sponsors must add Travel Card charges and out-of-pocket expenses related to a non-employee’s travel to the appropriate Non-Employee Expense Report in Concur. Submit the report within 60 days after the trip ends.

Refer to the CSU Concur User Guide [pdf] and the Concur Toolkit for guidance on how to reconcile your expenses.

What Not to do with your Travel Card

Cardholders cannot:

  • Loan out their Travel Card to other employees or non-employees.
  • Pay for travel expenses before a Travel Request has been fully approved in Concur.
  • Purchase anything that requires a contract or agreement.


For university office expenses, utilize the ProCard.