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MyTravel

  • West Virginia University recently adopted American Express Global Business Travel as our standard travel management partner.
  • WVU BOG Finance and Administration Rule 5.8 – Travel requires faculty and staff traveling on behalf of WVU to make travel reservations through the MyTravel ( go.wvu.edu/employee-travel) platform unless within the exceptions permitted in the WVU Travel and Expense Program Manual ( go.wvu.edu/travel-manual).
  • The WVU Travel and Expense Manual lists specific allowable exceptions for when air, hotel and rental cars may be booked outside of MyTravel. Exceptions include:
    • Price exemptions for booking airfare or hotels directly through a conference or event.
    • A lack of logical or appropriate lodging options for a given destination.
    • Booking rental cars directly with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
    • Trips booked through the Office of Global Affairs.
  • Travelers may choose from any airline or flight when booking through MyTravel. However, travelers should choose the lowest logical fare for their specific situation (e.g., connection times, flight duration, departure and arrival times, etc.).
  • Travel rewards information can be saved in travelers' profiles to help in receiving their mileage and frequent stay rewards.

Benefits

Safety - Traveler safety is one of the main reasons most large organizations and universities require using a standard travel program. Whether navigating the uncertainties of weather, international conflicts, national security issues or a global pandemic, the ability to help employees both before and during their trip is WVU’s top priority. Service - As one of the world’s largest travel management companies, American Express has a reach spanning more than 140 countries. American Express agents are travel experts, and WVU benefits from their experience and expertise.
  • If travel is booked outside of MyTravel, the University does not know if faculty and staff potentially are in unsafe situations. WVU also is unable to help employees return home in case of emergency.
  • American Express offers 24/7 support ( 669-272-1301 or us.travelercare%40amexgbt.com) as well as alerts and information to inform travelers of potential or ongoing issues at a particular destination. Trips booked through MyTravel also are sent to International SOS to aid international travellers.
  • American Express has direct lines of contact with major airlines, which is useful in aoviding or resolving issues. American Express also has a thorough understanding of the travel industry and can help faculty and staff navigate through any challenges.
  • American Express offers a flight disruption service to seamlessly aid travelers in resolving issues, such as flight delays or cancellations
  • Travelers can apply unused or cancelled ticketts toward future trips so they do not miss out on using a ticket before it expires.
  • American Express offers free online chat or phone support if travellers have questions or issues.

Potential Savings - The major airlines are contractually required to make all their flights and fares available to American Express. The pricing and options available via American Express pull from the same database as the airline websites, Expedia, Google and others, and pricing will be equal or better with American Express.

  • American Express has a webfare price-match guarantee ( go.wvu.edu/amex-guarantee)
  • WVU has negotiated rates (typically 2% savings or more) with United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. The University benefits from these negotiated rates when booking occurs through American Express — the more WVU travelers that book via the platform, the better the rates we can negotiate with airlines.


For more information and travel resources visit go.wvu.edu/travel. For travel training, please visit go.wvu.edu/travel-training.