Brown Travel

Payments & Expenses

Payment Methods & Expense Processes

This section provides an overview of the approved payment methods for Brown-related travel and the corresponding expense processes.

Travel Card

Individual Travel Card

Issued to and used by a specific individual who is an active Brown University faculty or staff member who travels frequently on University business

Department Travel Card

Issued to an individual who is an active Brown University employee and is assigned as the cardholder for the department to facilitate travel for occasional travelers, students, or non-employees
Cardholder uses the card to arrange and pay for business travel on behalf of the department
Card must remain in the cardholder's possession and must not be given to the traveler

For more information on Travel Cards, including issuance, policies, and FAQs, visit the Travel Card page on the Office of the Controller website.

Expense Process:

Review the Create Travel Card Expense Report job aid for detailed instructions.
For Financial Coordinators - Review the Create Expense Report for Self or Other Worker job aid for detailed instructions.

Personal Credit Card

Brown-related travel that was paid for using a personal credit card requires creating and submitting an expense report in Workday.

Expense Process:

Review the Create Expense Report for Self or Other Worker job aid for detailed instructions.

Central Travel Card (formerly know as Direct Pay Process)

We have updated the Direct Pay Process to streamline centralized payment for travel through our new travel management company. Please note that this form no longer requires a cost center manager or OSP signature; when applicable, these parties will instead receive an approval notification.

A university-managed account overseen by the Office of Global Travel Operations, Risk & Resilience. It is used for booking Brown-related travel, with charges billed directly back to departments. This card is intended to simplify payment and expense reconciliation for infrequent travelers.

To use the Central Travel Card, travelers must:

Submit the Central Travel Card Usage Request Form for review and approval
If approved, book travel through Agent Assist (the card cannot be used in Deem at this time)

For questions about the updated form or process, please contact travel@brown.edu.

Expense Process:

Expense Report created by the Office of Global Travel Operations, Risk & Resilience based on information provided in Central Travel Card Usage Request Form.

Providence Area Hotel Direct Bill*

Strategic Procurement and Contracts (SPC) maintains a list of local hotels and rates for internal bookings. These bookings are Brown-paid, meaning the University directly pays the hotel on behalf of the department or unit.

For more information on the hotels, rates, making reservations and the expense process, visit the Providence Area Hotels page of the Strategic Procurement and Contracts Website.

_{*Please note, this process is managed and overseen by SPC. If you wish to use the Direct Bill process via direct invoices (or POs when expenses are over $3,000), these hotels should not be booked through World Travel.}

Additional Information

For additional information on Expense Reimbursements and Annual Spending Guidelines, visit the Office of the Controller website or email accounts_payable@brown.edu.
Travel-related policies and forms can be found on the Controller Policies and Forms page.