Engine travel policies

16 minute read

Article summary

Empower your team! Effortlessly establish and enforce your company's travel policies for hotel bookings, flights, and car rentals, ensuring seamless compliance and control over every trip.

Travel Policies are a powerful tool for Admins to manage organizational travel spending and behavior by setting essential parameters, such as maximum nightly hotel and flight cost limits. These policies, which cover Lodging, Flights, and Rental Cars, can be customized with options like Direct Bill and approval requirements for out-of-policy bookings. 

Admins can manage Travel Policies through the Controls tab in the left-hand navigation pane of the Engine dashboard. This is where they can create, view, duplicate, and edit existing policies. These policies can be assigned to all members or specific departments, providing travelers with flexibility while ensuring compliance.

Creating new policies

  1. On the Engine dashboard left-hand navigation pane, navigate to Controls (under spend) > Travel Policies tab.

  2. Click on Create policy.

  3. Choose a template to start from or select start from scratch by building your own.

  4. Input a policy name. 

  5. Set a default policy (optional): Choose the option to make the policy you’re building the default policy for your company. 

    1. Setting a policy as the default will ensure the policy is automatically applied to any new members who create their accounts using your organization's join link. This helps ensure all new users start with the correct booking guidelines.

  6. Lodging, Flights and Rental Car settings: Set cost limits, out of policy allowance controls, and other policy settings as desired.

    1. By default, all travel policies will apply to Lodging. Toggle the option for Flights and Cars and pick the settings as needed.

  7. Click Continue.

  8. Who can this policy be assigned to? (optional): Choose if you want the policy to be for all members, certain members, or only select departments.

    1. To apply a policy by department, you must select at least one department you want the policy to apply to.

    2. Policy assignments for members can also be assigned in the People tab of the left-hand navigation pane on the Engine dashboard. Department-level policy assignment must be managed within the Controls tab.  

  9. Click Skip if you have skipped step 8, or click Finish to save and create your new policy.

Lodging Travel Policy Settings

Customize which lodging features are available or required for travelers under this policy:

  1. Set Maximum Nightly Rates (Tiers): Set a flat maximum nightly rate limit, use tiered limits for more flexibility, or set no limit. 

    1. Flat nightly rate limit: A flat nightly rate limit will apply a single fixed maximum cost per night limit to all hotel bookings made by travelers assigned to the policy (e.g., $200/night for hotels).

      1. Note that this flat nightly rate limit only applies to the room rate and does not include taxes and fees. 

    2. Tiered limits: Tiered limits provide up to 5 different levels of cost control based on price and location. If a member can't find an option that meets the criteria of Tier 1, they will automatically be shown options that fit the criteria of Tier 2, and so on.

    3. None: No predefined limit; relies on traveler judgment for reasonable spending.

  2. Set Rate limits by location: Create custom rate limits for specific locations. 

    1. Click +Add rate limit. 

      1. More precise location rate limits will override less precise limits. For example, a rate limit for Denver will override a rate limit for Colorado.

    2. Search for the Location. 

    3. Set a limit type

    4. Set a nightly rate limit, either flat or by tier dependent on your selection. 

    5. Click Confirm.

  3. Make nightly rate limit cover total room cost: When this is not toggled on, nightly rate limits only cover the room rate. When this is toggled on, nightly rate limits will cover the room rate and any taxes and fees. 

  4. Refundable hotel bookings: Toggle whether to require hotel bookings to be refundable under this policy. 

    1. Same-day reservations may require booking non-refundable rooms.

  5. Enable Direct Bill: 

    1. Choose to make paying for hotels with Direct Bill required, optional, or blocked for each travel policy.

    2. Choose to make paying for incidentals with Direct Bill required, optional, or blocked. 

  6. Advanced settings: 

    1. Set a minimum search radius - this is used for flat rate and tiered rate limits

    2. Set a star rating floor. For example, if you set this to “2+ stars”, travelers set to this policy will not be able to book 1 star hotels, but they could book 2, 3, 4, and 5 star hotels. 

  7. Set Approvals: Select how your team handles out of policy requests and select approvers.  

    1. Not allowed: Prevents any out-of-policy booking. Users will see an “Out of policy” pill in search results and they will not be able to book that option. 

    2. Allowed with reason: Reason required to complete booking. Users will need to submit a reason during checkout.

    3. Allowed with approval: Booking allowed if request is approved by an admin. Requests will appear in the Approvals tab under Settings. With this option you will need to enable the following settings:

      1. Request approval from department managers : Toggle this on if you want Department managers to be notified for their specific department. This setting will be greyed out unless you allow Department Managers to approve booking requests within your Roles and Permissions settings. 

      2. Request approval from select admins: Toggle this on if you don’t want all company admins to be notified. Please note that by default, all Admins will be set as Approvers if you do not toggle this option on.

        1. Choose the name(s) from the drop down list.  

      3. Notification method: Set how assigned approvers get notified of requests.

        1. Email only

        2. Email & text message

Flights Travel Policy Settings

Customize which flight features are available or required for travelers under this policy:

  1. Allow Flight bookings: Toggle to enable flight bookings for your company. 

  2. Set cost limits per flight: 

    1. Fixed limit: This option allows you to set a single fixed maximum cost per flight to all flights booked by travelers assigned to this policy (e.g., $200 limit per flight).

      1. Note that the cost limit applies per one-way flight and multiplies for round-trip or multi-city bookings

        1. For example, a cost limit set at $200 per flight would mean:

          1. One-way trips over $200 are out of policy.

          2. Round-trips over $400 are out of policy.

          3. A multi-city trip with 3 flights totaling over $600 is out of policy.

          4. A round trip for 2 travelers totaling over $800 is out of policy

    2. None: No predefined limit is set and this option will rely on traveler judgment for reasonable spending.

  3. Set Cabin class allowance: This restricts travelers from booking certain cabin classes for their flight. 

    1. Economy Only means travelers can only book in economy cabin, no higher, no lower.

    2. Up to premium economy means travelers can book premium economy cabin flights and lower, like Economy and Basic. 

    3. Up to business class

    4. Any class

  4. Enable Direct Bill: Choose to make paying for flights with Direct Bill required, optional, or blocked for each travel policy.

  5. Set Approvals: Select how your team handles out of policy requests.

    1. Not allowed: Prevents any out-of-policy booking.

    2. Allowed with reason: Reason required to complete booking. 

    3. Allowed with approval: Booking allowed if request is approved by an Admin. Requests will appear in the Approvals tab under Settings. With this option you will need to enable the following settings:

      1. Notify department managers: Toggle this on if you want Department Managers to be notified for their specific department. This setting will be greyed out unless you allow Department Managers to approve booking requests within your Roles and Permissions settings. 

      2. Notify select admins: Toggle this on if you don’t want all company admins to be notified. Please note that by default, all Admins will be set as Approvers if you do not toggle this option on.

        1. Choose the name(s) from the drop down list.

      3. Notification method: Set how assigned approvers get notified of requests.

        1. Email only

        2. Email & text message

Cars Travel Policy Settings

Customize which car rental features are available or required for travelers under this policy:

  1. Allow rental car bookings: Toggle to enable car rental bookings for your company. 

  2. Set car rental cost limits:

    1. Fixed limit: This option will apply a single fixed amount to all car rentals booked by travelers assigned to this policy(e.g., $50 limit per day).

    2. None: No predefined limit is set and this option will rely on traveler judgment for reasonable spending.

  3. Rental car protection: Manage whether travelers are required to purchase Collision Damage Protection for $15/day when booking a car. Learn more about our partner here

    1. What collision damage protection covers:

      1. Reimburses up to $50,000 with $0 deductible.

      2. Reimburses for emergency Roadside Assistance fees, towing, impound storage, lockouts and more.

      3. Covers damage from natural disasters, vandalism and theft.

      4. Cancel anytime before pickup.

  4. Enable Direct Bill: Choose to make paying for car rentals with Direct Bill required, optional, or blocked for each travel policy.

  5. Require company rates: only show rates tied to the account’s corporate discount code (CDP/BCD) or direct bill agreement. Hides non-contracted inventory. 

  6. Require car brand Direct Bill (postpaid): only show rates eligible for the account’s direct bill agreement with the rental brand (e.g. Enterprise DP, Hertz DB). Charges are billed directly by the rental company.

  7. Advanced settings: 

    1. Restrict vehicle types allows Admins to limit which vehicle categories travelers are permitted to book. Select one or many categories.

    2. Require specific brands allows Admins to only show inventory from selected rental brands. Select one or many brands. 

  8. Set Approvals: Select how your team handles out of policy requests and select approvers.  

    1. Not allowed: Prevents any out-of-policy booking.

    2. Allowed with reason: Reason required to complete booking. 

    3. Allowed with approval: Booking allowed if request is approved by an admin. Requests will appear in the Approvals tab under Settings. With this option you will need to enable the following settings:

      1. Notify department managers: Toggle this on if you want Department managers to be notified for their specific department. This setting will be greyed out unless you allow Department Managers to approve booking requests within your Roles and Permissions settings. 

      2. Notify select admins: Toggle this on if you don’t want all company admins to be notified. Please note that by default, all Admins will be set as Approvers if you do not toggle this option on.

        1. Choose the name(s) from the drop down list.  

      3. Notification method: Set how assigned approvers get notified of requests.

        1. Email only

        2. Email & text message

Approvals

Engine's Approvals feature makes handling out-of-policy travel requests smarter and simpler. Travelers can request exceptions right in the booking flow, and Admins/Managers can approve or decline instantly from a centralized dashboard. Learn more about Approvals here.

 

Configure Approval Settings: Select how your team handles out of policy requests by travel type and select approvers.

  1. Not allowed: Prevents any out-of-policy booking.

  2. Allowed with reason: Reason required to complete booking. 

  3. Allowed with approval: Booking allowed if request is approved by an admin. Requests will appear in the Approvals tab in the left-hand navigation pane of the Engine dashboard. With this option you will need to configure the following settings:

    1. Request approval from department managers: Toggle this on if you want Department managers to be notified for approval when travelers in their department try to book out of policy.

      1. Note this setting will be greyed out unless you allow Department Managers to approve booking requests within your Roles and Permissions settings on the People tab of the left-hand navigation pane of the Engine dashboard. 

    2. Request approval from select admins: Toggle this on if you don’t want all company Admins to be notified for each out of policy booking attempt covered by this policy. 

      1. If toggled off, all Admins will be set as Approvers and will be notified.

      2. If toggled on, use the drop down list to choose the name(s) of the Admins to be notified.  

    3. Notification method: Set how assigned approvers get notified of requests.

      1. Email only

      2. Email & text message

 

Viewing and Editing Travel Policies

  1. Click the Controls tab on the left-hand navigation pane on the Engine dashboard. .

  2. Make sure you are on the Travel policies tab within Controls.

  3. Select the policy you want to view or edit. The details of the policy will open for review.

  4. Click Edit details to edit the policy name, associated image, or set the policy as the default policy for your company.

  5. To make changes to specific policy controls or configurations, click Make changes for whichever travel types you want to manage.

 

  1. Make the needed changes. 

  2. Click Save.

Deleting Travel Policies

  1. Click the Controls tab on the left-hand navigation pane on the Engine dashboard. Navigate to your Settings > Travel Policies.

  2. Make sure you are on the Travel policies tab within Controls.

  3. Select the policy you want to delete.

    1. Note that you must make a new policy the default policy for your organization before you can delete the policy you currently have set as default.

  4. Click Delete travel policy toward the bottom of the policy details view.

  5. This action cannot be reversed or undone, so be sure you want to delete before taking this action. 

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. What are Travel Policies?

    1. Travel policies are an easy, preventative way to manage your organization's travel behavior and spend. In general, they are blanket settings you can assign to specific Members. Travel policies allow account Admins to set parameters (such as defining a maximum nightly hotel rate) while still giving users the flexibility to book their own trips.

  2. How can I set up a Travel Policy?

    1. As an Admin on your company’s account, navigate to the Control tab on the left-hand navigation pane on the Engine dashboard and choose the Travel policies tab. It’s here that you can add a new Travel Policy and manage or delete an existing policy.

  3. Who can set up Travel Policies?

    1. Admins by default permissions are able to set up and assign travel policies. However, admins can give permission to department managers for them to be able to set up and assign travel policies as well.

  4. Can I make Travel Policies for some, not all of my Members?

    1. Definitely! You can selectively assign members to travel policies directly within the travel policy itself or within the People tab on the left-hand navigation pane on the Engine dashboard.

  5. What is Required, Optional and Blocked?

    1. These are the settings for travel policy parameters that an Admin controls.

      1. Required means each booking affected by the policy will have the feature applied.

      2. Optional means the traveler can elect to use the feature booking by booking.

      3. Blocked means the feature will not apply to any bookings under the policy.

  6. How long do Travel Policies last?

    1. Travel policies remain on a Member’s account until an Admin changes or deletes them or until the Member’s account is removed.  

  7. Which types of features allow Travel Policy setup?

    1. You can set hotel room rate limits, including tiered limits. Direct Bill access and Engine’s Incidentals Coverage can be set as required, optional or blocked, and refundable-only rooms can be set as required or optional.

For lodging:

  • Max nightly rate. These can be 

    • Fixed nightly rate limit. You can set as many tiers as you want. 

    • Tiered limits 

  • Rate limits by location. These can be fixed (or flat) rate limit or tiered. 

  • Apply night rate limit to total cost, including taxes and fees

  • Allow/block non-refundable hotel bookings

  • Configure approvals for out of policy bookings. 3 options:

    • Not allowed

    • Allowed with reason

    • Allowed with approval

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Reason”, you’ll see these 2 toggles appear below

    • “Notify department managers” on/off

    • “Notify select admins” on/off 

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Approval”, you’ll see these 3 toggles appear below:

    • “Request approval from department managers”

    • Request approval from select admins”

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

    • Notification method:

      • Email only

      • Email and text message 

  • Payment settings:

    • Pay for hotels using direct Bill. Options are:

      • Blocked

      • Required

      • Optional

    • Pay for incidentals using Direct Bill. Options are:

      • Blocked

      • Required

      • Optional

  • Under advanced settings:

    • Minimum search radius

    • Star rating range 

For flights:

  • Max flight costs

    • Set a flat cost limit per flight

  • Cabin class allowance. Options are:

    • Economy

    • Premium Economy

    • Business

    • Any class

  • Configure approvals for out of policy bookings. 3 options:

    • Not allowed

    • Allowed with reason

    • Allowed with approval

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Reason”, you’ll see these 2 toggles appear below

    • “Notify department managers” on/off

    • “Notify select admins” on/off 

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Approval”, you’ll see these 3 toggles appear below:

    • “Request approval from department managers”

    • Request approval from select admins”

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

    • Notification method:

      • Email only

      • Email and text message 

  • Payment settings:

    • Pay for flights using direct Bill. Options are:

      • Blocked

      • Required

      • Optional

For Cars:

  • Daily rate limit

  • Rental car protection. Options are:

    • Blocked

    • Optional

    • Required

  • Configure approvals for out of policy bookings. 3 options:

    • Not allowed

    • Allowed with reason

    • Allowed with approval

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Reason”, you’ll see these 2 toggles appear below

    • “Notify department managers” on/off

    • “Notify select admins” on/off 

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

  • If out of policy bookings Approval setting is “Allowed with Approval”, you’ll see these 3 toggles appear below:

    • “Request approval from department managers”

    • Request approval from select admins”

      • If this is turned on, you can select admins to be notified from a dropdown 

    • Notification method:

      • Email only

      • Email and text message 

  • Payment settings:

    • Pay for car rentals using direct Bill. Options are:

      • Blocked

      • Required

      • Optional

    • Require company rates

    • Require car brand Direct Bill (postpaid)

  • Advanced settings

    • Restrict vehicle type. Lots of options, they include (not limited to):

      • Compact car

      • Economy car

      • Full-size car

    • Require specific brands. Lots of options, they include (not limited to):

      • Avis

      • Enterprise

      • Hertz

  1. What are tiered Travel Policies?

    1. Admins can set up tiered cost controls for hotel bookings to account for certain scenarios when a single maximum nightly room rate may not be enough. 

    2. For example, if a department has a maximum nightly rate of $80, but Members need to travel to New York City for a special project, you can set a second-tier rate of $175 so they have more hotels to choose from. When the Member searches for their hotel, if there are no options that meet the criteria of their first-tier Travel Policy, they’ll be shown options in the next tier.

  2.  Does Engine have a default Travel Policy for new Members?

    1. Yes. Members will have no limits on hotel room, flight, and rental car costs, refundability status, and Direct Bill and Engine Incidental Coverage are set to optional.

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