Accounting Office

Booking Travel 

Book the most economical and reasonable itinerary that meets the approved University business need. UC booking tools and contracted suppliers provide negotiated rates, traveler assistance, policy-aware options, and streamlined expense documentation.

Choose a booking channel

Booking channel Best for What to know
Concur Travel — preferred Routine airfare, rail, lodging, and rental-vehicle reservations Provides access to UC-negotiated rates, the lowest online booking fees, integration with Concur Expense, and automatic UC Away registration except for SWABIZ bookings. Complete your Concur Profile before booking.
Anthony Travel Complex, international, group, multi-city, exchange, or cancellation support UC-dedicated agents can assist with airfare, rail, lodging, and rental vehicles. Provide the approved Pre-Trip Request ID when booking by phone or email. Agent-assisted fees are higher than Concur’s online booking fees
Direct booking — limited exceptions A required conference hotel or an itinerary that cannot reasonably be booked through a UC channel Confirm allowability, retain the price comparison and itemized documentation, record the travel and expenses in Concur, and manually register the trip in UC Away when required.

Reminder: Travel arrangements booked through Concur or ConnexUC are automatically registered in UC Away, except for SWABIZ bookings. Travelers booking through SWABIZ or directly with a provider must manually register eligible travel in UC Away before departure.

Booking questions

  • Travelers and delegates must have the appropriate Concur roles before submitting Pre-Trip Requests, booking travel, or preparing Expense Reports. Access is managed by the department’s Systems Access Administrator and may take one full business day to process.

    Access Concur through R’Space > Authorized Apps using your UCR NetID and multifactor authentication. Complete or update your Concur Profile before booking.

    Review Concur Roles and Access

  • A department may authorize a Concur Delegate or Travel Arranger to submit requests, make reservations, and prepare Expense Reports on behalf of a traveler. Delegates must follow departmental approval, payment, and separation-of-duties requirements.

    For a guest or nonemployee student traveler, the designated Concur Delegate must complete Guest Traveler Routing before submitting the Pre-Trip Request or processing travel expenses.

  • Preferred payment methods include University direct charge through Concur or Anthony Travel and the traveler’s UCR Travel & Entertainment Card.

    Personal funds may be used when necessary, with reimbursement requested after travel. A PCard may be used only in limited authorized circumstances and in accordance with current payment-card requirements.

    Review the Travel & Entertainment Card program

  • Booking fees are allowable University travel expenses. Concur’s online booking tool generally provides the lowest service fees.

    Service Concur online Anthony Travel agent
    Domestic airline ticket $3 $25
    International airline ticket $3 $35
    Group domestic airline ticket Not available $20
    Group international airline ticket Not available $35
    Domestic or international rail ticket Not listed $35
    Hotel-only reservation $3 $5
    Rental-vehicle-only reservation $3 $5

    If a traveler begins a search in Concur but an Anthony Travel agent completes and tickets the reservation, the applicable agent-assisted fee applies.

  • Book outside the UC travel program only when the business need cannot reasonably be met through a preferred channel. Examples include a conference requiring reservations through its designated hotel or a contracted option being unavailable.

    Before completing the reservation:

    • Confirm that the arrangement complies with UC and UCR travel requirements.
    • Review cancellation and refund terms.
    • Retain the booking confirmation, price comparison, itemized receipt, and documentation supporting the exception.
    • Record the travel and applicable expenses in Concur.
    • Manually register the trip in UC Away when required.

  • Contact Anthony Travel or the applicable booking provider promptly. Retain cancellation confirmations and information about any resulting ticket credit.

    Reconcile the original University-paid charge even when the ticket becomes a future credit. Follow current Concur instructions for documenting or applying that credit.

    Pre-Trip Requests do not close automatically. If a trip is canceled or does not occur, manually cancel the Request in Concur.

  • Capture a business-only comparison at the time of booking. The traveler is responsible for any additional cost resulting from personal dates, destinations, routing, companions, upgrades, or side trips.

    Personal costs must not be charged to the University or included in the reimbursement request.

  • For assistance with reservations, changes, or cancellations, contact UCR’s dedicated Anthony Travel support:

    • Phone: (909) 321-3588
    • Email: ucr@anthonytravel.com
    • Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT
    • After-hours assistance: (800) 530-2560
    • UCR VIT code: S3T2F