Interview Travel Reimbursement

[GraduateOptions2017]

So I got an interview at UNC, and they said I was allowed up to $400 to book the flight. A regular economy ticket costs around $115, but an economy plus ticket costs around $215 which is still below the limit. Am I allowed to book the economy plus? Or is this not allowed?

[fuzzylogician]

Most schools will only cover travel in economy and not anything beyond that. You might just ask the school, to be sure, but I wouldn't expect too much. 

[light10491]

Is there a nicer airline or more expensive ticket you can use to max it out?

 

Or something with a cool, long layover?

[TakeruK]

People working at these schools generally know what flights typically cost from various locations in the country to their location. They have lots of people (seminar speakers etc.) that they will fly to their school so these numbers are commonly seen.

So, I would advise against trying to max out the $400 just because you want to spend more money. These numbers are "up to $400", not "you get $400 to spend how you wish". As someone who plans these types of events too, we often expect some people to not use the entire allowance in the budgeting. 

That said, given that the limit is $400, and the prices you're looking at is around $100 something, I would say it's probably okay to spend up to $150-ish to choose an airline that is more preferable to you (i.e. avoiding the budget airlines like Spirit or Frontier) and/or choosing a flight that is at a more convenient time for you. But if you have a choice between a $125 flight and a $350 flight, I would say it is a bad idea to pick the more expensive one just because you can.

But as fuzzy said, Economy Plus is unlikely allowed (you can always ask though). Most schools have policies that restrict it to Economy tickets only, and this is true for everyone. Profs and postdocs that travel often will usually gain elite status and be upgraded to better classes. But the ticketed value will likely have to be an Economy upon booking.

[fadedfigures]

I agree with what was posted before. Resources are limited, and they may be flying out 30+ people to an interview. That means allotting $400 per person could come to a maximum of $12,000 set aside simply to fly people out, a majority of whom will not end up getting the acceptance. Point being: keep the cost down, and don't add any unnecessary upgrades on their dime.

However, that does not mean that you are not allowed to purchase an upgrade separately on your own cost. For example, I interviewed for a program where they said they'd cover up to $300 for the flight. I booked an economy seat and got the receipt, and then paid for an upgrade using my own credit card once I got to the airport for my flight. That way, they only paid for the basic seat to get me to their location. They did not have to pay for my extra leg room, since I covered that expense myself on a separate purchase. 

[TakeruK]

10 hours ago, fadedfigures said:

However, that does not mean that you are not allowed to purchase an upgrade separately on your own cost. For example, I interviewed for a program where they said they'd cover up to $300 for the flight. I booked an economy seat and got the receipt, and then paid for an upgrade using my own credit card once I got to the airport for my flight. That way, they only paid for the basic seat to get me to their location. They did not have to pay for my extra leg room, since I covered that expense myself on a separate purchase. 

Second this. Buying yourself an upgrade, if you have the ability to do so, could be a really good idea if you are flying between two interviews etc. Sometimes I feel weird telling the person processing my reimbursement that I paid for a luxury (even though it's pretty typical), so I also do what fadedfigures suggested---pay for the upgrade separately at the airport and keep that completely separate from the receipts submitted. If that's not possible (e.g. the school wants to see the actual boarding pass you used, which might indicate this upgrade) then oh well.