Emburse Expense Frequently Asked Questions

This is similar to Travel Request in Concur and is only used for travel reports. This allows the traveler or delegate to request approval from their department head or designee.

Pre-Approval allows the department to encumber funds (reserve or put a hold on funds in FAMIS) on the account that will pay for travel. This is optional. There is a field on the pre-approval header that can be selected to bypass the need to encumber the funds. It defaults to “Yes” as it is a best practice to encumber funds for the travel.

Most fields on the Pre-Approval will copy down to the Expense Report at the time the Pre-Approval is added to the Expense Report. This reduces the data entry needed to create an expense report.

Travel – this expense report type is used for any travel related expenses charged to the One Card.

Non-Travel – this expense report type is used for all other expenses (not related to travel) charged to the One Card.

A single card that replaces the travel and payment cards.

  • Cardholders that currently only have a travel card will receive the One Card, but will be limited to the current travel card merchant category codes on their existing cards. The current credit limit will carry over to the new One Card.
  • Cardholders that have a payment card will receive the One Card, but will have the merchant category codes currently assigned to the payment card. The current credit limit will carry over to the new One Card.
  • For those who currently have both cards the One Card will have both merchant category groupings assigned to their card. The credit limit of both cards will be combined for the One Card.

One Cards will be distributed at the time of go live for the College/Division or System Member. The cards will be distributed to the cardholder during the training sessions at go live. After the training the card can be activated and will be available for use. Transactions from the One Card will populate in the cardholder’s eWallet in Emburse Expense.

Our existing payment and travel cards will continue to be active for use until mid to late April 2025. These transactions will continue to appear in Concur. All transactions must be assigned, submitted and approved in Concur by the end of May.

May 31, 2025

All transactions must be assigned, submitted and approved in Concur by this date.

After this date we will have a view-only licenses so users can pull expense report images for reconciliation or audit.

Eventually there will be a repository available to search and pull expense report images outside of Concur. This may be done in Laserfiche.

Delegates can submit on behalf of the traveler/cardholder on both Pre-Approval and Expense Reports.

Full delegate permissions are available in the Emburse Expense mobile application.

Departments may designate up to four individuals to automatically be assigned as delegates to all employees in that department. This will be maintained on the department screens in Canopy/FAMIS. As we get closer to go live departments will be asked to provide the delegates for their department and will be updated prior to go live.

Please see the Implementation Timeline Page. 

Lightning Online Booking Tool

Yes, air car and hotel are presently available to Australia, Austria, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong (Province of China), India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea (the Republic of), Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore , South Africa, Spain, Taiwan (Province of China), Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uganda, and United Arab Emirates, when configured for the client.

The average load time for search results in Lightning is between 25 to 35 seconds because the system is pulling live content from multiple sources. This includes traditional fares, state rates, web-only fares, and contract discounts specific to CTP and Texas A&M. Lightning ensures the pricing and availability are accurate and up-to-date when you book, unlike other platforms that use cached, non-live data.
By pulling live content, Lightning ensures that when you select a fare, it’s available at the price you see. Once you add it to your cart, the inventory is removed from the marketplace in real time, preventing surprises like fare changes at checkout. This accuracy and transparency are especially beneficial when managing a large-scale travel program.
If your search takes significantly longer than the expected 25 to 35 seconds, try refreshing your browser, clearing your browser history and/or starting a new search. If the issue persists, please contact CTP’s Online Support (na.online@travelctm.com) for assistance.
If an employee has always booked their own travel, they can continue to do so.  If a department had someone who supports faculty and staff by booking travel on their behalf, that can continue.
Yes - same itinerary, different confirmation numbers.

Yes, you can see them when you have selected a flight itinerary. You must click the unused ticket.

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Yes, they have a heart on them to indicate they are preferred.

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The best is the best value and preferred and the rest is the other ones. The “best” includes up to 15 preferred properties. If more than 15 preferred properties are returned in a search, some of these will appear under “The Rest.”

Yes

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No
The paid seat option is within the same class that was booked.

In Lightning tool, there is a dropdown Select menu which provides a variety of search options, including Shortest and Most Direct.

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There is a dropdown Select menu which provides a variety of search options, including Layover Duration.

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At the bottom of each row for flight choices, there is a link Show trip details.

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Scrolling down will show detail of the fare, including information regarding carry-on bags, checked bags, additional fees, etc.

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Lightning displays a shield icon when the flight falls within the Fly America Act parameters.  Hovering over the shield will display the words Fly America Act US Carrier.

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Book directly with the conference organizers and hotel to obtain the most favorable room rates.

On the Portal page, select this icon:

 

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The icon will open the page below, providing several communication topics:

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On the CTP Lightning page, click the icon:

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This will open a contact information window:

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Profiles

Updating your profile will create efficiencies with your future travel arrangements.  While there is always the opportunity to enter loyalty program numbers while making travel reservations, adding to your profile will save time.
The traveler will need to log into their profile and add you as an arranger in the Administration section.

Primary arranger will receive an email even if someone else arranges the travel.

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By checking this box, the admin will receive a copy of the invoice – regardless of who books the travel (the traveler, the admin, or another arranger). Additionally, the admin will have access to the invoices within the “Invoices” widget in Portal.

 

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An arranger can only see the last four digits of a credit card number.  The credit card number is masked immediately when entered.

Yes, the Known Traveler Number can be entered into your profile under the Travel Documents section.

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The Department of Homeland Security provides a traveler redress seven-digit number to people who have experienced difficulties during travel screenings.

In the Traveler Air Preferences section there are fields for medical alerts, and accessibility for wheelchair needs and visual impairment.

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The Texas A&M University System is not using the approver functionality in CTP. Approval for travel is done at the department/college level and occurs before travel arrangements are made.
Enter the phone number which should be utilized for contact while traveling – that may be your cell phone number.

In the Travel documents section of the CTP profile, you can click the Add new link to enter additional passport and visa information.

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The Texas A&M University System One Card

Either a One Card or personal credit card can be entered – or both.  Simply click the Add new link to add another card.  You can use the Remark field to name the card, for example UVM PurCard or personal card.
The traveler will need to add you to their profile. At that point, you can edit the traveler’s profile to add the UVM PurCard number. The full number will not be available for viewing by either the traveler or the arranger. Always remember to update the PurCard expiration date.

Mobile App

Yes, CTP rolled out a new proprietary travel app, CTM Mobile, developed by our trusted travel management partner, Collegiate Travel Planners. This innovative mobile app is designed to streamline and enhance the travel experience for all faculty and staff.