I won’t dare to answer easily, it depends (because yes, it goes beyond!), but yet it’s very true. A brief overview by area of travel.
The use of Self Booking Tool tools is sometimes open for personal use
Many medium and large companies use ad hoc tools to allow their employees to book their own trips, hotels and car rentals during business trips. These are the Self Booking Tools (or SBT). In general, these SBTs include the rates negotiated by the company directly, the rates negotiated by the travel agency, and implement the management rules of the company’s travel policy.
Often, employees think that this Self Booking Tool can only support business trips.
However, it is not. Often, they are usable for your personal trips as well. All you have to do is change the reason for the trip and insert your bank details at the end of the process.
This is possible at most SBTs, and even if you benefit from your company’s negotiated fares, the costs of issuing tickets are your responsibility and will be charged to your credit card.
For hotels, caution is in order
As far as hotels are concerned, it’s a bit more complicated.
With hotel chains, companies often use Corporate codes in addition to using the SBT. These codes, entered directly on the sites of the chains concerned, allow you to benefit from very significant reductions on your nights.
Some companies simply prohibit their use in a personal setting. This has the merit of being clear.
Others authorize them without particular constraints.
On the other hand, if your company authorizes them but has a project-based activity (in consulting, for example), it may happen that specifically negotiated rates have been put in place. In this case, check the eligibility conditions for this rate before using it.
In all cases and when you are eligible, make sure you always have a few business cards with you to prove that you belong to the corresponding company.
When you rent a car, do not rush, at the risk of biting your fingers
For car rentals, please note: as a general rule, you will not be authorized to use Corporate rates for personal purposes. These rates, moreover, include insurance that will ask you to justify the professional nature of a trip in the event of a glitch, something that could be tricky…
My advice is don’t risk it. Some large companies negotiate preferential rates directly or via their Works Council, so use them!
Subscription or discount cards: Go for it!
As far as subscription or discount cards are concerned, don’t hesitate: use them for your personal trips if necessary.
In general, nothing prevents it in the terms of use, and it will cost your employer absolutely nothing, he will never even know.
The only restriction being: is it really worth the cost? There are often leisure rates that are more advantageous than Corporate rates, even with a strong reduction applied!
Conclusion: It depends!
So we come back to our original adage: it depends. Even if it seems harmless to you, always check your company’s travel policy. Some agreements are negotiated explicitly with travel service providers for strictly professional use, while other companies will in fact encourage their staff to use these corporate rates for personal purposes in order to obtain a volume of travel allowing them to negotiate higher discounts the following year. My advice: don’t risk your job for a 20 euro discount on a stay.
