New procedures and benefits for university travel go into effect Jan. 1, 2026, the Miami University Office of Strategic Procurement has announced.

The changes are made possible through the university’s expanded partnership with AAA Corporate Travel. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, travelers are required to arrange their air travel through the Concur Travel Portal and are strongly encouraged to use Concur for their hotel stays. Travel expenses for air travel booked outside of the Concur Travel Portal are not reimbursable, unless otherwise approved by The Office of Strategic Procurement. All travel should be paid for using a Miami issued P-Card; departments/individuals are discouraged from using personal credit cards to pay for travel and seek reimbursement.

There are a number of advantages to using a dedicated travel management company,” said Brent Leishman, director of strategic procurement. “It is a one-stop place to go for your business travel needs.”

Leishman noted the benefits of booking travel via the Concur Travel Portal through AAA Corporate Travel include:

• AAA’s established presence and reach in the travel industry.
• Duty of Care, which instantly locates traveling team members should an emergency arise.
• Improved airline searches.
• Account for all unused/canceled airline tickets in one place making them more readily available for future travel – all current unused tickets will be transferred into Concur.
• Additional discounted hotel rates that include multi-source shopping.
• The ability to auto-populate a calendar with all travel information.

Travelers are required to utilize the Concur Travel Portal for their air travel needs and are strongly encouraged to use Concur for hotel stays. The use of alternative travel sites (Priceline, Expedia, etc.) is prohibited without the written approval of Strategic Procurement.

Exceptions to the use of the Concur Travel Portal include:

• Conference/Seminar Hotel Bookings – If attending a conference/seminar that has a preferred hotel for attendees, departments are permitted to book directly with the specified hotel. Please note that refundable and non-refundable hotel books have been enabled within Concur.
• First-Class Travel Bookings – Departments may book first-class air travel for specific visitors to Miami University, such as high-profile speakers, or invited guests of the university in such cases that they are being given an award. Approvals should be made by Strategic Procurement in advance of booking travel.
• Upgraded Flight Bookings – Ticket upgrades for travelers with a medical accommodation are permitted. Approvals should be made by Strategic Procurement in advance of booking travel and proper documentation should be included as part of any request.
• Allegiant and Frontier currently do not participate with Concur. To book with these two airlines please call AAA Corporate Travel at 877-463-0543.
• Study Abroad travel is not required to be arranged through AAA or the Concur Travel Platform.
• Travel arrangements where family members are traveling with the Miami employee can be arranged outside of Concur/AAA to ensure that all family members are seated together.

Please email purchasing@miamioh.edu with any questions related to the above exceptions.

Please allow 2 weeks before leaving or booking travel to request a P-Card to allow time for it to be processed, received, and distributed. Please contact Accounts Payable at accountspayable@MiamiOH.edu for all P-Card requests.

“We will have a FAQ section in the travel portal to help answer questions,” Leishman said. “The travel portal will have the same basic layout. We want this to be a smooth transition for Miami employees with definite benefits when it comes to booking university business travel.”