Acceptance of AMEX at restaurants...

[LaNiña]

The company paid for the program fee. Most companies do. I realize that many companies just let the employees have the miles for their personal use, but that doesn't make it "cheap" when a company doesn't do it. We provided extremely generous company paid benefits. We did not say, upon hiring someone, "oh we'll buy you and your family air tickets for your leisure travel." Not to mention all the other things those points can buy...

[tommy]

The company paid for the program fee.  Most companies do.  I realize that many companies just let the employees have the miles for their personal use, but that doesn't make it "cheap" when a company doesn't do it.  We provided extremely generous company paid benefits.  We did not say, upon hiring someone, "oh we'll buy you and your family air tickets for your leisure travel."  Not to mention all the other things those points can buy...

cheap.

[LaNiña]

can you say profit margin? can you say stay in business? can you say put them up in top hotels and paid their fancy food bills when half the time you *know* it ain't business meals? can you say first class travel? can you say airport lounges?

[tommy]

can you say profit margin?  can you say stay in business?  can you say put them up in top hotels and paid their fancy food bills when half the time you *know* it ain't business meals?  can you say first class travel?  can you say airport lounges?

can you say...cheap.

[LaNiña]

can you say the best, fully paid benefits money could buy? can you say all the personal long distance people called?

i mean really, where's the line?

[tommy]

can you say the best, fully paid benefits money could buy?  can you say all the personal long distance people called?

i mean really, where's the line?

cheap.

[LaNiña]

Tommy, your brilliant, expository, insightful comments are a delight

When's your company paying for my dinner?

[tommy]

When's your company paying for my dinner?

it has already bought you drinks.

not cheap.

i don't want to be the guy doing the forecasting for next year. Well, let's see, we're expecting x in revenue, y in operating expenses, z in t&a, oh wait! we can recoup z/1000 for certain expenses and apply them back in z, at an expense of t and then blah balh balbalhbalblhabl...oh eff it, we'll let the employees the freakin things.

[Beachfan]

Certain of the corporate amex cards don't bear points. One visiting consultant mentioned his firm negotiated points out of the deal in return for a concession in some other area.

There have been a few efforts by the IRS to place a value and tax on company paid fares which generate miles used for personal purposes, but the Service hasn't pushed it. The 535 frequent flyers out of Reagan National might not be pleased. (Even the local congress people and staffs fly)

Actually, I think that's pretty common. The two companies I've worked for that gave me a Corporate card didn't accrue miles.

So if a restaurant didn't accept AMEX, I'd probably be happy, since then I could get the miles on my VISA.

[tommy]

Actually, I think that's pretty common.  The two companies I've worked for that gave me a Corporate card didn't accrue miles. 

i wasn't aware of this, and it makes a whole lot of sense. i've seen people actually fight over who was picking up the tab on dinners costing well over a grand, presumably so they could get the points. it's easy to see how this doesn't benefit the employer.

[LaNiña]

Wanted to add that the employees kept the mileage itself for themselves, meaning the mileage from the flights from the airlines. It was the AmEx points that the company used.

[jordyn]

Wanted to add that the employees kept the mileage itself for themselves, meaning the mileage from the flights from the airlines.  It was the AmEx points that the company used.

This is pretty much non-negotiable from the airlines' perspective. They want your loyalty to last longer than your job.

[LaNiña]

Wanted to add that the employees kept the mileage itself for themselves, meaning the mileage from the flights from the airlines.  It was the AmEx points that the company used.

This is pretty much non-negotiable from the airlines' perspective. They want your loyalty to last longer than your job.

Actually, several airlines have programs now that give the mileage right back to the employer. The times they are a'changin' .

[Rail Paul]

can you say profit margin?  can you say stay in business?  can you say put them up in top hotels and paid their fancy food bills when half the time you *know* it ain't business meals?  can you say first class travel?  can you say airport lounges?

We wrestle with this issue every day. We fly on our own time occasionally, and sometimes on weekends. The miles belong to us, and it's part of the explicit agreement.

Travel costs are outrageous, and they're getting worse. But, disincentivizing people from necessary face time with clients isn't a way we want to pursue. We do, and have as recently as last week, return travel vouchers with counter-offers of what we'll reimburse.

CO's best price to Tampa a few weeks ago was $800. Add a Friday night stay, and the price dropped to $300. I flew back on Saturday afternoon, with an additional hotel night and a chance to chase trains out in the phosphate belt.

Wasn't a top notch place, and they didn't pay for Bern's, either...

[jordyn]

Actually, several airlines have programs now that give the mileage right back to the employer. The times they are a'changin' .

Nina: Do you have any examples? I know this was experimented with for a while, but I'm under the impression that the airlines were not happy with the results and quickly reversed course.

Even the government, which long had one of the strictest policies regarding the use of miles, has recently relented and now allows employees to make use of miles for personal business.

[LaNiña]

Actually, several airlines have programs now that give the mileage right back to the employer. The times they are a'changin' .

Nina: Do you have any examples? I know this was experimented with for a while, but I'm under the impression that the airlines were not happy with the results and quickly reversed course.

Even the government, which long had one of the strictest policies regarding the use of miles, has recently relented and now allows employees to make use of miles for personal business.

It's been about a year since I was involved specifically in this issue, but I'll see what I can find out.

[Wilfrid]

Wanted to add that the employees kept the mileage itself for themselves, meaning the mileage from the flights from the airlines.  It was the AmEx points that the company used.

Okay. There is a logic to the airlines wanting the employees to benefit from the mileage, as in most cases it is the employee, or an employee anyway, who decides which airline to use, and the benefit to the airlines is loyalty. If my employer took my air miles away, I wouldn't use the same carrier (almost) all the time - which I do.

Dumb question: What are these points all about?

[Rail Paul]

Wanted to add that the employees kept the mileage itself for themselves, meaning the mileage from the flights from the airlines.  It was the AmEx points that the company used.

Okay. There is a logic to the airlines wanting the employees to benefit from the mileage, as in most cases it is the employee, or an employee anyway, who decides which airline to use, and the benefit to the airlines is loyalty. If my employer took my air miles away, I wouldn't use the same carrier (almost) all the time - which I do.

Dumb question: What are these points all about?

Wilfrid -

your example makes sense insofar as the employee has some say in which carrier the company selects. That is becoming, unfortunately, less common. I may recommend a flight, but an exception report to the CEO is generated if there's a lower fare I declined.

In some cases, the employer negotiates a locked in price between two end points. When I commuted regularly to Washington from NY, we had a deal which gave us a price of () which was competitive, but required 200 segments per year. We did all our travel on that one airline between those points. No miles.

TWA also had several lock-in deals to California, which required a change in StLouis. Nobody liked it, but it was $600 bucks when everybody else was a grand or more. That goes right to the bottom line.

Paul

[macrosan]

Actually, I think that's pretty common.  The two companies I've worked for that gave me a Corporate card didn't accrue miles.  

i wasn't aware of this, and it makes a whole lot of sense. i've seen people actually fight over who was picking up the tab on dinners costing well over a grand, presumably so they could get the points. it's easy to see how this doesn't benefit the employer.

Cheap