Travel Services
LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES STATEWIDE TRAVEL & FUEL CARD PROGRAM
In partnership with CSAC, CSDA, and the State of California, the League of California Cities is proud to offer the enhanced Statewide Travel Program & Voyager Fuel Card for the most economical rates available for travel-related services such as airfare, car rentals, travel agency services, hotels, and fuel cards.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The newly enhanced program features the following for official city travel:
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Access to all State fares and discounts previously available only to State agencies
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Payment system with no annual fees, interest charges or late fees
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Negotiated discount contract rates for travel agency services with access to a one-stop shop online booking tool that provides cost savings, data consolidation and enforceable travel policy
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Contracts and discount rates with Southwest Airlines, Virgin America, JetBlue, Alaskan/Horizon, and United Airlines for in-state, out-of-state and international routes
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Discount contract rates for short-term and long-term car rentals through Enterprise and National/Alamo that include $250,000 third party liability insurance coverage, free one-way rentals, market fuel rates, and counter by-pass service
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Voyager Fleet Card Program for fuel and maintenance services
A complete list of all contracts and information may be seen on the Department of General Services Statewide Travel Program Web page: http://www.dgs.ca.gov/travel.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Step 1: Contact Georgia Kattenhorn, Statewide Travel Program Liaison. All necessary paperwork, applications and forms listed below will be provided by Georgia Kattenhorn. Georgia will also assist you in the set-up process, provide instructions and answer your questions regarding participation in the program. Contact Georgia Kattenhorn at (916) 376-3990 or via e-mail at georgia.kattenhorn@dgs.gov.
Step 2: Apply for an American Express Business Travel Account (BTA). American Express is the current required payment system for access to the State discounted rates and contracts. The payment system BTA is a unique cardless account designed especially for this program. The Statewide Travel Program can assist you with any questions during the application process. Contact Georgia Kattenhorn by e-mail at georgia.kattenhorn@dgs.ca.gov.
Step 3: Establish an account with CALtravelstore, the state-authorized travel management service provider. In addition to eight onsite travel agents that assist by phone, CALtravelstore also provides Concur, a one-stop online booking tool where travelers can book their air, car, and hotel all in one location and obtain access to the contracted state rates.
Step 4: Work with CALtravelstore to establish your Concur Online Booking tool site. Provide BTA account information, accounting code data and travel policy requirements.
Step 5: Sign up to receive Southwest and Enterprise discounts. Complete paperwork to activate negotiated contract discounts.
Step 6: To obtain more information or sign up for the Voyager Fuel Program contact Mark Hess at (612) 973-1655 or at Mark.Hess@usbank.com. This program provides fuel cards that are assigned to your fleet of vehicles or can be supplemental for leased vehicles through our long term car rental contract. The Voyager card is accepted at over 10,000 retail locations including BP, Chevron, Exxon, Texaco, Shell and Union 76. State taxes will be removed from the charges prior to billing. This program can also be extended and used for maintenance and repairs through authorized vendors.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY
It is the city’s responsibility to pay its BTA in full each month in a timely manner. If there are reconciliation issues, it is the responsibility of the city to assemble the details and make adjustments with American Express and/or CALtravelstore. These issues should be identified, communicated, and adjusted as soon as they are discovered.
You will have access to two different reporting systems to assist you with reconciliation of your account: American Express @Work and the iBank reporting system. Enrollment in iBank is automatic when you create your account with CALtravelstore. Enrollment in American Express @Work will be completed with your American Express BTA application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is this program beneficial to our agency?
In these challenging economic times, government entities are taking a hard look at managing their business travel and reducing travel spending. The State of California, DGS, Statewide Travel Program offers efficient and cost-effective travel management services to government entities and provides the most economical rates and fares available through the use of State negotiated contracts for airlines, car rentals, travel management services, and travel payment system. By leveraging the State's total travel spending, the Statewide Travel Program gains the advantage of the best pricing model available.
For agencies that operate a fleet of vehicles, the Voyager program will aid in reduced costs associated with fuel and maintenance and provide additional savings for the city.
Why use CALtravelstore and the American Express Payment System for travel arrangements?
CALtravelstore is the only authorized Travel Management Service (TMS) provider with access to the negotiated contract rates for the State of California's Statewide Travel Program. The American Express payment system is the required form of payment.
Cities are invited to enjoy the discounted fares with the following provisions:
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Local government business travelers must use the authorized TMS provider, CALtravelstore.
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Local government business travelers must use the authorized form of payment, the American Express BTA.
These two requirements prevent fraud and misuse of the program.
Are there fees associated with this program?
The American Express Payment system is fee-free. There is no annual fee, and there are no interest charges nor late fees assessed to the participant. There is no fee charged by the CSDA, LEAGUE or CSAC. There is a negotiated discount transaction fee for travel agency services. The transaction fees range from $5-$14 depending on the type of reservation. These fees are one-time, all inclusive fees. Once a reservation is made, there are no additional transaction fees or charges for changes or cancelations to the reservation.
What are the State-contracted airfares?
The State-contracted airfares include airfare for origination and destination points known as city pairs for intra-California, out-of-state, and international destinations and are listed at http://www.dgs.ca.gov/travel/Programs/Airfare/StateContractedAirfare.
How does the billing work? Will AMEX be billing monthly for the BTA?
American Express will accrue the charges and create a billing statement on or near the 25th of each month. The statement is accessible online at any time. The entire bill is due and payable by the 25th of the new month (within 30 days of the statement date). The bill contains at a minimum the traveler’s name, ticket number and dollar amount. There may be more information, depending upon the vendor. Should you need additional traveler information, the iBank system provides more than 120 reporting capabilities. Your bill is to be paid in full each month.
The League of Cities is pleased to offer this program as an added service to our members as a way of saving limited local dollars through a cost-effective travel alternative. If you have additional questions about the program, please contact League Personnel Manager Karen Durham at (916) 658-8262 or via e-mail at kdurham@cacities.org. You can also contact the Statewide Travel Program Liaison Georgia Kattenhorn at (916) 376-3990 or via e-mail at georgia.kattenhorn@dgs.ca.gov.