Why you should say NO to travel vouchers

When your plane arrives with a one hour delay, and the transfer to the next flight is in less than 30 minutes, chances are, that you will not get to your destination at the exact time you planned. In these types of situations, it is not uncommon for the airline to offer you a travel voucher for a certain sum of money. And usually, they will offer you a hotel room until the next available flight.

 

What’s a travel voucher?

Generally, there are two types of travel vouchers. First of all, a travel voucher is a document that people, often on business trips, use to keep track of all expenses during their travels. When the trip is over, the traveler provides the voucher with all expenses to the employer and eventually gets financial compensation. Employers usually cover all out-of-pocket expenses.

Secondly, a voucher can be issued by travel companies in case of certain unforeseeable circumstances, like a canceled or delayed flight. The traveler can exchange this voucher for another trip at another time. Travel companies use vouchers like a marketing tool to keep customers satisfied.

 

What is a travel voucher form and how do I complete it?

In most cases, companies do not give money to employees before a business trip. Instead, the employee is asked to keep track of all expenses, collect receipts and complete a travel voucher form. Only then will the expenses be compensated for. Or, these expenses might be deducted from the annual tax bill of the company.

Search for the travel voucher template in PDFfiller’s catalogue of over 25 million fillable forms. Simply open it in the Editor and fill in the required fields in just a few clicks. You will be required to provide the following information:

  • Type of payment (electronic fund transfer or payment by check)
  • Personal information (name, address, contact details, social security number, name of company, etc.)
  • Total amount of expenses (including the date, nature of expense, and the amount of each expense)
  • Duration of travel
  • Signature and date

In the case of travel vouchers issued by travel companies, you do not have to fill out any forms. All you have to do is provide any document confirming your identity.

 

Three things travel companies won’t tell you about the vouchers they issue

Travelers can be prevented from taking their flights for many reasons. Flights get canceled due to weather, planes break down or the flight could simply be overbooked. People who face any of these difficulties are offered a voucher that can be used for purchasing a later flight. However, there are some things that passengers do not know about vouchers.

 

Travel companies must offer you a refund before issuing a voucher

If a flight is canceled, the company is required to offer you a refund. But instead, travel companies try to offer you vouchers instead. Companies don’t want to offer you a refund because they know that they have a higher chance of saving money, if they give you a voucher. Whenever a travel company offers to help rebook your flight with a voucher, inform the company that you would prefer to have your money back instead.

 

During the high season it’s almost impossible to redeem a voucher

Before you agree to take a voucher, carefully read the terms and conditions. If you find out that the date, type of flight, hotel room or anything else mentioned in the voucher do not fulfill your expectations, you have the right to reject it and request a cash refund. Airlines would rather you take the voucher, but end up not using it. That way, they can save money. During the high season, it is not easy to find an alternative date that is convenient for travelers to fly. So travel companies give vouchers with very inconvenient dates for travel (because all convenient flights/hotels are already booked).

 

They say the voucher expires in a year, but it’s actually not the case

The airline representative will tell you that the voucher you receive is valid for one year. But what they don’t tell you is that it is valid for one year exactly from the date when you booked your original flight. So if you expect to use the voucher in eight months, check the date of when you booked your original flight first.

 


 

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