Amex Direct Rates Frequently Asked Questions Definition and value-proposition What are Amex Direct rates? Why is AEBT providing Amex Direct rates? What are client and traveler benefits of the new Amex Direct rates? What restrictions do Amex Direct rates include? Are Amex Direct rates eligible for loyalty program points? Why is AEBT sourcing content from a third party? Will my company get credit for Amex Direct rates in my corporate preferred program? How do Amex Direct rates fit within my company s existing corporate preferred program? Booking and troubleshooting How will my travelers know to book an Amex Direct rate? Are these rates available online and offline? What will the rates look like on the online booking tool? How will my travelers know to book it? How will charges for Amex Direct rates appear on my statement? What happens if my company has a credit card (or BTA) on file that it does not want charged? How will Amex Direct rates be displayed on the invoice? What if I need another copy of the invoice? Can the hotel issue an invoice to use for T&E purposes? What if the traveler needs to modify a reservation? If the traveler cancels and rebooks a reservation, does that generate another transaction fee? What should my travelers look for on the billing statement? Page 1 of 7
Definition and value-proposition What are Amex Direct rates? Amex Direct rates are deeply discounted hotel rates available at nearly 73,000 properties from all key hotel chains globally. These negotiated rates are pre-paid at the time of booking, in contrast to traditional pay-on-departure content typical for business travel hotel bookings. They also include more than 7,000 properties that do not participate in the Global Distribution Systems (GDS), such as smaller chains and hotels from the independent sector, as well as additional rooms in properties that limit their GDS content. This content also increases traveler options by adding availability of hotel rooms that the GDS shows as sold out. Amex Direct rates supplement our Preferred Extras Hotel Program content. Why is AEBT providing Amex Direct rates? We have developed Amex Direct rates in response to client requests for additional content to supplement the rates that are most commonly used by business travelers, specifically rooms listed on consumer-oriented online travel agencies. Clients can confidently encourage travelers to book with American Express rather than searching for deals online because with access to more than 100,000 properties world-wide and a variety of hotel programs available, they already have the widest content and best discounts available. These rates also provide substantial savings in exchange for pre-payment and earlier cancellation requirements, so they are an important addition to our 35,000 Preferred Extras hotels and additional published rates. What are the client and traveler benefits of the new Amex Direct rates? These rates offer many benefits, including: Savings: Deep discounts including some that are more than 20% off the hotel s best available rate Double Membership Rewards points when booking on an enrolled American Express card Significant expansion of hotel choice, through the addition of off-gds rates at 73,000 properties globally Increased flexibility, through the addition of more than 7,000 properties not available in the GDS (typically from smaller chains and the independent hotel sector), as well as additional rooms that GDS-participating hotels do not make available. Amex Direct may also be available even when the GDS shows the same room as sold out. Improved employee productivity by eliminating the perceived need for travelers to shop for rates online The pre-payment feature (see restrictions question below) helps companies with travelers who are not issued a corporate card or otherwise prefer to pay in advance rather than at check-out with a card. What restrictions do Amex Direct rates include? Amex Direct rates are pre-paid at the time of booking instead of paid at time of departure. The traveler s form of payment on file will be charged when the booking is made. Most Amex Direct rates are refundable up to 24-48 hours before check-in or a cancellation penalty will apply (typically the cost of one night s stay). The travel counselor will inform the traveler of the terms and conditions and the booking engines will clearly show this when the rates are launched online. Page 2 of 7
A few Amex Direct rates are non-refundable. The travel counselor will inform the traveler of the terms and conditions and the booking engines will clearly show this when the rates are launched online. The traveler will not receive a hotel invoice at check-out. Instead, an e-mail confirmation, sent to the traveler at the time of booking, serves as the receipt for expense purposes. This e-mail is required to support any expense claims. Are Amex Direct rates eligible for loyalty program points? All Amex Direct bookings receive double Membership Rewards points when booked on an eligible American Express card enrolled in Membership Rewards. The points will be awarded within 10 weeks after the hotel stay. Hotel loyalty points are not available at time of booking. However, travelers can inquire at the hotel upon check-in and loyalty points may be awarded at the hotel s discretion. Why is AEBT sourcing this hotel content from a third party? Clients have specifically asked for hotel content available from consumer online travel agencies that their travelers are familiar with. Amex Direct rates allow us to respond to this need and also leverage pre-negotiated discounts at 73,000 properties. Will my company get credit for Amex Direct rates in my corporate preferred program? No, Amex Direct rates bookings do not count toward volume commitments clients have negotiated with preferred partners because they are negotiated by our partner and have the restrictions detailed above in exchange for deep discounts and other benefits. How do Amex Direct rates fit within my already existing corporate preferred program? Amex Direct rates are a supplement to content in your company s negotiated hotel program, as well as AEBT-negotiated content, such as Preferred Extras and Complete Suite. You should discuss the benefits of these rates and how they can help drive additional savings with your American Express Travel Manager. Page 3 of 7
Booking and troubleshooting How will my travelers know to book an Amex Direct rate? Offline travel counselors will offer Amex Direct rates when available, and travelers can also ask for them by name. When these rates are incorporated into AXIOM (beginning in April 2012) and Concur (Q3 2012) they will be labeled as Amex Direct Prepaid Room and include information regarding terms and restrictions. Are these rates available online and offline? Amex Direct rates are available offline for all US-based agents who use Sabre and the Apollo release is planned for Q3 2012. AXIOM will be available beginning in April 2012, Concur is in the final development stages with deployment in Q3 2012. What will the rates look like on the online booking tool? How will my travelers know to book it? These rates will be labeled Amex Direct Prepaid Room. Online users will be required to acknowledge they have read the rules and restrictions when booking an Amex Direct rate. How will charges for Amex Direct rates appear on my statement? Based on the arrangement we have with the 3 rd party supplying this content, charges for Amex Direct rates will appear under the name Travelscape, LLC (TSP) rather than the name of the hotel. What happens if my company has a credit card (or BTA) on file that it does not want charged? OFFLINE: The travel counselor booking screen is populated with all credit cards found in the PNR (air and hotel form of payment, personal card, etc.) The agent can select the appropriate card to be billed. If the agent chooses the primary FOP, a warning related to using central bill for hotel will be displayed. ONLINE: If the online booking tool has a central bill card configured on the site for hotel bookings, the Amex Direct rates will be charged in full to that card. If the site is configured for the central bill as an optional form of payment, the end user would need to determine if they will use the central bill, or an individual card for the Amex Direct hotel booking. How will Amex Direct rates be displayed on the invoice? The daily rate and total rate are displayed on the confirmation that is emailed to the traveler immediately after booking the Amex Direct rate offline. The online booking tools generate a confirmation email with the same information. These confirmation emails serve as the invoice/receipt and must be retained for expense purposes. What if I need another copy of the invoice? An American Express Travel Counselor can generate a new invoice for an offline Amex Direct booking. If you made the reservation in the online booking tool, you can access the reservation details in Upcoming Trips or Archived Reservations then print a new itinerary. Page 4 of 7
Can the hotel issue an invoice to use for T&E purposes? No, the hotel cannot issue an invoice. Instead, a confirmation email reflecting the pre-paid room rate is sent within minutes of the booking to the email address provided. This receipt should be retained for expense purposes. If a duplicate receipt is required, it can be requested from a travel counselor or reprinted directly from the online tool. What if the traveler needs to modify a reservation? Based on the arrangement we have with the 3 rd party supplying this content, travelers wishing to modify a reservation will need to cancel the existing reservation and book a new reservation. No changes can be made via a travel counselor or in the online booking tool. If the traveler cancels and books a new reservation, does that generate another transaction fee? Generally not, American Express typically does not charge for a cancellation and new booking if the updates are in the same record. Some client contracts may have specific terms related to this issue. What should my travelers look for on the billing statement? Amex Direct charges will be billed by Travelscape LLC (TSP). This information also appears on the e-mailed confirmation/receipt. See Total Amount in sample below. Total Amount : 88.22 USD (Your reservation has been serviced by Travelscape, LLC and your card will be charged by Travelscape, LLC (TSP)). Examples of offline and online email confirmations are on the following pages. Page 5 of 7
Offline Confirmation Example: Page 6 of 7
Online Confirmation Example: Travel Itinerary Chicago Trip on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Traveler: Customer Name Use this when contacting the travel agency Record locator: XXXXXX Trip ID: 667091331309283026 Agency: American Express Business Travel Message: For immediate assistance with site navigation, online bookings, please call American Express Business Travel. Hotel in Oak Forest, ILLINOIS Best Western Plus Chicago Southland 4375 Frontage Rd Oak Forest, IL 60452, US Phone: 1-708-653-3302 Fax: 1-708-653-3304 Check-In: April 17, 2012 Check-Out: April 18, 2012 Room Type: Queen Number of Guests: 1 Number of Rooms: 1 Reservation Number: 18761367299 Itinerary Number: 80486795 Amex Reference Number: A12952517-1 Rate Description: Single Queen, Handicapped Accessible Cancellation Policy: The Best Western Plus Chicago Southland imposes the following cancellation penalty: Cancellations or changes made after 3:00 PM ((GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)) on Apr 17, 2012 are subject to a 1 Night Room & Tax penalty. The property makes no refunds for no shows or early checkouts. Rate Details: $75.99 Prepaid room Taxes: $12.66 Total Cost: $88.65 (Your reservation has been serviced by Travelscape, LLC and your card will be charged by Travelscape, LLC (TSP)). The Total Amount USD $88.65 for this booking includes Tax Recovery charges and Service Fees. Credit Card WILL BE CHARGED IMMEDIATELY FOR THE FULL AMOUNT of the reservation. This is a prepayment rate. Status: Confirmed Rules and Restrictions Best Western Plus Chicago Southland: The Best Western Plus Chicago Southland imposes the following cancellation penalty: Cancellations or changes made after 3:00 PM ((GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)) on Apr 17, 2012 are subject to a 1 Night Room & Tax penalty. The property makes no refunds for no shows or early checkouts. Important Information Frequent Traveler points: Due to the rules associated with your room rate, you will not accumulate points to your frequent guest program. You may inquire with the hotel upon check-in for additional information. Expense Reporting: Retain this email for expense reporting purposes as the hotel may not provide you with an invoice showing the amount paid for your room upon check out. Trip Cost Estimated total cost for this traveler $88.65 Page 7 of 7