1. My company requires employees to use their own personal CC to confirm hotel rooms and make car rental reservations - employees don't pay for them, but need to have the CC on file for incidentals/emergencies/identification/etc. We use a travel company to book stuff like this but there will be a hold put on your own personal CC. Some of us have purchasing cards from the company but we can't use those for travel related purchases.
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2. My new coworker, who is a 50ish year old professional who has been in the field for 20+ years and probably makes at least 65k a year, doesn't own a credit card and thus can't make these travel reservations
I don't know why she doesn't have a CC and it isn't my business. But it definitely makes things complicated and I'm not sure how we're sending her to training next week (we're working with finance to figure it out). Maybe I'm weird, but I'd be mortified if this was the case and I had to tell my new coworkers that I don't have access to a CC. I also just find it odd that a professional, especially an older one, doesn't even own a credit card. That idea is so foreign to me!
I do think it is kind of an odd policy, but I haven't worked anywhere else (professionally) so IDK what's normal. I also have a CC and have no qualms about putting charges on it (yay for points!) so I forget this was even an issue.
This happened where I used to work. Of course the girl flew into the airport over an hour away bc it was a lot cheaper. She gets there and has no cc. She takes the train or bus or something up but that is not an option to get her back after training in time for her flight. I drove her to our local airport and rented a car and put her on as an extra driver so she could drive herself back to the airport. What a pita.
My DH is 41, and doesn't have a credit card. He doesn't want one, and gets by with his debit card. So, I guess I kind of understand her POV. I think it's shitty to make employees use their personal CC's for work stuff, even if it's just to secure the room.
I don't know what there is to be mortified about. A lot of people choose to live without credit cards. I (we) are one of them. After climbing out of a consumer debt hole, we decided the most disciplined thing was to eliminate the chance of falling back in completely. We use a debit card for everything. We are disciplined enough now that we could and should get a rewards card but we haven't yet. I like not having a CC, TBH.
I don't know what there is to be mortified about. A lot of people choose to live without credit cards. I (we) are one of them. After climbing out of a consumer debt hole, we decided the most disciplined thing was to eliminate the chance of falling back in completely. We use a debit card for everything. We are disciplined enough now that we could and should get a rewards card but we haven't yet. I like not having a CC, TBH.
I guess I'd just be embarrassed that I had no way to pay for something at my new job. I'd be worried that they'd make the assumption I had bad credit TBH. I know that may not be the case with her.
Also, she could use a debit card but doesn't want her money to be put on "hold". Which is understandable, but if it were me I'd just transfer money from savings for the week and transfer it back when the hold went away. I would be embarrassed if I did not have the capability to do that.
However, I also think some of the issue is that my company makes people do this to begin with. IDK if it has anything to do with being a non-profit (we're a large one).
FWIW, I don't think I'm really trying to be judgy about this - I really like this new person and think she's an excellent addition to our team. My curiosity is less about her as an individual and more about the concept of not holding a CC in our society that requires one so often. It just seems like a hassle, especially when you're a stable grown up person! I can see not having one as a college student or as someone less stable for fear of getting into debt.
If my company required me to use my personal CC like that, I'd probably say I don't have a CC, too.
And, maybe she's stable because she doesn't have a CC. I don't think being a stable adult necessarily goes hand-in-hand with having a CC.
Or a good credit score.
I understand why your company has this policy, but I do think it is odd to expect your employee to be able to do that. Just because someone has a good job doesn't mean they can afford to ave a large hold put on their money. If my job would have asked me to do that right after starting, I probably would have died of embarrassment. Starting a new job can be really rough financially.
It is Los possible that she has been burned by something like this previously....
FWIW, I don't think I'm really trying to be judgy about this - I really like this new person and think she's an excellent addition to our team. My curiosity is less about her as an individual and more about the concept of not holding a CC in our society that requires one so often. It just seems like a hassle, especially when you're a stable grown up person! I can see not having one as a college student or as someone less stable for fear of getting into debt.
We aren't "less stable." I'm not even sure what that means. We got in CC debt when I was laid off and then we got out.
I'm also not sure why CCs are required by society. We haven't had one in years and we have traveled on planes, rented cars, stayed in hotels, made major household purchases, etc. If you are doing the responsible thing and paying your CC off every month, using a debit card is just as easy.
Btw, you sound judgy about this, even if you aren't. I don't mean that in a mean/snarky way at all.
My parents (who are young, in their 50s) don't have a credit card or a debit card. All cash and checks. They don't fly or online shop so I guess they get by.
Ok, ok, no one has a credit card now and that's the new normal? Stop it. It is weird.
^o) No one said that. We said its not something to mortified about, that it doesn't make one less stable, and that some people simply choose not to have one.
It's fine for anyone not to use credit cards in their personal life if that's their choice. But if you work for a company whose policy is employees use their own cards, then you should probably get one. It's not that uncommon for companies to ask employees to book or even pay for expenses, then they get reimbursed. The few people I knew of who didn't have cards had to get a check or make some other arrangement and it always seemed like a hassle.
Meh. I think it's a hassle because of the company's weird policy. I wouldn't feel bad about it since I believe mandatory travel/training should be covered with a company card or a travel advance. I've never worked anywhere that didn't handle it that way.
I don't have a credit card. I only use my debit card. It's not mortifying.
ETA - At this stage in my career I wouldn't be able to pay for hotel/car/flight and be reimbursed without forsaking my own bills. This policy is crap. Companies who do this suck.
My employer requires employees to pay OOP for travel related expenses and then file an expense report. The one employee I knew of who didn't have a personal credit card had to request a cash advance for her training trip and Accounting had her hotel and car direct billed to the company.
Every job my husband or I has ever had has required us to book and pay for travel on personal credit cards and then file an expense report to get reimbursed, and that includes four different private sector jobs, plus state and federal government jobs. At a previous job where he was traveling 90% of the time, DH would have to pay for $5k+ in expenses on our CC every month. I have already charged about $1600 in conference registration fees to our cc this month. I use my own CC to reserve hotel rooms, flights, rental cars, etc. for work all the time. I assumed this was pretty standard. I have no idea what would happen if you didn't have a cc (or a debit card that you were willing and able to use instead, I guess). I suspect my firm would tell you to get one.
I don't care if someone chooses not to have a credit card, but I think many peoples' lives and careers simply don't support being cc free. It would be a huge pain in the ass for us to live without credit.
My employer requires employees to pay OOP for travel related expenses and then file an expense report. The one employee I knew of who didn't have a personal credit card had to request a cash advance for her training trip and Accounting had her hotel and car direct billed to the company.
I'm a fed and my travel basically works like this. We have corporate travel CCs, but they are in our name and the bill comes to me. I'm expected to pay it off on time out of my own checking account, regardless of whether I've received y reimbursement or not. We can et travel advances in theory, but it is not easy and not always authorized.
DH is an engineer and is also expected to front the costs of his travel. Reimbursements can take a while and are often $3k or $4k a month so I've learned to keep a large buffer in our checking account.
It's a pain but I love the cc rewards for the things we are able to put on our personal cc!!
Every company I've ever worked for, I pay upfront for travel and get reimbursed. I don't find that unreasonable or strange at all, if you're in a role where travel is required. I'd rather get the miles and CC points anyway.
I did work in one place where travel really wasn't part of my job and I was more junior--they offered advances or to use the company card if I needed it.
Guys, I never said she should be mortified or that she must be unstable. I am under the impression she IS stable, hence the surprise. I said "I" would be mortified, not that she "should" be. I hope she isn't!
Glad to hear my company is not that weird. We have plenty of credit, I think it is the fact it would be a waste to issue a company card to someone who rarely travels. Also i think it is hotel/car rental policy to put a hold on a credit card, my company is no making her pay for either upfront, it is the hold on the account that makes a debit card less of an option.
I have to put all of my work-related travel expenses on my own credit card. At my old firm I had a corporate Amex (that we were told we were required to apply for, in our own names -- that's maybe the weirder policy), but I never ever used it because the points programs on my other credit cards were way better. I love when I have to book travel on my own cards -- the points I get for flights are awesome (and I therefore try to book coworkers' flights too when they travel with me so I can get double the points).
I think it is weird that she doesn't have a credit card, particularly if she sometimes travels for work.
At his old job, my husband had to put all of his work-related expenses (of which he had many) on a corporate card. It sucked -- no points for anything.
Note: when we've had corporate cards, we've had to pay the bills ourselves and then get reimbursed. So we were on the hook for large expenses either way.
I think that its wierd they dont have a way to get you corporate credit cards. We can use our personal or get a corporate card. I use my personal card for the rewards.
Here is my judgy comment on this. We have some new employees who get paid pretty well - probably $60-80K a year. One went on a trip where the per diem and hotel would have cost maybe $500. They asked for an advance on it. I would feel wierd asking my job for an advance for only $500. Plus we usually get reimbursed within 2 weeks. I am surprised they didnt have a credit card for this.
Every job my husband or I has ever had has required us to book and pay for travel on personal credit cards and then file an expense report to get reimbursed, and that includes four different private sector jobs, plus state and federal government jobs. At a previous job where he was traveling 90% of the time, DH would have to pay for $5k+ in expenses on our CC every month. I have already charged about $1600 in conference registration fees to our cc this month. I use my own CC to reserve hotel rooms, flights, rental cars, etc. for work all the time. I assumed this was pretty standard. I have no idea what would happen if you didn't have a cc (or a debit card that you were willing and able to use instead, I guess). I suspect my firm would tell you to get one.
I don't care if someone chooses not to have a credit card, but I think many peoples' lives and careers simply don't support being cc free. It would be a huge pain in the ass for us to live without credit.
I also have to use my personal card for all expenses and then file an expense report to get reimbursed. We don't have company cards. I think it is ridiculous but that's the way this place works.
While it is a bit odd the woman doesnt have a credit card, I am assuming it also means she has NO CREDIT CARD DEBT! I bet more than 50% of her co-workers cant say that!!
While it is a bit odd the woman doesnt have a credit card, I am assuming it also means she has NO CREDIT CARD DEBT! I bet more than 50% of her co-workers cant say that!!