Approvals

The Approvals page is where travel admins and approvers review booking requests that require authorization.

When Are Approvals Required?

Bookings require approval when:

• A policy rule triggers "Require Approval" enforcement
• The organization has "Require Approval by Default" enabled
• The booking exceeds budget thresholds defined in policy

Approval Types

There are two types of items in the Approvals queue:

Pending Bookings

These are specific flight or hotel bookings awaiting approval:

• Show the exact price and offer details
• Have an expiration time (offers expire)
• Can be approved to complete the booking

Trip Approvals

These are broader trip requests:

• May include multiple bookings
• Show overall trip details (destination, dates)
• Approval enables the traveler to proceed with booking

Reviewing Pending Bookings

Understanding the Booking Card

Each pending booking shows:

Policy Violations

When policy rules are triggered, you'll see:

• Policy Blocks (Red) — Hard stops that shouldn't be overridden
• Approval Required (Orange) — Rules that triggered this approval
• Warnings (Yellow) — Informational alerts

Each violation shows:

• The rule name and type
• The traveler's selected value vs. the policy limit
• A message explaining the violation

Approving a Booking

1. Review the booking details and policy violations
2. Click Approve
3. (Optional) Add a comment
4. Click Approve in the dialog

The booking is completed immediately, and the traveler is notified.

Rejecting a Booking

1. Click Reject
2. Required: Enter a reason for rejection
3. Click Reject in the dialog

The traveler receives a notification with your rejection reason.

Handling Expired Offers

Travel offers (especially flights) have limited validity. If an offer expires before approval:

Identifying Expired Offers

• An "Expired" badge appears on the booking card
• An orange warning explains the offer has expired

Refreshing the Search

1. Click Refresh Offer
2. The system searches for new offers matching the original criteria
3. Review the new offers and their prices
4. Select an offer to approve

Price Changes

When refreshing, you may see:

• Same or lower price — Proceed with approval
• Higher price — Consider if the new price is still acceptable
• No availability — The original booking may no longer be possible

Reviewing Trip Approvals

Trip approvals work similarly but cover the entire trip:

Trip Details

• Title — Trip name or destination
• Traveler — Who is traveling
• Dates — Travel dates
• Estimated Budget — Projected cost

Approval Process

1. Review trip details and policy context
2. Click Approve or Reject
3. Add a comment (optional for approve, required for reject)
4. Confirm your decision

Tabs Overview

Pending Bookings Tab

Shows booking requests waiting for your approval:

• Sorted by creation date (newest first)
• Shows count badge with number pending

Trip Approvals Tab

Shows trip-level approval requests:

• For broader trip authorization
• May precede individual booking requests

Completed Tab

Shows your approval history:

• All approved and rejected items
• Includes your comments
• Useful for audit purposes

Who Can Approve?

Approval permissions depend on role:

Best Practices

Timely Response

• Review approvals promptly to avoid offer expiration
• Set up notifications to alert you of new requests
• Consider delegating if you'll be unavailable

Consistent Decisions

• Apply policy rules consistently
• Document reasoning in rejection comments
• Approve exceptions sparingly and with justification

Clear Communication

For rejections, provide:

• What policy was violated
• Why the exception can't be granted
• Alternatives the traveler could consider

Example rejection:

"Hotel rate of $350/night exceeds our $200 limit. Please search for hotels in the $150-200 range, or contact Travel Admin if this is the only option in the area."

Monitoring

• Check the Approvals page regularly
• Use the count badges to see pending items
• Review the Completed tab periodically for patterns