Per Diem or reimbursement?

[chevelle57]

So my current employer covers all of my expense when I travel, flights, hotels, parking, food, you name it they pay for it.  This is pretty nice since I spend more time traveling then I do at home my food expenses are pretty low.  I know that some of the new hires have been moved off of the free food band wagon and receive per diem instead.  Its in the range of $20-30/day.  I know if I brought it up I could get switched and could come in well below that on most days.  But there are some when I'm stuck in an airport that its nice to not have to worry about getting a $12 burger.  So what do you guys think is it worth it to make a bit more per day or keep the golden goose I have now and the occasional steak dinner on the company's dime?

[Lordy]

I would keep the reimbursement. When you are on business travel you often don't have the luxury of time and therefore need to take the more expensive option. It's also nice to get a good meal after long trip.

[I'm a red panda]

What's the max your per diem can be?

$20-30 sounds nearly impossible for most of the days I travel, so I'd take the reimbursement.  But really, if I could get a per diem for even half of our reimbursement cap (which is $100); I'd do that no doubt. And then I'd pack food to take with me.

[bacchi]

I chose per diem but it was based on the GSA rates. Most of the time, I saved 50%. Occasionally, I paid for airport food or sushi and didn't worry about it because it was still under budget.

$20-30/day is way too low.

[cdttmm]

If your employer hasn't set a cap on the amount they'll reimburse, I'd keep the deal you have as a per diem of $20-$30 is too low, IMO. I had an employer who would reimburse us for meal expenses when we traveled, but there was a cap: $8 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, and $25 for dinner -- or something like that. It was fine when you were traveling to the middle of nowhere and you could easily keep your meals within that budget, but it sucked when you traveled to places like NYC as it was harder to stay within the budget.

[RoseRelish]

Yeah, I'm with cdttmm. The $20-30 cap is too low. Unless reimbursement is a pain. For us, reimbursement is a pain with hardcaps on a per-meal basis - as cdttmm mentioned.

[chevelle57]

Yeah, I'm with cdttmm. The $20-30 cap is too low. Unless reimbursement is a pain. For us, reimbursement is a pain with hardcaps on a per-meal basis - as cdttmm mentioned.

Nope no hard caps, I might get questioned if every night was a $100 steak dinner, but I've yet to have any of my reimbursements questioned.  Also I'm traveling 2 or 3 weeks at a time so bring food isn't an option.  Looks like I'll stick with what I have.  Thanks guys.

[Prairie Stash]

My rates are as follows; breakfast $12, lunch $15 and dinner is $29 for local per diems, the far trips are $15,$17,$38 (out of province). I also get incidentals at $12/night to cover hotel movies, tips, dry-cleaning etc. As a side bonus I also charge my meals to my credit card, it's around $2000/year in spending. That's optimization for you.

I prefer per diems; on average I save quite a bit and eat healthier. I'd find out the rates being offered and compare it to the last 6 months of your meal expenses. I'm guessing its tracked on your company card. I have the option of charging it all to my card if I wanted to, its the opposite choice from you.

[jsternitzky]

Does your company restrict what you eat/drink? Example some companies won't pay for alcohol so in that case getting the per diem would be nice because you don't have to produce receipts.

And yes your per diem is too low.

GSA for Denver is $66/day.

--breakfast (Hotel)  Free
--Lunch pack own from hotel kitchenette or cheap sandwich shop daily special (<$10)
--Dinner $25

You just made $30!

Travel 3 days a week that is almost $100/Week

$5,000/yr

$50,000 per decade

[lackofstache]

Now that you've made your decision and agree with everyone else, I'm gonna jump on and say I agree too. In your situation reimbursement, if they were giving you $50+ per day, I'd say take that & save.

[use2betrix]

I agree. Take reimbursement and enjoy it. I've received 650-1100/wk of per diem every week for the last 3 years, it's a huge help. More than covers most things, I am even in locations for 6-12 months in my 5th wheel, so my expenses aren't any more than a normal persons.