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Old Oct 18, 2011 | 5:07 pm
  #9  
manneca
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You raise basically an ethical issue. There are employers who require that employees use their miles earned on business travel be used for business travel. Others see the miles as a benefit given in return for the employee traveling.

I worked for a nationally known non-profit that was notoriously tight-fisted with employees and I kept all the miles I earned from air travel.

I suggest you talk with your board. If there are members who are relatively sophisticated and travel for their own employment, then you shouldn't have a problem. I can see an issue if someone who is not a business person learns that you are using miles earned on business travel to go somewhere fancy and you have not cleared this with your board.

On my last job, a member of the organization was incensed when I used conference funds that were part of my contract to travel to a foreign country for a conference. The chairperson of the board was fortunately standing beside her and quickly said, "it's part of her contract to use the funds that way." I may be overly cautious, but better safe than sorry.

The cc points are a bit more questionable. If the card is a personal one in your name and you are responsible for payment, then of course, you get the points. If it's a business card (even if it has your name on it) and the organization pays the bill, then it seems to me that the points belong to the business. (You could of course pay expenses on your personal credit card and ask for reimbursement.) I'm a lot less familiar with corporate credit cards than flying.
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