Founder-supplied via iMessage 2026-07-27. Filed at his direction ("that's reference
material, not IP"). Full PDF preserved alongside at assets/; this note carries the
rules that actually get used when booking, so a lookup doesn't require reopening the PDF.
Hotels
- Standard business room, single occupancy. No preferred chain — a personal rewards program is fine provided the rate is comparable to other economical options.
- Under $250/night including taxes and fees is the "reasonable" threshold. Anything above needs justification prior to reimbursement.
- Cap-exempt geographies: New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas — plus metro areas that are unsafe. For these, cross-check against GSA per-diem rates. phData reserves the right to reimburse only up to GSA rates where hotels are excessively priced.
- 100-mile rule: lodging is only authorized when required to work and stay over 100 miles (one-way) from usual base.
- Booking mechanics: only book rooms cancellable free within 24 hours of the stay, and do not pre-pay — reimbursement comes after the stay.
- Receipt: itemized hotel receipt showing name, location, dates of stay, and room type. A booking confirmation email is explicitly not sufficient.
Airfare
- Lowest available economy fare that reasonably meets the need. First class not reimbursable.
- Do not book a fare that doesn't allow free changes — Delta Basic and United Basic Economy are named. Note this is changeable, not refundable; see corrections below.
- Checked bag fees are not reimbursable. Exceptions: international flights are reimbursed, and exceptions can be made on trips longer than 4 days.
- Upgrades (preferred seats, early boarding, extra legroom) not reimbursable.
- Book ≥30 days ahead where possible. Use Kayak / Google Flights to evidence reasonable rates.
- Major carriers only — no budget airlines (Spirit, Frontier named), because thin schedules strand travellers on cancellation.
- Charter flights and personal aircraft are not permissible.
- eCredits from cancelled flights are corporate-use only; you cannot claim the eCredit value, only out-of-pocket. Submit the original cancelled-flight receipt alongside.
- Delta bookings: enter the company SkyBonus number (in the PDF; not reproduced here).
Ground transport
- Rideshare: economical option only — UberX/Lyft solo, XL for 3-5. Preferred, Black, and Priority Pickup are not reimbursed. Itemized receipt needs date/time, cost, ride type, pickup and dropoff addresses.
- Hotel courtesy shuttles encouraged where available; public transport encouraged where convenient and safe.
- Personal vehicle mileage allowed only where it doesn't exceed the cost of other modes; request mileage reimbursement in Brex. Mileage is in lieu of gas/oil actuals.
- Train reimbursable where cheaper than car/flight; first class or upgrades are not.
Spend limits
Expenses run through Brex Spend Limits — know which limit an expense falls under before incurring it. See phData's "How to Use Brex" guide.
Corrections to prior founder recollection (2026-07-27)
Both were stated to Ray as policy and neither is what the document says. Recorded because both cost money in the wrong direction:
- "Refundable plane travel only" → the rule is free-changeable, not refundable. Refundable fares cost materially more than changeable economy, and buying them also sits awkwardly against the "lowest available economy airfare" instruction.
- "Limit it to one carry-on" → no such rule exists. The policy makes checked-bag fees non-reimbursable, with carve-outs for international flights and trips over 4 days. Checking a bag is permitted; the fee is simply on you outside those carve-outs.
Neither the word "refundable" nor "carry-on" appears anywhere in the document.
Related
- [[project_phdata_cert_escalator_path]]
- [[2026-07-23-knowbe4-deferral-reentry-window]]