How to ask for travel reimbursement in an interview?

The very basic meaning of reimbursement is to give money to the person who has spent it or lost it.
In simple words, it means that if any individual has spent an amount of money for any task or work
which is not for his expenses then he is granted that particular amount to compensate his loss. This
act of giving money is called a reimbursement. It has various types such as Healthcare
Reimbursement, Travel and Mileage Reimbursement and Business Expense Reimbursement. Many
people get confused between compensation and reimbursement, but they are slightly different.
Compensation is paying for an inconvenience, time, discomfort, loss, etc. Whereas, reimbursement
is where the organization pays its employee for a loss of money from his pocket for the company
work. There are many forms of reimbursement in various companies depending on their type.

Inquiring about the travel reimbursement policy can help a lot in clearing confusion regarding the
responsibility of the expenses. You can ask for travel reimbursement if you are going far from your
residence and it will cost you a lot in travelling stuff. Most of the reputed companies have such a
policy and they do pay people according to it. Also, this doesn’t matter if you are selected or not, if
they gave you the word to give a travel reimbursement then they have to pay you for all the eligible
travel expenses. One can send a nicely written email to enquire about it before the interview. Well,
whenever it comes to money and asking for such benefits the situation becomes a little awkward.
Sometimes we don’t know if it’s the right time to ask for it or to even ask for it or how will the panel
react? Many questions start to pop up in our heads regarding this issue. Now let us get to know
about how to ask for travel reimbursement in an interview? You can call them directly on their
office phone numbers. The following points must be noted while writing an impactful email.

Addressing the right person

If we want to clear a doubt, it is very necessary to contact the concerned person for that to happen.
Who is that concerned person?
 That concerned person is an individual who has the direct and one solution for the
problem, someone who is going to be the base solver of the problems you want to seek
help from.
Now when it comes to reimbursement problems, we do have a problem solver for this. Whenever a
person is called for an interview, the mail is sent from the HR Department. So, this official who sent
you the mail to come for the interview must be approached for a reimbursement request. This
official is the person to approach and address while sending the reimbursement request mail.
 You can also ask for the HOD of the HR department.
Make sure you enquire on the same email Id you received your mail and check whether they are
the correct body to discuss this point. If not ask them to help you reach the concerned official. If
you get not response from them, you can contact directly on the landline of the organization.
Contact numbers are easily available on their web sites/pages.

Choosing a precise subject line

See, whenever we send official mails, we try to be very short and direct. The intention while writing
the subject line is that it should be understood easily in one go that what the main body will
comprising. Be wise with your words, they shouldn’t appear like a demand or a command. You
might write it as “Request for reimbursement of travel expenses” or “Regarding reimbursement
of travel expenses”. Or if you have better ideas go with that but just keep in mind that they are
direct and easy. The statement should be understandable so that the person receiving it believes
that it is genuine and must be reverted. Don’t use lines like please help me, free travel expense, etc.
Choose the correct group of words and then frame the subject line. We only read news or articles
which have some sense and meaningful headings, similarly, we usually check out the mails which
have a meaningful and genuine heading.

Mention Everything
When I mean everything, it surely doesn’t mean that you have to mention what you like to eat or
dislike in drinking. It means that you have to correctly mention your details regarding the interview
and its related expenses which you had to do. You have to mention your name, date of the
interview, position for which you had applied and place where the interview took place. Always
check thoroughly each detail is correctly mentioned and nothing is left out. Keep in mind the
spellings in your words because it is firstly, a bad impression secondly, the paperwork gets in
trouble.

Attachments
Whenever we ask for any kind of reimbursement, we need to make sure that we keep all proofs
with us. If you lose your bills then you will not be able to claim any reimbursement. We do this so
that we can show them as a shred of evidence that whatever we are claiming against it is authentic
and not a fraud. Not a single record should be misplaced else they will never believe what you tell
them. Now for attachments with such requests collect all your bills like tickets, lodge bills, hotel
bills, food bills and travel bills and attach them. The dates which are printed on it must be of the
same day when you were called for the interview. Don’t replace any other bill/wrong bill with the
mail, never try to do fraud with such cases because if you get caught, you are done with your
professional image.

Details matter
Whenever we ask for a payback like reimbursements, we must make sure that it includes all the
detail. Why do we need to mention details when we are already attaching bills? We need to do so
because we have spent a certain amount on a meeting whose results aren’t even sure that whether
they will be positive or negative. Details mean that whatever you spent travelling for a journey
(both arrival and departure), a night stay in a hotel, food bills, accessory bills, etc. Please don’t
mention the cost of the water bottle you bought on the way. Mention only those details which are
worth mentioning. It would be better if you keep a copy of these bills in case if they wish to see the
proof.

Conclusion
End the letter with a thanking note. Use polite statements requesting them to grant you the
reimbursement. Thank them for giving you their precious time. Express your kindness and
enthusiasm for this amazing opportunity for the interview. Lastly share the appropriate information
like email address and phone number so that the company can respond. They might revert
positively to inform you about the reimbursement policy and procedure they follow.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’S)

Do companies give reimbursements for real?

Yes, it is for real, reputed companies do send a proper mail mentioning their terms and condition
along with travel reimbursement details. At times it is attached in your interview call letter. It does
not matter if you are selected in the process or not, the company will pay you as promised.

What should I do if am not getting my promised reimbursement?

Very basic way if you are not getting paid as promised by the company for your travel expenses
then you may contact the head/chief of the company. Inform him about the letter and its
proposals. Wait for some time they might revert you. Even after doing this, there is no action taken
and nobody contacts you. Start writing on their social media handles about their misconduct of
promises. You can file a complaint against them.

Can I get my reimbursement before I give my interview?

No, you cannot get your payment before attending an interview. This might be because you don’t
know how much it will cost before you start the journey. And where will you get the copies of the
travel bills, a journey which is yet to happen?

Why do companies pay for reimbursements? Is it not extra credit loss for them?
Firstly, generally, the big reputed companies follow these policies, not all companies do this. Now
coming to why do they pay for it is that they already put in a lot of money in the recruitment of the
staff. They have well-organized finance teams which pre plan all the budget for reimbursements.
When the recruiter finds an individual suitable and worthy to be hired in the company, they are
ready to take a chance and spend a certain amount of money on him/her. If he clears the interview
session, then he becomes an asset that will fetch them more money from his hard work than they
had spent on his travel expenses. it’s a win-win situation.

What does a reimbursement include?

It includes your flight and accommodations. If you are travelling from a distant location, then the
company will take responsibility for to and from a location. Before you go for an interview, the
recruiter must or might discuss the logistics. They might want to know which airline you are taking,
the class you have booked, date and time of your journey. For accommodations, they might want to
know the hotel you will be checking into and for how long. Normally when a person goes out for an
interview, he/she stays at least for a day in the city, which means that they will give hotel
accommodation which comes under travel reimbursement itself.