Using vouchers for work expenses?

Lum

I have a vouchershopexchange.co.uk voucher for £100 that work have given me for 5 years service. It lets me choose from several retailers and then I receive vouchers for them. Unfortunately there aren't any retailers I'm actually interested in, except for Amazon and the only upcoming purchase I have for them, I can get for £95 less elsewhere.

One of the places it works at is Brewer's Fayre, which is handy as I'm kind of skint this month, and on Sunday night I'm heading up north on a business trip and staying at a Premier Inn. I have to pay for my own meals all week and then claim it back, which takes a couple of weeks for them to pay out.

What I want to know is, can I use this voucher to pay for the meals, this avoiding going overdrawn this month, still get a receipt and then claim it back as normal, thus converting the voucher into £100 cash.

This won't work if I have to receive vouchers in the post rather than electronically as I'm leaving on Sunday night, my partner also thinks it won't work.

_Roxy_

I'd think the receipt would probably indicate the payment method was a gift voucher, in which case they might be a bit funny about reimbursing you with cash?

dmajohnson

_Roxy_ wrote: »

I'd think the receipt would probably indicate the payment method was a gift voucher, in which case they might be a bit funny about reimbursing you with cash?

They don't know how much was paid for the gift voucher. At the end of the day an expense is an expense, regardless of how it was paid, cash/creditcard/voucher; if your employer doesn't like it then they should provide you with an alternative method of payment (i.e. company credit card/petty cash)

I would go for it, sounds like a great plan!

jmilli2

It will work fine but you will most likely get the vouchers in the post. An expense is an expense. It doesn't matter how you paid for it.

Lum

Yeah, they're in the post. I'll use them on the next trip. See if I can have to extend the stay by one night at short notice, then just pay for the hotel with them