These travel discounts for contractors are not just for JOINER Services engineering service contractors but anyone looking to find deals while traveling for work or play. Take advantage of the deals listed below!
Find travel discounts for contractors!
JOINER Services continuously strives to find business travel resources to help each independent contractor succeed at finding great discounted rates while traveling away from home. Together with our partners, we have established some travel discounts for contractors that even noncontractors can use too! From budget-friendly accommodations near major work sites to finding deals for vacation, our discounts will help. Check out the deals below to seamlessly blend work, travel, and savings into one packaged deal.
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Travel Agency Discounts For Contractors:
Below, I list some of the most common online travel agencies used for booking travel that provide some form of rewards program for the members who use their travel platforms. You don’t need for a travel agent. You can start booking your business travel arrangements or vacation packages now!
Expedia is an excellent platform for contractors to use because you can find airfare, hotels, and rental car options all in the same place. They have competitive pricing and a friendly user interface for booking. They also have “Bundle and Save” options and flexible booking as scheduling for contractors changes rapidly many times, and they must adjust their travel itinerary.
Earn OneKeyCash for every dollar spent on eligible hotels, flights, and car rentals!
Expedia OneKeyCash Reward Tiers:
Expedia uses a four-tiered system for members to earn and use OneKeyCash on eligible bookings. You can earn up to 6% in OneKeyCash for every dollar spent on flights, hotels, and car rentals. A flight, rental car, and three days in a hotel would qualify you for Silver status.
| BENEFITS | BLUE 0-4 Trips | SILVER 5-14 Trips | GOLD 15-29 Trips | PLATINUM 30+ Trips |
| Earn OneKeyCash on eligible bookings | X | X | X | X |
| Save 10% with Member Prices | X | |||
| Save 15% with Member Prices | X | |||
| Save 20% with Member Prices | X | X |
OneKey rewards are applied to each element (hotel, flight, car rental) for your trip!
If you are looking for a “one-stop-shop” to book your hotel, rental car, and flight then Booking.com is your place. They often have promotional deals and special offers, so when you are not working, you can use these discounts to book a vacation.
Sign up for their free Genius membership program and save 10% today!
Booking.com Genius Levels:
Booking.com‘s Genius program has three primary levels that I list below. All members enjoy this free access to discounts for life, depending on their status level.
| GENIUS STATUS | CONDITIONS |
| Level 1 | 10% discount on the price of the stay |
| Level 2 | Obtained after 5 stays in 2 years |
| Level 3 | Obtained after 15 stays in 2 years |
Booking.com Genius Benefits:
Below are the benefits booking.com provides for its Genius members.
| BENEFITS | LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 3 |
| Free Lifetime Membership | X | X | X |
| 10% discount at select properties | X | X | X |
| 15% discount at select properties | X | X | |
| 20% discount at select properties | X |
Booking.com Best Price Guarantee
If you find a lower rate on a different travel agency site, Booking.com offers a refund with its best price guarantee. This means that if you find a lower listed price on Booking.com for the same hotel room, submit a claim 24 hours before the start date of your stay, and Booking.com will refund you the difference. You should receive this price guarantee information in your confirmation email.
Airfare Discounts For Contractors:
Below, I list some of the common companies for air travel within the United States that most contract engineers will use for travel for work.
Delta Air Lines is one of the most popular airlines in America. They are a domestic and international travel leader, with flights to over 300 destinations in 60 different countries. With Delta SkyMiles, you can earn miles on each trip when you fly in the Main Cabin or above. Those earned travel miles can go towards any Delta Air Lines flight or toward a Delta Vacation package with no blackout dates, or they can be used for rewards like upgrades and premium drinks in the Delta Sky Club®.
Spirit Airlines has traditionally been a more affordable airline company and is the leading low-cost carrier in the United States. Spirit has flights to over 60 cities across the United States. The Free Spirit loyalty program rewards its members for every dollar spent instead of how far you fly. This means members can earn points for every purchase. Members can redeem Free Spirit points on every seat on every flight. New members can sign up for free so you can find faster ways to redeem points and join new rewarding status levels.
Rental Car Discounts For Contractors:
Below, I describe where to find the best rental car deals when traveling.
You will indeed find a deal using Rentalcars.com because they will connect you with some of the largest rental car brands in the business. From Avis to Hertz and SIXT to Thrifty, Rentalcars.com has thousands of rental options. With free cancellations on most bookings and over 60,000 locations, Rentalcars.com is the world’s biggest rental car booking site. They have an easy-to-use interface that allows you to search and compare car models to find the right vehicle you’ll need, saving you money.
Hotel Discounts For Contractors:
Below, I list some familiar choice hotels and long-term homestay experiences with great discounts for contractors who travel a lot.
Search thousands of hotels and different hotel brands throughout America. This is the easiest and fastest way to quickly find an available hotel in your area while comparing prices.
Save 10% or more on over 100,000 hotels.
If hotels aren’t your thing and you would prefer to stay in someone’s home while you travel for work as a contractor, then maybe staying with Vrbo is an excellent option. They have many options, from houses and apartments to cabins and cottages and any space that suits your style of living. With Vrbo, you can have all the privacy of the home to yourself and much more space than a hotel room with no amenities.
Find an amazing home while you are away from yours.
What are the benefits of traveling as a contract engineer?
Contract engineers usually can get business travel items covered or reimbursed by the client. These travel expenses include:
- Airfare: When travel by car is more than 8 hours, it is expected to be allowed to expense air travel.
- Rental car: When traveling more than 100 miles from home, a daily rental car allowance, full coverage, or a discounted rate for the rental vehicle is typical.
- Per Diem: Daily living and food per diem are often included.
- Hotel: Hotel stays can be expensed if no per diem is provided.
- Food: Food can be expensed if no per diem is provided.
- Mileage: Driving more than 60 miles will allow for most contractors to charge IRS mileage rates.
- Miscellaneous Expenses: Other miscellaneous expenses can include baggage fees, rental car fuel, parking fees, and tolls. Work supplies could also be considered if it is used for official business purposes.
Any travel expenses a contractor wants to be reimbursed must have a receipt. Some clients will only cover certain travel expenses, so make sure you know the daily allowances and do not exceed the client’s requested expense limits.
If you are a self-employed or independent contractor and the client does not cover these business expenses, then using these items as tax credits can be done when filing your annual taxes if you save all of your receipts.
What travel expenses are tax-deductible in the U.S.?
If you’re an independent contractor or self-employed professional, business travel can get expensive, but the good news is, many of those costs are tax-deductible. Below, I break down what you can (and can’t) write off when you’re traveling for work.
Deductible Travel Expenses:
- Transportation: Flights, trains, rental cars, taxis, and mileage on your personal vehicle (at the IRS standard rate) are all deductible if the main purpose of the trip is for business.
- Lodging: Hotel stays are deductible as long as you’re away from your “tax home” overnight and the stay is directly related to business. Short-term rentals such as Airbnb count as lodging.
- Meals: You can deduct 50% of your meal expenses while traveling, including tips. I always recommend that you keep an itemized receipt and note the business purpose.
- Internet & Phone: Wi-Fi fees, roaming charges, and business-related phone calls made during the trip are all tax-deductible if used for business.
- Baggage & Shipping: If you need to ship tools, equipment, or samples ahead of a job, or pay for your checked baggage, those costs are all deductible.
- Tips & Gratuities: Tips for services related to your travel (like hotel staff, rideshares, or baggage handlers) can also be deducted.
Nondeductible Travel Expenses:
- Leisure Activities: Things like sightseeing, going to the movies, watching a live sporting event, or playing a round of golf are not deductible.
- Family Travel: Costs incurred from your spouse or family members traveling with you do not count as tax-deductible unless they are actively working with you.
- Extravagant Expenses: Items that would be considered as extravagant expenditures that are not related to the business or for business purposes are not considered to be deducted.
The key thing to remember is to keep records to protect your deductions in case of an IRS audit. Always save business receipts, keep hotel and flight bills, and track your mileage if using your own vehicle. If it’s ordinary, necessary, and directly related to your business, there’s a good chance your expense is deductible.
Make sure you consult with an accounting professional to make sure you’re maximizing your tax write-offs in the best possible way!
Find Engineering Contractors:
You can find engineering contractors on the JOINER Services engineering service platform. Many times, companies struggle to find temporary engineering labor support. Now, with our platform, you can quickly search through our database of pre-qualified engineers to find highly skilled engineers.
Join today, and let us help your company succeed in this ever-changing work environment.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Below, I list some FAQs about contractor travel discounts.
