6465 - AFFINITY, REWARDS, OR OTHER DISCOUNT PROGRAMS

District officials or employees may use frequent flyer miles, credit card rewards, hotel points, or other rewards earned during official business in their personal life, provided that the rewards:

1. are earned the same way as members of the public would earn them; and
2. do not impose additional costs onto the District.

District officials and employees may only use such rewards in accordance with this policy, and:

1. shall comply with the District's Conflict of Interest policies (Policy 3112/4112) and Ohio Ethics Commission Advisory Opinion 2025-02 to avoid violating criminal laws;
2. are prohibited from choosing a hotel, airline, vendor, or service based on whether it provides frequent flyer miles, credit card rewards, hotel rewards, or other similar rewards program points, or in order to earn such rewards or points for their personal use;
3. are prohibited from selecting an airline, hotel, car rental company, or other vendor to earn reward program points when the expenditure results in a higher cost to the District;
4. are prohibited from earning and keeping rewards program points, credits, or other rewards for booking conference, event, or group travel for District staff;
5. are required to select the lowest reasonable rate for District purchases/expenditures and are prohibited from paying additional costs to earn more rewards program points or credits; and
6. shall comply with the District's internal controls (see Policy 6114), including internal monitoring mechanisms, in order to identify and mitigate risk on noncompliance.

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