Finance

Revisited — What’s Your Office Doing With the Sodexo Meal Vouchers For Financial Year 2012 — 2013?

Posted Vinaya HS

A couple of weeks back, I’d asked what your office was doing with the Sodexo Meal Vouchers for Financial Year 2012 – 2013. Then, my office hadn’t yet declared a Sodexo Meal Voucher policy for the new financial year but D’s office had and I’d published that. My office just declared our policy (emphasis and download link mine) —

Dear All,

As you are aware “a few of the modern organized retail players had decided to discontinue their relationship with Sodexo and hence were not part of the Sodexo Network effective 1st January, 2012”. Based on the recent option given to employees to opt out of Sodexo, around 50% of the employees have already opted out. Hence, based on internal decisions we have decided to remove the Sodexo option by replacing it with ICICI Meal Card with similar features.


Enclosed is the ICICI Meal Card features for your information. (Click here to download the product brochure and list of Bangalore-outlets that accept the Meal Card.)

This change would be effective from 1st April 2012 for the Financial Year 2012 — 2013 under the FBP (Flexible Benefit Plan) bracket. We would keep you informed on the process for applying for the ICICI Meal Card and also send an email to declare the same under the FBP bracket.

Regards,

Payroll Services

Thankfully! What a relief!

I will opt for this Meal Card under my Flexible Benefit Plan.

So, what’s your office recommending? More important, what are you choosing?

8 thoughts on “Revisited — What’s Your Office Doing With the Sodexo Meal Vouchers For Financial Year 2012 — 2013?”

  1. Now Sodexo/Ticket coupons are again accepted at most of the retailers. So I dont think this is going to be a issue. With meal card, there is no easier way of knowing the balance and most importantly the minimum transaction amount is higher and compared to that coupons are easier to use for low value transactions.

  3. Vinaya – I have used physical vouchers and apart from counting them standing in the queue, I dont have any issues. However Meal Cards (Plastic) may not be accepted in many places right ?

  5. @Vinaya,

    ICICI meal card, never heard about it. As for Sodex/TRC they have been accepted again in supermarkets. I get only Rs. 1100 from my company and i use it at one go to buy grocery. Earlier used to get Rs. 3000 but now the auditors (PWC) say that meal vouchers should be used for only meals, strange though.
    Its a great way to say tax.

  6. @Rakesh —

    I’ve signed-up for the ICICI Meal Card at work. Yet to get the card though.

    I wonder what’s next. That you can use your meal card to feed only yourself and not anyone else? I wonder how you’d restrict that!

  7. @Vinaya,

    It doesn’t make sense. PWC says as per Income Tax Act food coupons are to be used only for meals (i could not find any such information). Hence they reduced it to Rs. 1100. However most of the supermarkets accept it.

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