I agree with your interpretation. Most likely, those rides or trips “in policy” do not require a special authorization from the company since they simply meet the criteria as defined in the company`s travel policy. On the contrary, the so-called “out-of-policy rides/trips” would require such an authorization to be permitted because they are out of the scope of the compay´s guidelines for arranged trips.


This link refers to air, hotel and car rental itineraries:
http://travelmanagement.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/T...
XXXXX for Business
Traveler Guide

XXXXX for Business is an online travel management system. It is designed to help your company easily enforce its travel policy while providing travelers with a fast and efficient travel booking experience.
For each flight returned in the search results, XXXXX for Business provides the price of the flight, an overview of the schedule, a link to preview seats, links to optionally select individual departures and returns, and other details. If your company uses advanced policy, the results also let you know if the flight is in policy or out of policy or if the flight is on a preferred airline.
In addition, some results are marked with a special graphic indicating that they are "Restricted by policy." Travelers will not be able to select them.
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If the air itinerary you want to book is considered “out of policy,” you may be asked to select a reason code for this choice on the Travel Policy Notification section before you can proceed with your transaction.
Reasons for an itinerary being out of policy can include a flight cost exceeding the maximum your company allows for a certain route, a much lower fare being available, or a requirement for an administrator in your company to pre-approve certain travel reservations.