FAQs for Cardholders

How do I get a Government charge card?

Charge cards need to be obtained through your agency’s charge card program. Each agency has different criteria for distributing charge cards to employees. Contact your supervisor or your agency’s program management office for more information on applying for a Government charge card.

How do I qualify to get a Government charge card?

Depending on the card type and agency/organization, there are different qualifications for applicants to obtain a Government charge card.

• In order to obtain a purchase card, an employee must be recommended by their supervisor to apply for the card. Potential purchase card holders must complete purchase cardholder training before using the purchase card.
• Depending on the frequency of travel, agency or Governmentwide policy may require that an employee obtain a Government travel card to make travel related purchases. Travel card applicants may be subject to a creditworthiness check and must complete travel cardholder training before using the travel card.
• Fleet cards are generally assigned to a vehicle, rather than an individual. Users of a Government vehicle should contact their fleet program manager to learn more about how to use vehicle fleet cards.

What may be purchased with the Government charge cards?

Each charge card type is designed to make different types of purchases. Below is a short description of the types of purchases that can be made using each card type. Contact your agency program management office for more information on proper card use.

Purchase Card – Purchase cards are the preferred contracting and payment mechanism for micro-purchases of supplies and services in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (micro-purchases are generally less than $3,000, with some exceptions). Only a few categories of purchases are excluded, such as:

• Long-term rental or lease of land or buildings;
• Travel related expenses (excluding conference rooms, meeting spaces, and local transportation services such as Metro fare cards, subway tokens, etc.);
• Cash advances (unless permitted as a value added service under the agency task order).

For purchases above the micro-purchase threshold, the purchase card may be used as an ordering and payment mechanism, not a contracting mechanism. These purchases will require a separate contract.

Travel Card – Travel cards may be used by individual Government travelers to pay for all official Government travel-related expenses. Cardholders are expected to submit vouchers to their agency for all authorized travel-related expenses within five days after the travel is completed (or within 30 days if on continuous travel) and must pay their travel card bills.

Cardholders are not authorized to use their cards for anything other than official Government travel-related expenses. Some agencies authorize the use of travel cards for local travel purposes - check with your supervisor or agency/organization card program management office to learn more about agency/organization policy.

Fleet Card – Fleet cards may be used for purchasing fuel and maintenance services for Government vehicles.

Why should I get a Government travel card?

Depending on how frequently an employee travels, or their agency or organization’s travel policy, they may be required to obtain a Government travel card to make travel-related purchases. The Government travel card offers a number of benefits:

• It provides access to the City Pairs Program, a discount airfare program for the U.S. Government.
• Use of a travel card is less risky for travelers as it saves them the trouble of carrying large quantities of cash or travelers checks. If a travel card is lost or stolen, a replacement travel card can usually be sent to the cardholder within 24 hours.

Why would I get a Government purchase card?

Government purchase card holders are personnel that are requested by their supervisor to get a purchase card to make work-related purchases on behalf of their particular office. This streamlines an office’s ability to make purchases, rather than relying on a centralized purchasing office.

Do I have to have an official Government travel card?

The Federal Travel Regulations require travelers who travel more than five times a year to use a Government travel card for their travel expenses. Travelers who travel less than five times annually may be able to obtain a travel card at the discretion of their agency management.

Does my Government charge card exempt me from paying taxes on my purchases?

In some cases, when using certain types of cards, Government cardholders are exempt from taxes on their purchases. Transactions against federal Government accounts made within the United States that are directly paid by the Government are exempt from state and local taxes. These are considered centrally billed accounts.

• In many cases, for individually billed accounts, merchants will accept state tax exemption letters. These letters should be downloaded and taken with the traveler when in an official capacity. Download the tax letter for the state you are traveling.

What policies exist regarding use of charge cards?

There are a number of policies that govern the use of Government charge cards, depending on the type of card. The GSA SmartPay® 2 training courses outline many of the regulations that apply to each type of charge card. Policies include:

• Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR);
• Federal Travel Regulations (FTR);
• Federal Management Regulations (FMR);
• OMB Circular A-123 Appendix B;
• Treasury Financial Manual for Guidance of Departments and Agencies.

Additionally, many agencies have additional regulations that are specific to their card program and tailored to the agency's mission and operating procedures. Contact your agency program management office for more information regarding agency-specific card policies.

I took the training and need to reprint a copy of my certificate. How can I get a copy of my training certificate?

Training certificates are required by many agencies as proof that a cardholder has taken the appropriate GSA SmartPay® training course. Cardholders have two options for obtaining their training certificate:

• Reprinting the original certificate: If the cardholder has previously taken the course and passed the quiz, they may reprint the certificate with the original course completion date by going to the training home page and clicking on the training course quiz section.
• Taking the refresher quiz: If a cardholder wishes to print an updated training certificate, they may take the refresher quiz. A passing score will enable the cardholder to reprint the certificate with a refreshed date.

Can I use my card to fund alternative payment mechanisms, such as PayPal?

Depending on agency policy, charge cards may be allowed to fund e-commerce accounts to make purchases. However, the use of third party payment mechanisms like PayPal are discouraged because it is extremely difficult to determine the merchant from which the product/service was obtained for reconciliation and 1099 filing (when necessary).

Check with your agency/organization card program management office to learn more about agency/organization policy.

Can I use my card to purchase items from another federal agency?

Government charge cards can be used to make purchases from any entity that accepts charge cards, so long as the purchase is made in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

What is card misuse, and what are the potential penalties?

Intentional use of a Government charge card for other than official Government business constitutes misuse, and depending on the situation, may constitute fraud. Each agency develops and implements policies related to employee misuse of charge cards. Examples of misuse include:

• Purchases that exceed the cardholder's limit;
• Purchases that are not authorized by the agency;
• Purchases for which there is no funding;
• Purchases for personal consumption, and
• Purchases that do not comply with the policies that govern each particular card type.

Potential consequences for the cardholder may include: counseling, cancellation of the card, a written warning, notation in employee performance evaluation, reprimand, and/or suspension or termination of employment.

In the case of purchase card or centrally billed accounts (CBA) travel card misuse, the employee may be held personally liable to the Government for the amount of any unauthorized transactions. Depending on the agency and the circumstances, there are a number of applicable laws that can result in fines or imprisonment.

Additionally, in certain cases, the program’s charge card vendors are authorized to take certain actions against cardholders whose accounts are cancelled for delinquency, such as:

• Assessing late fees;
• Utilizing collection agencies to recover the delinquent balance;
• Reporting the delinquency to national credit bureaus, and
• Salary offset.

What is delinquency?

Delinquency is when undisputed charge card account balances remain unpaid more than 61 days past the statement date. Individually billed account (IBA) cardholders are liable for payment on their account regardless of whether they have received reimbursement from their agency. Account balances that are in dispute or being reviewed are not considered delinquent.

How do I pay my travel charge card bill via mail?

Pay your travel charge card bill via mail. Upon receipt of your charge card statement, or at any time prior to receipt of the statement, you can mail your payment to the bank using the following addresses:

Citibank
Citibank Government Cards
P.O. Box 6575
The Lakes, NV 88901-6575

JP Morgan Chase
JPMC Commercial Cards
P.O. Box 4473
Carol Stream, IL 60197-4473

U.S. Bank
Card Member Services
P.O. Box 790428
St. Louis, MO 63179-0428

Note: If your agency uses the split disbursement process, please ensure you pay the amount of the bill for which you are responsible.

How do I pay my travel charge card bill via telephone?

Make a payment via telephone. A payment can be made any time during the billing cycle, so you do not need to wait to receive a statement from the  bank in order to make a payment. Information for making payments via phone is provided below:

Citibank (800) 790-7206
Enter your account number and when a customer service representative answers, request to make a payment over the telephone. The representative will collect all necessary information.

JP Morgan Chase (888) 297-0781
Enter your 16-digit account number and request to make a payment via phone. You will be asked via a voice response unit to provide your bank ABA routing number, bank account number, dollar amount to be paid and desired posting date. An ACH file will be drafted and your checking or savings account will be debited.

U.S. Bank – TelePay (888) 994-6722
Press ** to be directed to an operator who will take your charge card account number and payment information.

Note: If your agency uses the split disbursement process, please ensure you pay the amount of the bill for which you are responsible.

 

How do I pay my travel charge card bill via the banks’ online bill payment system?

Make payments online via the banks’ online bill payment systems. Through this bank process, you still voucher through your agency/ organization for official travel expenses incurred and receive a reimbursement from your agency/ organization to your savings or checking account. In accordance with Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) section 301-52.24 and the bank cardholder agreements, cardholders must remit payment to the bank on or before the statement due date, regardless of the status of the cardholder’s voucher. Payments can be made via the bank’s online bill payment system any time — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — so you can log on before your statement due date to pay the amount you owe from your own checking or savings account.

Note: If your agency uses the split disbursement process, please ensure you pay the amount of the bill for which you are responsible.

We’ve provided the websites for the banks’ online bill payment systems below. If you do not know which bank issues your travel charge card, simply look at the back of the card to find the bank logo or wait for your next statement to arrive.

Citibank® – CitiDirect®
https://home.cards.citidirect.com

JP Morgan Chase® – PaymentNet®
https://gov1.paymentnet.com/

U.S. Bank® – Access® Online
https://access.usbank.com

What if my travel card doesn't work?

There can be many reasons why your travel charge card has stopped working and your card is being declined. The most common reason for a travel charge card being declined is due to a temporary suspension placed on the account. Temporary suspensions typically occur whenever activity on the account indicates that fraud may have occurred. This is a precaution taken by the bank to protect your account. This type of fraud generally has nothing to do with your transactions. Instead, thieves and hackers sometimes compromise vendor databases or discern potential card account numbers, causing activity on your account. Whenever this type of activity occurs, it automatically alerts the contract bank fraud monitoring systems.

Prior to a suspension being placed on the travel card, the bank will attempt to contact you at the phone numbers you have provided. The bank will also try to reach your Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC) to find more information about your location, travel and/or anything else that may indicate whether the travel card is being used properly. If the bank cannot reach you or the A/OPC, your travel card account may be suspended until you can authenticate the activity on the account to the bank’s customer service organization and verify that the card is still in your possession. Once this is done, the bank can release the suspension on your account immediately in the case of no fraudulent activity. However, a new card will need to be issued if the card account has been compromised and/ or fraudulent activity has occurred. It may be possible for the bank to send your new card to your travel location, if the length of your travel allows for this option. Replacement cards for lost, stolen, broken or otherwise unusable cards will be processed within one business day of the agency/ organization request.

Regardless of the reason your travel charge card is being declined, the best approach to getting it working again is to first contact the bank that issued your card. The card issuing bank should always be your first point of contact if your charge card has been declined or has stopped working. The bank contact information can be found on the back of your travel charge card, but we’ve also provided customer support numbers below:

Citibank

• (800) 790-7206
• (904) 954-7850 (outside of the US)

JP Morgan Chase

• (888) 297-0781
• (847)488-4441 (outside of the US)

U.S. Bank

• (888) 994-6722
• (701) 461-2232 (outside of the US)

If, after speaking to the card issuing bank, your card still cannot be reinstated, you will be referred back to your A/OPC. He or she will check your account to see if your card spending limit needs to be raised, or if certain merchant category codes need to be opened. These are two common examples of why an A/OPC would need to be involved in reinstating your card. Keep in mind that most A/OPCs do not work on weekends, nor are they available 24 hours a day. This is why the bank’s customer support should always be the first point of contact when trying to resolve your problem.

In the event that you cannot reach your A/OPC, it may be necessary for you to use an alternate method to cover your official travel expenses until the A/OPC can determine the cause of the card being declined or simply not working. If this happens, be sure to keep records of your expenses so you can accurately voucher when you return.

What is split disbursement?

Pay the bank directly via split disbursement* during the vouchering process. The payment process called split disbursement is defined in the GSA SmartPay2 master contract as the process of dividing a travel voucher reimbursement between the contractor (bank) and the traveler. The balance designated to go to each is sent directly to the appropriate party.

* Although OMB Circular A-123, Appendix B in Chapter 4.4 requires all executive branch agencies to implement split disbursement, it may not yet be operational in your agency/organization. Please contact your Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC) for further details
 

Who should I contact for help with my card?

First contact your Agency/ Organization Point of Contact (A/OPC). A/OPCs can answer most card related questions including:

• How do I apply for a card?
• What is considered proper use of my card?
• What is my spending limit?
• What are merchant codes and how can I request lifting these codes?
• What is delinquency? What is fraud? What are the consequences for my agency?
• Why has my card been suspended or canceled?
• How do I get set up for online access?

Cardholders can also contact the bank directly using the customer service phone number listed on the back of their card.

• Citibank, 1-800-790-7206
• JPMorgan Chase, 1-888-297-0781
• US Bank, 1-888-994-6722

If your issue can not be resolved by your A/OPC or the bank, please forward it to GSA Program Support at (703) 605-2808 or email gsa_smartpay@gsa.gov.

Is a merchant allowed to photocopy a GSA SmartPay charge card?

Both VISA and MasterCard clearly state in their guidelines that a merchant is not allowed to make/store a photocopy of a any charge card.

VISA guidelines state:  A merchant must not require a cardholder to provide any supplementary cardholder information as a condition of honoring the card including photocopying the card, unless it is required or permitted elsewhere in the US Regional Operating Regulations.

MasterCard guidelines state:  The merchant must absolutely not copy the back of the card because the merchant is not allowed to record the CVC data.  Although there is no rule prohibiting making a copy of the card front, there are standards regarding storing and destroying account data, which would include a copy of the card front.