NASA Headquarters Presents Essential Training About the Government

NASA Headquarters Presents Essential Training About the Government Travel Card 1

Introduction • • • Travelers on official government travel are required by law to place official travel related expenses on a government travel card per Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) section 301 -51. 1 The government travel card should only be used for official authorized travel and official travel-related expenses (lodging, meals, incidentals, etc. ) away from the official duty station, which includes domestic and foreign travel. Cardholders are responsible for making payment to the issuing charge card company and retaining receipts for expenses over $75 (lodging receipt must always be provided). Official travel expenses charged to the government travel card will be reimbursed on the travel voucher in accordance with reimbursement procedures. Cash Advances to be used for authorized travel expenses should be obtained by withdrawing cash from a bank ATM machine. There is no application or annual fee and no finance or interest charges. When traveling on official NASA business, the government expects its employees to be “prudent travelers. ” Cardholders should use the same care when incurring expenses as they would if traveling on personal business. Excess costs, indirect routes, unnecessary delays, and luxury accommodations are unnecessary, unjustified, and unacceptable as prudent actions. Use of the government travel card for personal purposes is forbidden. Receipts must be retained for 6 years and 3 months as prescribed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). 2

Administration • • • Each Center has an Agency Program Coordinator (APC). For a list of Center APCs please reference the travel tab of the NSSC website at www. nssc. nasa. gov/portal/site/customerservice The Center APC is responsible for issuing applications and ensuring that applications are sent to the cardissuing bank, answering cardholder questions on proper use of travel charge cards, and monitoring delinquencies. The cardholder's supervisor is responsible for approving travel authorizations that officially authorize the cardholder to take the government trip for NASA, and applying appropriate disciplinary action for cardholder delinquencies and verify card misuse or abuse. The employee must complete the application which is furnished by the card-issuing bank and decide whether or not to agree to a check of credit worthiness. The cardholder agreement advises the cardholder of his/her responsibilities in accepting a government travel card and they should be aware that: The cardholder is personally liable and responsible for all charges whether or not the cardholder is reimbursed. The cardholder's credit rating may be affected if the account has been cancelled and payment remains delinquent. The cardholder may be subject to disciplinary action for late payment, misuse, or abuse. After approval of the application, the card-issuing bank sends the card, in the employee’s name, to the address indicated on the application. A PIN number for ATM access will be sent in the mail separately from the card. Once the cardholder receives the card, the cardholder is responsible for reading the cardholder agreement, signing the card, and following the instructions to activate the government travel card. The applicant is issued a Standard Card or a Restricted Card depending on the credit score. If the applicant chooses not to have a credit check, a Restricted Card with a lower credit limit will be issued. The cardholder is responsible for safekeeping of the card. 3

Exemptions The Administrator of General Services (GSA) exempts the following expenses from the mandatory use of the Government-issued travel charge card: • Expenses incurred at a vendor that does not accept the government travel card. • Laundry/dry cleaning • Parking • Local transportation system • Taxi / Tips • Individuals traveling on invitational travel • Meals (when use of the card is impractical, e. g. group meals or where the government travel card is not accepted) • An employee who has an application pending for the government travel card • Relocation allowances, except en-route travel and house-hunting trip expenses 4

ATM Transactions • • Call the card-issuing bank using the number on the back of the government travel card to locate the nearest ATM. A PIN number is required when withdrawing cash from an ATM. If a cardholder loses or forgets his/her PIN, he/she will need to call the card-issuing bank for procedures to obtain a new PIN. When obtaining cash from an ATM, most machines will prompt you to select “cash” or “credit. " Select “credit. " Maximum withdrawals for domestic TDY are limited to $300 per 24 -hour period, not to exceed $300 in a 7 day rolling period. Maximum withdrawals foreign TDY are limited to $1, 500 per 24 -hour period, not to exceed $1, 500 in a 7 day rolling period. Cardholders should be prudent and limit the amount of ATM withdrawals to travel expenses. When to obtain an ATM Advance • After the travel authorization has been approved • No earlier than 3 workdays prior to departure • No later than the last day of travel NOTE The ATM limit does not automatically increase when foreign travel orders are approved. Cardholders should contact their APC at least 24 hours prior to leaving on TDY to confirm their ATM limit. 5

Bill Payment • • • The cardholder will receive a statement from the card-issuing bank and is responsible for payment to the bank. Payment of statement balance should be sent to the card-issuing bank in sufficient time to be posted to their account by the billing due date whether or not the cardholder has been reimbursed. Payment may be made by check, electronic bill paying service, using the bank’s payment website, or by phone. (A fee may be charged when paying by phone. ) 6

Delinquency – Cardholder Responsibilities Payment for all undisputed charges must be made in full by the due date indicated on the statement. Past Due Under the GSA Smart. Pay contract, an account is considered past due if payment for the undisputed principal amount has not been received 45 calendar days from the closing date on the statement of account in which the charge appears. Consequences: • Bank representatives will notify the cardholder with letters and telephone calls. • Center APCs are notified that the account is past due. • Cardholder's supervisor may be notified. Suspension An account will be suspended if payment of the past due amount of undisputed charges is not received and posted by the bank 61 calendar days from the closing date on the statement of account. • Cardholder will be unable to use the travel charge card. • Bank representatives will notify cardholder with letters and telephone calls. • The Center APC is notified. • Senior Management may be notified 7

Delinquency – Cardholder Responsibilities Cancellations An account will be cancelled if: • It is past due for undisputed amounts 120 calendar days past the closing date on the statement of account in which the charges appeared; or the government travel card is used for other than authorized purchases, and cancellation is approved by the Center APC. • The Center APC and/or the card-issuing bank reserve the right to cancel an individually billed account under his/her purview and shall document the reasons for the cancellation. Consequences: • The cardholder will be unable to use the travel charge card, and it will not be reinstated. • The cardholder's ability to do his/her job may be affected if they are not able to travel and obtain government discounts. • The cancellation may be reported to the cardholder's manager/supervisor as well as Office of Human Capital. • The cancellation may result in a personnel action such as a notice or letter being placed in the cardholder's official personnel record. • The cancellation may be reported to credit bureaus, and the cardholder's personal credit rating may suffer. • A late fee may be imposed on the uncollected balance. • The bank may begin collection actions. • The cardholder may be liable for fees related to collection actions. 8

Delinquency – Center Responsibilities • • • Center APCs will run reports from the card-issuing bank's online system to identify delinquent cardholders. Center APCs will notify cardholders of delinquency and may notify cardholders' supervisors, Center Office of Human Capital, or other Center official. Center supervisors, Office of Human Capital, or other official may then apply appropriate disciplinary action as deemed necessary. 9

Delinquency – Agency Responsibilities • • • Agency Lead APC compiles data on cardholder delinquencies by Center and submits to NASA HQ for tracking of delinquency percentages. NASA HQ forwards delinquency data to Office of Management and Budget for comparison with other federal agencies. NASA's Office of Chief Financial Officer and Centers' CFOs are the accountable offices for metrics on travel card delinquencies. 10

Disputed Charges • • Examples of disputable charges are double billings and/or charges not recognized by the cardholder. Examples of non-disputable charges include sales tax, shipping charges, ATM withdrawals and ATM fees. The cardholder should review his/her statement from the card-issuing bank as soon as it is received. If a charge on the statement is unrecognized, the cardholder should contact the merchant for clarification of the charge. If the charge is erroneous, generally the merchant will reverse the charge and the credit will appear on the next billing statement. If sufficient time has passed for the merchant to reverse the charge, but no credit has posted to the account, a dispute form should be filed with the card-issuing bank. Before making payment, the cardholder should check with the card-issuing bank’s customer service office by dialing the number located on the back of the card, or view the account on the Internet to confirm the credit has posted. 11

Disputed Charges • • • If the merchant says the charge is legitimate, the cardholder should request proof of the transaction be sent via fax. If this does not resolve the issue, the cardholder should complete and file a dispute with the card-issuing bank. Dispute instructions can be obtained from the Center APC, the card-issuing bank’s customer service office, or the card-issuing bank's website. A dispute form must be received by the bank within 90 days from the date the erroneous charge first appeared on the billing statement. Failure to submit the disputed charge in writing in a timely manner (card-issuing bank must receive within 90 days of charge appearing on statement) causes the cardholder to relinquish his/her right to recover the disputed amount. Once the dispute form is sent to the card-issuing bank, delinquency of the disputed amount will be held in abeyance until the matter is resolved. Payment on all other undisputed charges must be made on or before the billing due date. 12

Do’s • Do use the government travel card to pay for official travel expenses. • • • Do present tax exempt form to lodging vendors. Do obtain travel advances for official travel through an ATM or bank teller for cash travel expenses. Cardholders should be prudent and limit the amount of the withdrawal to meet anticipated travel expenses. Do submit a travel voucher for reimbursement within five days of completion of travel. Do submit payment in full to the card-issuing bank by the due date indicated on the billing statement. Do notify the card-issuing bank and Center APC immediately if the government travel card is lost or stolen. Do notify the authorized travel services provider upon receipt of a new or replacement card (update your travel profile with the new card account number). Do report unauthorized charges to the card-issuing bank immediately. Do notify the card-issuing bank, notify the Center APC, or use the card-issuing bank’s on-line electronic access system to change name and/or mailing addresses. Do use the services of the authorized travel services provider to arrange for common carrier transportation, lodging, and rental cars for official travel. 13

Dont’s • Don’t use the government travel card for personal use, such as: – Department store purchases – Restaurants while not on TDY – In the official duty area when not on TDY • • • Don’t obtain travel advances through the ATM more than three business days prior to TDY. Don’t make ATM withdrawals AFTER returning from TDY. Don’t purchase airline tickets for personal travel (i. e. , family members; friends; co-workers). Don’t wait to receive the monthly travel card bill to file a travel voucher/claim. Don’t make ATM withdrawals at the international limit if only domestic travel is approved. Don’t use the government travel card for non- official travel related expenses. 14

References NSSC website, www. nssc. nasa. gov/portal/site/customerservice, travel tab contains information on the following: 1. Contact information for APCs at each Center 2. Current card-issuing bank contact information 3. Link to Federal Travel Regulation 4. Information regarding travel voucher reimbursement 5. Link to GSA for state tax exempt forms 6. Link to card-issuing bank's payment website 7. Link to NASA Financial Management Requirements • NSSC Contact Center can assist with employee inquiries. • CALL 1 -877 -NSSC 123 (1 -877 -677 -2123) • E-mail nssc-contactcenter@nasa. gov 15

Certificate of Completion for Travel Cardholder Name: ______________________________ By signing the certificate below, I agree that I have read and understand the training material which includes the following information: • Travelers on official government travel are required by law to place travel related expenses on a Government issued travel charge card. • The government card should only be used for official travel and official travel-related expenses (lodging, meals, incidentals, etc. ) away from the official duty station. • Cardholders are responsible for making payment to the issuing credit card company by the statement due date. • Cardholders must comply with the terms and conditions of the Cardholder Agreement. • Official travel expenses charged to the government issued charge card will be reimbursed on the travel voucher in accordance with reimbursement procedures. • Use of the card and the account for personal purposes is forbidden. • Travel advances are to be obtained through an ATM after the Travel Authorization has been approved, no earlier than 3 business days prior to departure, and no later than the last day of travel. • Cardholders are to contact the card-issuing bank immediately (24 hours a day, every day of the year) to report a lost or stolen travel card. • Cardholders should notify the card-issuing bank within 90 days of a disputed invoice. • When traveling on official NASA business, the government expects its employees to be “prudent travelers. ” Cardholders should use the same care when incurring expenses as they would if traveling on personal business. I certify that I have received this training, understand the regulations and procedures and know the consequences of inappropriate actions. Signature of Cardholder: _____________________________________ I certify that the cardholder has received this training, understands the regulations and procedures and knows the consequences of inappropriate actions. Signature of APC: _________________________________________ 16