§ 301-15.44 - Individual employee charge cards.

(a) Authority. Under 41 CFR 101-41.203, Federal agencies historically used a U.S. Government Transportation Request (GTR), SF 1169, to purchase passenger transportation services directly from a common carrier or through a commercial travel agent under contract to GSA (see subpart A of this part). Authority to deviate from 41 CFR 101-41.203 was granted by the Administrator of General Services on August 4, 1983, thus allowing eligible individuals to participate in the charge card program.

(b) Issuing charge cards. Participating agencies shall determine and name employees who may be issued an individual employee charge card. The employees will be requested to complete an employee card account application for agency approval and submission to the contractor. The charge card is issued directly to the employee in his or her name. The charge card contractor mails charge cards to authorized individuals or to requesting agency offices. Cost-reimbursable contractors are not eligible to use the charge card.

(c) Use of charge cards. (1) The employee shall use the charge card issued under this program only to charge expenses incurred in conjunction with official travel or to obtain authorized ATM cash withdrawals (see § 301-15.47). The employee shall use the charge card to pay for official travel expenses to the maximum extent possible. There is no preset limit on the expenses which can be charged to the charge cards; however, ATM withdrawals are limited to the amounts stated in the ATM cardmember agreement and the employee's travel authorization. Although the employee is liable for payment of all charges incurred, including those for ATM withdrawals, the employee shall be reimbursed by his/her agency for all authorized and allowable travel and transportation expenses. However, employees are cautioned that charges in excess of authorized and allowable travel and transportation expenses (i.e., lodging and meal costs which exceed authorized amounts) are the financial responsibility of the employee and are not reimbursable. Use of the charge card (including use of the card to obtain an ATM cash withdrawal) does not relieve the employee of the responsibility to employ prudent travel practices and to observe rules and regulations governing official travel as set forth in this subtitle and implementing agency regulations.

(2) The charge card may be used to pay for passenger transportation services (including those services offered by carriers under contract to GSA) at the transportation carrier's ticket counter, TMC, or agency travel office, as appropriate, under the participating agency's policies and procedures. Agencies may elect to prohibit employees from using the charge card to purchase services directly from a carrier. The charge card shall not be used to procure travel and transportation services from commercial travel agencies that are not under contract to the Government to provide such services to the Government traveler.

(d) Monthly contractor bills and payments. The terms of the contract with the charge card contractor require billing and payment to be performed in the following manner. The contractor bills charges directly to the individual employee each month. Charges billed to the individual employee are due and must be paid in full within 25 calendar days of the billing date. There are no interest or late charges, and extended or partial payment is not permitted. Questions concerning billings and payments should be directed to the charge card contractor at the toll free telephone numbers published in the FTD.

(e) Travel voucher claims—(1) Preparing and submitting travel vouchers. Upon completing official travel, the employee must prepare and submit a travel voucher in the usual manner, together with any required receipts, to the appropriate finance or paying office. The employee is reimbursed for travel and transportation expenses authorized and allowable under this subtitle and agency policies and procedures. Participating agencies shall process travel vouchers within the time limits prescribed in § 301-10.1(b)(3).

(2) Unused transportation tickets. Unused or partially unused tickets purchased with individual cards shall be returned to a TMC or carrier and a refund credit receipt obtained. Unused tickets that have been prepaid for pickup at the airport must be refunded by the airline upon whose ticket stock the ticket was issued. The employee may claim reimbursement on the travel voucher only for the cost of the tickets actually used. Refunds for unused tickets will be credited to the employee's account. The unused tickets shall not be submitted with the travel voucher.

(3) Transportation charges and assignment of rights. Use of charge cards for purchase of passenger transportation services is considered to be a cash purchase. Travel vouchers submitted for reimbursement of transportation purchased with charge cards must include a statement which assigns to the United States all rights which the traveler has in connection with recovery of overcharges from the carrier(s). This statement is preprinted on the SF 1012, and must be initialed by the employee when claiming reimbursement for transportation expenses. Employees using agency travel vouchers under approved exceptions to the SF 1012 must add this statement (see § 301-11.5(c)(3) for statement) if it is not preprinted on the voucher.

(f) Charge card cancellation and suspension. Charge cards may be canceled by the employee, the participating agency, or the charge card contractor. Cancellations may be accomplished by telephone notification with subsequent written confirmation to the charge card contractor. The charge card contractor may cancel an employee's card when the contractor's statement has not been paid in full 120 calendar days after the date the statement was issued. The contractor may suspend an employee's card when the contractor's statement has not been paid in full 60 calendar days after the date the statement was issued. In either event, the contractor will cancel or suspend an employee's card only on notification to and with the concurrence of the participating agency.

(g) Lost or stolen charge cards. An employee is not responsible for any charges incurred against a lost or stolen card provided the employee promptly reports loss of the card to the contractor under the terms of the cardmember agreement signed by the employee when the charge card was issued. Employees may call 24 hours a day to report lost or stolen charge cards. The toll free telephone numbers are published in the FTD.

(h) Financial obligations/liability. Except for charges accrued against promptly reported lost or stolen cards, employees with charge cards are liable for all billed charges. (See paragraphs (c) and (g) of this section.) Government employees must pay their just financial debts under section 206 of Executive Order 11222 (May 8, 1965) and Office of Personnel Management Regulations, 5 CFR 735.207. At the request of the contractor, Federal agencies and departments, without Government liability, may assist in collecting delinquent employee accounts after 60 calendar days. The Government assumes no liability for charges incurred on employee charge cards (including charges relating to ATM withdrawals), nor is the Government liable for lost or stolen charge cards.