NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — The transition from the Controlled Spending Account program to the Government Travel Card program began this summer and will be completed by October.
The Air Force Banking Office previously emailed more than 300,000 Airmen, informing them that their controlled spend account card would convert back to a Government Travel Card, which operates like a standard charge card.
For Airmen who received a CSA card and previously had a GTC or traveled using the CSA without going delinquent, the transition was automatic.
Airmen who have never had the GTC card in the past, but were issued a CSA card and either had delinquent accounts or accounts never used will be notified by their agency program coordinator to apply for the travel card. The application process involves a credit check that will only be performed with applicant’s consent.
The current blue CSA card will now operate like the GTC that was used for many years prior to the CSA. GTCs have fixed credit limits like a regular charge card, and cardholders no longer need to request temporary spend limit increases. If a cardholder’s official travel estimate exceeds their credit limit, they need to discuss their options with their APC.
New to the GTC program is the option for cardholders to request electronic balance refunds, receive automated email reminders when an account is close to becoming delinquent, and a future enhancement to automatically split-disburse most non-mileage expenses such as hotel taxes, excess baggage and rental fuel to the travel card when completing a Defense Travel System voucher.
Requests for credit limit increases on new cards must be coordinated with the cardholder’s supervisor and APC, who is responsible for managing the travel card program. Also, the terms of the GTC include a cash advance fee of 2.2 percent, which is considered a reimbursable travel expense when used for official purposes.
All service members are reminded to ensure their mailing and email addresses remain up to date in the Citibank card system to ensure they receive all correspondence from Citibank.
Though the 99th Comptroller Squadron is not responsible for making the switch, they, along with each unit’s APC and Citibank, are available to help anybody who has questions. Citibank can be reached at (866) 670-6462.
