ALL DOI Employees - New Charge Card Program Q & A's Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 11:19:20 -0500 To: "USGS Employees" From: " All Employee email, Reston, VA" Subject: ALL DOI Employees - New Charge Card Program Q & A's Subject: ALL DOI Employees - New Charge Card Program Q & A's Department of the Interior NationsBank MasterCard Questions and Answers During the past week, NationsBank has issued over 65,000 new integrated and vehicle-assigned fleet charge cards to Department of the Interior employees and organizations. These will be used beginning November 30, 1998 for all purchase, travel and fleet charge card transactions. This changeover affects almost every federal government employee; the five participating banks are issuing about 2 million cards, all of which become effective on November 30. As you would expect with a changeover of this size, some problems have occurred. Here are some common questions that have come in from Interior employees, with suggested solutions. Of course, if you have an urgent problem, contact the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit (GCSU) for immediate help at 1-800-472-1424. If you received a card, take a moment to look at it carefully. The card should have these words imprinted in the plastic: "United States of America For Official Government Use Only CPP U.S. Department of the Interior Tax Exempt I.D. 140001849" The following information should be embossed on the card: A sixteen digit account number, beginning 5568 Valid dates should read 11/30/98 - month/year (beginning as early as 12/00 and running as late as 12/01). The expiration date is in month/two-digit year format. Your name Your bureau name (optional) If your card matches this model, activate it and use it as needed for official travel, purchases and fleet purchases, as authorized, beginning on November 30. If your card does not match these guidelines, follow the instructions below. If you received a card but do not have your card activation code: Call NationsBank at 1-800-311-7810. You will be prompted three times for a card activation code number. Be patient. Stay on the line and it will ring over to a person who can help you activate your card. You will need to know your Social Security Number to complete this process. If you did not receive a card: Are you eligible to receive a card? If you have an American Express account that was not delinquent or canceled, or a U.S. Bank purchase card, you should have received a card. If you are on official government travel or need to make purchases before December 12, call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit (GCSU) at 1-800-472-1424 to order a rush card. If you are not on official government travel or do not need to make purchases before December 12, call the Office of Acquisition and Property Management at 202-208-6352 to report the error and initiate the process for a replacement card to be ordered. A new card will arrive in 10-14 calendar days. If you did not have a current American Express account or U.S. Bank purchase card, then you need to determine whether you are eligible, and obtain your supervisor's approval to receive a card. If you are eligible and have your supervisor's approval, you should contact your A/OPC to initiate the card application process. If you are not eligible, in accordance with Department of the Interior policy, you may not be issued a card. If your name is wrong on the card. If your first or last name is misspelled. - Is your bureau correct? Yes. This is probably a typo on your name and your card is valid. Call the Office of Acquisition and Property Management at 202-208-6352 to verify that your correct Social Security Number (SSN) is listed for that account. If so, the card can be activated and used, and a replacement card ordered later to correct the misspelling. If not, do not activate or use the card. Please cut it in half through the magnetic stripe and mail the pieces to your A/OPC. If you are on official government travel or need to make purchases before December 12, call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 to order a rush replacement card. If you are not on official government travel or do not need to make purchases before December 12, call the Office of Acquisition and Property Management at 202-208-6352 to report the error and initiate the process for a replacement card to be ordered. A new card will arrive in 10-14 calendar days. No. You probably have the wrong card. Do not activate or use the card. Please cut it in half through the magnetic stripe and mail the pieces to your A/OPC. If you are on official government travel or need to make purchases before December 12, call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 to order a rush replacement card. If you are not on official government travel or do not need to make purchases before December 12, call the Office of Acquisition and Property Management at 202-208-6352 to report the error and initiate the process for a replacement card to be ordered. A new card will arrive in 10-14 calendar days. If your name on the card has the wrong middle initial: You probably have the wrong card. Do not activate or use the card. Please cut it in half through the magnetic stripe and mail the pieces to your A/OPC. If you are on official government travel or need to make purchases before December 12, call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 to order a rush replacement card. If you are not on official government travel or do not need to make purchases before December 12, call the Office of Acquisition and Property Management at 202-208-6352 to report the error and initiate the process for a replacement card to be ordered. A new card will arrive in 10-14 calendar days. If you don't like the way your name is listed on the card (for example, Robert Smith instead of Bob Smith). Please live with it for now. Your card is valid. The card can be activated and used, and a replacement card ordered later through your bureau A/OPC to change the name to your preferred name. If you became an Interior employee after the August 15 cutoff date for new cards to be issued. How do you get a card? - If you are eligible and have your supervisor's approval, you should contact your A/OPC to initiate this process. If your address is wrong, but you received your card: Please notify your A/OPC, who can make this correction in EAGLS. If you received more than one Department of the Interior NationsBank MasterCard. Please check with your A/OPC, who can access your user profile to determine which one you should keep. In the meantime, save all cards, and if you need to conduct any charge card transactions, activate and use the one with the latest expiration date. After the A/OPC determines which card to keep, the cardholder can activate that account and use the card. The A/OPC will deactivate the other account(s); the cardholder should then cut the other cards in half through the magnetic stripe and mail the pieces to NationsBank. If the A/OPC is unable to determine which card you should use, call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 for assistance. If you received a NationsBank VISA, CITIBANK VISA/MasterCard, or a card from U.S. Bank, First Chicago or Mellon Bank . Are you a member of the National Guard? NationsBank holds the contract for the Department of Defense travel program, which included issuing cards to members of the National Guard. You may activate that card and use it for your National Guard-related travel. Do NOT use it for your official Department of the Interior travel. In general, if you were employed by any other Federal agency and held an American Express travel card within the past five years, you have a high likelihood of receiving a card from the issuing bank for that agency. You should NOT activate the card. Cut it in half through the magnetic stripe and mail the pieces back to the issuing bank. To pay for transportation tickets the next time you are going on official government travel: When you book your travel through your Travel Management Center, provide them the account number from your individual card. The TMC will update your user profile in their system. The Department of the Interior will no longer use corporate or GTA accounts for transportation for its employees with travel card privileges. If you have not received your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) personal identification number (PIN): Call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 to set up a new PIN. The new number will be effective immediately, and you will receive written confirmation in the mail within several days. If you would like to change your ATM personal identification number (PIN): Call the NationsBank Government Card Services Unit at 1-800-472-1424 to set up a new PIN. The new number will be effective immediately, and you will receive written confirmation in the mail within several days. To use your card to get fuel for a rental car when you are on travel: You will be able to use your NationsBank MasterCard at any location with the MasterCard logo. If you are prompted at the pump for a driver identification number or odometer reading, enter 999999. This information is also listed on your wallet directory. To use your vehicle-assigned fleet cards for fuel or maintenance for Department of the Interior-owned vehicles and equipment: You will be able to use your NationsBank MasterCard at any location with the MasterCard logo. If you are prompted at the pump for a driver identification number or odometer reading, follow your bureau-specific fleet instructions. If your organization leases vehicles from the General Services Administration Interagency Fleet Management Service: GSA awarded its fleet contract to Voyager. A driver PIN will be required for all IFMS vehicles. We understand this will be the last six digits of the account code. In most locations, you will need to go to the service window to use the GSA Voyager card for fuel. A former co-worker called to say they had gotten a card. They've retired (or they've moved to another agency). What should you tell them? Please ask them to cut the card in half through the magnetic stripe and return the pieces to NationsBank in the envelope provided for the signature card. They should not activate the card. Your bureau A/OPC will deactivate the account, or provide NationsBank instructions to deactivate the account.