Travel Charge Card Program <Summary> <Org> <Date_Issue> 09/15/1992 <Date_Close> <VdkVgwKey> oldorg-9 <Directive> 1500.4 <Text> U.S. Department of Energy ORDER Washington, D.C. DOE 1500.4A 4-22-91 SUBJECT: TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM 1. PURPOSE. To set forth the Department of Energy (DOE) policies and procedures for a travel and transportation expense payment system using General Services Administration (GSA) contractor-issued charge cards and Government travel system (GTS) accounts to be used by Departmental travelers in procuring passenger transportation services and making payment to commercial facilities for subsistence and miscellaneous expenses during official travel. 2. CANCELLATION: DOE 1500.4, TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM, of 5-4-88. 3. REFERENCES. a. DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89, which establishes the official travel policy and procedures for DOE. b. DOE 2200.6, FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING, of 10-24-88, which establishes the policy and general procedures for financial management of cash, advances, receivables, inventories and investment of funds; accountability for plant and capital equipment and current and long term liabilities; and accounting for equity, revenues, and expenses. c. Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) Subpart 101-41.2, which sets forth regulations and procedures governing the procurement of and the billing and payment for passenger transportation services for the account of the United States. d. FPMR Subpart 101-41.8, Transportation Disbursement Procedures, which sets forth procedures for processing documents to request issuance of checks covering freight and passenger transportation services furnished for the account of the United States, and related forms, and for forwarding disbursing officers' paid transportation accounts to GSA for audit in accordance with section 322 of the Transportation Act of 1940, as amended. e. Title 41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 301-15, Subpart C, which prescribes policies and procedures for a travel and transportation expense payment system which provides for the use of GSA contractor-issued charge cards, centrally-billed accounts, and travelers checks by Federal agencies and their travelers for the procurement of passenger transportation services, payment to commercial facilities for subsistence, and miscellaneous travel and transportation expenses during official travel. f. Title 10 CFR, Subpart B, 1010.201, Standards of Conduct, which sets forth DOE regulations prescribing certain standards of conduct designed to assure the proper performance of Government business and the maintenance of public confidence in the Government. g. Report on New System of Records Under the Privacy Act of 1974 published in the Federal Register 9-29-83 (48 FR 44655), which establishes a new system of records that will be maintained by GSA pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 United States Code (USC) 552a. 4. BACKGROUND. a. Under the FPMR, SF 1169, "U.S. Government Transportation Request" (GTR), is used normally to purchase passenger transportation services directly from a common carrier through agency travel offices, commercial travel agents under contract to GSA, or a Scheduled Airlines Traffic Office. In addition, travelers are eligible for advances to pay for allowable travel expenses. Upon completion of the official travel, the employee submits a travel voucher to the agency for reimbursement of authorized and allowable travel expense. b. In 10-83, GSA entered into a contract with Citicorp Diners Club, Inc., to issue and maintain charge cards and establish Government travel system accounts. GSA also contracted with Citicorp for the issuance of travelers checks to be used by Federal employees to cover subsistence and other allowable travel and minor transportation expenses. GSA Bulletin FPMR A-85, "General," of 10-1-83, was issued announcing the new travel and transportation payment system and contained provisions applicable to Federal agencies that had voluntarily agreed to participate in the program. On 8-22-84, GSA issued FPMR Temporary Regulation A-25 to implement the program fully. c. In 3-84, use of the charge card program on a test basis was initiated by DOE at the Albuquerque Operations Office (AL). Based on the results of the AL test, a determination was made to implement the program Departmentwide. d. On 7-22-88, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued OMB Bulletin No. 88-17, which provided general policies for executive agency travel advance guidelines. Such guidelines apply to the control of travel advances and processing of travel vouchers to minimize the amounts of cash advanced, without imposing a personal financial burden on traveling employees. The Bulletin required that agencies must offer Government contractor-issued travel charge cards to all their employees who are expected to travel at least twice a year and must process the application of any employee who requests a card and is authorized to travel. DOE implemented the provisions of the Bulletin in Chg 2, of 2-7-90, to DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89. 5. DEFINITIONS. a. Charge Card is a Citicorp/Diners Club charge card to be used by travelers: (1) to pay for passenger transportation services; (2) to pay commercial facilities for subsistence expenses; and (3) to pay other allowable travel and transportation expenses incurred in connection with official travel. The term includes an individual employee charge card only. The term does not include personal credit cards issued to employees based upon their own financial merit by any company which issues charge cards. b. Contractor is the Citicorp/Diners Club, Inc. c. Program Coordinators are those employees at each payment office designated by the officials set forth in paragraph 7c to administer the Government charge card program. d. Government Travel System (GTS) Account is an account established by the contractor at the request of the officials set forth in paragraph 7c and used for common carrier charges only through a Travel Management Center or agency travel office. e. Program is the GSA Travel Charge Card Program used to pay for major travel and transportation expenses. f. Travel Management Center (TMC) is a commercial travel firm under contract to GSA that provides reservations, ticketing, and related travel management services for official Government travelers. g. Frequent Traveler is anyone who is expected to make at least two trips a year. 6. POLICY. a. General. It is the policy of the Department to participate in the Travel Charge Card Program under the provisions of this Order. Government contractor-issued travel charge cards are only for official travel expenses and are to be offered to all DOE employees who are expected to travel at least twice a year. DOE must process the application of any employee who requests a travel charge card and is authorized to travel. b. Exception. If the Head of a Field Element or the Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, determines that an employee or group of employees should not be given a card, he or she must submit a request for an exception to the policy stated in paragraph 6a above. Such request for an exception shall be submitted to the Chief Financial Officer. 7. RESPONSIBILITIES. a. The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for Departmental implementation of the Travel Charge Card Program as administered by DOE officials whose responsibilities are set forth in subparagraph c, below. b. Heads of Departmental Elements shall: (1) Distribute payment delinquency reports received from the charge card program coordinators to supervisors of delinquent employees and monitor the effectiveness of management's corrective actions. (2) Ensure that vouchers submitted for approval are processed and forwarded for payment within 5 workdays after receipt from travelers (see paragraph 10c). This promptness will allow employees ample time to receive their reimbursements before their charge card payments are overdue. c. The Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, and the Heads of Field Elements shall: (1) Designate individuals to serve as program coordinators at each payment office to perform the duties stated in paragraph 7f. (2) Determine whether and to what extent employees will use their charge card for obtaining transportation services. (3) Make available to eligible employees training sessions covering the operation and benefits of the program before allowing them to use either the charge card or GTS account. (4) Ensure that their implementation of the program adheres to the provisions of this Order. d. Supervisors shall: (1) Personally counsel their employees who are delinquent in paying their charge card bills in private while ensuring confidentiality of relevant documents. (2) Advise these employees of the consequences of the Department canceling their cards and the potential for disciplinary or other administrative actions. (3) Follow up with these employees to verify that they paid their delinquent charge card bills. e. Employees designated to receive charge cards or who are authorized to travel and choose to request a charge card shall: (1) Complete a DC-1616 (07/90), "Diners Club Government Card Program Employee Card Application Individual Billing," to obtain a Diners Club card. (An example of the form and instructions for preparation are shown in Attachment I.) (2) Sign an Employee Acknowledgment certifying that they have received, read, and understand the Description of Employee Rights and Obligations Related to Use of Contractor-Issued Charge Cards. (See Attachments 2 and 3 for examples.) (3) Forward the DC-1616 and Employee Acknowledgment to their designated program coordinator. (Those eligible employees who decide not to receive a card shall receive advances in accordance with page 15, paragraph 11b.) (4) Promptly report lost cards to Diners Club. (5) Notify the applicable program coordinator when they resign, retire, transfer to another Government agency, or transfer to another location within the Department which is under another payment office. (6) Meet their financial obligations, including remitting payments on time, to the charge card contractor as set out in paragraph 8j(1). f. Program Coordinators shall: (1) Provide employees who are authorized to travel and who request a travel charge card with the necessary forms and instructions. (See Attachment 4 for an example of a memorandum to the employees.) (2) Ensure completeness of information on the DC-1616 and Employee Acknowledgment. (3) Complete Agency Information and Authorization section of the DC-1616. (Refer to Attachment 1.) (4) Forward the original of the DC-1616 to the contractor. Maintain the agency copy (canary) with the Employee Acknowledgment statement. (5) Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8g, for renewal of employee charge cards. (6) Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8h, when employee resigns, retires, transfers, or relocates. (7) Periodically review the frequent traveler status of employees to ensure that all eligible employees are included on the eligibility list. List is maintained for future reference. (8) Monitor charge card payment delinquency reports and provide such reports to the Heads of Departmental Elements for their distribution to supervisory personnel. 8. INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE CHARGE CARDS. a. Selection Criteria. Employees who expect to make two or more trips per year or who are authorized to travel and choose to request a charge card may be issued charge cards. b. General Card Information. (1) No credit check will be performed on an individual employee when the card is issued. However, the contractor has reserved the right to request a credit report in connection with any update, renewal, or future extension of credit. (2) No preset expenditure limit has been placed on cards. (3) Travel accident insurance of $155,000 is automatically provided free of charge to the employee when common carrier tickets are obtained with the charge card and $150,000 when obtained through the GTS, except where prohibited by State or local law. (4) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when common carrier tickets are obtained with the charge card or through the GTS. (5) Personal check cashing privileges are provided at participating Citicorp branches worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a registered guest. (6) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes is provided without a fee. (7) No interest or late payment charges will be assessed on employee's charge card account. (8) No annual membership fee is charged for the issuance of the charge card. (9) The charge cards are valid for a 2-year period from the date of issue. c. Security of the Card. (1) The employee will receive the card at his or her home address or personal post office box and will be responsible for exercising the same care and responsibility for the security of the card and number as he or she would with a personal charge card. (2) The card shall NOT be stored or kept by an administrative officer, supervisor, or secretary. d. Use of Charge Cards. (1) Limited to Official Travel. Employees shall use the charge cards only for expenses incurred in conjunction with official travel. The card should be used to pay for such official travel expenses to the maximum extent possible. Use of charge card for expenses other than for officially authorized government travel could constitute violation of the provision under 10 CFR 1010.207, "Use of Government Property," and may result in disciplinary actions of the employee. (2) No Preset Expense Limit. Although there is no preset expense limit on the charge cards, employees are liable for payment of all charges incurred. However, the employee shall be reimbursed by DOE for only authorized and allowable travel and transportation costs. (See page 9, paragraph 8f(2), in case of charges incurred on a lost or stolen card.) (3) Obtaining Passenger Transportation Services. (a) The Heads of Field Elements and the Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, shall determine whether and to what extent their employees will use their charge cards for obtaining transportation services and may choose to continue issuing tickets to employees using the GTR (SF 1169). However, in emergency situations such as change in itinerary while in travel status, employees should use their Diners Club card to obtain the necessary transportation services. (b) If instructed to use their cards for obtaining transportation services, employees will present their charge cards to the transportation carrier, SATO, or TMC operated under GSA contract as payment for passenger transportation services (including services under contract fares offered by carriers under contract to GSA). The charge card may not be used to procure travel and transportation services from travel agencies who are not under contract to GSA to provide such services to the Government traveler. If the employee does not personally pick up the tickets and present his or her charge card, the travel facility may require prior authorization from the traveler before charging his/her charge card account. (4) Effect on Current Procedures. All travel requirements shall continue to be observed fully and all official travel must still be authorized as prescribed by DOE 1500.2A. Use of the charge card does not relieve the employee of prudent travel practices and observance of rules and regulations governing official travel as set forth in the Federal Travel Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Passenger transportation services procured with contractor-issued charge cards under the provisions of this, Order are not subject to the $100 cash limitation. However, any transportation purchases with other credit cards shall be considered as cash purchases and subject to the $100 cash limitation and related approval requirements. (See DOE 1500.2A, Page 111-7, paragraph 2a(3)(c)3, "Use of Cash.") e. Monthly Contractor Billings and Payment. (1) The employee will receive a billing statement from Diners Club at his or her home address each month when expenditures are incurred or when a credit is posted to the account. If a monthly statement is not received, the employee should contact Citibank/Diners Club Government Services, at (800) 525-5289 or 303-799-9000. A receipt copy of charges will be included with the Diners Club billing statement when the service establishment submits a copy of the charge to Diners Club. If the service establishment submits charges to Diners Club on magnetic tape, the charges will be listed descriptively on the statement instead of a record of charge. (2) No interest or late charges will be assessed by the contractor. (3) Payment in full for the amount billed is due and payable directly by the employee to the Citibank/Diners Club within 25 days of the billing date. Extended or partial payments are not permitted. If an amount on the bill is disputed, it can be deducted from the amount due, but the remaining balance must be paid in full. (4) If a Diners Club bill contains a disputable amount, it is the employee's responsibility to contact Citibank/Diners club in the following manner to resolve the dispute: (a) Call Government Services on (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. (8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). Diners Club will need to know the following: card member's name and account number; reference number of the disputed charge (listed on the statement); establishment where the charge was incurred; amount of charge; statement date; and details of the dispute. (b) Confirm the billing dispute in writing and mail to: Citicorp Diners Club Attn: Government Services P.0. Box 5064 Denver, CO 80217 (c) With this information, research can be conducted to solve the problem generally within 10 workdays. f. Lost or Stolen Cards. (1) If a Diners Club card is lost or stolen, the employee should immediately call the number nearest his or her location at the time the loss/theft is discovered. (a) In the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands (toll free), 1-800-525-9040; (b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235; (c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040; (d) In the Caribbean, 0-809-295-7181; (e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340; (f) In Metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504. (2) The employee is not liable for any charges incurred against a lost or stolen card. The employee may be required to review all charges considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery stating that he or she did not make the charges. An Affidavit of Forgery can be obtained from the contractor or through the program DOE coordinator who can obtain the forms from the contractor. All charges will be the employee's responsibility should he or she refuse to sign the affidavit. (3) A replacement Diners Club card will be mailed to the employee within 24 hours if the card has been lost or stolen in the United States or Canada. While-you-wait replacement of lost or stolen cards are available at the following domestic Diners Club offices: (a) Denver: 183 Inverness Drive West Englewood, CO 80112 Phone: (303) 799-9000 or (303) 799-1504 TELEX: 45808 Cable: DINCLUB ENGL (b) Washington, DC: 12700 Fair Lakes Circle Fairfax, VA 22033 Phone: (703) 276-7505 or (703) 815-3000 g. Charge Card Renewals. Charge cards are valid for a period of 2 years from the date of issue. A Projected Renewal Report will be forwarded by the contractor to the designated program coordinator listing all employee accounts which will expire within the current 3-month period. Cumulative 9-month monetary activity is also included to assist in determining if the card should be renewed. The following procedures will ensure uninterrupted charge card service to employees: (1) Review the Projected Renewal Report to determine if there are any employees who have separated from the organization or whose accounts were canceled but remain on the list; (2) Delete employee names who should not receive a new card; (3) Indicate any employee information changes; and (4) Return the completed list to the contractor within 45 days advising the contractor that the renewal cards should be sent directly to the employees. h. Charge Card Cancellation and Changes. Charge cards may be canceled by the employee, the authorizing DOE official, or the contractor. However, the contractor may not unilaterally cancel any charge card without prior consultation with and concurrence of the authorizing DOE official. In all cases, cancellation requests may be accomplished by telephone notification with subsequent written confirmation to the contractor. Cancellation requests by employees must be confirmed by their organization. The contractor will suspend charge card privileges of those employees whose accounts are 60 days past due; i.e., an account that has had three consecutive billings for an unpaid, undisputed amount. When the accounts are 120 days past due, the contractor, after notifying those applicable designated program coordinators, may cancel charge cards of these delinquent employees. The contractor reserves the right to refuse account renewals once canceled. (1) Employee Separations and Transfers. When an employee resigns, retires, or transfers to another Government agency, the program coordinator shall: (a) Obtain the charge card from the employee; (b) Immediately notify the contractor by telephone to cancel the account; and (c) Cut the card in half and return it to the contractor together with an Account Cancellation form provided by the contractor. (2) Employee Transfers or Relocations within DOE. (a) Employee transfers or relocations within the same DOE payment office will be handled internally by that organization. (b) When an employee transfers to another location within the Department which is under another payment office, the program coordinator shall: 1 Coordinate transfer date details with the coordinator at the receiving unit; 2 Obtain a new billing address, if necessary, from the employee prior to the actual transfer; and 3 Immediately notify the contractor by telephone and take required action as instructed by the contractor. i. Unused and Lost Tickets Originally Charged to Employee's Charge Card. (1) If a complete or partial airplane ticket is not used, the employee should return the coupons to the TMC, airline representative, or agency ticket office as appropriate, and obtain a refund credit. This receipt must be retained until the appropriate credit is issued on a subsequent Diners Club statement. The employee shall not submit his or her unused tickets with the SF 1012, "Travel Voucher." (2) If a charge appears on the Diners Club statement, but the credit does not, the employee can receive immediate credit by: (a) Subtracting the amount of credit from the payment and (b) Sending a copy of the credit receipt to: Citicorp Diners Club, P.O. Box 6002, The Lakes, NV 88901-6002. Diners Club will monitor the account and take whatever steps are necessary to obtain the credit, and advise the employee of the final resolution. (3) If an airplane ticket is lost, the same procedures are to be followed for unused tickets as described in subparagraphs (1) and (2), above, with the exception that a Lost Ticket Application (available at the ticketing facility) is to be filed with the carrier and a photocopy sent to Diners Club. The Lost Ticket Application is not submitted with the SF 1012. j. Financial Obligations and Liability. (1) Employee. Except in the case of charges made on lost or stolen charge cards, employees are liable for all billed charges. (See page 9, paragraph 8f(2).) Government employees are required to pay their just financial obligations in a proper and timely manner pursuant to section 1010.210 of 10 CFR part 1010, Conduct of Employees, and section 735.207 of 5 CFR part 735, Employee Responsibilities and Conduct. (2) Department. The Department assumes no liability for charges incurred on employee charge cards, nor is the Department liable for lost or stolen charge cards issued to employees. The Department is liable only for authorized charges incurred in conjunction with official travel on GTS accounts. k. Acceptability of Diners Club Card. (1) The Diners Club card is accepted in more than 650,000 establishments throughout the world. It is expected that employees will use the card whenever and wherever possible, for airline, hotel, restaurant, and other expenses. (2) If a traveler encounters a frequently visited establishment that does not honor the card, he or she may complete a Diners Club Establishment Coverage Request form which may be obtained from the coordinator and send it to Diners Club at the address shown on the form. (Diners Club will notify the requester of the coverage status within 30 days after receipt of the form.) 9. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL SYSTEM ACCOUNT. a. Establishment of Account. Appropriate officials (page 4, paragraph 7b) may establish GTS accounts with the contractor to purchase common carrier transportation only. Charge cards are not issued for GTS accounts. b. Use of GTS Accounts. GTS accounts may be used only if an organization uses a TMC, SATO, or inhouse travel office which is compatible with the account. The account can be used for all travel or travel performed by individuals who have not been identified as "frequent travelers" and therefore not holding a charge card. c. Contractor Billing and Payment. GTS accounts shall be billed monthly to the finance office for payment to the contractor. Monthly payment of charges incurred through the use of GTS accounts is subject to the provisions of the Prompt Payment Act, as amended, and payment is due in full within 30 calendar days after the billing date. (See DOE 2200.6, page I-27, paragraph 6c(15).) d. Travel Vouchers. Upon completion of travel, the employee shall prepare and submit an SF-1012 following the usual procedures. e. Unused Transportation Tickets. The employee shall submit any unused tickets to the appropriate travel office, TMC, or SATO that furnished the ticket under a GTS account. Organizations using a GTS account shall provide instructions to travelers on the procedures to follow when submitting and documenting unused or downgraded passenger transportation services. f. Controls on the Use of GTS Accounts. Appropriate officials (page 4, paragraph 7b) shall ensure that only designated, authorized personnel use the accounts and that all tickets purchased are authorized. Tickets issued under the GTS account shall include the individual's travel authorization number and other appropriate identifying codes. Designated officials authorized to use GTS accounts shall be responsible for properly utilizing the account and providing the finance office with a listing of all charges made to the account. The listing shall include the name, travel authorization number, organization code or other identifying code, and amount. The finance office is required to perform a reconciliation for all tickets under GTS with the Diners Club monthly bill to assure the propriety of all charges prior to payment. 10. TRAVEL VOUCHER CLAIMS. a. SF 1012, "Travel Voucher", shall be prepared and submitted by employees in the usual manner to the payment office (see DOE 1500.2A, page II-22, paragraph 4a(5), "Preparation of SF-1012"). Employees will be reimbursed for authorized and allowable travel and transportation expenses in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Travel Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Expenses incurred in making payments to Diners Club, such as stamps, envelopes, and personal check charges are not reimbursable. b. Transportation Charges. When claiming reimbursement on a travel voucher for transportation expenses purchased with a credit card, the employee shall: (1) Claim only the cost of transportation tickets actually used. (Refer to page 11, paragraph 8i, and page 13, paragraph 9e, for the procedure to follow when a complete or partial airline ticket is not used.) (2) Initial the preprinted statement on the SF 1012 concerning assignment of all rights to the United States which the traveler has in connection with recovery of overcharges from the carrier(s). c. Voucher Submission and Processing Schedule. The following schedule must be followed to ensure that employees receive reimbursement for allowable expenses before payment is due the contractor: (1) Employees shall submit travel vouchers together with required receipts to the approving official within 10 workdays following the completion of the trip or at least once a month during extended travel assignments. Vouchers may be handwritten legibly in ink or typed. (2) Approving officials will submit the voucher to the payment office within 5 workdays after receipt or return it to the traveler for revision. (3) Payment offices will process all properly prepared vouchers within 10 workdays after receipt. Payment offices shall return promptly to the traveler vouchers that are not prepared properly. 11. TRAVEL ADVANCES. a. Frequent travelers who are authorized travel charge cards are expected to use their charge cards in lieu of cash advances for most travel expenses. An advance will be limited to cover those travel expenses that can be expected in connection with authorized travel including permanent change of station that as a general rule cannot be charged and must, therefore, be paid using cash. Within the Continental United States, the amount of the advance in a $26 M&IE area shall be $30 a day and in a $34 M&IE area shall be $40 a day. For travel outside the continental United States, the amount advanced for M&IE shall not exceed 50 percent of the per diem or the actual expense rate for the locality. (See DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8, paragraphs 2b and 2c.) Exceptions to the travel advance limitations are allowed as provided in subparagraph c below. b. Advances to those employees who are frequent travelers but elect not to have the charge card or to those travelers whose travel charge cards have been suspended or revoked because of delinquent payments will be limited to cover those travel expenses that can be expected in connection with authorized travel including permanent change of station that as a general rule cannot be charged and must, therefore, be paid using cash. The amounts of the advance mentioned in paragraph 11a, above, for within and outside the continental United States, will apply. However, the exceptions to the travel advance limitations as provided in paragraph c below are not allowed for these employees. c. An exception may be granted when circumstances are expected to preclude the use of the travel charge card for transportation, lodging, car rental, or other travel expenses that normally would be chargeable. (See DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8a, paragraph 2d.) Advances under this exception will be limited to 80 percent of the allowable amount for cash transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8a, paragraph 2d(4), "Amount Allowed." d. An exception is authorized when the Department determines that in certain situations an employee or group of employees should not be issued travel charge cards (see page 4, paragraph 6b, "Exception"). Infrequent travelers are included under this exception. Advances under this exception will be limited to the allowable amount for cash transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page II-8a, paragraph 2d(4), "Amount Allowed." 12. SUBMISSION OF PASSENGER TICKETING INFORMATION TO GSA FOR AUDIT. a. Travel vouchers containing reimbursable transportation charges purchased with contractor-issued charge cards or issued through GTS accounts shall not be considered transportation vouchers under 41 CFR 101-41.807 and are therefore not required to be submitted to GSA by payment offices. b. Passenger ticketing information is furnished directly by the Diners Club, Inc., to GSA's Office of Transportation audits and will be used to identify and collect carrier overcharges. 13. PRIVACY ACT OF 1974. Refer to 48 FR 44655, of 9-29-83, for the establishment by GSA of a new system of records for this program as required under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. 14. TRAVELERS CHECKS. [Reserved] BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY: JOHN J. NETTLES, JR. Director of Administration and Human Resource Management **** DATABASE NOTE: ATTACHMENT OF ATTACHMENT 1 - DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CARD PROGRAM EMPLOYEE CARD APPLICATION INDIVIDUAL BILLING (PAGE 1) IS NOT INCLUDED IN DATABASE, DUE TO ITS FORMAT. INSTRUCTIONS 1. EMPLOYEE INFORMATION. These blocks must be completed with the employee's complete name; social security number; home and work addresses; home and work phone numbers; position/title; whether a present or former cardmember; and account number. The home/mailing address is where Diners Club will main the charge card and billing statements. This address may be a personal residence or a personal post office box. Charge cards and billing statements shall not be sent to a Government office address. 2. EMPLOYEE APPLICANT SIGNATURE. The employee should read this block carefully to make sure he or she understands the terms and conditions for issuance of a Diners Club Government Employee Card before he or she signs and dates. 3. AGENCY INFORMATION AND AUTHORIZATION. All the blocks shall be completed by the coordinator. The organization code 8900 shall be inserted in Field 2. The authorized representative will sign the authorizing signature block. THE DINERS CLUB APPLICATION IS A FOUR PART COLOR CODED FORM. AFTER COMPLETION, RETAIN PINK COPY AND RETURN ORIGINAL AND OTHER COPIES TO THE COORDINATOR. FORMAT EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT Department of Energy Headquarters Washington, DC -------------------- (Location) I certify that I have received, read, and understand the memorandum (with attachments) issued by Marvin C. Carling, Director of Financial Management, 2-5-91, entitled "Issuance of Diners Club Government Charge Cards," and that I will abide by such policies, procedures, and other instructions as may be issued by the Department and the Diners Club, Inc., pertaining to the use of any card issued to me for purposes of conducting official Government travel. John A. Doe ------------------------------------------ Name (Type or Print) Office of Programs, AD-810, Washington, DC ------------------------------------------ Organization and Location __________________________________ ____________ Employee Signature Date __________________________________ ____________ Supervisor Signature Date Return to coordinator with white and canary copies of the application. DESCRIPTION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO THE USE OF CONTRACTOR-ISSUED CHARGE CARDS Before you sign the enclosed Employee Acknowledgment, you should familiarize yourself with this description of the rights and obligations of Diners Club Government Cardholders. 1. HOW IS THE CARD TO BE USED. Employees designated to receive Diners Club cards are to use them to pay for major expenses connected with official Government travel, such as common carrier passenger tickets (air, rail, bus), lodging, meals, and automobile rentals. 2. DOES ISSUANCE OF CHARGE CARDS MEAN A CHANGE IN CURRENT TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION PROCEDURES? No, you must continue to obtain prior approval and authorization of official travel in the same manner as you have in the past. Other travel requirements, such as the use of contract city-pair airlines, Government contract rental automobiles, Fly America, and use of premium class accommodations, must continue to be observed fully. If you currently make your travel arrangements through a Travel Management Center or Scheduled Airlines Traffic Office, you shall continue to do so. 3. HOW WILL CARDHOLDERS BE BILLED? a. A separate account will be established in the name of each individual Government cardholder. Each month, you will receive a statement directly from the Diners Club, Inc., and you will be expected to send your payment in full regardless of whether or not it exceeds the amount which you are entitled to be reimbursed by the Government. b. Please note that you will receive with your card a detailed statement of billing and paying procedures, as well as instructions on how to request billing adjustments and corrections. Disputed charges or other billing problems may be reported to the Diners Club Government Services by calling (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000 and writing to: Citicorp Diners Club Government Services P.O. Box 5064 Denver, CO 80217 4. WILL EMPLOYEES BE REIMBURSED IN TIME TO PAY THE DINERS CLUB BILL? a. If you are conscientious about filing travel vouchers promptly, you should receive reimbursement for allowable expenses well before your payment is due Diners Club. Coincident with the implementation of this program, employees are expected to submit travel vouchers, along with appropriate receipts, within 10 workdays after completion of travel. (Legible handwritten vouchers are acceptable.) In turn, approving officials are required to submit the voucher within 5 workdays to the payment office which will process all vouchers within 10 workdays after receipt. b. As a general rule, charges made during one month will not show up on your statement until the following month. Since you will have 25 days to pay from the statement date, this means the average lapsed time between the date when you incur charges and the date by which your payment is due will be 30 to 40 days. Assuming you file your vouchers promptly, you should not have to pay for any reimbursable expenses out of your own personal funds. 5. WHAT SPECIFIC PROTECTION AND FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE TO DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CARDHOLDERS? a. Under the terms of its contract with the General Services Administration, the Diners Club, Inc., may not: (1) Establish preset expenditure limits. (2) Conduct credit checks on employees designated to receive Government cards. (Diners Club has reserved the right to conduct such checks in connection with any update, renewal, or future extension of credit.) (3) Release credit information to other than authorized employing agency officials or the individual cardholder. (4) Sell or otherwise provide employee names or addresses to other commercial interests. (5) Charge membership, interest, or late payment fees. (6) Include commercial advertisements or other forms of solicitation with monthly billing statements. (7) Issue or cancel employee cards without the concurrence of authorized program coordinators. (8) Hold employees or their agencies liable for any charges made with lost or stolen cards. An employee may be required to review all charges considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery stating he or she did not make the charges. b. As a Diner's Club Government Cardholder, you will receive, either with your card or with your first billing statement, a brochure which describes various card features and uses. Major features are summarized as follows: (1) Travel accident insurance ($155,000), payable to your estate, which is automatically in force each time you purchase a common carrier ticket with your card ($150,000, if ticket is provided through Government Travel System), except where prohibited by State or local law. This insurance is provided free of charge to you. (2) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when common carrier tickets are obtained with the card or through GTS. (3) Confirmed hotel reservations on your card number regardless of time of arrival. (Please note that you must notify hotels before 6 p.m. on the day of arrival if your plans change and ask for and retain your cancellation number.) (4) Personal check cashing privileges at participating citibank branches worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a registered guest. (5) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes provided without fee. (6) Emergency card replacements within 24 hours, worldwide. 6. WHERE ARE DINERS CLUB CARDS ACCEPTED? The Diners Club Card is accepted in more than 650,000 establishments, including: a. All major domestic and international airlines, automobile rental agencies, AMTRAK, and other common carriers. b. Every major domestic hotel and motel chain, as well as other major hotels in the U.S. and overseas (including most of the hotels and motels listed in the Federal Travel Directory, published monthly by GSA). c. Over 34,000 restaurants throughout the United States moderately priced as well as finer establishments. 7. CAN CARDHOLDERS REQUEST THE DINERS CLUB TO SIGN UP ADDITIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS? You will receive a postage-paid establishment request card with your Diners Club monthly statements. Simply fill in the request card with the names of establishments you would like to have Diners Club contact to accept the card and mail it. You will be notified by Diners Club within 30 days of the action taken on your request. Additional request cards may be obtained at any time from your program coordinator or by calling the Diners Club (toll free) Corporate Services at (800) 525-5289. 8. HOW DO CARDHOLDERS REPORT LOST OR STOLEN CARDS? a. Lost or stolen cards should be reported as soon as you discover they are lost or stolen to the Diners Club at one of the following numbers: (a) In the Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands (toll free), 1-800-525-9040; (b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235; (c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040; (d) In the Caribbean, 0-809-295-7181; (e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340; (f) In metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504. b. Emergency card replacement will be arranged upon notification. 9. WHERE CAN CARDHOLDERS GET ANSWERS TO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AS THEY ARISE? Any questions related to your account may be referred to Diners Club Corporate Service officials who can be reached toll free at (800) 525-5289. MEMORANDUM FOR DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEES DESIGNATED TO RECEIVE THE DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CHARGE CARDS United States Government Department of Energy -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEMORANDUM DATE: February 5, 1991 REPLY TO ATTN OF: AD-312 SUBJECT: Issuance of Diners Club Government Charge Cards TO: Chief of Program Analysis, AD-810 The General Service Administration (GSA) has entered into a new contract with Citibank/Diners Club to issue charge cards to eligible employees within the Federal Government. Use of the charge card has been approved within the Department of Energy (DOE). As a frequent traveler, you must request a Diners Club Government Charge card. This card will be issued to you without an annual fee and without a personal credit check. The card will give you financial flexibility and convenience while traveling on official Government business. Diners Club will allow you a maximum of 25 days from their statement billing date to pay for the charges incurred during your trip. Other advantages of the card include (see detailed listing attached) no-cost travel accident insurance, lost baggage insurance, and the opportunity to free up your own individual line of credit if in the past you used your own personal charge cards on official travel. It is expected that you will use the card whenever and wherever possible for all hotel, restaurant, automobile rental, and other expenses incurred in conjunction with your official travel. In addition, you may use the card for airline and other common carrier to obtain transportation services in emergency situations. Your travel advances will be limited to cover those estimated usual cash transaction expenses that can be expected in connection with your travel. Please refer to DOE 1500.2A, pages II-8 through II-8b for list of cash transaction expenses, allowable amounts for cash transaction expenses, and exceptions to the travel advance limitation. Passenger transportation tickets will be obtained by (See note) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Reimbursement of allowable expenses to employees issued a card will be accomplished by check from the Treasury Regional Financial Center. Generally, reimbursement of the local travel expenses where the use of the card would be inappropriate will be handled as in the past. To ensure that you are apprised of your rights and obligations, attached are: a. A summary of the benefits, services, and protection provided to cardholders; b. The DOE travel policies and procedures related to the use of the card, including employee responsibilities and obligations; and c. An application form with instructions and an Employee Acknowledgment. Please complete and submit the attached application and Employee Acknowledgment to your coordinator, ________________________, by (date) at the following address: ______________________ ______________________ This program offers many advantages both to you, while in official travel status, and to DOE. Over 350,000 companies employ a corporate charge card system for employee travel, and 134 of the "Fortune 500" largest corporations in America operate such systems through the Diners Club, Inc. while this may be a new and exciting way of doing business for the Federal Government, its advantages have long been recognized by private industries. Your full support, cooperation, and understanding of your rights and obligations are essential to ensuring the successful implementation of this program within the Department. Marvin C. Carling ------------------------------------ (Signature) Director of Financial Management ------------------------------------ (Title) Attachments Note: Each organization should provide its own specific instructions on how passenger tickets are to be obtained. <<EOD>>

oldord/1500/o15004ac1.html ArcOld DOE O 1500.4A Chg 1 Travel Charge Card Program <Summary> <Org> <Date_Issue> 09/15/1992 <Date_Close> <VdkVgwKey> oldorg-9 <Directive> 1500.4 <Text> U.S. Department of Energy ORDER Washington, D.C. DOE 1500.4A 4-22-91 SUBJECT: TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM 1. PURPOSE. To set forth the Department of Energy (DOE) policies and procedures for a travel and transportation expense payment system using General Services Administration (GSA) contractor-issued charge cards and Government travel system (GTS) accounts to be used by Departmental travelers in procuring passenger transportation services and making payment to commercial facilities for subsistence and miscellaneous expenses during official travel. 2. CANCELLATION: DOE 1500.4, TRAVEL CHARGE CARD PROGRAM, of 5-4-88. 3. REFERENCES. a. DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89, which establishes the official travel policy and procedures for DOE. b. DOE 2200.6, FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING, of 10-24-88, which establishes the policy and general procedures for financial management of cash, advances, receivables, inventories and investment of funds; accountability for plant and capital equipment and current and long term liabilities; and accounting for equity, revenues, and expenses. c. Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) Subpart 101-41.2, which sets forth regulations and procedures governing the procurement of and the billing and payment for passenger transportation services for the account of the United States. d. FPMR Subpart 101-41.8, Transportation Disbursement Procedures, which sets forth procedures for processing documents to request issuance of checks covering freight and passenger transportation services furnished for the account of the United States, and related forms, and for forwarding disbursing officers' paid transportation accounts to GSA for audit in accordance with section 322 of the Transportation Act of 1940, as amended. e. Title 41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 301-15, Subpart C, which prescribes policies and procedures for a travel and transportation expense payment system which provides for the use of GSA contractor-issued charge cards, centrally-billed accounts, and travelers checks by Federal agencies and their travelers for the procurement of passenger transportation services, payment to commercial facilities for subsistence, and miscellaneous travel and transportation expenses during official travel. f. Title 10 CFR, Subpart B, 1010.201, Standards of Conduct, which sets forth DOE regulations prescribing certain standards of conduct designed to assure the proper performance of Government business and the maintenance of public confidence in the Government. g. Report on New System of Records Under the Privacy Act of 1974 published in the Federal Register 9-29-83 (48 FR 44655), which establishes a new system of records that will be maintained by GSA pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 United States Code (USC) 552a. 4. BACKGROUND. a. Under the FPMR, SF 1169, "U.S. Government Transportation Request" (GTR), is used normally to purchase passenger transportation services directly from a common carrier through agency travel offices, commercial travel agents under contract to GSA, or a Scheduled Airlines Traffic Office. In addition, travelers are eligible for advances to pay for allowable travel expenses. Upon completion of the official travel, the employee submits a travel voucher to the agency for reimbursement of authorized and allowable travel expense. b. In 10-83, GSA entered into a contract with Citicorp Diners Club, Inc., to issue and maintain charge cards and establish Government travel system accounts. GSA also contracted with Citicorp for the issuance of travelers checks to be used by Federal employees to cover subsistence and other allowable travel and minor transportation expenses. GSA Bulletin FPMR A-85, "General," of 10-1-83, was issued announcing the new travel and transportation payment system and contained provisions applicable to Federal agencies that had voluntarily agreed to participate in the program. On 8-22-84, GSA issued FPMR Temporary Regulation A-25 to implement the program fully. c. In 3-84, use of the charge card program on a test basis was initiated by DOE at the Albuquerque Operations Office (AL). Based on the results of the AL test, a determination was made to implement the program Departmentwide. d. On 7-22-88, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued OMB Bulletin No. 88-17, which provided general policies for executive agency travel advance guidelines. Such guidelines apply to the control of travel advances and processing of travel vouchers to minimize the amounts of cash advanced, without imposing a personal financial burden on traveling employees. The Bulletin required that agencies must offer Government contractor-issued travel charge cards to all their employees who are expected to travel at least twice a year and must process the application of any employee who requests a card and is authorized to travel. DOE implemented the provisions of the Bulletin in Chg 2, of 2-7-90, to DOE 1500.2A, TRAVEL POLICY AND PROCEDURES, of 6-7-89. 5. DEFINITIONS. a. Charge Card is a Citicorp/Diners Club charge card to be used by travelers: (1) to pay for passenger transportation services; (2) to pay commercial facilities for subsistence expenses; and (3) to pay other allowable travel and transportation expenses incurred in connection with official travel. The term includes an individual employee charge card only. The term does not include personal credit cards issued to employees based upon their own financial merit by any company which issues charge cards. b. Contractor is the Citicorp/Diners Club, Inc. c. Program Coordinators are those employees at each payment office designated by the officials set forth in paragraph 7c to administer the Government charge card program. d. Government Travel System (GTS) Account is an account established by the contractor at the request of the officials set forth in paragraph 7c and used for common carrier charges only through a Travel Management Center or agency travel office. e. Program is the GSA Travel Charge Card Program used to pay for major travel and transportation expenses. f. Travel Management Center (TMC) is a commercial travel firm under contract to GSA that provides reservations, ticketing, and related travel management services for official Government travelers. g. Frequent Traveler is anyone who is expected to make at least two trips a year. 6. POLICY. a. General. It is the policy of the Department to participate in the Travel Charge Card Program under the provisions of this Order. Government contractor-issued travel charge cards are only for official travel expenses and are to be offered to all DOE employees who are expected to travel at least twice a year. DOE must process the application of any employee who requests a travel charge card and is authorized to travel. b. Exception. If the Head of a Field Element or the Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, determines that an employee or group of employees should not be given a card, he or she must submit a request for an exception to the policy stated in paragraph 6a above. Such request for an exception shall be submitted to the Chief Financial Officer. 7. RESPONSIBILITIES. a. The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for Departmental implementation of the Travel Charge Card Program as administered by DOE officials whose responsibilities are set forth in subparagraph c, below. b. Heads of Departmental Elements shall: (1) Distribute payment delinquency reports received from the charge card program coordinators to supervisors of delinquent employees and monitor the effectiveness of management's corrective actions. (2) Ensure that vouchers submitted for approval are processed and forwarded for payment within 5 workdays after receipt from travelers (see paragraph 10c). This promptness will allow employees ample time to receive their reimbursements before their charge card payments are overdue. c. The Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, and the Heads of Field Elements shall: (1) Designate individuals to serve as program coordinators at each payment office to perform the duties stated in paragraph 7f. (2) Determine whether and to what extent employees will use their charge card for obtaining transportation services. (3) Make available to eligible employees training sessions covering the operation and benefits of the program before allowing them to use either the charge card or GTS account. (4) Ensure that their implementation of the program adheres to the provisions of this Order. d. Supervisors shall: (1) Personally counsel their employees who are delinquent in paying their charge card bills in private while ensuring confidentiality of relevant documents. (2) Advise these employees of the consequences of the Department canceling their cards and the potential for disciplinary or other administrative actions. (3) Follow up with these employees to verify that they paid their delinquent charge card bills. e. Employees designated to receive charge cards or who are authorized to travel and choose to request a charge card shall: (1) Complete a DC-1616 (07/90), "Diners Club Government Card Program Employee Card Application Individual Billing," to obtain a Diners Club card. (An example of the form and instructions for preparation are shown in Attachment I.) (2) Sign an Employee Acknowledgment certifying that they have received, read, and understand the Description of Employee Rights and Obligations Related to Use of Contractor-Issued Charge Cards. (See Attachments 2 and 3 for examples.) (3) Forward the DC-1616 and Employee Acknowledgment to their designated program coordinator. (Those eligible employees who decide not to receive a card shall receive advances in accordance with page 15, paragraph 11b.) (4) Promptly report lost cards to Diners Club. (5) Notify the applicable program coordinator when they resign, retire, transfer to another Government agency, or transfer to another location within the Department which is under another payment office. (6) Meet their financial obligations, including remitting payments on time, to the charge card contractor as set out in paragraph 8j(1). f. Program Coordinators shall: (1) Provide employees who are authorized to travel and who request a travel charge card with the necessary forms and instructions. (See Attachment 4 for an example of a memorandum to the employees.) (2) Ensure completeness of information on the DC-1616 and Employee Acknowledgment. (3) Complete Agency Information and Authorization section of the DC-1616. (Refer to Attachment 1.) (4) Forward the original of the DC-1616 to the contractor. Maintain the agency copy (canary) with the Employee Acknowledgment statement. (5) Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8g, for renewal of employee charge cards. (6) Take steps outlined on page 10, paragraph 8h, when employee resigns, retires, transfers, or relocates. (7) Periodically review the frequent traveler status of employees to ensure that all eligible employees are included on the eligibility list. List is maintained for future reference. (8) Monitor charge card payment delinquency reports and provide such reports to the Heads of Departmental Elements for their distribution to supervisory personnel. 8. INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE CHARGE CARDS. a. Selection Criteria. Employees who expect to make two or more trips per year or who are authorized to travel and choose to request a charge card may be issued charge cards. b. General Card Information. (1) No credit check will be performed on an individual employee when the card is issued. However, the contractor has reserved the right to request a credit report in connection with any update, renewal, or future extension of credit. (2) No preset expenditure limit has been placed on cards. (3) Travel accident insurance of $155,000 is automatically provided free of charge to the employee when common carrier tickets are obtained with the charge card and $150,000 when obtained through the GTS, except where prohibited by State or local law. (4) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when common carrier tickets are obtained with the charge card or through the GTS. (5) Personal check cashing privileges are provided at participating Citicorp branches worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a registered guest. (6) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes is provided without a fee. (7) No interest or late payment charges will be assessed on employee's charge card account. (8) No annual membership fee is charged for the issuance of the charge card. (9) The charge cards are valid for a 2-year period from the date of issue. c. Security of the Card. (1) The employee will receive the card at his or her home address or personal post office box and will be responsible for exercising the same care and responsibility for the security of the card and number as he or she would with a personal charge card. (2) The card shall NOT be stored or kept by an administrative officer, supervisor, or secretary. d. Use of Charge Cards. (1) Limited to Official Travel. Employees shall use the charge cards only for expenses incurred in conjunction with official travel. The card should be used to pay for such official travel expenses to the maximum extent possible. Use of charge card for expenses other than for officially authorized government travel could constitute violation of the provision under 10 CFR 1010.207, "Use of Government Property," and may result in disciplinary actions of the employee. (2) No Preset Expense Limit. Although there is no preset expense limit on the charge cards, employees are liable for payment of all charges incurred. However, the employee shall be reimbursed by DOE for only authorized and allowable travel and transportation costs. (See page 9, paragraph 8f(2), in case of charges incurred on a lost or stolen card.) (3) Obtaining Passenger Transportation Services. (a) The Heads of Field Elements and the Director, Office of Headquarters Accounting Operations, in coordination with the Director, Office of Administrative Services, shall determine whether and to what extent their employees will use their charge cards for obtaining transportation services and may choose to continue issuing tickets to employees using the GTR (SF 1169). However, in emergency situations such as change in itinerary while in travel status, employees should use their Diners Club card to obtain the necessary transportation services. (b) If instructed to use their cards for obtaining transportation services, employees will present their charge cards to the transportation carrier, SATO, or TMC operated under GSA contract as payment for passenger transportation services (including services under contract fares offered by carriers under contract to GSA). The charge card may not be used to procure travel and transportation services from travel agencies who are not under contract to GSA to provide such services to the Government traveler. If the employee does not personally pick up the tickets and present his or her charge card, the travel facility may require prior authorization from the traveler before charging his/her charge card account. (4) Effect on Current Procedures. All travel requirements shall continue to be observed fully and all official travel must still be authorized as prescribed by DOE 1500.2A. Use of the charge card does not relieve the employee of prudent travel practices and observance of rules and regulations governing official travel as set forth in the Federal Travel Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Passenger transportation services procured with contractor-issued charge cards under the provisions of this, Order are not subject to the $100 cash limitation. However, any transportation purchases with other credit cards shall be considered as cash purchases and subject to the $100 cash limitation and related approval requirements. (See DOE 1500.2A, Page 111-7, paragraph 2a(3)(c)3, "Use of Cash.") e. Monthly Contractor Billings and Payment. (1) The employee will receive a billing statement from Diners Club at his or her home address each month when expenditures are incurred or when a credit is posted to the account. If a monthly statement is not received, the employee should contact Citibank/Diners Club Government Services, at (800) 525-5289 or 303-799-9000. A receipt copy of charges will be included with the Diners Club billing statement when the service establishment submits a copy of the charge to Diners Club. If the service establishment submits charges to Diners Club on magnetic tape, the charges will be listed descriptively on the statement instead of a record of charge. (2) No interest or late charges will be assessed by the contractor. (3) Payment in full for the amount billed is due and payable directly by the employee to the Citibank/Diners Club within 25 days of the billing date. Extended or partial payments are not permitted. If an amount on the bill is disputed, it can be deducted from the amount due, but the remaining balance must be paid in full. (4) If a Diners Club bill contains a disputable amount, it is the employee's responsibility to contact Citibank/Diners club in the following manner to resolve the dispute: (a) Call Government Services on (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. (8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time). Diners Club will need to know the following: card member's name and account number; reference number of the disputed charge (listed on the statement); establishment where the charge was incurred; amount of charge; statement date; and details of the dispute. (b) Confirm the billing dispute in writing and mail to: Citicorp Diners Club Attn: Government Services P.0. Box 5064 Denver, CO 80217 (c) With this information, research can be conducted to solve the problem generally within 10 workdays. f. Lost or Stolen Cards. (1) If a Diners Club card is lost or stolen, the employee should immediately call the number nearest his or her location at the time the loss/theft is discovered. (a) In the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands (toll free), 1-800-525-9040; (b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235; (c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040; (d) In the Caribbean, 0-809-295-7181; (e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340; (f) In Metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504. (2) The employee is not liable for any charges incurred against a lost or stolen card. The employee may be required to review all charges considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery stating that he or she did not make the charges. An Affidavit of Forgery can be obtained from the contractor or through the program DOE coordinator who can obtain the forms from the contractor. All charges will be the employee's responsibility should he or she refuse to sign the affidavit. (3) A replacement Diners Club card will be mailed to the employee within 24 hours if the card has been lost or stolen in the United States or Canada. While-you-wait replacement of lost or stolen cards are available at the following domestic Diners Club offices: (a) Denver: 183 Inverness Drive West Englewood, CO 80112 Phone: (303) 799-9000 or (303) 799-1504 TELEX: 45808 Cable: DINCLUB ENGL (b) Washington, DC: 12700 Fair Lakes Circle Fairfax, VA 22033 Phone: (703) 276-7505 or (703) 815-3000 g. Charge Card Renewals. Charge cards are valid for a period of 2 years from the date of issue. A Projected Renewal Report will be forwarded by the contractor to the designated program coordinator listing all employee accounts which will expire within the current 3-month period. Cumulative 9-month monetary activity is also included to assist in determining if the card should be renewed. The following procedures will ensure uninterrupted charge card service to employees: (1) Review the Projected Renewal Report to determine if there are any employees who have separated from the organization or whose accounts were canceled but remain on the list; (2) Delete employee names who should not receive a new card; (3) Indicate any employee information changes; and (4) Return the completed list to the contractor within 45 days advising the contractor that the renewal cards should be sent directly to the employees. h. Charge Card Cancellation and Changes. Charge cards may be canceled by the employee, the authorizing DOE official, or the contractor. However, the contractor may not unilaterally cancel any charge card without prior consultation with and concurrence of the authorizing DOE official. In all cases, cancellation requests may be accomplished by telephone notification with subsequent written confirmation to the contractor. Cancellation requests by employees must be confirmed by their organization. The contractor will suspend charge card privileges of those employees whose accounts are 60 days past due; i.e., an account that has had three consecutive billings for an unpaid, undisputed amount. When the accounts are 120 days past due, the contractor, after notifying those applicable designated program coordinators, may cancel charge cards of these delinquent employees. The contractor reserves the right to refuse account renewals once canceled. (1) Employee Separations and Transfers. When an employee resigns, retires, or transfers to another Government agency, the program coordinator shall: (a) Obtain the charge card from the employee; (b) Immediately notify the contractor by telephone to cancel the account; and (c) Cut the card in half and return it to the contractor together with an Account Cancellation form provided by the contractor. (2) Employee Transfers or Relocations within DOE. (a) Employee transfers or relocations within the same DOE payment office will be handled internally by that organization. (b) When an employee transfers to another location within the Department which is under another payment office, the program coordinator shall: 1 Coordinate transfer date details with the coordinator at the receiving unit; 2 Obtain a new billing address, if necessary, from the employee prior to the actual transfer; and 3 Immediately notify the contractor by telephone and take required action as instructed by the contractor. i. Unused and Lost Tickets Originally Charged to Employee's Charge Card. (1) If a complete or partial airplane ticket is not used, the employee should return the coupons to the TMC, airline representative, or agency ticket office as appropriate, and obtain a refund credit. This receipt must be retained until the appropriate credit is issued on a subsequent Diners Club statement. The employee shall not submit his or her unused tickets with the SF 1012, "Travel Voucher." (2) If a charge appears on the Diners Club statement, but the credit does not, the employee can receive immediate credit by: (a) Subtracting the amount of credit from the payment and (b) Sending a copy of the credit receipt to: Citicorp Diners Club, P.O. Box 6002, The Lakes, NV 88901-6002. Diners Club will monitor the account and take whatever steps are necessary to obtain the credit, and advise the employee of the final resolution. (3) If an airplane ticket is lost, the same procedures are to be followed for unused tickets as described in subparagraphs (1) and (2), above, with the exception that a Lost Ticket Application (available at the ticketing facility) is to be filed with the carrier and a photocopy sent to Diners Club. The Lost Ticket Application is not submitted with the SF 1012. j. Financial Obligations and Liability. (1) Employee. Except in the case of charges made on lost or stolen charge cards, employees are liable for all billed charges. (See page 9, paragraph 8f(2).) Government employees are required to pay their just financial obligations in a proper and timely manner pursuant to section 1010.210 of 10 CFR part 1010, Conduct of Employees, and section 735.207 of 5 CFR part 735, Employee Responsibilities and Conduct. (2) Department. The Department assumes no liability for charges incurred on employee charge cards, nor is the Department liable for lost or stolen charge cards issued to employees. The Department is liable only for authorized charges incurred in conjunction with official travel on GTS accounts. k. Acceptability of Diners Club Card. (1) The Diners Club card is accepted in more than 650,000 establishments throughout the world. It is expected that employees will use the card whenever and wherever possible, for airline, hotel, restaurant, and other expenses. (2) If a traveler encounters a frequently visited establishment that does not honor the card, he or she may complete a Diners Club Establishment Coverage Request form which may be obtained from the coordinator and send it to Diners Club at the address shown on the form. (Diners Club will notify the requester of the coverage status within 30 days after receipt of the form.) 9. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL SYSTEM ACCOUNT. a. Establishment of Account. Appropriate officials (page 4, paragraph 7b) may establish GTS accounts with the contractor to purchase common carrier transportation only. Charge cards are not issued for GTS accounts. b. Use of GTS Accounts. GTS accounts may be used only if an organization uses a TMC, SATO, or inhouse travel office which is compatible with the account. The account can be used for all travel or travel performed by individuals who have not been identified as "frequent travelers" and therefore not holding a charge card. c. Contractor Billing and Payment. GTS accounts shall be billed monthly to the finance office for payment to the contractor. Monthly payment of charges incurred through the use of GTS accounts is subject to the provisions of the Prompt Payment Act, as amended, and payment is due in full within 30 calendar days after the billing date. (See DOE 2200.6, page I-27, paragraph 6c(15).) d. Travel Vouchers. Upon completion of travel, the employee shall prepare and submit an SF-1012 following the usual procedures. e. Unused Transportation Tickets. The employee shall submit any unused tickets to the appropriate travel office, TMC, or SATO that furnished the ticket under a GTS account. Organizations using a GTS account shall provide instructions to travelers on the procedures to follow when submitting and documenting unused or downgraded passenger transportation services. f. Controls on the Use of GTS Accounts. Appropriate officials (page 4, paragraph 7b) shall ensure that only designated, authorized personnel use the accounts and that all tickets purchased are authorized. Tickets issued under the GTS account shall include the individual's travel authorization number and other appropriate identifying codes. Designated officials authorized to use GTS accounts shall be responsible for properly utilizing the account and providing the finance office with a listing of all charges made to the account. The listing shall include the name, travel authorization number, organization code or other identifying code, and amount. The finance office is required to perform a reconciliation for all tickets under GTS with the Diners Club monthly bill to assure the propriety of all charges prior to payment. 10. TRAVEL VOUCHER CLAIMS. a. SF 1012, "Travel Voucher", shall be prepared and submitted by employees in the usual manner to the payment office (see DOE 1500.2A, page II-22, paragraph 4a(5), "Preparation of SF-1012"). Employees will be reimbursed for authorized and allowable travel and transportation expenses in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Travel Regulation and DOE 1500.2A. Expenses incurred in making payments to Diners Club, such as stamps, envelopes, and personal check charges are not reimbursable. b. Transportation Charges. When claiming reimbursement on a travel voucher for transportation expenses purchased with a credit card, the employee shall: (1) Claim only the cost of transportation tickets actually used. (Refer to page 11, paragraph 8i, and page 13, paragraph 9e, for the procedure to follow when a complete or partial airline ticket is not used.) (2) Initial the preprinted statement on the SF 1012 concerning assignment of all rights to the United States which the traveler has in connection with recovery of overcharges from the carrier(s). c. Voucher Submission and Processing Schedule. The following schedule must be followed to ensure that employees receive reimbursement for allowable expenses before payment is due the contractor: (1) Employees shall submit travel vouchers together with required receipts to the approving official within 10 workdays following the completion of the trip or at least once a month during extended travel assignments. Vouchers may be handwritten legibly in ink or typed. (2) Approving officials will submit the voucher to the payment office within 5 workdays after receipt or return it to the traveler for revision. (3) Payment offices will process all properly prepared vouchers within 10 workdays after receipt. Payment offices shall return promptly to the traveler vouchers that are not prepared properly. 11. TRAVEL ADVANCES. a. Frequent travelers who are authorized travel charge cards are expected to use their charge cards in lieu of cash advances for most travel expenses. An advance will be limited to cover those travel expenses that can be expected in connection with authorized travel including permanent change of station that as a general rule cannot be charged and must, therefore, be paid using cash. Within the Continental United States, the amount of the advance in a $26 M&IE area shall be $30 a day and in a $34 M&IE area shall be $40 a day. For travel outside the continental United States, the amount advanced for M&IE shall not exceed 50 percent of the per diem or the actual expense rate for the locality. (See DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8, paragraphs 2b and 2c.) Exceptions to the travel advance limitations are allowed as provided in subparagraph c below. b. Advances to those employees who are frequent travelers but elect not to have the charge card or to those travelers whose travel charge cards have been suspended or revoked because of delinquent payments will be limited to cover those travel expenses that can be expected in connection with authorized travel including permanent change of station that as a general rule cannot be charged and must, therefore, be paid using cash. The amounts of the advance mentioned in paragraph 11a, above, for within and outside the continental United States, will apply. However, the exceptions to the travel advance limitations as provided in paragraph c below are not allowed for these employees. c. An exception may be granted when circumstances are expected to preclude the use of the travel charge card for transportation, lodging, car rental, or other travel expenses that normally would be chargeable. (See DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8a, paragraph 2d.) Advances under this exception will be limited to 80 percent of the allowable amount for cash transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page 11-8a, paragraph 2d(4), "Amount Allowed." d. An exception is authorized when the Department determines that in certain situations an employee or group of employees should not be issued travel charge cards (see page 4, paragraph 6b, "Exception"). Infrequent travelers are included under this exception. Advances under this exception will be limited to the allowable amount for cash transaction expenses under DOE 1500.2A, page II-8a, paragraph 2d(4), "Amount Allowed." 12. SUBMISSION OF PASSENGER TICKETING INFORMATION TO GSA FOR AUDIT. a. Travel vouchers containing reimbursable transportation charges purchased with contractor-issued charge cards or issued through GTS accounts shall not be considered transportation vouchers under 41 CFR 101-41.807 and are therefore not required to be submitted to GSA by payment offices. b. Passenger ticketing information is furnished directly by the Diners Club, Inc., to GSA's Office of Transportation audits and will be used to identify and collect carrier overcharges. 13. PRIVACY ACT OF 1974. Refer to 48 FR 44655, of 9-29-83, for the establishment by GSA of a new system of records for this program as required under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. 14. TRAVELERS CHECKS. [Reserved] BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY: JOHN J. NETTLES, JR. Director of Administration and Human Resource Management **** DATABASE NOTE: ATTACHMENT OF ATTACHMENT 1 - DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CARD PROGRAM EMPLOYEE CARD APPLICATION INDIVIDUAL BILLING (PAGE 1) IS NOT INCLUDED IN DATABASE, DUE TO ITS FORMAT. INSTRUCTIONS 1. EMPLOYEE INFORMATION. These blocks must be completed with the employee's complete name; social security number; home and work addresses; home and work phone numbers; position/title; whether a present or former cardmember; and account number. The home/mailing address is where Diners Club will main the charge card and billing statements. This address may be a personal residence or a personal post office box. Charge cards and billing statements shall not be sent to a Government office address. 2. EMPLOYEE APPLICANT SIGNATURE. The employee should read this block carefully to make sure he or she understands the terms and conditions for issuance of a Diners Club Government Employee Card before he or she signs and dates. 3. AGENCY INFORMATION AND AUTHORIZATION. All the blocks shall be completed by the coordinator. The organization code 8900 shall be inserted in Field 2. The authorized representative will sign the authorizing signature block. THE DINERS CLUB APPLICATION IS A FOUR PART COLOR CODED FORM. AFTER COMPLETION, RETAIN PINK COPY AND RETURN ORIGINAL AND OTHER COPIES TO THE COORDINATOR. FORMAT EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT Department of Energy Headquarters Washington, DC -------------------- (Location) I certify that I have received, read, and understand the memorandum (with attachments) issued by Marvin C. Carling, Director of Financial Management, 2-5-91, entitled "Issuance of Diners Club Government Charge Cards," and that I will abide by such policies, procedures, and other instructions as may be issued by the Department and the Diners Club, Inc., pertaining to the use of any card issued to me for purposes of conducting official Government travel. John A. Doe ------------------------------------------ Name (Type or Print) Office of Programs, AD-810, Washington, DC ------------------------------------------ Organization and Location __________________________________ ____________ Employee Signature Date __________________________________ ____________ Supervisor Signature Date Return to coordinator with white and canary copies of the application. DESCRIPTION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO THE USE OF CONTRACTOR-ISSUED CHARGE CARDS Before you sign the enclosed Employee Acknowledgment, you should familiarize yourself with this description of the rights and obligations of Diners Club Government Cardholders. 1. HOW IS THE CARD TO BE USED. Employees designated to receive Diners Club cards are to use them to pay for major expenses connected with official Government travel, such as common carrier passenger tickets (air, rail, bus), lodging, meals, and automobile rentals. 2. DOES ISSUANCE OF CHARGE CARDS MEAN A CHANGE IN CURRENT TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION PROCEDURES? No, you must continue to obtain prior approval and authorization of official travel in the same manner as you have in the past. Other travel requirements, such as the use of contract city-pair airlines, Government contract rental automobiles, Fly America, and use of premium class accommodations, must continue to be observed fully. If you currently make your travel arrangements through a Travel Management Center or Scheduled Airlines Traffic Office, you shall continue to do so. 3. HOW WILL CARDHOLDERS BE BILLED? a. A separate account will be established in the name of each individual Government cardholder. Each month, you will receive a statement directly from the Diners Club, Inc., and you will be expected to send your payment in full regardless of whether or not it exceeds the amount which you are entitled to be reimbursed by the Government. b. Please note that you will receive with your card a detailed statement of billing and paying procedures, as well as instructions on how to request billing adjustments and corrections. Disputed charges or other billing problems may be reported to the Diners Club Government Services by calling (800) 525-5289 or (303) 799-9000 and writing to: Citicorp Diners Club Government Services P.O. Box 5064 Denver, CO 80217 4. WILL EMPLOYEES BE REIMBURSED IN TIME TO PAY THE DINERS CLUB BILL? a. If you are conscientious about filing travel vouchers promptly, you should receive reimbursement for allowable expenses well before your payment is due Diners Club. Coincident with the implementation of this program, employees are expected to submit travel vouchers, along with appropriate receipts, within 10 workdays after completion of travel. (Legible handwritten vouchers are acceptable.) In turn, approving officials are required to submit the voucher within 5 workdays to the payment office which will process all vouchers within 10 workdays after receipt. b. As a general rule, charges made during one month will not show up on your statement until the following month. Since you will have 25 days to pay from the statement date, this means the average lapsed time between the date when you incur charges and the date by which your payment is due will be 30 to 40 days. Assuming you file your vouchers promptly, you should not have to pay for any reimbursable expenses out of your own personal funds. 5. WHAT SPECIFIC PROTECTION AND FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE TO DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CARDHOLDERS? a. Under the terms of its contract with the General Services Administration, the Diners Club, Inc., may not: (1) Establish preset expenditure limits. (2) Conduct credit checks on employees designated to receive Government cards. (Diners Club has reserved the right to conduct such checks in connection with any update, renewal, or future extension of credit.) (3) Release credit information to other than authorized employing agency officials or the individual cardholder. (4) Sell or otherwise provide employee names or addresses to other commercial interests. (5) Charge membership, interest, or late payment fees. (6) Include commercial advertisements or other forms of solicitation with monthly billing statements. (7) Issue or cancel employee cards without the concurrence of authorized program coordinators. (8) Hold employees or their agencies liable for any charges made with lost or stolen cards. An employee may be required to review all charges considered fraudulent and sign an Affidavit of Forgery stating he or she did not make the charges. b. As a Diner's Club Government Cardholder, you will receive, either with your card or with your first billing statement, a brochure which describes various card features and uses. Major features are summarized as follows: (1) Travel accident insurance ($155,000), payable to your estate, which is automatically in force each time you purchase a common carrier ticket with your card ($150,000, if ticket is provided through Government Travel System), except where prohibited by State or local law. This insurance is provided free of charge to you. (2) Automatic $1,250 insurance for lost or stolen baggage when common carrier tickets are obtained with the card or through GTS. (3) Confirmed hotel reservations on your card number regardless of time of arrival. (Please note that you must notify hotels before 6 p.m. on the day of arrival if your plans change and ask for and retain your cancellation number.) (4) Personal check cashing privileges at participating citibank branches worldwide and participating hotels and motels as a registered guest. (5) Foreign currency conversion for billing purposes provided without fee. (6) Emergency card replacements within 24 hours, worldwide. 6. WHERE ARE DINERS CLUB CARDS ACCEPTED? The Diners Club Card is accepted in more than 650,000 establishments, including: a. All major domestic and international airlines, automobile rental agencies, AMTRAK, and other common carriers. b. Every major domestic hotel and motel chain, as well as other major hotels in the U.S. and overseas (including most of the hotels and motels listed in the Federal Travel Directory, published monthly by GSA). c. Over 34,000 restaurants throughout the United States moderately priced as well as finer establishments. 7. CAN CARDHOLDERS REQUEST THE DINERS CLUB TO SIGN UP ADDITIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS? You will receive a postage-paid establishment request card with your Diners Club monthly statements. Simply fill in the request card with the names of establishments you would like to have Diners Club contact to accept the card and mail it. You will be notified by Diners Club within 30 days of the action taken on your request. Additional request cards may be obtained at any time from your program coordinator or by calling the Diners Club (toll free) Corporate Services at (800) 525-5289. 8. HOW DO CARDHOLDERS REPORT LOST OR STOLEN CARDS? a. Lost or stolen cards should be reported as soon as you discover they are lost or stolen to the Diners Club at one of the following numbers: (a) In the Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands (toll free), 1-800-525-9040; (b) In Canada (call collect), 0-303-779-8235; (c) In Puerto Rico (call collect), 37-800-525-9040; (d) In the Caribbean, 0-809-295-7181; (e) In Colorado (except Denver) (toll free), 1-800-332-9340; (f) In metropolitan Denver (dial direct), 779-8235/779-1504. b. Emergency card replacement will be arranged upon notification. 9. WHERE CAN CARDHOLDERS GET ANSWERS TO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AS THEY ARISE? Any questions related to your account may be referred to Diners Club Corporate Service officials who can be reached toll free at (800) 525-5289. MEMORANDUM FOR DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEES DESIGNATED TO RECEIVE THE DINERS CLUB GOVERNMENT CHARGE CARDS United States Government Department of Energy -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEMORANDUM DATE: February 5, 1991 REPLY TO ATTN OF: AD-312 SUBJECT: Issuance of Diners Club Government Charge Cards TO: Chief of Program Analysis, AD-810 The General Service Administration (GSA) has entered into a new contract with Citibank/Diners Club to issue charge cards to eligible employees within the Federal Government. Use of the charge card has been approved within the Department of Energy (DOE). As a frequent traveler, you must request a Diners Club Government Charge card. This card will be issued to you without an annual fee and without a personal credit check. The card will give you financial flexibility and convenience while traveling on official Government business. Diners Club will allow you a maximum of 25 days from their statement billing date to pay for the charges incurred during your trip. Other advantages of the card include (see detailed listing attached) no-cost travel accident insurance, lost baggage insurance, and the opportunity to free up your own individual line of credit if in the past you used your own personal charge cards on official travel. It is expected that you will use the card whenever and wherever possible for all hotel, restaurant, automobile rental, and other expenses incurred in conjunction with your official travel. In addition, you may use the card for airline and other common carrier to obtain transportation services in emergency situations. Your travel advances will be limited to cover those estimated usual cash transaction expenses that can be expected in connection with your travel. Please refer to DOE 1500.2A, pages II-8 through II-8b for list of cash transaction expenses, allowable amounts for cash transaction expenses, and exceptions to the travel advance limitation. Passenger transportation tickets will be obtained by (See note) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Reimbursement of allowable expenses to employees issued a card will be accomplished by check from the Treasury Regional Financial Center. Generally, reimbursement of the local travel expenses where the use of the card would be inappropriate will be handled as in the past. To ensure that you are apprised of your rights and obligations, attached are: a. A summary of the benefits, services, and protection provided to cardholders; b. The DOE travel policies and procedures related to the use of the card, including employee responsibilities and obligations; and c. An application form with instructions and an Employee Acknowledgment. Please complete and submit the attached application and Employee Acknowledgment to your coordinator, ________________________, by (date) at the following address: ______________________ ______________________ This program offers many advantages both to you, while in official travel status, and to DOE. Over 350,000 companies employ a corporate charge card system for employee travel, and 134 of the "Fortune 500" largest corporations in America operate such systems through the Diners Club, Inc. while this may be a new and exciting way of doing business for the Federal Government, its advantages have long been recognized by private industries. Your full support, cooperation, and understanding of your rights and obligations are essential to ensuring the successful implementation of this program within the Department. Marvin C. Carling ------------------------------------ (Signature) Director of Financial Management ------------------------------------ (Title) Attachments Note: Each organization should provide its own specific instructions on how passenger tickets are to be obtained. <<EOD>>