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Show 17 Hilltop Times April 15, 1993 Diners Club card questions answered WASHINGTON (AFNS) In the second in a series of articles on the Diners Club card program. Air Force financial management officials answer ques- tions about the government charge cardautomated teller machine program, and explain when people can get advances from local finance offices. Does all this publicity and the push for Q. travelers to use the government chargeATM card pended cards reactivated. Canceled cards may be mean travel advances by finance offices have reissued by the contractor on a basis stopped? when requested in writing by the commander or suA No, but they have been severely curtailed pervisor. and travelers need a good reason to be paid an adbenefit of the charge card proQ Is the vance by a finance office. In fact, the reason must gram to the only . government? be good enough for the commander or supervisor to A No, benefits to the traveler are not measured approve it in the individual's travel orders. in or economics but in convenience and solely Some instances when an advance may be paid are: enhancedcost service. D When registration fees for conferences or trainFor example: be cannot courses the the B When going on temporary duty, people had to card, paid using ing finance officer may pay a cash advance for the fee be concerned that orders were published in time to ask for an advance. When traveling on short notice provided the orders authorize it. . D When temporary duty is to a place where it is and TDY orders are not published in time, individuknown the government charge card cannot be used als leave on verbal orders and advances cannot be for expenses such as hotel and rental car. Those expaid by finance. The charge ATM card eliminates penses must be specifically approved in the orders " these concerns. for finance to pay an advance. This is usually in, but B If someone takes a cash advance, he either has to go to the bank to buy travelers checks or just not limited to, certain overseas locations. The finance office may pay a travel advance if carry cash and risk it being either stolen or lost. If authorized in orders when an individual is not autho- that happens, the expenses come out of the individurized a card because of the following reasons: (1) The al's pocket. The availability of more than 100,000 ATMs person does not travel at least twice a year and does not have a card; (2) The person has been denied the worldwide eliminates the need for carrying a lot of card by his commander. money. A lost or stolen card can be replaced in a few O When someone has applied for a card and ATM days. If someone forgets the personal identification cash advance authorization but has not received number for the ATM, he or she can call the emerboth, finance may pay the advance when presented gency assistance number on the card. Individuals a statement from the card program monitor showmight want to consider getting a customized PIN to make it easy to remember. was the submitted. when request ing D When TDYs are extended, people have two opD Those whose cards have been suspended or canof bills are not authorized tions: go to the nearest finance office for a second celed due to advances from finance unless their commander or advance or use their own money. Funds are always supervisor asks for the advance in writing. Paying available for those situations with the charge ATM outstanding bills in full is necessary to have sus- - card. case-by-ca- non-payme- se nt D If someone is stranded without military transportation and there is no base traffic management office nearby, they can use the card instead of personal funds to buy a commercial ticket. Q Why the change from cash advances from finance offices to the government chargeATM card? A Economics and cost avoidance. Instead of the government paying in advance for travel, the payments are delayed until the trip is completed generating, on an average, a savings of 30 days. The same procedure has been used by major businesses for years. For example, a family going on vacation has $1,000 in the bank to cover costs. Would the family be better off withdrawing the entire amount before the trip and losing the interest, or leaving it in the bank, using credit cards to pay all the expenses and paying them off upon receipt of the bills? They would save money by using the credit cards and continuing to earn interest on the money in the bank. With the Air Force advancing millions of dollars each month, the savings are substantial. Q Who made the changes in travel advances and why? A To help improve cash management, the Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to tighten procedures and limit travel advances to no more than 80 percent of the applicable per diem rate. But travel advances continued to increase and it was financially hard on people since costs in excess of 80 percent became expenses. To control advances without imposing personal financial hardships on people, OMB initiated the government credit card. Although the card was available for major expenses, a small advance from finance was still needed for meals and incidental costs. 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