New government travel card on the horizon

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody H. Ramirez
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Citibank Controlled Spend Account government travel cards will replace the current government travel card through Spring 2011 in an effort to minimize delinquencies and misuse.

"The CSA is the most innovative solution to the government travel card since its inception, and it allows the Air Force to better manage cash flows," said Mike Bilbrey, the Air Force banking officer. "Since the card won't have any value until a travel order is approved, Airmen can count on higher levels of security, lower delinquency rates, and best of all, instant approval, since there is no credit check required to have a CSA."

Tech. Sgt. Joni Mcgriff-Howard, 509th Comptroller Squadron NCO in charge of customer service, said Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen might have a hard time adjusting to some of the changes that come alongside with the transition to the CSA.

"There will no longer be a split payment option. All funds will be loaded directly onto the card," she said. "Any residual balance from the travel can be used the same way as a preloaded credit card."

The CSA program will begin the transition through an auto-enrollment. The first people to receive a new card will be those who are on temporary-duty travel less than three times a year and those whose GTC expires in December.

"The transition process will continue based on GTC expiration dates," Sergeant Mcgriff-Howard said. "All personnel should be transitioned to CSA by the end of March 2011, unless their GTC has a balance or the individual has orders in the system."

If auto-enrollment is missed, an application can be completed manually through the finance office, she added.

Additional information can be found on the Air Force portal under the "Finance and Travel" link. Click "Money-Welcome to Virtual Finance" and then the "Tools" tab to access the information.

For additional information, call Sergeant Mcgriff-Howard at (660) 687-2754.